I looked in the mirror and observed out loud to no one but myself, “I don’t look like a snow princess. I look more like an aging debutant.” So I sprayed my hair with glitter again and smeared a little more sparkly stuff on my cheek bones.
One setback after another had plagued me all afternoon as I worked to get ready for our church’s annual Trunk or Treat. This Halloween alternative brings in hundreds of kids from the neighborhood surrounding the church and I wanted my trunk and costume to meet the high standards set by our church members.
The trunk wasn’t the problem. It really did look like a “winter wonderland.” Bottom, top, and sides were covered with a blanket of “snow.” Snowflakes hovered in the air, the snowman wore a happy grin, and the Christmas tree shone with glowing icicles.
No, the problem was me and the “Snow Princess” costume. I naively thought I could create the perfect snow fairy skirt out of two yards of tulle and two yards of some other thin, iridescent fabric. But I missed two very important things. First, I cannot sew. Second, you could pretty much see through both my fabrics of choice.
After trying several times and throwing the sewing machine against the wall, I managed to get a piece of elastic through the “casing” I had sewed. I had really thought that with the fabric all bunched up you wouldn’t be able to see through it. I was wrong. And everything I tried wearing under it just looked goofy. (By the way, my son and his friend Conner confirmed this.)
Finally, I hit on something that worked. I found a round, white cloth for a small decorator table stuffed in a closet. It had a small red candle wax stain right in the middle. Two snips of the scissors later and two miracles occurred. The stain was gone and I had a white skirt that looked perfect under my princess costume!
The rest of the costume consisted of a star-tipped wand, a plastic tiara with fake pink stones, silver-glitter hairspray, and sparkly gel for my face. It was too late to turn back. I headed to the church with my gorgeous trunk and eight pounds of candy in a Christmas gift bag.
Even though I felt – and looked – goofy, the event and the Snow Princess made an impression on the neighborhood. I had a great time interacting with the community kids and their parents. And you know, it really is okay to look a little goofy for Jesus.
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