It starts with the smell that welcomes you.

You’ll get a whiff when you visit a See’s Candies store in a mall, but that is nothing like the divine smell that envelopes you entering this stand-alone store in Anaheim, with its much larger showroom of chocolate confections.

Many a holiday season has kicked off with a journey to the Orangethorpe Avenue store – a search of the company’s site discovered it is considered a “volume savings” location – to stock up on peanut brittle for the grandparents, a box of truffles or two for a hostess gift and a handful of suckers for the cousins. To this day, a Santa tin that started as a stocking stuffer hangs on the Christmas tree.

You walk the long display case, the perfectly dipped buttercreams, the Bordeauxs in their fuzzy jackets of sprinkles … “Would you like a sample?” Just the question you’ve been waiting for, a sweet treat in black wax paper to tide you over.

Then there is the debate: nuts & chews or soft centers for the house. Diplomacy decides on a box of assorted and it is added to the big white bag with black accents as you head out for more shopping and holiday prepping.

And, don’t throw that box away when you are done. They are a great size for storing holiday ornaments. Several have lasted decades being packed and unpacked in our house.

Where to go: 75 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Anaheim

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