Christmas and Beauty Memories - Two for One

Christmas and Beauty Memories - Two for One

Christmas Eves

When I was a little girl, my Mom would buy the most gorgeous dresses for Seester and I to wear on Christmas Eve to go to my Godmother/Aunt's house.  The little girl dresses were absolutely timeless.  We spent so many years carrying on this tradition of watching my mom get ready and spraying her perfume then getting us ready to head out to my Aunt's.  Once we got there, it was pure excitement.  So many cousins to play with, there was a train that had Mickey Mouse on it.  For some reason, when I smell certain hair sprays, perfumes, etc., I remember those Christmas Eves.  There were so many girls ranging from Seester's age to in their 60's...it was like being in a large beauty parlor.

I also remember my Nana taking me to get a manicure before Christmas Eve one year...she looked absolutely disgusted that I had chosen a neon yet pastel peach (which was a very popular shade in 7th grade mind you) and a snowman applique.  She on the other hand had her naturally VERY long nails painted a deep red, and she had a gold jewel that screwed in that said "Foxy" on it.  She was sooo before her time. 

On Christmas Eve, we would bundle up and all of us "kids" would go out caroling while Santa made a visit to my Aunt's house.  I don't think many of us knew the words once we got out of elementary school, so we looked to the next generation to teach us.  One year, my uncle and his wife made chorus books and brought flashlights...they didn't do much good.  Everyone was having too much fun.  Another year, we moved to another Aunt's house and one of my Cousin's boyfriends with a truck took us caroling in the back of his pickup.  There were so many of us, I just don't know how we did it looking back.  Finally, there was the last year.  It was raining that year.  So instead of going outside to carol, we went into a bedroom for what seemed like an eternity, while the grown ups ran to their cars in the rain to get the gifts.  That Christmas Eve I was 18 years old.  I got chickenpox from one of the babies and my grandfather passed away less than a month later.  Everything began to change and it has never felt the same since. My family grew apart.

Now, Seester and I help Mom make homemade Manicotti on Christmas Eve while my Dad throws flour at us.  No, he helps a lot...but he does like to throw flour on me... My parents are a lot of fun.  They make Christmas Eve fun for us, even as adults.

Christmas Days


On Christmas Day, my family makes a ginormous Italian feast.  At one point we used to have dinners for  25-30 people.  Our family has drifted and several members have passed on far too early, however, we still seem to cook for the same amount and hand out goody bags to friends and family...and yet still have enough to freeze for leftovers.

Several years in a row Seester would wake me up saying "Danielleeeeeeeee......Santa came!!!!" Being that I am seven years older, I would play along.  One year though, I was really excited about Christmas because there were odd shaped packages downstairs and Seester wasn't awake yet.  My mom said I could wake her, but she refused to get up.  So I shook her out of her sleeping bag (poor thing)...she laughs now when she looks at the pictures that someone took while I was doing it.  We were to open our gifts, clean up, eat breakfast and get dressed because company would be coming very soon.  Then the whole process would repeat.

Matching pajama's was something my Mom had started.  There was a time when Seester and I took over that tradition, trying to get matching pajamas just to make my Mom laugh.  We did slip up a few years, but we did our best.  My Uncle's best friends always gave the most fun gifts when I was a teenager!  Cosmetic kits and subscriptions to Teen Beauty magazine. (I think that was the name, or perhaps it was just Teen).

My last Christmas with my Nana, was very special to me.  You see, she had been putting makeup on me and little beauty marks like Marilyn Monroe's since I was about four.  She even gave me my own makeup drawer at her house filled with Ultima II cosmetics.  Well, our last Christmas together, she gave me one of the biggest honors of my life...she asked me if I could do her makeup like mine. :') At that time, I was wearing copper and brown shadows with a winged black liquid liner and a red lip.  The lipstick I wore was always Cherries in the Snow by Revlon, my Nana had given it to me. I did her makeup and we were twins.  She was dancing around singing "Pretty Woman" and posing for whomever was taking pictures at that moment. My Nana, as is my Mom, naturally glamorous...but they both really LOVE to be done up. I would give anything to be able to do her makeup one more time.  I think it is my Nana bringing me up with her love of glamour, glitz and shiny things that has had such a huge effect on this aspect of my personality, but I also think that it was that Christmas in particular...

Christmas Days have changed since then also.  The number of people at the table fluctuates, but is usually around four or five.  During the day Seester and I spend time goofing off and relaxing.  Sometimes we get ready, other times we don't. I think this year we should and perhaps start some new traditions that we can bring into the future.  Sometimes you just need to stop looking back and trying to fix things and move forward and embrace what you have.

Merry Christmas

xoxo

Dani <3