I feel fortunate to live in Tacoma during the holidays. I begin to feel generous, and eager to share the tiny pieces of Tacoma’s richness with my distant friends. Specifically, I share candy richness from local Brown & Haley outlet stores.
 
Almond Roca is made right here in downtown T-town at a discount. It’s lightweight and cheap — one of the best Christmas gifts to mail. And really, you can’t beat that with a stick. Not even the stick I use to poke Matt Driscoll in the ribs when he’s being an ass — which is more often than Madonna changes her religious views, so you know that’s one helluva stick.

I visited the B&H Outlet store this week. I ran into Dawn Kroll. She rocks.

STEPH DEROSA: I just heard your co-worker complaining of a pain in her hip. You think its Sciatic?

DAWN KROLL: Aw, heck, we’re just old. It could be anything. I’m 70 years old and she’s 77.

DEROSA: What? Really? You two look great!

KROLL: Thanks. I retired and needed something to do, so I came to work here. I didn’t want to just sit at home and die. Because you know that’s what happens if you just sit around — you die.

DEROSA: Wow. I’ll keep that in mind. You know what else will happen if you just sit around? You won’t buy candy. Life without candy? Yeah, I’d die. Hey, does the downtown B&H Outlet have problems with street vagrants coming in for free handouts?

KROLL: No. Those kinds of people don’t come in. But we do have free samples for people to take, as you seem to have found already. Didn’t your mom ever teach you what “sample” means? It means “taste,” not “lunch.”

DEROSA (mwagh mwaghchewchew): Look here, Dawn, I have friends who admit they go to Costco and fill up on samples for their lunch. At least I don’t do that.

KROLL: Oh, well Costco samples are great to fill up on. Wednesday through Saturday are the best days to go. You could definitely make a lunch out of it.

DEROSA: Are you telling me I should go raid the Costco samples? Naughty! I suppose I should head out soon anyway, your sample dish is empty. You might want to fill that back up.

KROLL: Or you could just dump out your purse.

[Brown & Haley Outlet Store, 110 E. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.620.3067]