Sunday, December 23, 2012

A Sepcial Chistmas Done Our Way

Leah, Maddie and your favorite editr waiting for "Junie B. Jones" to start.
Maddie poses with Junie B. Jones,  post-production.
Maddie with actress Stevie Holcomb.
Us, looking gorgeous.
A touch of glamor in the afternoon.
Glamor girls at the Hotel Roanoke.
Leah reads 'Maddie the Marvelous'.
Pampa's turn to read from the book he wrote Mads for Christmas. Two books for one kid. Lucky girl.
This was officially Madeline Christmas Day and, boy, was it a dandy. Christmas has devolved into a competitive exercise in gift over-giving the past few years with the kids drowning in stuff they don't want or need, so we figured we'd do it a little differently at Pampa's house this year.

Leah and I dressed to the nines took Mads in her pretty new dress to see the delightful Roanoke Children's Theater production of "Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells," then brought her to my house for dinner of her choosing and Leah's preparation (chicken noodle soup and chocolate mousse) and a few presents we made or otherwise had some direct involvement in.

Leah and I each put together books. Leah wrote the wonderful "Madeline the Magnificent," about a little girl who conquers a dragon by being kind. I threw together a picture book of Mads' adventures with the Roanoke Vikings. We took the time to read both to her. She loved them.

We went through a few trinkets and wound up the evening giving her a baby doll she immediately named Lucille (I have no idea where that came from). This was a doll made by a group of poor women and sold through Charity Cottage in Vinton, which was founded by Maddie's swimming coach and my much-admired friend Annette Patterson. All this meant something to Madeline and she had time to absorb it, which means it will stick with all of us.

I love Christmas like this.

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