I don't want to become my Mom, but she is pretty cool...

A few years ago at Christmas time my Dad commented "you girls all talk just like your Mom." The "you girls" was of course myself and my two sisters. And I, the receiver of the intended compliment, decided to spend the rest of Christmas trying to talk not like myself but whoever else I could think of that didn't resemble my Mom. This should be no offense to my Mom, I was just super crabby that year. Since then I've begun to face the facts, I will slowly over time start to be more and more like my Mom. Someday I might even have her name, Mom, as well as her puffy hand veins.

But this year since I am not crabby I think becoming more like my Mom is kind of cool since after all, my Mom was pretty cool in her own way. And one her cooler Momisms was her cookie tin. As long as I can remember my Mom has always had an island in her kitchen where she can chop stuff and get food ready. And as long as she has had an island there has always been a cookie tin on the island. Inside the cookie tin you can count on finding something sweet that you will want to eat. Sometimes it's something she made. Sometimes it's something she bought. Sometimes it's something someone gave her. But it will always be there.

People know about the cookie tin. My Dad comes home from work, he opens the cookie tin. I remember HT would come over after school and she would always open the cookie tin. Life is just a little nicer with a cookie tin. When you come home after eating Mexican food and the cookie tin is there to greet you and help reduce the onion taste in your mouth you know that life is good.

In our apartment here in Asia we do not have a cookie tin. The Captain does not know that he wants a cookie tin for Christmas, but this is what he wants. Do you know how I know? Because this is what he asks me "Hey, do we have any cookies?" "You know those snickerdoodles you made were really good, are there any left?" "Man, I really want to eat some cookies." "Wow, if this whole room were full of cookies right now I wouldn't be mad about the mess, I would just eat them." See, he wants a cookie tin.

And so, Mr. Captain, for Christmas this year I am getting you a cookie tin. It won't always be full of snickerdoodles and other homemade cookies, but I promise you I will try my best to keep it well stocked. There is just one thing I ask on your part. Please do not eat all the cookies in one day. I'm asking for two reasons: 1) You'll get sick 2) If you eat all the cookies in one day, not only will I be becoming my Mom, but you will be becoming my Dad.