Christmas Wish Books
Who remembers the old Christmas wish books: Sears and Roebuck, Spiegel, JCPenney? I know that a few of those are still around today, but it’s not the same. The internet has stolen a lot of the joy that children used to get from looking through those wish books. Maybe I am just vintage, but I enjoy turning pages instead of clicking buttons.
Christmas Wish Books of the Past
As a child, I waited for those big, thick catalogs every fall. I would spend hours pouring over the pages and marking my favorite things. I don’t even know if my parents shopped from them, but those catalogs were my way of choosing what I wanted Santa to bring.
I always encouraged my children to do the same thing when the wish books came in the mail. They would spend hours looking through the pages and sometimes argue over whose turn it was. I actually did use the circles they made and the pages they marked to give Santa a few hints.
Today
I received a smaller version of a Christmas catalog in the mail a few days ago. After spending an hour or so going through the pages, I realized how much I still enjoy the activity. My daughter came by and immediately started thumbing through the pages. She took it home with her and made her Christmas list before bringing it back. You never get too old for some things.
Now it’s time for the grandkids to get their turn with the wish books. I love it when I see them beginning to flip through the pages. As I watch them get excited over certain things, I realize this not only gives me gift ideas, but helps me get to know these little folks better.
Technology is great in a lot of ways. I am the first to admit that I really like having information at my fingertips. However, some things deserve to be preserved for future generations like a good old fashioned Christmas wish book.