Tangerines and Christmas and dollies.

 I originally posted this in 2009, when I only had about 4 readers. I was reminded of it recently, when my friend Linnie did a wonderful post featuring antique dolls and dollhouses.

 Tangerines and Christmas
(a post from Dec 12, 2009)

  Tangerines will forever remind me of Christmas. My mother always put one in our  Christmas stocking, just as her mother put a tangerine in her stocking back when she was a little girl in the late 1920's. I imagine the juicy orange fruit was quite a valuable commodity during a cold, bleak winter in upstate New York. And I am told that her mother too, retrieved the sweet round morsel from the toe of her woolen sock when she was  child  at the turn of the century.  I continued the tradition with my own boys when they were young. A tangerine...a sweet simple gift and a nice reminder that  wonderful things can come in small packages without being costly.
              Speaking of small packages and mothers......
    James found this most wonderful doll for me and we drove over 2 hours to pick her up. But as I was admiring her sweet little bisque face and cunning buckle shoes, I thought of someone who would love her just as much.So I packaged her up with the following note:

    "Dear Mom, This little dolly wants to live with you. I told her she would be quite content living here with the other dolls, but she insisted, 'No I want to live with Jacqueline, in a nice WARM house, where I can watch the snow fall from a wide bay window. Besides, Jacqueline doesn't have any little dollies like me.... I'm special and so is she!'

She wants you to know that she was born in Germany around1897, she's not quite sure of the date, after all, she is quite old and her memory is not what it used to be. This is her original box and she cost only 50 cents!

"I was NOT cheap! That was a lot of money in those days", she says. Her pink dress is original, but the blue checkered frock was stitched by her first mistress, as well as the lovely crochet collar.

     "She really loved me", dolly remembers fondly. Unfortunately, she does NOT remember her name..... she has been in her little cardboard box for over 60 years, poor dear! Well,we know that you will love her too, and provide her with a lovely NEW name.

                                      Merry Christmas! love, daughter"
           As I packaged little dolly carefully  in her box, hopefully for the last time, Virginia, the wooden penny, smiled her tiny smile and waved goodbye, without speaking a word.

          Giselle blew a kiss and whispered "Au revoir, mon ami."

        The Southern Belles say," Leaving us so soon? Well! We would nevah leave the South.... to go live with a Yankee??!"

         And Wilhemina wishes her would-be kindred spirit a safe journey, "Please, do write often!"

And off goes our dear little dolly, to her new home and mistress.

 UPDATE on Dec.20, 2009: Mom received little dolly today and loves her ever so much, I knew she would. Mom is 83 yrs old, you see, we never outgrow our dolls! She has given dolly an old name, Estelle, after her stepmother.

Well, that was back in December of 2009

and mother is 90 years old this month; she still loves this dolly.

For a superb read on old dolls, dollhouses and more, please visit Linnies post, here:
http://thebuttryandbookry.blogspot.com/2016/12/phebe-rush-and-visit-to-concord-museum.html

 Of course, Christmas is not really about dolls, tangerines, toys, trees, or feasting...although we love all of these wonderful traditions here in the Hollow.
But for us, the real joy comes from knowing the original Christmas story....
 when:

.

Love came down at Christmas

"Happy may thy Christmas be!"