This was the 10th annual Harry London Day.  What, you haven’t heard of that holiday? It might be because there are only two of us who celebrate it. It usually coincides with President’s Day. I have that day off from work and it is usually the first Monday after Valentine’s Day.  This is significant. At Harry London’s they make delicious, fine chocolates. The original purpose of Harry London Day was for my daughter and me to go to the Harry London production and sales facility to procure many fine chocolates at discounted prices. All the chocolates from past holidays, namely Valentine’s Day and a few things that remain from Christmas, are 50-75% off. Pictured above is my haul from this year. This chocolate does last us for a long time which is good because that tin contains 6 lbs. of chocolate. My daughter and I have been celebrating this holiday since she was in high school and this was the 10th year for it.

The significance of this holiday has grown far beyond that of its origins. After the first couple of years it also became known as Mommy-Daughter Day. It is a day that is just for us. First we go to the chocolate factory, then we shop at World Market and look at exotic things. This is usually followed by a trip to the pet store and then a craft store. At this point we are famished and stop for lunch and to hang out for a while. The lunch location varies by year depending on what we decide will be fun that day. This year was IHOP for some more decadence. Raspberry, white chocolate chip pancakes for me and chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips for her. From that point we went back to shopping and as always ended up at the bookstore to rejoice in the magic that such places hold. And of course we take the gems we have gleaned from the shelves back to a table, and again hang out.

Once again, the significance of something in my life is about love. How fortunate I am! Something that 10 years ago started out as a physical pursuit, is about the love and enjoyment of time spent. When my daughter was still in high school, I offered one year to let her invite a friend along with us, thinking that it might make the day more fun for her. I was met with the response, “No, it’s Mommy-Daughter Day!” What a blessing. This girl (young woman now) wants to spend time with just me. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world either. Now we start the countdown months in advance. We plan so that we can savor the anticipation. Although it is still referred to around our home as Harry London Day, it is so much more. The chocolate is a nice side benefit but the real miracle is the love.

P.S.  I notice that the tags for this post read Chocolate, Daughter, Love. Quite similar to Eat, Pray, Love. This day of the year does help sustain me.