Christmas is long over, but miscellaneous items linger, like this little bowl of mixed nuts. When I was a kid, nuts were a treat we had only at Christmas. Along with tangerines, nuts just tasted like Christmas. Well after the season was over, the bowl of nuts and shells would still be sitting out and I’d sit and sift through the shells to find any that were left. I liked hazel nuts and almonds the best, because they were easiest to crack. Walnuts were tricky, as the meat had a tendency to fall apart and get lost amongst the shells in the bowls, as did rarer shiny red pecans. I loved Brazil nuts, but they were very hard to crack.

From 365 Days of Photos

I suppose it’s the downside of affluence that nuts in the shell are no longer the treat they once were.

My father tells the story of a Christmas orange. When he was a child, oranges were a rare treat. When one showed up at Christmas time, it was set in the middle of the kitchen table where it could be admired, handled and inhaled. So coveted was the fruit that it finally spoiled before anyone would eat it. Sadly, oranges seem to spoil in the fruit bowl every so often and no one mourns. When we become richer, we become poorer in some ways.