This time of year abounds with girls of
all shapes and sizes selling Girl Scout Cookies. It is estimated that
approximately 200 million of these cookies are sold with Thin Mints being the
most popular. It is the Girl Scouts' main fundraiser
of the year and has a long tradition. As early as 1917, girls were
selling home made cookies. In 1934, the first commercial Girl Scout cookies were sold in
Philadelphia and that blossomed into the tradition that continues today.
I was a part of that tradition long, long ago. Girl Scouts were a big deal in my
family of four girls. My mother, bless her heart, was a Girl Scout
leader for 23 years and was cookie chairman many times. However, my
sisters and I were not top sellers. We lived in a neighborhood with
many older people on a fixed income and my mother wouldn't let us go
to those houses. In addition, I was often competing with my sisters
which further narrowed down the pool of potential buyers for each of us. However, we
did sell some cookies which was very important because a portion of
the profits went to help us pay for camp. The rest of the profits
went to troop and council activities.
I had one favorite customer every year,
Mrs. Thompson. She was an older person in the neighborhood, but had a
little more money than some, so we were allowed to go to her house to
sell. She always bought a couple of boxes. However, the best part was
when I delivered them. She invited me in, opened a box of cookies,
and offered me some. She said she didn't like sweets and I would do
her a favor by eating some cookies. I don't know if that was true,
but it sure made me happy.
Today, when I see a girl selling
cookies, it takes me back to an important part of my youth when I was
a Girl Scout. As a scout, I learned many things and had some
interesting and wonderful camping experiences that I will never
forget. I want to support that for girls today, therefore I am a
softie every time one of them asks me to buy a box. I say yes to all
of them. Luckily, I live in a small neighborhood and I've never had
to buy more that 5 boxes any one year. However, my sister has a
different approach. She gives a small donation to the troop of anyone
who asks her because she doesn't want the cookies. She trying to cut back.
As long as the cookie tradition
continues, I will be one of its supporters. I guess it doesn't hurt
that I have a big sweet tooth and like cookies. Someday, maybe I will
just make a donation like my sister and leave the cookies behind. In
the meantime, I'm off to have some Thin Mints.
Did you ever sell Girl Scout cookies?
Did you ever sell Girl Scout cookies?
