When I was a little girl, I took a lot of time picking out Christmas presents for my family at the T. G. & Y. (dime store). How much money did I have saved up? A couple of dollars? Maybe $5. I had a lot of gifts to buy. For many years, I would give my mother a bottle of Evening in Paris perfume…well, it was probably toilet water, not even cologne. It had to be the most glamorous thing in the store in that beautiful cobalt blue bottle with the fancy silver label. I don’t know if I even knew what it smelled like, but it had to be good with a name like that. I can see myself holding the bottle, knowing this would be the best gift ever. I can picture the twinkle in her eye when she opened it with such delight, as only a mother can honestly do.
When my mother was in her 80s, I found a bottle of Evening in Paris in an antique store and it still had some of the fragrance in it. I gave it to her that year for Christmas and she smiled the biggest smile and put it with her collection of perfumes and perfume bottles, as mothers do. When she died, I took the bottle back and it sits with some of her other bottles where I see it every day. The label fell off along the way, but it’s such a distinctive shape and beautiful bottle, even without the fancy silver lid. Anyone would know it was the real deal, something very special.
And it makes me smile when I think of the little girl that I was and my terrific mother who appreciated my sincere effort to bring her something as wonderful as she was.
P. S. I saw that The Vermont Country Store holiday catalogue has the actual Evening in Paris perfume for sale now. Really.
Confetti Thoughts 
OMG I so remember that bottle and I, too, gave it to my mother. TG&Y came after Weiner’s 5 and dime on 15th street where Panera’s now sits. I loved that place. There were so many treasures among which was penny candy. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Warmed my heart and made me smile from the inside out.
Great memories, Karen. It was sold at my local five & dime along side one called “Irresistible”. I always look for it in antique stores as my grade school boyfriend bought it for me. Along with “half hearts”. Remember those?
They were soooo exotic…all those things in the dime store.