You know that feeling you get when you’re about to step on the scale at the doctor’s office? You know… that feeling of dread? I felt it wash over me just after Thanksgiving. I stood in my kitchen, stared out the window, and thought about all of the parties and portraits that lay ahead in December. Yikes! What would my kids wear? It was time take the girls shopping for their Christmas party dresses.

Now, it’s not the shopping per se that sends me into a panic. It’s the thought of shopping with my two children. Kate is four and Hayden is one. Going anywhere, let alone to a kids clothing store, is a disastrous production. But I really couldn’t head into the holidays without knowing that at least two fancy dresses were hanging in each of their closets. Kate, my toddler, is all frills. Put her in bows, taffeta, or a flowing flower girl dress and she’s happy as a clam. As for Hayden? Well, she wears what I pick out for her. Last Christmas I choose something functional. This year I want her to shine in her first real Christmas party dress.

I put on my game face and dragged the kids to the mall. I scoured the racks, taking inventory of the Christmas clothes in all the children’s stores. Everything was picked over from the post-Thanksgiving crowd. I didn’t like a thing. The Santa dresses were silly and those long sweater dresses were cute, but probably more appropriate for older children. I was looking for young frilly, fancy dresses but in subdued holiday colors. No bright reds or greens for me. No way!

Three hours later, I had had enough of pushing and shoving my way through the mall. I went home to do what every other civilized person does the week after Thanksgiving. Hit the internet.

With my children in bed, I used the quiet time to Google “toddler girl clothing.” As expected a lot of bargain online retailers popped up, then some department stores and boutiques. So many choices! I browsed all of the Christmas clothes at the major stores and decided I would be paying too much for a similar holiday dress I could find somewhere else. Then I remembered Pink Princess. My mom had heard that this was the place to shop for party dresses, great and small. I hit their home page at PinkPrincess.com and struck gold. Within minutes I had purchased matching frosted pink and blue taffeta dresses. Then I splurged and bought matching two-toned velvet-taffeta dresses in sage and silver. The bows on these dresses were just too adorable. My girls were set! The dresses arrived less than a week later, just in time for their first soiree.

 Today, I breathe a sigh of relief. As my girls twirl around in their new fancy dresses, I can finally start concentrating on something a little more meaningful… like shopping for myself!

by Erin McElveen

12.03.2007