In Her Footsteps

When I was little, I dreaded certain things about Christmas. One of them was opening gifts.

Now don't get me wrong, I liked getting gifts, of course! But there was always something other the tree that was either gross, gaudy, or somehow embarrassing. And I found it rather uncomfortable to be greeted with such a present and try to feel (and therefore act) grateful.

I distinctly remember the year my mother gave me bras for Christmas. I needed them, and new ones were insanely expensive. So she had gone to the cheapest local thrift store (it was our favorite), and gotten me three or four wearable bras.

Now, to my probably 12 or 13 year old mind, it was bad enough needing bras, but to get used, ugly bras from the thrift store was a bit too much for me to handle, and I was downright embarrassed.

I've gotten over it.

This year, my little girls need tights. They're insanely expensive at Wally world -- $4 a pair! At only 2 pairs each, that's already $16 dollars. I can't do that! (Now you know how cheap I am when it comes to gifts....)

So I found myself today, at the thrift store. The very same one we loved as a kid. It's still the cheapest in town. And you know what? They had tights. Lots of them. They weren't perfect, nor new, but they don't have runs or snags. I got each girl six pair, and spent less than $2 on all of them combined. I'm thrilled with my purchase.

I'd like to think that I've successfully brainwashed the girls enough that they'll love their new tights.

But if not, they'll eventually get over the embarrassment.