For once, I didn’t feel weird wearing my pajamas in public at seven o’clock in the evening. On Saturday, June 16, at Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream in Plano, the people who weren’t wearing pajamas were probably the ones who felt weird. Or at least disappointed. Everyone who wore pajamas (and waited out the line that snaked through the store, out the door, and well into the parking lot) got a free quart of ice cream.
Families with small children, gaggles of teenagers, and young couples alike shamelessly donned flannel pajama pants, nightgowns, and Sesame Street slippers to receive over 400 quarts of free ice cream. Owner Henry Gentry, dressed in a cow-print robe, emceed the event, giving out awards for things like “best slippers” and “best couple PJs.”
Jump for ice cream.
As if it couldn’t get any better, all the ice cream was served by cancer survivors. The folks at Henry’s—who’ve been putting on their pajama party for 18 years now—donate the tips from this event to the American Cancer Society, which they’ve been doing for seven years. According to Gentry, they brought in over 800 people and raised over $1700 this year. Is there anything better than wearing comfy clothes (without feeling like everyone’s judging you), getting free ice cream, and donating to a valuable cause? I scream, you scream, we all scream.
Best slippers: Jasmine (Mickey Mouse slippers)
Best couple: The McDonalds (Wonder Women)
Best family: The Faems
Best children: The Robinsons
Best pink pajamas: Ron Miller
D Magazine intern Matthew Watson is going to be a sophomore at Harvard. He’s an arts board staff writer for the Harvard Crimson. He was a student editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News last year. His dad, formerly a journalist, does not really like his career choice.
