Sunday, November 23, 2014

Happy Holidays Dolls

Started a sunny, somewhat warmer day with Christmas music and Banana Spice Pancakes for breakfast. I love my Happy Holidays sets. True Value Hardware has sold these collections since at least the 1960s. I have volumes 28 and 29 on cassette and 30 through 35 plus 39 on CD. I remember my family having one Happy Holidays record from the late 80s with Bing Crosby on it. It was the first time I heard Bing sing "White Christmas" anywhere but the radio and the movie of that title. There was a True Value Hardware in Cape May for years, and that's where I bought these (and likely where Mom picked up the record in the 80s).They switched to Ace Hardware (which I believe they remain to this day) by the early 2000s and I was no longer able to get them. They were some of my first Christmas music. Volume 39 and the CD version of Volume 30 were yard sale finds.

Work was a nut house for most of the day. Not only is it the Sunday before Thanksgiving and a day when the Eagles were playing at 1 PM, but we're supposed to have some bad weather early this week. A little bit of rain tomorrow shouldn't be a concern, but there's a possibility of snow mixed with rain on Wednesday. People were acting like it was just going to be snow! It's not like we're going to get snowed in. It's supposed to be sunny and in the mid-40s by Thanksgiving.

I couldn't wait to hurry out of there. I went straight to Dad's. I heard all day long, from employees and customers, that the Eagles were handing the Tennessee Titans their rears. They were indeed. By the time I arrived at Dad's around quarter after 4, the score was 40 to 24. The Eagles pushed in one more field goal to make the final score 43 to 24. 

I ate pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw, and a cherry pastry for dinner as Dad switched around to other games. Jodie, Jessa, and Mark were the only other ones there. Dad's other favorite team is the Miami Dolphins. They had the unenviable task of playing the red-hot Denver Broncos today in Mile High City; the Broncos haven't lost at home in ages. Even as Dad was complaining about them, they got a touchdown. It was 7 to 3 when I got tired of listening to Dad complain and left. For all of Dad's fussing, they ended up holding their own, just barely losing 39-36.

I spent the rest of the evening dressing the American Girl and Sailor Moon dolls for the holidays. Samantha wears her original Cranberry Christmas Dress, complete with wide white ribbon and ribbed stockings. Josefina looks lovely in her yellow Christmas Dress and Mantilla. Molly wears her Evergreen Velvet Dress with Springfield Collection socks and Samantha's new "meet" Mary Janes. Felicity sports her lovely bright blue Christmas Ball Gown and Josefina's Heirloom Accessories choker. Jessa's in the Chinese New Year outfit from the late 90s modern line. I gave Whitney the deep blue Snowflake Ball Gown with the velvet bodice Lauren sent me last year. Whitney wears black tights, a black jacket from a Springfield Collection dress, the glittery clip from the Sparkle Sequin Outfit, and a pair of black mules borrowed from Josefina.

The Sailor Soldiers wear vintage Barbie gowns bought from yard sales and a couple of dresses from dollar stores. Sailor Mars' regular velvet gown has a hole that needs to be fixed. She's wearing a ruffly, sparkly orange-red skirt with a hand-made knitted white sweater-leotard I bought from a yard sale about three years ago.

No comments: