my first gift of Christmas

You know how in the Polar Express the boy gets the first gift of Christmas, and he asks for a bell from Santa's sleigh that turns out to be something magical for those who still believe?

This is the story of my first gift of Christmas, which I didn't even have to ask for.

A little over a year ago, my mom bought 3 matching dresses for our girls to wear for my cousin's wedding. It was so fun for the wedding, and extra nice that they could wear them throughout the Christmas season, too.

My mom was surprised at being able to even find 3 matching dresses from Macy's size all the way up through Robyn's. I was surprised she found ones that were in the same "family" of material and make of a dress that Robyn had previously worn and loved.

When it came time to pack for Germany, I realized that all 3 girls had outgrown their dresses. This meant, Macy's had to be given away, and she could wear Carly's.  Carly now had 2 dresses her size--Robyn's from the wedding and Robyn's previous dress with the fur collar.  We could only take one, and she chose the little bit different one.

I can't even count how many stores we went to trying to find a dress for Robyn.  Nothing was in her size or remotely modest.

It turns out that one of my best friends from our previous neighborhood has a sister who lives here (and is just as wonderful). She had a friend who gave her a bag of girls' clothes, which she passed on to us.

In the bag, we found lots of clothes just right for our girls, including the exact same dress that my mom bought for Robyn for my cousin's wedding last year. The only difference? It was one size bigger.

The brand?  Rare Edition.

Here, Advents is really big.  We had it in time to wear to church on the first Advents Sunday, and all through the holiday season.

Although this matching dress was nothing of a necessity, it sure was magical!