Valentines

Vince makes fun but my family and I send Valentines to each other. Whether the out of box teacher card that I once gave to my cat or just taking the time to look for that special crafty card (see an earlier post about contributing to Hallmark's bottom line), since I was a kid we've given cards and at times even chocolates or other small gifts.

I don't need an excuse to go crazy with at an arts supply store, but having the excuse sure is handy when I drop $50 there.

Hands Across America

I was in 2nd grade when Hands Across America happened. I think it was 1985 or 1986. I was jealous because this boy in my class was actually participating. How cool was that? Instead our school embraced the national peace movement and each student traced our hands onto construction paper, cut them out, and displayed them across halls of the entire school. To a 8 year old, it was pretty neat.

Here are some references for the event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_Across_America
http://www.usaforafrica.org/legacy/hands.htm

Love Santa

I was thinking recently about Christmas gifts from years past. What do I remember receiving from Santa? Here are a few of my favorite things:

My blue bike when I was about 5 (training wheels included of course!) and it would be when I lived in NY when I took off down the sidewalk sans those training wheels.

I unearthed some Christmas morning photos from 1984 and that year I got a Cabbage Patch kid (she had brown hair), Cabbage Patch Kids roller skates, Rainbow Brite and a little rainbow house for her and her pals, Alphie a talking robot, and Strawberry Shortcake boots.

The Duck Pond

It was dubbed "the park that Grandpop took us to" for as long as I can recall. My grandpop and grandmom came to visit us on Long Island and discovered this amazing park with a big ol' pond where there were tons of ducks. We had loaves of bread and sat there for what seemed like hours just chucking bits of bread at the ducks. I was probably 7 or 8 so my sister was about 6, brother about 4 and youngest brother about 2 and we loved it. Afterwards my grandparents would take us out for pizza - Sicilian style (something I thought was purely NY until we moved away) and grandpop would proceed to dump tons of hot pepper flakes all over his pizza. He swore up and down until the day he passed that the pizza he got on Long Island was the best pizza ever. I was only 14 when he passed but between the duck pond, the yummy Italian meals we'd share and all of us diving for pennies in his basement, I have the fondest memories of him. Now I look at my dad and he's the spitting image of his father.

First Holy Communion

I was thinking of my cousin Hannah this afternoon on my drive home. She's 8 years old and in 2nd grade. This spring she'll make her First Holy Communion. Her mom, my cousin Carrie, is super excited to get her the special dress, white mary janes, little patent white bag and all the other goodies that go along with the special day. Has it really been 20 years since my First Holy Communion? It was 1986. I was so excited. This is such a big deal in Catholic tradition...and not just because of the dress and frills but because at that young age, you eat up everything about school and religion. It's all so new and put forth in such a way that you anticipate the sacrament the way you do Christmas presents.

In my family, we celebrate afterwards with little parties. My sister and my brothers got little parties complete with yummy food, checks and cards and when I was old enough to comprehend this I cried and felt gypped because I never had a party. We lived in New York so my day meant mom, dad, brothers, sister and grandparents. It was too far a trek for the extended family to come with presents and money. Now I look back and think how most people don't remember their First Holy Communion. Most people don't remember the party nor the gifts they received. Because my day was stood out and involved a smaller more intimate gathering I remember it vividly.

I distinctly recall the adorable doll my Grandmom and Grandpop gave me. Never a huge doll fan, this one was gorgeous and wore a lavender dress with matching shoes, had long blond hair and bangs and a little bonnet. When I gave my dolls to my sister later, this one stayed. She will forever exist in my head as the Communion gift from my father's parents. They also gave me a check for $50 that my parents and I thought could be put toward a new bike. That is exactly what we did...Drove to Toys R Us and bought my awesome pink Huffy bike. That bike lasted for years.

It was silly to cry about not having a party or not raking in tons of gifts. My celebration was more significant because no one else but me celebrated it in New York and it involved the most important people. And after 20 some years I can still say - those gifts will live on in my memory.

Nanette's

It felt like we went to Nanette's all the time, but probably it was about twice a year that my mom and Nana took us down to New Castle DE for dresses at this warehouse of sorts. It looked like an abandoned factory and when we walked in, were greeted with rows of adorable handmade dresses that seemed to go on (and up) as far as the eye could see. Off to our left - in a top secret employees only room - sat tons of miserable looking old ladies sewing away. Is it possible that at the young age of 5 I had my first peek at a sweatshop? I'll never know.

Looking back, these handmade dresses were gorgeous, the likes of which you don't find today. I sure hope my mom saved a few. Despite the exquisiteness and affordable prices of our glamour, the place still seemed very far (likely 45 min. away) and coincidently, did not have a potty...at least not a public one. Tons of parents hauled their small ones to this warehouse to try on the new fashions. You meant to tell me a children's "boutique," one that clearly markets to the parents of toddlers and girls and boys who can never "hold it in" doesn't have a public restroom?!

Such was the case. So mom and Nana took to bribery: Hold it in, behave, and we'll go to McDonald's afterwards. If it hadn't been for Happy Meals, all hell would have broken loose inside Nanette's. I wouldn't be surprised if other families employed this tactic as well.

Costumes

We always had cool costumes. I was Lucy from Charlie Brown one year. Another year my mom made us Raggedy Ann and Andy (these were ridiculously cute). Mom made me a gypsy costume when I was 7 or 8. Mo was really crafty like that (she was the ONLY one who could do our hair too). When we lived in NY we used to go trick or treating right after school, around 4 or 5, before it got dark. I didn't think this was bizarre since I was young. Only later did I wonder why the little ones went candy hunting so early. Mom said these were the rules. I thought she made that up, but apparently townships can dictate the hours kids (and teens) can trick or treat. Mom hated Halloween but she was a trooper back in the day and took us all around the neighborhood.