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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Childhood Wishes...

When I was a kid there was nothing much more exciting or magical than getting the Sears Christmas Wish Book in the mail.  I would spend hours and hours poring through those catalog pages, dreaming and folding and circling and hoping and wishing and deciding which items I realistically thought I could get Santa to bring me each year...
And while Santa was always good to me and never left me empty-handed or in a state of disappointment, there were a few things I asked for or sometimes only secretly wished for (because I knew hell would have to freeze over first) that I never did get...


My own place.  And by my own place, I mean my very own playhouse in the backyard.  A place I could play with my dolls, read my books, listen to my records, play board games and just hang with my bff.  You know? A little pink house...


A genie bottle/magical powers/magic wand! Maybe I watched too many old episodes of I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched but I had all sorts of plans for the day Santa finally delivered this one.  I was going to rule the world.  Or at least just marry Shaun Cassidy.


Miniature horse.  I'm pretty sure this was one of those wishlist items I placed in the when hell freezes over category and never actually asked for but oh, how I wanted one! And I've never completely gotten over this one... The cuteness overwhelms me!


My own phone/private line in my room. Because what the heck was a cell phone or even a cordless phone? If you wanted phone privacy, you pulled that curly cord as far as you could, sneaked around the corner, and closed that door shut tight on that sucker.  And if someone else was talking on the phone and there was something you just had to talk to your bestie about right that minute?  You were just S.O.L!  

Pink carpet.  I had daydreams about pink carpet...


Persian or Siamese cat. While I've always been an animal of all kinds lover, when I was a kid I was obsessed with cats and while we did have a few when I was very young, once they were gone we never got another one.  But I always wanted me a big ol' fluffy Persian or an exotic Siamese of my very own.  I wonder what the Darling wieners would think of that? Hmm...
  
  

















Swatch watch. I can't really say why it is I didn't get one of these because they were all the rage for a time in the 80s and I remember wanting one or two or three (to stack on my arm) pretty bad at one point.  Maybe I had asked for a lot of other stuff from Santa that year or maybe I didn't realize I wanted it until after Christmas... Who knows?  But I never had one...


A pool. Georgia summers were hot and running through the sprinklers just didn't satisfy our urge to get wet.  And I'm sure this wasn't something I ever thought to ask Santa for in the month of December but it definitely stands out in my mind as something I always longed for.  My best friend and I once had the genius idea to build one ourselves by stacking bricks along the edges of the patio.  I don't think you have to ask how that turned out...
  
A puppy in my stocking. Some things never change!
Snow on Christmas Day. Living my entire life in the south, I never did get that one. Until last year... Last year, at the age of 39, that wish was finally delivered and I don't think it could have been any more magical had it happened thirty years earlier...


   
And to me, that is a perfect example of how the best, most cherished gifts of all are always those that no amount of money could ever buy...  


Though I would jump for joy and shout with glee if I woke up Christmas morning to find one of those itty bitty horses in my backyard or another li'l wiener dog in my stocking... 


I'm just sayin'.   


*This post is part of Writer's Workshop at Mama's Losin' It.

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16 comments:

  1. I loved the Sears wish book.

    I'd get the black marker, my sister the red.

    My brother could do it in any color because with a six year age difference, Santa could surely tell what was for him and not us.

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  2. Oh, the Swatch Watch...I'd actually forgotten about them!

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  3. House, watch and white Christmas were also on my list. Not to mention Zena jeans, a boom box and a leather jacket.

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  4. I had forgotten all about the Sears Wishbook. Oh how I loved that thing.

    I wanted a Johnny Seven. It was a gun that did seven different things. My buddy got one. I got the cheaper version that only did 5 things. I did get my Monkey Helmet tho.

    I aint counting last years snow as a white Christmas. I know it's picky but It started snowing after 4 oclock Christmas day. I want to wake up with a white ground.

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  5. Oh the Sears Wish Book... I miss that... my kids do it with the Target Flyer, but it's just not the same...

    Great post!

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  6. When I got to the Swatch Watches, I had to go back and re-read what you wrote about I Dream Of Jeannie. I thought you had grown up watching Jeannie - but you were watching OLD episodes. (I watched the originals, thank you very much. That's why Swatch Watches were during my SON'S childhood!)
    This is a GREAT list! Glad you finally got snow for Christmas.
    Love what you wrote about how the best things can't be bought.

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  7. We loved having snow here last year! I so hope we get a little bit again this year.

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  8. Oh, I forgot I had wanted a swatch watch. I got the private phone line, but only when I was a senior in high school and expected to pay for it. So not nearly as fun.

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  9. Last year's white Christmas was amazing. It's not likely we'll experience it, again. My kids are already talking about how they want it to snow.

    I finally got a swatch after everyone else had them for 3 years. I hated the "fake" swatch I got for Christmas one year:) I still have some tucked away in my drawers. And, I've been to the Swatch store in NYC. Last year I found the perfect one I wanted...it was a limited edition and sold out before I even knew about it. I still love Swatches. My kids have hear me say "I like your swatch" in that crazy voice:)

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  10. I spent many a recess playing I dream of Jeannie with my bff. We had a tree that was perfect for a genie bottle.

    Never had a swatch watch but I remember ppl wearing them stacked up their arms.

    I always wanted a Coca Cola rugby shirt.

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  11. Pink carpet?? You really did have a vision for yourself didn't you!?! Pretty sure everything you listed would still be a DREAM for a little girl. I ALWAYS wanted to wake up to a baby animal in my stocking. I think we can thank TV for that! Love this list!

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  12. Your post brought back a lot of memories (Sears Wish book, etc.)and the fun of a single fantastical Christmas wish. The snow is truly beautiful. So glad you finally got your wish.

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  13. I wanted baby skates.
    Remember those?
    They attached to your shoes.
    My Mom...I mean Santa preferred that I didn't break any bones so I never got them. ::Sniff::
    Now, I just love the togetherness of the season. I don't need any presents.
    Just a bottle of wine, a Christmas tree and my family.

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  14. hi just registered ,, tinas

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  15. oh my, i totally forgot about swatch watches! :) and ITA about your last statement.

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  16. I always wanted my own phone line and never got one! Our kids will have no idea what that was, though, will they?
    Thanks for visiting my site today!

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