the surprised face

I bring it out quite often around Christmastime.

It all began when I was a little girl. My grandparents would give my mom money for my brother and my Christmas gifts (my paternal grandma hates shopping, a trait that I do not possess) so that we would get exactly what we wanted (or sometimes, what we needed, like socks. Never a fun gift. I don't care if they had kittens on them).

One year my mom was shopping, I was probably four, and I remember it so well, seeing a Cabbage Patch Doll that I just HAD to have. She had crimpy red hair and came with a whistle. In my four year old mind she was the most beautiful Cabbage Patch in the entire universe.

My mom took it off the shelf and placed it in the cart. I remember being dumbfounded. Mom never bought big ticket items like that just for the heck of it. And then she said this-

"Okay. Show me your surprised face."

And ever since then, if my mom and I are shopping during Christmastime and she finds me gazing longingly at something, she'll repeat that same phrase. It happened today when I stumbled upon a beautiful green vintage jacket (suit actually, but I just want the jacket, the whole thing together is quite overwhelming) while looking for double reflex cameras in a thrift store.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I am on a strict No-Clothes-Buying-for-all-of-November plan. And I've been SO good. So when I stumbled upon the jacket (which, might I add, fits PERFECTLY, how crazy awesome is that) I was this close to chucking the plan out the window. Then I concocted a plan. I would have mom buy it today, and then I would just pay her back on December 1st. But really, that's cheating too, isn't it?

Then mom, in all her awesome mom-ness, says- "Show me your surprised face."

I can't wait to wear my new old jacket Christmas day!

And just so you know, I totally rocked my first surprised face back in '91. Grandma never knew that I picked out Livy doll myself.