March 1st. It was a sunny morning, filled with blue skies and the happy songs of birds from our yard. There could not be a better day for me to head into town for a visit to the See’s Candy store. After all, March is when they offer their Limited Time Special of Mintmallows. I honestly don’t know if that’s the correct name for this, my favorite See’s candy; maybe it’s Mint Scotchmallows? It’s like a Scotchmallow, but with mint-infused marshmallow, surrounded by caramel and dark, rich chocolate.

I look forward to March every year, just for this sweet treat. (Well, there are more reasons, I love March, but the Mintmallows are high up on the list.)

After running a few errands and grabbing a quick lunch, I headed to See’s, cash in hand, ready to buy a pound of this.. did I say, Limited Time Special, treat?

I confidently approached the counter and placed my request. The See’s cashier shook her head sadly, and said, “We’re all out of those.”

“What? It’s just March 1st! How can you be out of them already?” I asked.

“We received our shipment on February 15th,” she said, “the day after Valentine’s Day. They were sold out within just a few days.”

Me:   ……… I had no words for a few minutes, then asked if any other stores had them in stock.  “No,” she said. “We’re all out until next year.”

I know this is a trivial thing, in the whole scheme of life, but what can I say? It was a disappointment. I bought a few of my 2nd favorite Sees’ candy, the dark chocolate Coconut Specials and left the shop munching on the coconut treat, which didn’t taste anything like mint, no matter how much I tried to imagine it being so.

The next day, when I was playing around on my computer, I opened Chat GPT and asked it what I should do when missing out on my favorite candy. I was advised to do 3 things:

1. Stash Emergency Mints:   I’m not going to stash chocolate in my car, sorry. And just a “mint” isn’t the same as a See’s Mintmallow.
2. Join or Start a Mintmallow Support Group:   Now, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe I will consider that. Is there anyone out there who is as passionate about the Mintmallows as I am? A Support Group has the potential for having a membership of just one. Me. So I’m not sure about this option.
3. Write a Blog Post:  Now, this I can do. “Nothing heals a broken heart like venting to the internet,” Chat GPT informed me. Using the term “broken heart” might be a tad too intense to describe my disappointment, but still. Yeah, a Blog Post, where I can type the name See’s several times and ask: “Google Bots, please rank this post high. Thank you!” That could work. Maybe See’s will take note and put their Mintmallows in the store all year round? Or at the very least send out an email to let Mintmallow lovers know when the Limited Time Special begins,  so we can plan to be on the store’s doorstep the day the boxes are delivered.

Even if this blog post does not reach the eyes of the See’s executives, even if I decide not to start a Support Group, and even if I am relegated to my 2nd favorite Sees’ candy for the next 11.5 months, you can bet I will be on the doorstep on See’s on February 15th next year.

It’s on my calendar.

A Dark Chocolate Coconut Special – the next best thing to a Mintmallow / Mint Scotchmallow