Gummy Bears: a memory

It felt like Christmas Eve last night as I was sneaking around in the dark, after everyone else was sleeping, in order to set up the Valentine gifts to surprise and delight at breakfast this morning.

I bought Eric this big, beautiful plant that was no easy task to hide for a week, while still providing it enough water and sunlight to survive. I felt relieved to finally lug it up to the kitchen last night.

I got the kids a card and a box of Lindor milk chocolate Truffles--their favorite. I also got them gummy bears--a whole, huge bag that doesn't have to be shared. It's what I would have wanted when I was a kid. And isn't that what parents do when they become parents and arn't kids anymore? Do for the children what they remember wanting most?

It's the thought that I went to bed with last night: my own bag of gummy bears. Soft, sweet, squishy, gummy bears.

I learned of gummy bears sometime around 1978 or maybe 1980. My parents used to frequent a German bakery, not so near our house, but in the town where I grew up. I remember driving out to this place that looked odd and patched together on the outside, but magical and delicious on the inside. As we entered Heidelberg Haus, the smell of freshly baked bread hit the senses immediately while the confections in the bakery display case tempted the eyes and rattled the hunger response and the salivary glands. Everywhere you looked Cuckoo clocks cluttered the wall space, beer steins lined the shelves. Hummel figurines had their place next to the Steiff brand teddy bears behind the cash register while postcards and other random German knick knacks fell into in organized chaos. It was like stumbling into a well-kept attic. In the days before eBay or craigslist, an attic of treasures was not uncommon yet still serendipidous.


But nothing in the store, bakery, or cafe trumped the candy corner where there seemed to be a never-ending supply of small tins of hard candies, chocolate bars in all sizes and shapes. And of course, the Haribo Gold Bears, in the gold bag.

It was the one thing my brother and I were allowed to buy. Soft, sweet, and squishy. There never seemed to be enough to satisfy both of us. I always wanted just a few more--or better yet, a bag of my own.

Heidelberg Haus is still in business today and now it seems, is famous. Their website boasts being featured on The Food Networks' Food Finds more than once.

On Valentine's day my parents always gave my brother and I a box of chocolates, a card, sometimes money and depending on the year, more elaborate gifts like expensive clothing or a unique piece of jewelry. My mom's birthday is on the 15th so my dad tended to roll the holiday and the birthday into a big deal for the family. I'm sure I have lots of memories of Valentine's Day to choose from

But this year, while standing at the counter making breakfast and talking about Adrienne's birthday (also tomorrow on the 15th), I couldn't think of a single story of elaborate gifts or unique jewelry. All I could think about was the soft, sweet, squishy gummy bear.