My girlfriends and I have been planning a little Christmas get-together for months. But just like yours, our schedules are crazy. We run between school, work, practices, homework, dinners and this time of year, we add in Christmas parties galore. And that makes for some tired mamas.
So we decided to have our little Christmas dinner party last night. . . in our pajamas.
We were supposed to bring a wrapped $10 drugstore beauty secret to exchange as a secret Santa gift. So I decided to bring these crazy gold facial masks to share with the group. We enjoyed a lovely dinner around Jennifer’s perfectly decorated dining table catching up about the kids and life in general. We talked about everything from controversial issues to field trip fiascos.
Then we moved to the living room for our ‘spa time’.
We opened the first mask tray, only to find they are floating in some sort of liquid, at which point the contagious laughter ensued. One by one I tried to attach the slimy, wet, and cold masks to each of their faces. Trying to match up mouths for breathing first and then eyes for opening. Just that one part was entirely worth the cost of admission.
Then came the melt.
We really believed that the longer we wore them, they would stick better and start to stay in place. But let me assure you, they did not. They were wrinkling and sliding all over the place. Lips became beards and foreheads were hanging over our eyes like we were 100 years old. We were laughing so hard my face hurt. Tears were streaming down my cheeks under my mask, making the whole situation even more slimy.
Then it came time to eat Jennifer’s homemade Chocolate cheesecake.
We learned that if we didn’t want to swallow bits of our gold, we had to make a choice. Cheesecake or mask. It was nearly impossible to do both. Cheesecake won.
But really, friendship won.
On our drive home, in our jammies, we laughed about what we would say if we happened to get pulled over by the police. We said goodnight. I brushed my teeth and plopped into bed feeling so full, thinking about how grateful I am to have friends who get it.
No make-up. No fancy clothes. No pretenses.
Just love.
And this is why I do what I do. We all need that kind of laughter and love in our lives. We need safe places to wear our jammies in public and laugh hysterically while we let our masks slide down.
This month, amid all the crazy, take some time to go behind the mask with some friends.
I know scheduling is so tough. So make time, even with just one friend. Your soul needs the reminder that you’re okay. That everything is going to be okay. Take time to remember that there can still be laughter in the middle of the chaos.
You’re not made to remember alone.
You have to go behind the masks.
to more love,
Crystal
