Monday, October 26, 2009

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)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Always love the story behind the style.
I guess the donation of Juliet's gowns warrant a small exchange.

The Mom

Catherine said...

I found the following comment waiting for approval on my blog this afternoon:

Dear Ms. ______,

My name is _______ and I am the Principal of _______ High School. I was forwarded your blog by a member of our community.

I don't believe you were a student here under my tenure, however as Principal I hold myself responsible for the actions of all ________ graduates. I must ask that you please return the property that belongs to our theatre department.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You can reach me by phone, or if it is easier, by email.

_______@_____.edu

I hope that you will understand and respect this request. We are glad that you enjoyed your time at our school, but there are other Juliets at our school who deserve to have just as rich an experience here as you did.

Thank you, and best of luck with your blog,

Principal ___________
_________ High School

----------

Not sure what to do, I called my boyfriend, who was not at his desk, and so immediately started drafting a response.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Hello Mr _______,

I just received a comment on my blog, referencing this email address, but am not sure it's real or not, since the email address listed on the _____ website does not match this one.

However, I would like to address your concerns regardless.

I was surprised that someone forwarded my blog to you (what a mean spirited thing to do!) and sorry you were upset by it. I also apologize for the actions of my sibling who gave me the coat. I graduated from _____ in 1999, so it's quite awkward to be approached about something that happened a decade ago when I was a kid!

I would be more than happy to make a donation to the theater program at ______ for the coat. I spent quite a bit of money having it repaired (it was falling apart when I got it) and would appreciate it if you would accept this as a compromise.

Well, I guess now I know that people are reading my blog!

Sincerely,
Catherine
------------

When I finally got ahold of my boyfriend he let me explain the whole thing AND read him the draft of my email before he told me it had been him, with the inside info coming from my best friend from high school.

They totally got me.

Maybe I will send a donation to the school just in case...

Unknown said...

Perhaps boyfriend should buy Catherine a new coat to serve as formal apology. haha. :)