The approach of winter

I bought my children winter coats over the weekend.

This may not sound noteworthy. But you have to take into consideration two facts:

• They have not worn winter coats for the last three winters
• I have never purchased coats for my children in a store

Living in Texas, winter coats were not a necessity. It got a little cold for a very short time, and a heavy jacket was sufficient. Usually all they needed was a sweatshirt. And they all had heavy fleece jackets, which worked just fine. We did not travel north in the winter, so it worked out just fine.

Except that we all actually did miss winter time. The clothes, the cold, the evenings by the fire - we are excitedly anticipating all of it.

Especially new coats - my girls are all about anything new. But can you believe I've never, ever purchased heavy coats in a store? I always, always relied on Lands End catalog, which has a heavy-duty coats for kids in a rainbow of colors and a variety of styles - short, long, hooded or not. They worked out great - the coat rack at our church or the girls' preschool was always full of them.

But we've outgrown the Lands End look, at least figuratively. We are now all about style. So off to the mall we went.

Alison and Maddie found coats fairly quickly. They were reasonably priced - well, reasonable by my standards, as they do have to wear them every day, and they'll wear them for at least two years. They both seemed happy, and there was a big sale.

We had to head to the children's department for Sylvia. She found the right size, though there are concerns that she might outgrow it. I figured we can suffer through - until I paid for it: $25.99. At that price, she can have a new one next year if she needs one.

(I got a new coat, too; 50 percent off. It is lovely. I'll debut it in Chicago over the weekend.)

So the girls are warm, and they are stylin'. The fireplaces are working, so we are all read for the cold.

We think. We may have forgotten just how brutal winter can be.