I have SO MANY PRESENTS

It’s like Santa exploded at The Compound last night, if Santa is named TomTimRhondaLindseyMarikaMichael/Katie. I can stretch this amazing haul over a sleigh-load of blog posts, but earlier today, I was reminded of the thrill of one of my favorite Christmases from childhood. It was the morning I ripped the Christmas paper off my Barbie and Ken Bride and Groom fashions and Barbie’s honeymoon trousseau. To a little girl who loved Barbies, opening those clothes and smelling everything new and plastic-y was heady stuff, and I played Wedding all day long. And all night. And all forever. Oh, how glad my family was.

This morning, as I was playing with a few of this year’s gifts, I felt like a total kid again. I dressed two new Barbie Basics from Tom in fashion I received from Rhonda and Lindsey and my Tom-family-Santa, Michael (though I feel like shopping for Barbie clothes may have fallen to Michael’s wife/Tom’s sister Katie).

Here’s how my dolls look in their new duds:

They’re standing on a black-and-pink woven basket that The Brides gave me, posed in front of a Barbie calendar page, also from The Brides. And therein lies the contrast between Young Becky’s Mattel and Old Adult Becky’s Mattel. The illustration is so chic, so classic, so Audrey Hepburn. And my Basics look very “So Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid walk into a bar.”

Which leads me to the cautionary cross-stitch that is Marika’s gift:

I’m using it differently here, but “Don’t be a hooch” comes from a fantastic Tom Hanks spoof of “Toddlers and Tiaras,” which you can see here.

My new Model Muses have no names yet, so if you have suggestions, don’t judge them by their flashy fashion. They’re lovely girls. You can see names I’ve already used in this Flickr set. If I choose your name, there’s no prize EXCEPT GLORY! Don’t be so greedy–I’m sure Santa was good to you, too.