my Grinch moment

My eldest niece visited my sister and me yesterday. She's a young adult now, but with the holiday season upon us, I was reminded of a moment from many years ago.

We had all been gathered together as an extended family at my mom's house, watching TV. The oldest of my nieces and nephews were little children at the time, some still toddlers. Things always got a bit complicated with all of them together, having to share or offer something to everyone equally, and in this case having to consider whether or not having sweets so close to a meal was a good idea for the kids or not. Perhaps one mother wouldn't mind whereas the other would. It doesn't sound all that complicated, but it really was!

I was still in my twenties back then. I decided that I was in the mood for a couple of bon bons (the bite-size ice cream treats). I remember thinking that I didn't feel like asking who else wanted one, if it was okay, and if it was, maybe one of the kids would grab two or three and then all the kids would want two or three - like I said, complicated - so I figured that I'd sneak quietly to the refrigerator and eat a couple while I stood at the door.

And that's what I did. I opened up the freezer, opened the bon bon container, grabbed a couple and started eating them. Mmmm! Then as if it had been rehearsed for timing and greatest effect, I heard a little girl's voice asking, "Uncle Arthur, what are you doing?" I peered from behind the open freezer door and saw my eldest niece standing there looking up at me with her curious and innocent eyes. The scene I'm describing here only really makes sense if you are familiar with the scene from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas when the little Who girl wakes up in the middle of the night and finds the Grinch trying to shove the Christmas tree up the chimney. She caught me!

As frozen in my mind as this memory is, I don't recall how I responded to her. Just the moment of being caught. Although it's fun to imagine that I mimicked the Grinch and said: "Why little girl, I'm just checking to see if these bon bons are delicious enough for all of us to eat!"