It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without a New Doll

Noelle

I received an unexpected $60 as a gift. I was going to pay $50 of it towards the rent, but when I got to the office I couldn't find the $50 bill. So I trudged back home wondering what could have happened to it, only to find it right where I'd left it in front of my computer. I took it as a Sign. That money was not meant to go to rent--it was meant for a gift for myself! And Auntie Berman had received a check early that she didn't expect until next week. So we started out to the thrift stores.

Because it was Christmas Eve, Salvation Army and St. Vinnie's were closed. Most of the other stores were closing early. We found many wonderful things but I hadn't seen any sign of my Doll. Then we thought of the Antique Stores. There used to be lots of them but now there are only a few. The first one was a disappointment. We went across the street to one that had closed two minutes earlier. So we decided to try a place called Junkee that we'd been meaning to go to but never did. It was open and there was a doll booth! Auntie Berman spotted her. Auntie Berman, I should add, was slowly coming to realize that I was dead set on getting a doll and she would never get home if I didn't find one. So she really pushed this doll and I'm so glad she did.

Auntie Berman suggested Noelle for a name, since she's a Christmas dolly. Noelle is a Madame Alexander doll, 14 inches tall. She was $45 (allegedly worth $300). I think she was marked down because her hair has been cut. Auntie Berman later discovered she is a walker doll: when you move her legs, her head turns back and forth (why this was popular in the 1950s, we don't know). The down side of being a walker is that she can't sit down! She was dressed in a bride's dress. The woman who sold her to us (not the booth owner, who wasn't there) said her hair would look fine if I put a veil over it. I replied that I did not approve of child brides and she was going to get some nice clothes as soon as possible. The woman thought that was very funny, as did the cashier. I think her hair is fine the way it is.

"I haven't worn anything but a bride's dress for so long I forgot what it's like!"

I hadn't realized how few clothes I have for these dolls. Noelle borrowed Pollyanna's middy blouse and a pleated skirt. Sally is wearing a skirt I made over from a Barbie skirt (it was very fully gathered). Everyone liked the blue ribbon so each girl had some around her hair.

"The human was supposed to make us Christmas dresses but she never got around to it," explained Sally.

My Hard Plastic Girls: Noelle, Sally, Penny, Marley

Marley looks like she's had a bit too much to drink, but I think it's just because they are sitting on a very lumpy surface.

"Who's the giant girl next to me?" whispered Noelle. "That's our big sister Lorraine," explained Sally. "She doesn't really like to associate with us."

Merry Christmas Everyone!