A Letter From Chateau Marmont

This, Dear Reader, is the beauty of Lizzie. 

Emilia and I were out all day today running last minute errands. Because Christmas is in five short days, Bellevue Square was so crowded.  (Emilia has Caelen's name this year, and since he is the one who got me buying the opposite of really-boring-socks [which I, in turn, passed on to Emilia] it seemed rather fitting that she give him a couple of pairs of stripy socks to go with his book.) We then ran to Whole Foods, which was a complete mistake.  Seriously, it was more crowded at the grocery store than at the bloody mall.  It took us a hundred years to get only a few things, and then we sat and sat in the parking lot, waiting for the blasted traffic jam to let up.  ('Mama, go!  Go!' countered with 'Do you want me to crash the car?  I can't go!') I mean, really, did everyone leave at precisely the same moment?) 

Anyway, as we were pulling up to the house my eyes immediately went to the front porch, just to see if we got any packages.  Lo and behold, we got two.  The first was from Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Eugene (which caused Emilia to run around the house saying 'Should we open it?  Should we open it?'), and the second was from Lizzie -- all wrapped up in Charlie Brown paper. Her gifts (as always) are so much cooler than ours are to her.  She does have a knack for these things, though.  In fact, one of the last things she sent us had cut-outs of Edward on it, which was really quite impressive.  Somehow she has remained impervious to the whole vampire affair.  (Odd, I know.)  While I, on the other hand, once debated getting a life-size cut-out of dreamy Edward to go in the living room.  You know, just to cheer up the place and all.  And another time she made her own wrapping paper using a picture of Tina Fey, in the manner of Liz Lemon, in the manner of Princess Leah.  See what I mean, she's awesome.  But really, without even knowing it, the girl makes me smile every single day, and I am consistenly in awe of her.

Anyway, as I tried (in vain) to get the last bites of Emilia's lunch into her little tummy, I opened up Lizzie's package -- and I have been beaming ever since.  The presents she sent are all wrapped up, and we're not opening them before Christmas.  But that doesn't prevent one from reading the card does it?  Heavens, no!

And this is what it says:

December XX, 2010

Darling,

This book is the result of my BRILLIANT smuggling techniques while I was at the book opening at the Chateau Marmont last night for XX XX's new book 'The XX XX.'

You must swear that you will never tell anyone how you got this book, or I will never be invited to one of their fancy parties!  (Yes, I have been invited to go to The XX XX's house for New Years!  Of course, I have nothing to wear!)

So with Love and Style, I give you 'The XX XX'.  To you, who instilled the importance of fashion in my life.

Love, Lizzie

Now, Dear Reader, is this not reason #3012416 to love the girl?  She has a certain panache, no?  That being said, I'm fairly certain that she will vow never to speak to me again as I've just divulged personal correspondence.  But really, it is simply too marvelous not to share.  (In the meantime, I do hope that it is noted that I've done my best (rather cleverly, I think) to protect the identity of what exactly was brilliantly smuggled from that ultra glamourous event -- at the Chateau Marmont, no less -- thereby protecting the identity of the ultra-fab and surreptitious sender.)

I love you, Lizzie.  You're one of my favorites in the whole wide world.