……….I miss Christmas shopping like it was in the olden days where you had to go to stores that had music playing and harried sales clerks to help you. Some stores even had free gift wrapping, but only if you were a man cause Santa must have known they couldn’t handle ribbon. When the kids were little shopping was a designated day that got you away from the little darlings for a legit purpose. It also meant lunch in a real restaurant before food courts were invented and an opportunity to rest your feet and check your list. with a glass of wine. It was decadent but Santa approved.
…….. I was second generation Christmas shopper lover. My Mom made the entire experience of buying and wrapping gifts a seasonal profession. First of all she shopped in high heels and a dress and operated under the “one for them……one for me” shopping mantra. But, best of all, the month before Christmas she dedicated the “little” room in our house solely to wrapping her presents. In the three bedroom my old bedroom had been converted into a “little room” with a couch and chair and when it was Christmas a wrapping station.. She would put the music on; retire to her Christmas room; and merrily wrap packages. (I say merrily because she always took a beer with her.) The wrapping room was off limits to me which made it even more enchanting.
……….But now, we sit with our laptops and attack the shopping list. It’s not as fun, but it is warm and cozy.
……….Buying for the great-grandchildren is normally stress free. Abbi sends me a suggested item with the link to the toy. Easy….peasy! Only this year I looked at the toy for Emi and thought “Oh no, I’m not going down that slippery slope!” Emi wants an American Girl doll. For those of you who did not have girls, the American Girl doll is a doll which emulates the little girl. They are not frivolous Barbie dolls. They dress in serious clothes and come with a book that tells you about them. and outfits that you buy the little girl that are identical to the doll’s clothes.
…….You have just bought the little girl a friend and they wear matching outfits and do activities together. I have heard there is an American Girl store in New York where the little girls take their dolls (in matching outfits) for tea. American Girl dolls are no slouches and many are themed to professions or activity. Some of them wear equestrian outfits and ride horses. My heart aches for the mother who sees her little girl in an equestrian outfit and has to tell they are not buying a pony. Why can’t they do the old fashioned way. I am told that before I was born, my sister had an imaginary friend she took everywhere, she named her Elizabeth. When my mother set the table for supper, she had to set a place for Elizabeth. Elizabeth had to be tucked in at night when she slept next to Marsha. And, while those in the family knew the chair next to Marsha was always occupied by Elizabeth, woe to the visitor who innocently sat in that chair as Marsha screamed, “You’re sitting on Elizabeth.”
……..Modern parents would’ve trucked Marsha off to a counselor. My parents thought they solved the problems when at age seven, they presented her with a baby sister. Marsha was not amused, but Elizabeth soon went off to find another lonely little girl to hang out with.
……..Back to the American girl. I bought them for Abbi and Hillary and those dolls had a whole arsenal of problems. They had doll hospitals for when they got sick. They wanted new outfits that the little girl wore too. They had causes, one was a nurse in the War between the States. This was serious stuff.
……Emi is only two and I questioned if she was a tad too young for the 18″ doll who looked to be about six and whose matching clothes started at size six. I found bitty baby who was a newborn with matching pajamas for the toddler. There was even one with a tutu for baby and owner. Nope, Shannon said that doll didn’t have sufficient hair and Emi likes hair. After a quick conference between Abbi and Shannon, I was told that Rebekkah is the chosen one. She wears a Jackie Kennedy suit and is going off to work at a law firm.. She’s also Jewish and has a book explaining what it means to be Jewish. And, best of all she has long black hair. It hit me when I got the details that Emi has no idea what an American Girl dolls means, but her Mom and Grandma sure do. They want Emi to have the pleasant experience they had when they lived in little girl world. While Abbi lovingly brushes Rebekah’s hair, I expect Emi’s to carry that doll around by the hair.
……..No matter. Rebekkah is on her way with two tutu’s (one for Emi, one for Rebekah) in case she’s rather switch her course from law school to ballerina. Shannon reports that she is buying a bed for Rebekah to sleep in. Meanwhile, countless ads are now appearing on my Facebook about what I could buy to make Rebekah’s life more complete. (No, Rebekah’ doesn’t need orthodontia, Those braces cost a fortune!)
……..My parents were always challenged about what to get me for Christmas so I wound up with some strange gifts. I wondered sometimes if there was another little girl living in the house who pretended to be me and she was musical, athletic and smart. That must’ve been why I got a zither one year. It was a harp like instrument who no-one had any idea how to play and wasn’t going to learn anytime soon cause the directions were in German. The chemistry set would have been fantastic for someone who understood chemistry. I was flunking the course and had no understanding of what those little tubes were for. Deprived of a sidewalk and a sense of balance, there was no way I could learn to ride a bike on a gravel driveway. That must’ve spurred Mom to buy me a pogo stick. I perfected the bounce once; land on gravel driveway; and run into the house crying in 15 minutes.
………Make sure you mark Dec. 14 on your calendar. The New Cumberland Christmas parade will transport you to “Whoville” and take you back to Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch. Lineup is at 5 p.m. in Fuccy’s lot with the parade to start at 6 p.m. I’ve heard Santa will be making an appearance.
