Couture Christmas

My lovely daughter will be performing in the SMES Christmas Program tomorrow night. I am extremely excited, this is the first time she has performed in a Christmas Program since she was in pre-school.

Oh how I loved Christmas Program days to pieces.  I would get off early  from work and we would get ready together, making it a special event. Calista has ALWAYS been fancy, for instance from the time she was 2 until about 6 she would ONLY wear ruby glitter Dorothy slippers with every outfit.  Of course I have always done something different each year to make her feel special (besides the ruby slippers); jingle bells in her hair, extra sparkles on her shoes, special lace on her dress…..we would have so much fun getting ready together, I remember every giggle, every butterfly kiss, and every picuture taken beforehand.

Although she has not performed in a Christmas Program since pre-school she has performed in some exciting things, here are just a few:

She played a teacher in kinder......

A Preying Mantis in 1st Grade...Calista still fondly refers to this as "The Preying Mantis Incident".  True, there were a lot of sequins and glitter, but she told me she loved it.

2nd Grade she performed with Hannah in the Talent Show. I made both the girls their shirts and be-dazzled their guitar straps, we accessorized until the cows came home….scarves, belts, earrings, gloves, hats, and bracelets.

Cut to this year……I was beyond myself when I found out about the Christmas Program. My first thought (besides helping her practice her recorder, with my mad musical skills…thank you concert band) was dress shopping, YAY Christmas dress shopping!

Shopped we did…she tried on several lovely dresses at JC Penney, she was so excited to show James each and every one of them, twirling and laughing….I took those moments and put them in my pocket, and will carry them with me forever. The dresses she tried on were very girly, they didn’t have skulls or peace signs, there wasn’t a legging or a neon color in sight….she didn’t want a head band with a glitter flower or feathers…..she was my sweet innocent Princess Calista once again! Selfishly, I did not buy a dress that night. I thought, I need more of this, we need to go to every store in sight and try on dresses until we find the perfect one.

This weekend we did just that, however, she did not want anything to do with the doll like dresses she had tried on before. She told me before Aunt Cassie got to our house that she had come to the conclusion that those dresses weren’t her style. 

WTH I screamed in my mind, you are 9, your style is what I tell you it is! However, my dear sweet darling Calista is and always will be a fashionista, hence the years of ruby slippers. Her fashion lately is that of Punky Brewster….. BUT, this was her Christmas Dress......please let me pick it out I thought! We left for a fun day of shopping with Cassie and Madelynn, I was hoping maybe, just maybe she would be side tracked by Madelynn and she wouldn't even realize I talked her into a ball gown........

Then IT happened Cassie found a dress that made Calista’s blue eyes light up. When she tried it on, I could not say no, she loved it so. Was it a dress I would have picked out….NO (thank you Aunt Cassie)!!  Is it a dress she LOVES and feels pretty and confident in YES!! When we got home, Calista asked me what I was going to do to make her dress special like I do for all of her performances……hmmmm....... I thought..... burn it, shred it, drive my car over it?

Instead I answered……."I don’t know honey, maybe I should sleep on it and it will come to me."

Sleep on it I did and I got over wanting my Princess Calista back and realized that she is now my Punky Princess Calista and I love how different and unique she is. Her eyes are just as blue and her heart is just as pure and  golden as before.

I made her a special flower broach out of tulle and ribbon, and a satin flower for the back. I added red bows to her favorite grey Steve Madden slouchy flat boots, and I agreed she could wear her red glittered flower with feathers in her hair. My blue-eyed girl said while clapping her hands with a huge smile and her dimples showing as I was hand sewing her "flashy" duds.......

"Mom, this is a Couture Christmas!"

There she went with my heart, stealing it away......even if she may look like she stepped out of a Cyndi Lauper video while stealing it.

Pictures to come with Calista wearing her prized dress.....wish us luck!