How old was I when Mim threw my first surprise doll party on an odd-year birthday? No idea, but it became a tradition right up to & including my 21st, when she gave me miniature bottles of gin & Drambuie.
Somehow, she managed to surprise me (although I suspect my deep desire to be surprised might have been a factor). As delightful as it was for me, it's quite possible that the planning & putting on of the biennial blast was even greater fun for Mim.
To qualify for a doll party present, it had to be small. No one loved shopping more than Mim, especially for the unusual. I picture her trekking out the Bonnie Barn in Wayne, to Thorell's in Chestnut Hill, to the Jenkintown Book Store or Chestnut Hill's Frigate Books, to five & dime stores as well as mega posh emporiums, always with her eye out for that tiny just-right item.
So many years, so many fabulous parties with dozens of dolls & stuffies & three happy humans.
Although my 21st marked my last birthday doll party, I'd go on to throw a couple of my own for dear friends with equally deep streaks of whimsy & two were thrown, back to back, in August 1989 - a bridal shower for me in the afternoon & one that night for a VERY surprised John! (We flipped over the cake from the earlier shower, turning it into a hill with a little plastic train chugging over its crest.)
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