http://www.plaidstallions.com/gabriel/loneranger.html

The Wish Book was a big part of my Christmas as well. Even involved my brother and two neighbour boys across the street. We were rarely into the same things, though.

My middle sister and I would browse and make list after list of all the items we just had to have. (But alas never received.)

My one dream toy as a child was a Lite Brite. I would pray and wish on stars for a Lite Brite. I did this for years. For some reason my mother never caught on. One year my youngest sister (by 10 years) got a Lite Brite. SHE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS!!! I was in my teens at the time, no longer wanted the darned thing, but cried anyway. I was so bummed. ha..probably still am as I am writing about it.

Colleen

I don’t remember wanting anything from those “wish” books, but I do remember some toys that I got that made me very happy. One was a Ginger Doll. And another year it was a Tiny Tears Doll——I remember thinking if I carried it around all the time and treated it with deep love and devotion, it would turn into a real baby! I didn’t say I was the brightest kid of the bunch! There were five of us kids and we appreciated anything we got!!!! We would have thought it presumptious to actually PICK something we wanted for Christmas, and never would we have made a “LIST”, like kids do today. I think maybe our younger brothers did after us three older ones married and left.

I had three brothers younger than I, and they got Hot Wheels and a Hot Wheels track one year, and that was cool! They were so excited and I remember my dad sitting on the floor helping them put it together and what fun it was to be in our house around Christmas time! I loved the sound of little boys laughing and giggling and playing with some new toy they had only seen on TV before! Their enthusiasm was contagious!

All rules were suspended for that week between Christmas and New Years—–you could throw wrapping paper on the floor, eat whatever you wanted, stay up late, sleep ’til you wanted to get up, leave your toys lying around…………….HEY! THAT’S JUST WHAT I DO TODAY!!!! I’ve come full circle!!!

About three years ago, my sister—–the good and thoughtful one——got each of us five “kids” the one toy she remembered that we wanted for Christmas way back when we were little. She gave me a Tiny Tears Doll! I still have it packed away! Wasn’t that sweet! She hunted and hunted antique shops to find them! Yeah, that’s how old I am! Shut up!

And now Rachel, some toys your daughter has to include.
Jacob’s ladder, whirligig, marbles, jacks, rubic cube, hoola hoop, cup and ball, rocking horse,…. in no particular order.

By the time my children came along (now 54. 51 and 42) the Wish Books came along, too, for there were three at one time: Sears’, Penny’s and Montgomery Ward’s. As has been mentioned, the kids would go through the books and write their names on all of the things they wanted…then they would go through and number the things according to their importance to them. Then they would turn down the corners on those pages. Now that I think about it, they sure ddn’t have much confidence in santa. There were those same toys…and G.I. Joe, micronuts, Chatty Cathy, Trouble game, etc.

We have a picture of our youngest at two years’ of age, sitting looking intensely at the Sears’ Wish Book. It was the absolute best babysitter because Mark would sit for an hour or two turning those pages over and over.

Wonder if one of those kitchen isles is really possible?
Peace

Growing up in the 80’s in England, I spent hours gazing longingly at the back pages of the argos catalogue, and my girls have started doing the same thing now. Some toys just never go out of fashion. This year the lists contain lots of barbie things, princesses and sylvanian families. I can remember when my list was pretty much the same. ALTHOUGH I can remember for many, many years in a row really wanting a ‘Mr Frosty’ which was basically a machine for making crushed ice drinks – like slush puppies I think. I never got one, and never understood why, but am beginning to understand a bit more now I am the Mum buying the presents.

BTW you should see the Barbie car, horsebox and horse Hannah is getting for Christmas this year – it was an ebay BARGAIN – and she is going to love it almost as much as I would have when I was 5!

The wish book… We lived out in the head of nowhere – 1 1/2 hours to the closest “town” – Clovis or Fresno, CA – so going to a “real” store was not part of our lifestyle. We were catalog shoppers. And Christmas was the highlight. When “the book” came in the mail, we (6 of us) would turn down the top right edge of the page, then write our name on the desired item, including size and color, if necessary. Right after Thanksgiving was when the boxes started coming, with strict orders to not even touch them. They went directly to the back of our parent’s closet, unopened. Dang! Couldn’t even snoop.

My favorite doll – Chatty Cathy. She talked and she had long hair that you could style. And she wasn’t as anorexic as Barbie – my kind of gal. Of course, anorexic wasn’t in our vocabulary back then; people were just “skinny”. Skinny wasn’t in our vocabulary either because that wasn’t us. Fat or skinny – you were one or the other. Which led to some inane, ridiculous, exasperating brother(s) to call my precious doll “Fatty Cathy”. Ahhh, brothers! GET OUT OF MY ROOM! (Today, I love them to pieces).

We always got new flannel pj’s from Grandma & Grandpa; sometimes fuzzy slippers, too. Underwear and socks – BORRRRINGGG! (but necessary).

And the bike. Powder blue with hand brakes. Hopped on the bike and promptly went right over the hill into a fence trying to stop using foot brakes. Oops! Took a while getting used to those hand brakes – which was front and which was back?

We’re mall rats now. Thanks for the memories…