by DCParisienne
I told the other girls to help themselves to more fudge and snacks from the large Rubbermaid container I'd brought to Kristy's while I thought about what memory I should share. As they excitedly discussed which treats were their favorites, I thought back to all of the previous Christmases I'd shared with my family. Finally, I settled on the Christmas I was nine.
"I guess the Christmas I remember most was the one when I was nine, I think because that's the first year I remember feeling really involved and being able to see beyond the gifts. Mimi was still alive, so a lot of what I remember from that year centers around her, of course. The first thing I remember doing that Christmas is making desserts with Mimi for a party Mom and Dad were having for their friends. I had never really been allowed to help out in the kitchen before, except for putting groceries away and loading the dishwasher and stuff like that. But Mimi was making so much food that she asked me to help out a little. I got to pour chocolate chips in the mixing bowl for the cookies we were making and stir the batter for the brownies. I thought it was really cool.
"I had always loved sweets up until that point, but I wasn't the junk food queen I am now. Plus, my parents would never let me get away with eating too much junky stuff anyway. When I helped Mimi with the baking, though, I felt like it was the first time I could really eat as much sweet stuff as I wanted. She told me that sometimes it's okay to indulge, especially at the holidays. Life's too short not to eat what you like, she pointed out. I'm sure you guys have heard me say that before when you tease me about all of the candy and everything... now you know where it comes from!"
Mallory giggled.
"She let me lick the spoons and I got to sample the finished products. So, not only was that the main thing that led to my love of junk food, but I felt really grown up being able to help with the baking, and it definitely made me feel close to Mimi. By that point, Janine had entered high school early, and Mom and Dad were always focusing on her and how great that was, so having someone make an effort to spend time with only me made me feel really good."
"Mimi was always really good about being supportive of you," Kristy broke in. "I swear, you need that in order to stay sane while living in the same house as Janine the human dictionary."
"So Mimi ended up convincing my parents that I didn't need a babysitter and that I would be fine staying at home while they hosted the party. I wore my fancy red velvet dress, and all the guests were so impressed that I had helped with the food. They kept saying how good all of the cookies and rolls and everything were, and Mimi and I were just beaming. It made me see how happy food could make people, especially junk food. I know that sounds really corny, but it's true – food brings people together, and people love them if you provide them with junk food!"
"Sounds like that was a really special Christmas for you, Claud," Mary Anne said warmly. "What else happened that holiday?"
"Well, there was the whole Christmas cards incident. Mom and Dad happened to mention one night at dinner that they needed to go pick out some Christmas cards and send them out. I had been doing lots of Christmas artwork at school, so I said I could make some for them instead.
Dad said, 'We know your artwork is very important to you, Claudia, but maybe you can give pictures to our friends some other time. I'm not sure if we should send out hand-drawn Christmas cards from our daughter.'"
"What? Why?" Stacey's eyes grew wide.
"Mom didn't really say anything 'cause I think she felt bad, but I could tell she agreed. I felt really hurt. It felt like they were, like, stifling my creativity or something.
"Well, Mimi stepped in and said she thought it was a cute idea. Mom and Dad still seemed pretty hesitant, and I was about to cry. Janine said something like, 'Gosh, Claud, it's not like you're Degas or someone. It's not like they're telling you that you can't draw at all.' That pissed me off, and I was about to say something really nasty to Janine when Mimi spoke up again. She suggested that maybe I could create the majority of the cards for the people they wanted to send them to, and if there was anyone on their list who they thought should have store-bought ones, then they could use those for them.
"Plus, she pointed out that a lot of people would probably think it was charming to get a card featuring artwork from someone's child, especially if the drawings were good. She also mentioned that my parents would still be able to write their own personal note inside.
"Mom and Dad gave in, and I spent forever drawing holly and stockings and reindeer and the whole bit on construction paper. I loved every minute of it, though. I felt like I was really contributing, and like I said earlier, it showed me that the holidays are more than just a time for gifts."
"I'm sure everyone ended up loving the cards, didn't they?" Shannon commented. "It sounds like Mimi was always right about these things, from the way you've talked about her."
"They were a big hit. I think Mom and Dad hadn't been expecting them to come out so well. That's only one of the million times that I would have felt completely lost if I didn't have Mimi. She stood up for me and made me feel special, AND she showed me how nice holiday traditions can be.
"This probably sounds really dumb, but... since this is our first Christmas without her, I think I'm going to make a plate of treats for Mimi and leave it out in her honor on Christmas Eve. I feel like she'd like that."
"Aw, Claud, that's such a sweet idea," Mary Anne said, tearing up again. "I think that will make her very happy."
"Well, if you're done, Claud, let's go on to the next memory," Kristy said. "I think Mary Anne should go next, so that way, after she's done with hers, she can cry all she wants without having to worry about composing herself."
"Kristy!" Mary Anne said through her tears, and threw a pillow at her. "All right, that logic does make sense. Okay, I'd like to share mine now."
DCParisienne plays two characters in the babysit RPG.