12 Dec 2005
The Happiest Moment of My Life.
So picture this: it’s Christmas morning 1975, and you’re wearing the dress and pinafore that your mother made for you to match your Raggedy Ann doll, and while it appears you have a sassy pixie cut, you really just haven’t grown much hair yet.
Your mom helps you open your largest gift as your grandma (who, uh, looks like she lost a couple of teeth or something?) and pregnant aunt in the whim-wham shirt look on in delight, and as your tiny eyes take in the Sesame Street playhouse thingie, it happens: you experience the happiest moment of your life. Savor it, dear child, for it will never happen again.
Never again will you be so thrilled that your face screws up, your hands spazz out, and you scream the scream of the irate howler monkey. Check it:
And:
Trust me: nothing will ever be this good again.
December 12th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
Awww!! I totally disagree with you. You look ADORABLE here!
December 12th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
How fantastic is this? I can’t stop smiling, or scrolling back up to look at that photo, or wishing I could get my Santa-playing hands one of those Sesame Street playhouse thingies, or hoping that Sonic Youth is hard at work this very minute on a song called “Scream of the Irate Howler Monkey.”
Switching into sappy parent mode for a moment, I’d say nothing is ever that good again until you see your own kid(s) do it, and then it’s a thousand times better.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:04 pm
Not only did I receive this exact gift in 1977, but I still have it. It’s in perfect condition. I only wish my sheer joy at receiving it was documented on film. You’re right. Nothing’s been that good since.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:44 pm
My dad recorded me getting my first real bike on video. I was so excited that I started hyperventilating, and began speaking some form of language that was not English.
December 12th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
Aw, sweetie, that was you thanking the good lord by speaking in tongues. Remember?
December 12th, 2005 at 5:55 pm
I love that this picture was probably taken in the split second before you lunged for it and then didn’t let it out of your grip again for…a while.
December 12th, 2005 at 11:00 pm
Your blog cracks me up like nothing else. You’re so damn funny that sometimes I wish you were my friend. If you *were* my friend, I’d send you this for Christmas:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Fisher-Price-Sesame-Street-Playhouse_W0QQitemZ6021926285QQcategoryZ30QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
December 13th, 2005 at 9:53 am
No, it weren’t the Gift, ’cause that only happens after I’ve been anointed with a Deadly Serpent. And Daddy always said No Deadly Serpents under the Christmas tree unless there’s one for everybody.
December 13th, 2005 at 10:00 am
Wow. Hey, Sally, make a note to make an Amazon wish list to post, so your blog fans can buy you (read: us) stuff. You can promise them rewarding internet friendships, one personal email a week, and a cool secret post every now and then that only these friends will receive. It will be great.
If they get us something really extravagant, we could come to visit them.
December 13th, 2005 at 10:03 am
That is the coolest Sesame Street block EVER. I WANT it.
December 13th, 2005 at 10:47 am
this has given me a continuous supply of giggles going on five minutes now.
December 13th, 2005 at 11:28 am
I still have mine in the attic, but I’m afraid I was sort of a destructive child and may have ripped some of the sticker wallpaper off.
I think I was just frustrated because of my lack of hair.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
I would totally buy y’all something extravagant in exchange for a visit. We have 2 guest rooms, and you’d have your own bathroom too. Really! There’s even a couple of extra toothbrushes in the cabinet and a hair dryer under the sink, just in case you forgot to pack yours.
Also, Baby Sally is adorable. Love the Raggedy Ann dress.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:50 pm
KoE, you are beyond right. seeing your own kids squeal with glee is better than any present you could ever get.
sally, this just makes me smile. awesome.
December 13th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Aw, I love it!
December 13th, 2005 at 3:08 pm
I lacked hair, too…and teeth. AND was mistaken for a boy both in appearance and name.
December 13th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
i have had this picture (framed even) in a prominent place in my house(s) for years. capturing that very look is what cameras are for.
also, i remember my grandmother making me dolls that matched my clothes, and sewing a pocket on several dresses for the dolls to “ride” in. i still have one of them.
December 13th, 2005 at 6:46 pm
That’s a great idea, Larry! I’ll send a bunch of Fiestaware or something, and you two can come visit. We can make crafts, watch TV, and sit around the fire while Sally tells DL stories. This is great! By the way, my husband just walked by and proclaimed me to be a massive loser!