The theme of youth,happiness and memories
The speaker, who is looking back on this time in his life, is recalling with pleasure his first date. He was quite young, only twelve, and he was meeting up with a girl in the freezing cold, December weather. Despite this, his happiness and the warmth of the moment are conveyed through symbols of hope and life. These include the young girl’s smile, her makeup, the light at her home, and the oranges in his pocket. While the memories of the date are not entirely pleasurable (he was embarrassed at the store’s checkout) he does recall them fondly. The poem ends on a positive note as the two eat their chocolate and remaining orange outside, oblivious to the cold.