June 6 Photo: Hat

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to play with was “The Dress-Up Box.” Since I had a mother and two grandmothers who sewed, knitted, occasionally purged their closets of old purses and shoes, and frequented yard sales, my Dress-Up Box was always well-stocked. I can remember a number of specific items very clearly: my mother’s white stiletto-heeled wedding shoes with the impossibly pointed toes, a pink chiffon bathrobe with ruffled trim, a black beaded evening bag with only a small patch of beads missing, a bright green fabric hula skirt, and a white satin tutu trimmed in silver sequins with matching tiara and star-tipped wand. With my Dress-Up Box, I could be a princess, a ballerina, a fairy, or any other lovely thing my imagination could conjure up!

When my son was born, I wondered if, being a boy, he would share my appreciation for dress up. I needn’t have worried. His approach might be a bit different, but he uses the same imagination and creativity that I did to become a pirate, a construction worker, or a firefighter. But instead of a Dress-Up Box, he has a Hat Basket. In his Hat Basket, he has a yellow hard hat, several red firefighter’s helmets, a policeman’s helmet, a batter’s helmet, and a racecar driver’s helmet. Throw in an old pair of cowboy boots, a fringed leather vest, and his daddy’s brown leather shoes, and he can become whatever he can imagine.

It’s not just a hat, it’s a magic carpet that can take him to anywhere and anything!