Aprons on, buttered hands at the ready.  The wax paper squares are cut and stacked neatly.  My sisters in law and I move into position around Grandma’s kitchen table.  We are ready.  Bring it on!

A true labor of love, Grandma spends a lot of time over her stove to create these tasty morsels of heavenly goodness.  Standing at a height of under 5 feet, she literally has to stand on a wooden stool to reach over the deep, heavy pot and stir the bubbling confection as it cooks.  It is a lot of work, but she insists on doing it.  That candy contains so much more than sugar, cream, butter, etc., it contains love and lots of it!  That knowledge makes each morsel even more delicious.

After it has cooked to perfection, my mother in law helps Grandma handle the deep, heavy pot to pour the mouthwatering golden brown thick syrup onto the buttered cookie sheets.  Grandma then puts the cookie sheets on the steps leading upstairs where they will cool at just the right speed.  After a significant amount of time, she deems them ready to be cut and wrapped.

That is where the rest of us spring into action.  Grandma plops down cookie sheet after cookie sheet of the cooled, ooey, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.  She has them cut and ready.  We simply need to roll each piece carefully and wrap them in wax paper.

We all dig in.  Roll, wrap, twist, repeat.  The sequence goes on and on.  As the old saying goes, “Many hands make light work.”  Before we know it, we have several large bowls heaped high with wrapped candies.  Grandma takes the bowls and begins filling plastic bags with their contents.  These will go to various family members and friends.  Some she puts into decorative bowls to sit around the house.  Family members will enjoy these nuggets of love and goodness throughout the holiday season.  Thank you, Grandma, for your labor of love and this sweet, sweet remembrance.

Note: Thank you, Christine, for the idea to write about Grandma’s caramels.  Your suggestion really got me thinking and remembering!   

We open the back door and step inside the kitchen.  Immediately the mouthwatering scent of Grandma’s homemade caramels greets us.  It is nearing the holidays.  She will make seemingly endless batches of these delicious nuggets of goodness.  Grandma is there next to the stove with her beautiful warm smile and petite arms outstretched to give everyone hugs and kisses on the cheek.

“Are you hungry?” she asks.  Grandma always asks that question and always has food (most likely her famous spaghetti and meatballs) ready to serve.  We had eaten earlier, so we decline.  She puts a bowl of fresh caramels on the table.  “Take a few of those as you walk by,” she says.  Her caramels are as famous as her meatballs.  We all take some of the wrapped candy as we pass by the table and go into the living room.

“What are you up to today?” my husband, her grandson, asks.  They discuss the many things she has accomplished so far.  She is whirlwind of energy and can do spirit.  I love listening to her talk about her day.  She is a faith-filled woman with such enthusiasm and zeal for life, and she approaches every problem with a positive and resourceful attitude.  Her deep, enduring faith is a beautiful example for all of us.

During our visit, my husband pulls caramel after caramel out of his shirt pocket.  He always has a handful of caramels in his shirt pocket this time of the year.  He carefully untwists each end of the wax paper wrapper and pops the sweet confection into his mouth.  I can tell that he is savoring each sweet, creamy, and buttery morsel as they melt in his mouth.  I smile.  My heart warms to see him enjoy the company and the candy so much.

When our visit ends, she walks to the kitchen and promptly reappears, producing a quart-sized plastic bag full of caramels.  She hands them to my husband.  He bends over to give her a hug and she reminds him to share.   For a moment, I see a little boy and his grandma.  The vision makes me smile.  Another round of hugs and kisses commence as we make our way to the back door.  Another sweet memory made to tuck away for future reminiscing.