by Jim Cathcart
Mom deserved a special gift for Christmas, after all in more than 80 years on this Earth she had more than earned my gratitude and unfailing love. I could think of so many reasons to appreciate her besides just her "mom-hood", :-).
She had raised my sister and me with no experience around babies and despite my Dad's job that kept him out of town all week for most of the year. When I was in grammar school she took in my Grandfather and Grandmother as well. Grandfather Cathcart had a stroke that left him unable to talk or move. He was in a hospital bed in our front bedroom for about seven years.
Mom is an amazing person in many other ways too. She left an emotionally abusive stepmother and went out on her own at age 15 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She got a job right away, found a boarding house and made a good life for herself. She served in the Women's Volunteer Army Corps during World War II and traveled to Des Moines, Charleston, Springfield, Massachusetts and ultimately to San Francisco.
She and Dad married upon his return from the war and they settled in Little Rock. That's where I was born in 1946.
Mom's maiden name is Laura Elizabeth Fudge. Yes, really. To make the name even more remarkable, I married Paula Sue Dugger whose mother had the maiden name of Flowers. Fudge and Flowers, what are the odds?
Well, Christmas gifts aren't as simple as they used to be because Mom says she doesn't "need or want anything". She modestly defers our inquiries and just says "give something extra to the grandchildren." Nice, but I'm not falling for it. I still plan to give my Mom a Christmas gift each year. So, I got creative.
I contacted a number of candy companies about producing a special limited run of personalized candies for me. And when Mom received the gift she cried tears of joy.
She said, "every time I look at the candy wrapper I start crying again." Here is what I did.
I created a line of candy called "Laura Elizabeth Fudge." In truth it was chocolate bars and truffles but you get the point. Then I designed the labels to tell the story of her life as if it were a chocolate candy company. Since she was born in 1919, I had the company "founded in 1919". The employees of the company "signed" their names to the label (these were her family members including her parents, siblings, me, my sister Kathy and my wife Paula.)
Here is the label:
And here is the back cover:
In the legend I mentioned her birthplace of Rochelle, Louisiana and praised her sweet nature. Then I had the labels blown up to a larger size and framed in an 8 x 10 frame for her. The production run was small but I produced enough candy to provide her plenty to share with friends and neighbors plus a special stash that I could give to my friends and clients. The entire experience was great fun and surprisingly inexpensive. Most of all, the fun of it was Mom's reaction to the gift.
She thought I had actually formed a candy company in her name. She worried that I had taken a huge risk in a field I knew little about. But my reassurance allayed her fears and she smiled and cried with joy. I get a glow each time I think about this experience. Hopefully, this will stimulate an idea for something you can give to your own special people that will produce similar benefits.
Have a very happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Christmas Season.
Jim Cathcart
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