When I was in elementary school, I went to exponentially more holiday parties than I do these days. Once I hit middle school I also had bar and bat mitzvahs pretty much every weekend, and they were held in places like the Rainbow Room and the Plaza (no joke), so I had lots and lots of reasons to wear fancy things. And so every year, my Hanukkah present from my parents was a new dress that I could wear to the various festivities taking place over the holiday season, and in the months following.
I still remember my favorite one of these dresses ever: it was short(ish) and black, with sheer chiffon sleeves that came in at the wrists, and it seemed impossibly sophisticated. I was in sixth grade – at a school and in a situation that made me unhappy more days than not – and when I wore it to my school’s Christmas party it was the very first time I felt like I could possibly one day become something other than an awkward little kid.
It was just a dress, but it mattered.
And the fact that my mom let me have something that was maybe a bit too grown-up for a sixth-grader, but that made me feel so transformed in a way that I needed so badly right then…that mattered, too.
Last night Kendrick told me to meet him at the Starbucks over on 85th and Lex, because he had a surprise for me. And he greeted me with a Peppermint Mocha, and walked with me to H&M, and took the baby from me, and told me that it was just about Hanukkah, so he would take care of things while I took my time shopping for whatever holiday dress I wanted.
And guess what?
This dress mattered, too.
Because it wasn’t about the dress; not at all.
Feeling pretty fortunate this holiday season…and not just because I’m the proud owner of some new purple ruffles.
