Self-Delusion?

'Tis Santa Season at the Costume Shop, and Dickens Caroler season, too. It's all good. Usually Ramona handles the Santas, as the record-keeping for them is somewhat complicated. Most of our costumes go out one day, and come back on some designated day in the future. Not Santas. They sometimes go out for three hours, come in, and go right out again. Especially the gorgeous crushed velvet one.

This year, I've been fitting some of them, and I had one yesterday. I asked the man trying it on what his chest measurement was, and he told me it was 42". I thought that was a tad conservative, and also that some of the extra had slipped downward a little. I measured him at the waist at over 50". With a Santa suit, that's OK--it just means that he doesn't need any padding.

The caroler was really cute. She came in with two adorable (but slightly wild) children in the 1-3 range. There is no way we can make the Costume Shop childproof. It is a workshop and warehouse, and there are racks, and ladders, and sewing machines, and swords, and irons; not to mention scary masks and other reasons for getting a sitter before you come in. So, I guess she could be forgiven for not knowing her measurements. I asked her waist measurement, and she told me 32".

Right.

My waist is larger than that, and she was larger than I. I measured her at 38", and that took some squeezing. Of course, I didn't shout it out, or anything--providing reality checks is not in my job description.

I found her a skirt with and adjustable waistband, and adjusted it upward.

She looked very nice when she left--all in forest green and ivory. We don't have to be thin to be gorgeous, you know.

The thing is, how can she look in her mirror, day in and day out, and not see that her waist is 6" larger than it used to be?

How can Santa Suit Guy not notice that his tummy sticks out over his shoes?

I don't get it.