Signatures

Friday was the last day of school before Christmas, and just like that, we're in the midst of holiday madness. We went, en famille, to buy a Christmas tree. Brought it home to a very confused Emily, who worried about this Big Green Interloper taking up a corner of the living room. For the first time I recused myself from art direction and let the girls do everything from lights to the Angel Bunny on the top of the tree. They didn't do a half bad job, either.

Then yesterday there were many things to do--ice skating lesson for YG, errands, and Christmas presents to buy. I really left things to late this year, and am suffering the consequences of my rash misdeeds. Suffered through an hour and a half at the Big New Downtown Mall! (which is a cool place when it's not Saturday afternoon right before Christmas, at which time no mall, no matter how cool, is a pleasant environment). And it was there that I overheard a girl of about seventeen (overdressed and over-madeup and studded with jewelry of the sort that is sold at Claire's) talking with a friend. "I hope he doesn't give me perfume," she was saying. "Cause I know he'll get it wrong." "Yeah, boys never get perfume," her friend agreed. "It isn't that. But I only wear Eternity. It's my signature scent."

I had this lovely vision of the girl wandering through a room, hoping that people would know she had been there by the traces of Eternity she left behind her.