Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas Dresses

Let's just be honest and say half the fun of having little girls is dressing them up. You know it's true. Never did I enjoy it more than at Christmas time when my mother always bought my daughters something beautiful to wear.


As a bonus, their dresses usually matched.


Be still my heart.

My mom has always had a great sense of style, and she loves to shop. Buying something special for her grandgirls to wear at the holidays has brought her so much joy, and always put a smile on my face too.


Still does.


I loved wrestling squirmy little legs into stretchy tights that no matter what you did, wrinkled round the ankle. Buckling tiny feet into 'black dresser shoes' as Daughter1 called them. Some years there was a pretty coat too.


Also bad photography, but the coats were precious.


In most pictures of my girls, one or the other has a hand gently on her sister. The affection captured is not posed. Their favorite Christmas memories are all about each other.


This year Christmas will look a little different for us. These girls are all grown up now, and Daughter1 is married. Her first Christmas as a wife, and she and her hubs will travel south to celebrate. With us, but also with her new extended family.

There will be some stirring of the tradition pot this year, and I'm looking forward to the recipe we'll create as we go along. We'll start with a bit of childhood magic, adding to it a spoonful of something sweet and new. A  fresh concoction of memory, story, and love.

"Little girls are precious gifts, wrapped in love serene. 
Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams."~Unknown

16 comments:

  1. Love this! I used to love the matching dresses too and looking back it was such a short time that it could happen. Little girls in pretty dresses are something special :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. How sweet Joyce. Your girls were and are adorable. I love all those dresses.

    I miss those days when I could dress our girls the way I liked and they were always so cute. But alas, they do grow up and definitely have their own style. But they'll always be those little girls to me in their pretty Christmas dresses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my goodness. Sister and I were too cute if I do say so myself. I love all those dresses and memories. Can't wait for you to one day buy sweet Christmas outfits for my kiddos.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved going down memory lane with you! The girls looked so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your girls are adorable in their lovely outfits. My mom dressed my sister and I alike in clothes she made for us.

    I have a feeling your recipe will be delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My girls were always dressed alike, or at least similar, on the holidays. My mother made their dresses every year and I loved it. They did too. So glad y'all will all be together this year!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I sure did love seeing those precious photos! I agree with Nonnie that your new recipe for the holidays with your girls will be wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What sweet photos of your girls, Joyce! Yes, it is different now to have girls who are grown and making their own way. Thankfully, we'll all be together this year, but I know that won't always be the case. Change is hard, but it can be good, too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Joyce, the pictures are so precious. I have to start digging through my huge amount of photo boxes so I can post some photos next year! Mark and I feel blessed that Adam and Amber's significant others have always celebrated on Christmas Eve so we always get them for Christmas Day. Win, win for all families involved!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I LOVED the old photos....soo precious! Our old traditions and ways have of course changed over the years and continue to do so a bit every year to tell you the truth. At first it really kind of bothered me. But anymore as long as I see MOST of the familiar beloved faces I am good, and treasure the times when we all actually get to gather together anymore. Wishing you and yours a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh they looked so cute. We have pictures with the kids wearing the same thing but in our case it's the boys. (And definitely not as cute as your girls.) I'm sure you will love making new traditions

    ReplyDelete
  12. This was such an enjoyable post. I loved seeing the pictures of your girls in their pretty dresses!! Merry Christmas, Joyce!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, yes, dressing sisters alike is so much fun and my DIL does it well with her two girls, even tho there is 6 years difference in their age. They are so adorable dressed alike, melts my heart! I know this has been a special Christmas for all of you. Blessings for the year ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Greetings, Joyce,
    I hope this finds you well and enjoying the holiday season. The photos of your girls are so darling. Sparks some memories for me, as well!

    Take care, ~Natalie

    ReplyDelete