25 Outfits Of Christmas

"Are you an elf?" a lady at the bank asked. I giggled "no, I dress like this every day of December." I was in Santa knee high socks, a white skirt, a red blazer, and a Santa hat. Cheery and fully in the Christmas spirit. It's something I've been doing for a few years now, dressing full out Christmas every day of December up till Christmas.

Some days, especially days when I'm just staying home, I ask myself "why am I doing this? do I really have to get dressed today?" And, as I've been told by some friends, my outfits can get a bit... overwhelming... when seen every day. Or that they simply run out of complements, there's only so many variations of saying "fun socks" one person can come up with. But then I remember I'm not doing this every day for them or even myself.

I'm doing it for those strangers in the bank, putting a smile on their face. The kid in Walmart who points and says "look mommy, an elf!" Or the lady in JoAnn’s buying Christmas socks as a gift for others but is too afraid to put on her Christmas hat for fear of looking strange. Or for the little girl in Hobby Lobby who smiles at my Christmas Minnie Mouse ears. Or for the Santa in the mall who gives me a friendly wave, renewed hope that there are still some people out there full of Christmas Spirit, even as the line for a picture is short.

It's for every stranger, every child, every friend, and yes, even me, for the days when the Christmas spirit is just a little hard to find. Maybe I can be the one to change that. If I put a smile on one person’s face today I did my job. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Christmas makes me so happy I think I'd burst if I didn't share this joy God has put in my heart with everyone I meet.

Don't be afraid to let your light shine. I let it shine through my outfits and friendly smile. Hmm… maybe I am an elf after all… How will you spread the Christmas Spirit this year?

Costumes And Characters: Mary Poppins

Last year I shared a blog series about the different characters who make up the chapters of my book, my life. Well, here’s the next one. Mary Poppins. It started last October when I decided to dress up like Mary Poppins for Halloween. I had the whole outfit just perfect, she is “practically perfect in every way;” after all. I even had the kids in tow. They were my aunt and uncle’s foster kids. And the fact that I was dressed as Mary Poppins turned out to have more hidden meaning than I realized.

These particular kids had been with us for about six months at the time, and every minute of it was an adventure. We certainly had some “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” moments, which was good because “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”-the memories being the sugar, the medicine being that we would have to say goodbye. The goodbye came that same day as it was the day they went back to their mom. It was hard to let go. To tell you the truth I don’t know that I ever really did, or ever truly will. And that is why this next character is Mary Poppins. Because I am coming to realize being a nanny and doing foster care aren’t all that different from one another.

Mary Poppins comes into a broken family to show them what they are missing. The foster family takes the children into their home when the parents become unable to care for them. Mary Poppins shows the children love and teaches them the balance between fun and responsibility. The foster family shows them love, gives them structure, room to grow, everything they need while their parents figure out their lives.  Mary Poppins cares for the children while nudging the parents in the right direction until the family learns how to do it on their own. The foster family takes care of the children, but it is up to the foster care and the court to determine how to help the parents and decide when they have proven themselves. When they determine they have, they send the kids back, leaving the foster family behind, sometimes to never see them again. Mary Poppins teaches the family how to be a family, and then she must leave. Though it breaks her heart to see them go as she lets the wind take her away, she must leave. And that is what makes the story of Mary Poppins very much like foster care.

Mary Poppins is a nanny. A nanny who I am sure has cared for many, many children and who must then leave those same children, perhaps to never see them again. Nevertheless, she must do her job and be there for them in their time of need. She knows she must leave when the job is done, yet she does it anyway with joy and grace. Something I am trying, and failing, to accomplish. Foster Care is technically a job, and some people do it for the money I’m sure, every system is corrupt. However, for some people the “job” is to be there for those kids, even when they know it’s temporary.

After those kids had gone back to their mother I started having a new approach when it came to the kids who came to stay with my aunt and uncle. I did everything I could to make sure they were happy and healthy, while still knowing this may be short term. Treating it like Mary Poppins would. Teaching them, loving them, giving them tools they’d need for the future, all while knowing I may never see them again. It wasn’t easy, still isn’t, but I have learned to use every moment, every adventure, as a way to better prepare them for whatever troubles lie ahead, just as Mary Poppins would.

Mary Poppins is “Practically Perfect in every way” and I am far from perfect. Especially since, “practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their thinking,” and sentiment is always muddling my thinking… However, it is clear she is saddened by her leaving the children, so I suppose even Mary Poppins is still only human (or Time Lord as some may suggest). Still, despite my emotions often getting in the way, there is hope for me yet. Mary Poppins is also quite fond of order yet knows when and how to have fun. Now that is a balance I am getting the hang of!

It is a delicate balance of giving these kids all my love without losing myself in the process. Between knowing when to be stern and when all they need is a little love and a little fun. Knowing when to hold them close and when it is time to let go. Giving them the tools they need to conquer whatever troubles lie ahead and help them grow into the amazing people God has called them to be. I don’t know how Mary Poppins does it. How she manages to love, teach, and leave these children time and time again. Though, I would imagine having friends like Bert to lighten your heart, a loving yet stern outlook on life to keep you balanced, and a little magic along the way wouldn’t hurt… I suppose it’s time I find some magic, or a Bert, of my own… It looks like I’m going to be in this Mary Poppins chapter for a while…

Boston Red Sox

October 27th 2004. Everyone in my family knows exactly where they were that night. It was a historic night in history and we are all proud to say we had the honor to witness it. I was at home with my mom, dad, and my sister who had decided to go to bed. It was the day after my birthday. I had just turned nine years old. It was a clear night, a night that promised a blood moon. What a perfect night for The Boston Red Sox to play the World Series. If they were going to break the 86 year curse and have their victory, tonight would be the night.

I was still young, but I knew since I was born that I would be a Red Sox fan. My mom says that she remembers her Grandfather would listen to every game, but he never saw them win the World Series. I was brought up to know that if I wasn't a Red Sox fan, I would probably be disowned (not really, but it would definitely disturb the piece) My cousin claimed he was a Yankees fan once, I don't know if he still is or not but I think he learned to keep it to himself if he wanted to keep the peace.

So, there I was, on a clear October night watching the Red Sox game with my mom and my dad, and thousands of other excited fans wondering if tonight would be the night. I didn't really understand it at the time, but I knew it was important. And I was excited. I remember that my mom and I would run outside and look at the blood red moon, then run back inside to watch the game. I remember as it got closer and closer to the end of the game, the game became much more important. And I remember that the second it was over we were all jumping around the living room. They had won.

Then came the emails, the phone calls, my whole extended family was ecstatic! 86 years without winning the world series and I can say that I was alive to see them break the curse and have their victory! Now that I am old enough to choose a team for myself, I really can't choose any other team. Here's why. I know people who just go with the winning team, they route for whoever won the world series last year. And I know people who just pick the team who does the best overall. Or they pick the team from where they grew up or where they live. Well, I pick the team with history. A real story to tell. The underdogs. The team who never gave up even when they went 86 years without winning the World Series.

In my opinion, the best baseball fans are the ones like my great grandfather. The ones who stick by their team no matter what, even if they have to wait until they are in heaven to see them win the world series. I choose to continue to support the Boston Red Sox to honor the Great Grandfather I never met. And so that I can proudly say "I am a Red Sox fan and I got to see them break their 86 year curse" what other teams fan gets to say that? And I will continue to believe that it was because of the red moon.

I am proud to say that I am a Red Sox fan, and one day I hope to see them play in Fenway Park next to the Green Monster. Maybe someday I can say I saw them win another World Series while I was sitting right in the stadium watching. But for now I’ll settle for celebrating in my living room, and with my own grandpa, as I will certainly be doing after their amazing win tonight!!! Go Boston Red Sox!!! Congratulations on winning the 2018 World Series!!!

Costume Creating

It was Wednesday. Half off day at Salvation Army. And I was on a mission, as I usually am when I’m in Salvation Army. But this time it wasn’t for myself, no, my costume was already finished. This time I was shopping for my dad. And shopping for my dad when he’s not with me isn’t easy…

We were all dressing as Disney Characters for a Halloween thing at the zoo we were going to with a whole group of us. So, he gave me a shortlist of possible characters he could be and off I went, on a mission. At first my mission was unsuccessful. But the second Salvation Army was a success. A gold colored… trench coat…thing…? I really don’t know what it was but it was $3, would fit, and would be perfect for one of the ideas on his list. So I brought it home.

He disappeared to try it on as soon as he saw it, coming out with a full smile on his face. We still had no idea what this thing was…a robe…? A dress…? But it fit, and it would work for the character it was intended for. Next thing I knew he was rushing around the house finding/making the rest of the costume pieces, boyish excitement evident in his eyes. The engineer at work. He had always put a lot of thought into his costumes, usually not telling us what they will be until he shows up in them, faking disinterest until the big reveal. Like when he was saying he wouldn’t dress up for my pirate feast, only to finally come downstairs dressed as Jack Sparrow. And he’s told us about costumes he had made as a kid. His favorite being a dragon costume so big he had to walk to the Halloween party because he wouldn’t fit in the car. But I had never actually watched him in the process of making his costumes. It was intriguing, fascinating, and it made my passion for costume creating begin to make a lot more sense. It was hereditary.

I’ve always loved creating costumes. If you remember my series around this time last year about costumes, you’ll know there were several characters I defined different chapters of my life by. Those weren’t just personalities; I actually dressed up like all of those characters. Some of them I continued to work on and perfect for years. My pirate wardrobe is now so extensive that I can simply pull out pieces on any given day, like I was just getting dressed on a random Tuesday, and pull together a pretty epic pirate outfit. My Mad Hatter costume recently got an upgrade, I just bought a new pair of fairy wings the other day, and I’m always on the lookout for more costume pieces. It’s thrilling to go hunting for the perfect piece to make the costume complete. Even more thrilling to watch it all come together and know I made that. I didn’t buy it premade at a store, I made it myself! And usually a lot cheaper than those store bought costumes. This year my costume involved some complicated sewing. But I don’t mind. I’m going to look fabulous. I’m going to freeze… but it goes with the costume so I guess I’ll just have to live with it.

Until now I always thought I was a bit crazy for putting so much work and thought into my costumes. My mom has never been big on dressing up, until she gets excited about a specific costume idea that is. And my sister loves to dress up, but doesn’t take it to quite the extreme I do. I thought I was alone in my passion. Now I know I’m not. Now I know my dad gets just as excited as I do. It was fun working on this costume with him. I hope that maybe we’ll get to help each other with our costumes in the future.

Have fun making your costumes everyone! It’s a day to be someone you’re not… or maybe… someone you really are but don’t usually show… Hmm… there’s a new way to look at it… Have a safe and happy Halloween Everyone!!!