Deborah Halverson's Blog

Moving on from edible insects to something more palatable to the general population…

It probably goes without saying that anything having to do with chocolate lands in my “Good Stuff” folder. Even so, the director of marketing at Euro-American Brands—the importer of the chocolate-filled advent calendars that hung in our kitchen this Christmas season—just knocked my socks off. Or more precisely, she knocked the socks off my three five-year-olds. Last week she mailed a package to the youngest of my triplets in response to a letter he sent her. He’d written to Euro-American Brands because he was sad that his advent calendar, given to him by Grandma M., had been short six pieces of chocolate. His brothers, by contrast, found a piece of chocolate behind every one of their calendars’ windows.  When I suggested he write the company a letter, he thought that was a very fine idea . . . and used me as his personal secretary to get the task done. Here’s his letter, with a little punctuation and grammar help from me, of course:

Dear Euro-American Brands Representative:

My name is —–. I am four years old. I will be five years old in two weeks. My two brothers will be five years old, too. We are triplets.

My grandma gave my brothers and I advent calendars. We have opened a window every day. But I am sad because on six different days I did not find a piece of chocolate behind my number. My brothers got chocolate every day. I didn’t. Can you please send us a new blue one? Mine was blue with Santa Claus next to a fire with bunnies and kids. My favorite color is blue. My brothers both had red advent calendars. —- likes red. —- likes yellow, but Grandma said there weren’t yellow ones at the store.

He signed the letter, stuffed and sealed the envelope, licked the stamp, and then it was off. Within days, the marketing director’s package arrived with this letter:

Dear —–:

We are so sorry your Advent Calendar was missing so many chocolate treats. (Santa’s helpers must have been up to a bit of mischief this past year!)

In order to make up for your lost chocolate, we have enclosed some Ritter Sport chocolate bars for you. (They’re very YUMMY). We hope you enjoy them. (And we hope you’ll share them with your brothers.)

And she added a handwritten P.S. “And happy 5^th birthday!!” Enclosed with the letter was a box of thirteen assorted Ritter Sport chocolate bars.

What a sweet (ha!) reply this was! It’s obvious that the lady had fun with the letter, and in the process she really made a little boy’s day. (Three little boys’ days, actually.) (And their mom’s.) She went above and beyond with this letter to my son, and in my book, that qualifies as a good person, through and through. With her help, my son learned a lesson about speaking up and positive communication, and he felt empowered by the experience.  Plus, he got chocolate.

Now, if you haven’t tried Germany’s #1-selling chocolate bars, my boys will gladly confirm for you the marketing director’s assessment: they are, indeed, YUMMY. Each day since opening the box of chocolates, my son has chosen a new bar, opened it with the care one might spend unwrapping an antique vase, and very precisely broken the bar into three equal parts, one for himself and one for each of his brothers. The two beneficiaries have been equally serious in their reception of their chocolate pieces, cupping their hands reverently and saying, “Thank you” solemnly each time.

Witnessing this melodramatic exchange between the boys has been my pleasure. For not only is my dear progeny wonderful about sharing his cocoa bounty with his brothers . . . he gives his mom a nibble of every bar, too.

Yes, indeed, I’ll take that over bacon-and-cheese crickets any day.