December 25, 2019
Remember these 2? We first met them back in the summer of 2015, then Edith went to interview to work at the resort, and then AGAIN after she was hired…
Even during the first week of December, the resort was still quite busy; Edith has not realized when she was hired that they had an extensive winter sports complex in the forested areas behind the lodgings. She was thrilled – rather than just a summer job, this had become real, full-time work!
She clocked out from her lunch hostess shift and checked her mail cubby hole for any notes. And found this very imposing envelope:
Probably just a holiday card, although it felt sort of… hefty…
She was a bit excited, but she took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked serenely down the hall and up the stairs to her room. She never knew where HE might be, and she didn’t want to look like some flustered little girl…
She sat down on the edge of her bed and opened the envelope. As she unfolded the sheet of paper inside, 2 other pieces of paper fell to the floor.
They were checks. Big checks. Made out to her! She looked at them for a while, very carefully, thinking that there was some mistake in the recipient, or in the dollar amounts.
But no, they were very clearly handwritten, to Edith Pariseau. The dollar amounts were very legible, and more than a little breathtaking….
So she turned to the larger sheet of paper, assuming that an explanation for this shocking turn of events would be there:
Oh my! This was going to take a minute or two to sink in!
In all fairness, she knows that she’s a good hostess. And she truly enjoys what she does. Even the toughest, grumpiest guests please her – they’re a challenge to her patience.
And when her parents said that they were going on a cruise for the holidays, and gave her the very clear option to NOT go, the decision to work through the end of the year was an easy choice. But a bonus! TWO bonuses….
She fell back on the bed in a happy daydream of shopping!
5 minutes later, she grabbed a pencil and paper, and started to plan in earnest.
The next day she was scheduled to hostess at dinner, so after breakfast she got her handbag and her checks, and caught the first shuttle into the city, to do some well-organized but slightly giddy shopping!
velvet dress – Chelsea28; necklace – Kate Spade New York; pearl bracelet – Latelita; slingbacks – Lilly Pulitzer
Her parents had already given her her Christmas gifts… Mostly jewelry. Wearing a somewhat heart-shaped necklace made her heart pound…
“You look lovely tonight Edith; your necklace suits you.”
He smiled, and she almost sank into the floor. But she smiled back, and thanked him gracefully, and led him to his table. The rest of her shift passed in a sort of haze of excitement; everybody was in such a good mood that nobody seemed to notice her distracted air.
On Christmas Day, the entire resort was full of boisterous good cheer. The worst of the difficult guests even seemed to be in a happier frame of mind!
She was working at the Lounge Buffet, where all of the sporty types came in from the cold to grab a bite. She was so happy that she had indulged in the scarf that had caught her eye weeks ago – it was a nice bit of extra warmth.
But she still felt a little bit racy, wearing earrings that move!
mustard marl sweater – J.Crew; smoky quartz earrings – Lord & Taylor; scarf – Purdey; brown blouse – Marks & Spencer; brown cords – L.L.Bean; brown loafers – David Tate
The week between the holidays was full of guest comings and goings; everyone seemed to make a point of coming to see Edith before they left, to say goodbye and give her a hug. She felt like she had really made a small difference in their holidays, and it gave her great satisfaction.
New Year’s Eve! She would be working only until 9, but was free to join the guests in the ballroom to see in the New Year. She thought that as long as she wasn’t tired, she would do just that! Her dress was made for dancing, although she wasn’t quite sure with whom she would dance… But she would be quite happy watching the guests, and taking it all in!
floral dress – 1901; earrings – Dean Davidson; watch – Olivia Burton; bracelet – David Yurman; pumps – Nina
The next morning brunch service didn’t start until 10:00. Edith was amazed to see people who were really quite buzzy last night turn up bright and early for plates and plates and PLATES of food!
navy cashmere v-neck sweater – J.Crew; tiny pinecone earrings – Lee Renee; turquoise blouse – Vince Camuto; scarf – Aspinal of London; loafers – AGL; navy corduroy pants – Lands’ End; sapphire ring – Judith Ripka
HE came rushing up to her and grabbed her hand!
“Edith!…. What?…. This ring?…. Is it?…. Are you???” Seriously, he was stammering! She didn’t quite understand what he was saying, at first, and then it dawned on her.
“Oh no! This was a Christmas gift from my parents!”
“So you’re not…?”
“Of course not, silly!”
And then he smiled.
She knew that her entire life changed, with that smile.
love,
Janice
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I loved every bit of it. Thank you & Merry Christmas to you & yours!
What a Christmas treat! Thank you for the story and lovely of outfits. Ah, romance….
More! More! Thank you so much for this Christmas gift. The story and visualization her in the outfits is a fun way to start the morning. You have outdone yourself. I can’t wait for the next installment. It is like one of the old magazines frozen the past. Now we wait.
Have a wonderful Christmas and the happiest of New Years, to you Janice and all of the Viv ladies out in cyber world!
Love this ❤️
Merry Christmas! ??
Yeah! I am so glad to catch up with our friend Edith. I love her adventures (and her clothes)!
This made me smile. I was just beginning to wonder if this romance was all in her head, but fortunately not. :) And what gorgeous clothes! Lise
Merry Christmas to all my fellow Vivienne Files readers and especially to you Janice.
My favorite story! Thanks for the Christmas gift Janice! Any chance we can see how Edith’s wardrobe haste evolved? Would love to see it all together!
Merry Christmas to all!
Ann
What a fun Christmas surprise! Thank you, Janice.
(I was gifted a scarf in my favourite colours!)
Lovely story, Janice! Merry Christmas!
What a lovely Christmas treat. Both the story and the clothes.
An enjoyable holiday romance to read, thank you! And while I thought I had a perfectly good garconne theme for my own wardrobe, you threw in that exquisite 1901 dress and the Nina shoes. Utter, utter blissikins
Garconnes have to wear a dress occasionally; that’s my wardrobe theme too and I have a couple of dresses…
hugs,
Janice
Oh, I love these two!
Thank you for this unexpected story gift! Romance is always in fashion.
Safe and Happy Holidays to you and your family and to all the Readers.
Kim
Merry Christmas! I enjoyed this story so much. Romance and fashion go so well together :-). I can’t wait to learn what happens with Edith and her crush. Maybe a Valentine’s Day installment is in order. Sooner would be better, of course :-D.
BeeeBeee
What a great treat today! I love the outfits and could picture the scenes and spirit of the times. I worked at Chautauqua Institution one summer during college and this reminded me of those days. Merry Christmas Janice!
This is probably my favorite of all your heroines. I love following her story. Merry Christmas!
Such a fun post! Thanks for sharing.
This was the story I was hoping you’d do! Although surely the resort frowns on the staff getting involved with the guests? But I guess she won’t be needing that job much longer anyway…
Ah Renee, he’s the head of security at the resort, so even though he poses as a guest, he isn’t one, really. Not that this would stop these two, I suspect…
hugs,
Janice
Merry Christmas Janice! Loved the new installment in Edith’s adventure!
Janice,
What a wonderful fun surprise ! Even down to the last detail of suggested outfits by her employers ! I am swooning over the story and each of the ensembles ! That velvet dress, the scarves, those dainty Nina pumps and the swooshie dancing dress to wear with them ! Thank you soooo much !
Merry Christmas to you and to all of the people here who adore your posts as much as I do !
Janice,
You have given me an idea for that other accent color that I was noodling over in a former post — I could use my existing mustard pieces over the Winter for a bit of variety. Using with brown instead of olive green makes it a bit less Autumnal in feeling, I think !
Hope you are having a great Christmas. Love your storytelling – such a gift to weave a story from a picture. Would you consider adding a bit more blue to the colour palette from her blue dress to the pale blue sky? The clothes as always are great. Though they might not be in my colour range, they give me ideas.
Hope you are having a great Christmas. Love your storytelling – such a gift to weave a story from a picture. Would you consider adding a bit more blue to the colour palette from her blue dress to the pale blue sky?
Valentine’s Day is coming…
Hugs,
Janice
This might be my favourite colour scheme of all – and the story is so sweet! Greetings from a dedicated follower
Thank you for continuing their story. What a lovely gift to your followers. And the blue velvet dress is gorgeous! Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas!
Janice,
I have read this several times today and gotten a little teary each time. May we never be too old for romance and beautiful clothes!
Terri
So much love for this….your talent for wardrobes and story telling is incredible. Thank you and Happy New Year to you and hubby and all of your readers too! :)