Hats Off

Here all the time I thought she was just being eccentric in a particularly recalcitrant way.

The ‘Santa Hat’ thing, you know. Way back when she was in 6th grade, my daughter attended a Christmas dance put on by her middle school, and she came home with one of those red & white hats, the kind that Jolly Old St. Nicholas wears.

Cute, but thereafter she never seemed to want to take it off. She reluctantly left it at home on school days, but that was about her only concession. Defying my hope that this was just a passing phase, the hat continued to adorn her head through spring, and she even insisted on taking it to summer camp.

The next Christmas I bought her a lovely pink feminine version of the classic hat (because the old one was getting a little worse for the wear)... and she continues to wear it to this day (she’s 15 now) on a consistant basis.

A couple weeks ago the two of us went Christmas shopping at a small department store. She went her way, and I went mine, and when we met up I saw she had a new Santa hat in her basket.

“ANOTHER Santa hat?” I exclaimed.

“This one’s for you!” she cheerfully replied.

“Um...” I said, “Thanks, Amy. I’m scheduled to work on Christmas Eve, and it will be a perfect thing to wear!”

When we got home I tried it on, just for fun. I’ve never worn a hat indoors before, and was pleasantly surprised by how warm & comfy it made me feel. It’s a sensation like being all covered up in bed with warm blankets.

Thanks, Amy. You were really on to something all along.