The Black Friday mania is almost over. The tents in front of the mall and big box stores are gone. Those who participated are now home most likely sleeping. Hopefully there were no brawls over certain currently hot items. Hopefully everyone waited their turns and was polite and kind to others. Personally I remember a much simpler time. I remember when Christmas wasn’t such a commercially promoted thing…
December…a long, long time ago in a seemingly galaxy far, far away, a 10-year-old girl opened her Christmas present and saw a new doll. The doll’s name was Tammy and while she was similar in size to her Barbie, she looked, well younger. She didn’t have heavy makeup painted on her face and she wore tennis shoes instead of stiletto high heels. This little girl hadn’t asked for Tammy and her parents didn’t go on a hunt for the hottest toy on the market. They simply chose a doll.
As the years past the little girl put down her dolls and her family relocated. Her dolls were somehow lost. She didn’t mind at the time, she was a teenager then and her interests had changed.
The little girl grew up and had a daughter, and what do you think her daughter wanted for Christmas one year? She wanted a Barbie. Oh yes, the mother went out and purchased a Barbie for her daughter, and she was happy on that Christmas morning. The woman saw her daughter smile and the memory of the past rose in her heart and she wondered if her doll was still out there somewhere.
In a moment of utter impulse, she perused Ebay and put a bid on a Tammy doll. She won. A few days later the package arrived and she took out the doll and the memories flooded back. Memories of simpler times when we were happy with simple things and no one camped out in tents waiting for stores to open. She breathed in that faint plastic smell that was once so potent.
She placed Tammy on a shelf in her bedroom. Occasionally she takes her down and holds her in her hands, gently stroking her hair. Almost magically she becomes that 10-year-old girl once again. She knows that this doll is most likely not her original doll, but she likes to think that maybe, just maybe its is.
So, to conclude, I wish you all find a wonderful, magical, but simple Christmas present under your tree, from Crystal, the grown up little girl.
J
Hello Crystal, what a beautiful post. I also remember the simpler time. There were no cell phones, lap tops, Wii, etc. on Christmas wish lists. Our requests were simple and left open to the interpretation of the gift giver to pice something special they wanted us to have. I miss those simpler times. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder of a simpler time!
ReplyDeleteYes, Christmas was extra special if there was a toy under the tree. Most gifts were things needed like clothes and hats and mittens. The year I opened my revlon doll...every other moment was washed out! Hair to comb and style, earrings and clothes that were so dressy - high heels and stockings AAAH! So much more fun than the tiny tears I thought was in that package! :D
I had a Tammy doll in that exact outfit, too. My mom sewed a few wonderful outfits for her, which were envied by my friends. I also had a homemade dollhouse and I could never understand why the kitchen floor vinyl matched my grandmother's floor! How did Santa do that? :)
ReplyDeleteFabulous and Enjoyable post! We have rethought the way we celebrate Christmas. We exchange homemade items (poetry, jewelry, whatever our talent is) and GIVE the kids $. Takes the holiday shopping right out of the equation and the kids have to make the choices of buying name brand or not, wait for the sales or purchase now, etc. They know they are loved, and the past couple of years the kids have enjoyed the creativity behind the personal gifts. And the craziness of the season is GONE! (I do buy little things throughout the year - little treasures that jump out and say "this is perfect for HIM!, but no Nov/Dec shopping)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and can't wait to dig in and take a longer look.