Gift of the Magi

I went for a walk this afternoon when my eyes were getting all computer squinty and had a little fun with the timer on my camera. It was a little embarrassing when a tourist couple came up and asked if I wanted them to take my picture though...

I love the vintage jacket I wore today so much. When I was in high school, I did a lot of theater and consequently had access to the school's costume room. Not surprisingly, 2 dresses and a velvet jumpsuit ended up in my closet after 4 years of plays and musicals. While I was in college, my mother discovered my stash and, recognizing the outfits from my roles in Pippin and The Sound of Music, returned them to the school. I knew it had been wrong to "forget" to return the costumes, but I pouted just the same.

A few years later, my younger sister got the part of Juliet at the high school. My mom spend hours sewing her complicated Elizabethan gowns. At the end of the show, they became part of the school's costume collection.

On Christmas morning that year, there was something on a hanger with my name on it. I thought it might be a new coat from my mom, but when my sister presented it to me I was surprised. She had been saving all of her babysitting money for college, so I didn't know what to expect. When I opened it, she said sheepishly that she had seen the matching dress and jacket in the costume room and thought I might want it back. My mom shook her head, but I could tell she was smiling— maybe it was all those hours she spent working on my sister's costumes...

I was surprised and touched. I put the green brocade jacket on over my pajamas immediately.

(photos © Littlehouse of Style)