Capitol Court

Jan 10, 2019

Capitol Court was an outdoor mall in Milwaukee. It entertained a TA Chapman’s and Schusters...then Gimbels-Schuster and finally just Gimbels. There were many other shops and every year they would set up Santa’s workshop, called the Kooky Cookie House, where you could meet with the happy gift giver and get a real gingerbread cookie. For Chrismas, they constructed a huge tree and we would go out in the cold to see it lit.
As part of the Christmas celebrations, The mall would have a secret shopper program where people were hired to walk up to the shoppers in the open areas and give them surprise gifts.
One year Mary Beth got a gift... my mom got a gift.. only I was giftless. My mother knew I was just being a pouty little girl, but she also wanted me to feel as important as she and Mary, so she packed me into the car after we got home and walked me around the mall till the secret shopper approached me with a gift.
I was thrilled.
Looking back, there was no reason for her to do this except that she wanted me happy. I think that as the younger sister of two girls, she knew what it felt to be overlooked because your older sister was prettier...or kinder...or smarter. I think she raised MaryBeth and I as equals because she was  compared to her sister and didn’t want us to have the any resentful feelings towards each other.
It seems silly I guess. I respect and love my older sister because my mom let us be ourselves and at the same time, part of a team.
I just recently figured out that Mom probably gave up a great part of herself to become our mom and dad’s wife. As we all aged, she became independent of those titles and broke the mold. As a result the memories she created for me will live as long as I do.
And the sweetest was our trip to Capitol Court.