Monday March 29, 2010

The Golden Pear. Upon reading those three words, it actually doesn't make any sense. However, in my family, it means war. A bloody fight containing lies and secrets. All for the joys of that five minutes of heaven. Heaven, I mean by this, is the pleasure of consuming a Harry and David golden pear. A pear that is wrapped in golden aluminum foil that you can buy or order from any Harry and David store around the country. However, when it comes to family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, this pear is all my family dreams of. This golden pear comes in a box of twelve. There is eleven regular pears contained in the box and then only one pear that is wrapped in golden foil. This is the one golden pear.

We all have crazy families, whether or not we want to admit it, there is some hidden "secret" or "story" behind that family name. Well I happen to come from a family that is not very hidden behind that persona. This side of the family comes from my mother. My mother has six brothers and sisters; three boys and three girls; much like the Brady Bunch. I have only one brother, Ryan, and then about six cousins on this side. My mother's two parents have already passed away at an early age, so the family is very close. Unfortunately, we don't all live very close to one another, but about twice a year for the holidays, we all make an effort to get together.

We started this tradition of bringing a box of Harry and David pears to our family holiday gatherings about four years ago. Now these are not just any ordinary pears. They are the freshest, sweetest, and absolute most divine pears I have ever tasted. They can even make the biggest pear cynic give them another try. So when my cousin, Mark brought them to our Thanksgiving get together four years ago, we devoured every pear in the box. Every pear, but the one wrapped in golden foil.

Seeing this "special" pear and after tasting the amazing other pears in the box, we all greedily assumed that this pear was even more mouthwatering and exquisite for it was wrapped in golden foil. While each of the family members debated on who would take upon this golden pear, Ryan came up with this idea of a family basketball game. The winning team would then distribute the pear evenly upon the team members and make it a fair gain.

Now the rest of the story will be continued in my next posting. I came up with this idea of sharing my family stories because I know that everyone must have some family story or tradition that they continue to share through the years. My family continues to share these stories every time we get together. However, I believe that if they are not documented soon, we will begin to forget the humorous memories that brought us closer together through the years. I also thought that you can share some of your own stories on my blog, not for any particular reason, but to prove the point that even the most stringent families have a bit of hidden "mentalness" behind that sharp exterior.