Dolly Day Friday is being hosted by Jenny of the lovely
Little Jenny Wren blog. Stop by and have a look at her blog. Be sure to bring a hot cup of tea or coffee because you'll want to stay awhile.
My fourth birthday stands out in my mind as one of the best birthdays I had as a child. My grandparents lived several hours away and had sent my parents money to purchase a gift for me. My parents took me to the store and allowed me to pick out my own gift. Destine for domesticity, I picked out a child's size ironing board and iron and a mop, broom and dust pan set. It was a fun day at the store. I remember loving that both my mom and my dad were there and that their attention was totally centered on me. I can remember clearly thinking when we left the store that the gifts were the only gifts I was getting and how happy I was with them.
When we arrived home there was a birthday cake and another gift on the table. This gift was from my mom and dad and held the most wonderful doll....CHRISSY.
She was about the prettiest doll I'd ever seen and I still think that. Its strange to me that I can remember the feeling I had when I looked at her. I was the type of child that had a real affection for my dolls. My life at 4 was not overflowing with dolls or toys but the dolls that I had, I loved with everything in my 4 year old heart.
Her hair could be lengthened or shortened. There is a button on her back that can be turned one way to let the hair out and pulled another to pull the hair back in. I prefered her hair long and my mother showed me how to take a hair brush and a bit of her hair and "finger curl" Chrissy's hair.
I turned 4 in 1973. I'm not sure how long Chrissy was on the market before that but I know that she is at least 38 years old.
Sadly, a year of so later when my parents separated and then divorced, Chrissy was lost in the shuffle. I think she was left behind in our old house. I asked my dad several times about her but I'm sure at that moment in his life...his wife leaving and taking his children, finding a lost doll was not weighing heavy on his mind. I never saw my Chrissy doll again.
Fast forward 35 years. I was a visiting a dear friend and fellow doll lover...I mean this lady really loves dolls, she happened to ask me what kind of dolls I had as a child. Chrissy was the first doll that came to mind and in the conversation, my friend asked if I still had Chrissy. When I told her I did not, she excused herself for a moment and brought back the Chrissy doll in the pictures and gave her to me.
Getting this Chrissy doll filled in a piece of my missing childhood. Divorce is hard on children. My dolls were my friends and in the raging storm around me, my dolls brought me comfort. Perhaps that is why I tend to say "special dolly friend" when talking about dolls or describing dolls. I know the power of having a special dolly friend and that is what Chrissy was to me.
She is worn and floppy but filled with love and memories. I've thought about giving her a redo. I could stitch down her hair where it is coming lose, stuff up her body a bit and stiffen up her neck, but I don't want to change anything my mother did. So worn and floppy she remains but with love and memories.
I'm sure she cut up old clothes to make Maid Marion. She was like that. Great at putting together something scrappy and making it beautiful.
Mothers are one of God's greatest creations. My mother passed away almost 7 years ago. I'm thankful she was my mother and that I still have this piece of her love for me.
