Mikan, my winter fruit

I like Mikans. A little gift, you have to unwrap for the sweet juicy jewels inside. Seeing mikans actually brings me back to a cozy moment of childhood. Winters in Japan was cold, it wasn't snowing all the time, but it was freezing.  My mother often bought mikan (little oranges) and mochi (rice cakes) around December -closer to new year. We would eat mikan while sitting in our kotatsu table (table with heating element underneath covered by a comforter) and watch TV. This would be the norm for most cold evenings. 

Yesterday as I gather perfect mikans from the grocery store's fruit bin, it took me back to those cozy nights some 40 years ago.