It’s that awful time of year again.  Time for “Peeker Brownies”.  What is a peeker brownie you ask?  And why do I hate them so much?  To answer the question.  I went digging into the Internet Archive and found a post I originally put up on my GreensboroIsTalking blog on November 30, 2005 (before its database crash and subsequent resurrection).  Reprinted in its entirety below:

I was walking past my neighbor’s apartment tonight and noticed she had started to put up her Christmas decorations.  That got me thinking about the holidays of my childhood and how I encountered one of my earliest conspiracies.

You see, being the youngest of six kids, I had to endure the wrath of my siblings all year round, but when I was a little guy, the holidays were the worst. 

Now we’ve all had to go through our early years being especially good around the holidays because “Santa is watching”.  But in our house, not only was the jolly old elf himself playing Big Brother, but he had help. 

It came in the form of the wretched little guys like the one in the picture…affectionately called “Peeker Brownies” at our place.  “Peeker” because Mom used to hide them all over the house and they were always “peeking” out at you…watching you…all the time…wherever you went…whatever you did….sort of an evil conspiracy if you ask me.  And “Brownies” because at our house, the little buggers had on brown outfits instead of the green ones in the picture.

And boy did my brothers and sisters play that up. 

“Don’t do that…Peeker Brownies are watching!” 

“Peeker Brownies are watching…you won’t get any presents!” 

Damn…I could barely move without someone letting me know that I was being watched.  It’s amazing I made it through all that without being scarred for life.

Oh…excuse me…gotta run…the people in my monitor are watching me again.  Can’t let them see me.