Reminiscing About Holiday Catalogs

One of the most exciting days in our house on Maple Street would be when the new Sears catalog would arrive in the mail. Weighing in at a good five pounds, at least two inches thick, it had all manner of items to tantalize young and old. 

For us kids of the early 1960s, of course, it was the toy section. Page after page of abundance – toys for every child – Barbies, Matchbox, Mr. Potato Head, Lionel trains, Easy Bake Oven (or how to burn your house down) Operation, Scrabble, Gumby and Pokey, (still two of my favorite rubber people) Creepy Crawlers, (make your own rubber bugs) Picadoos (make your own rubber decor), Monopoly (Donald who?), Etch a Sketch, (not too cool when the screen broke) Pick up Stix, Duncan Yo-Yo’s (serious coordination needed) Life, Parcheesi, you get the picture, mate.  We didn’t have too many commercials blaring at us back then, we had the catalog to moon over, make our lists from, dream about…

Don’t get me wrong, I love my computer toys. From my smartphone to my netbook, to my laptop – I am uber plugged in.  I am glad, though, that I did have as a child, the not so immediate gratification of keeping myself perfectly entertained on a regular basis with this wonder of Madison Avenue and staple of baby boomers everywhere – our catalog.

It isn’t the same now, as it was then of course. But it’s starting to swing back that way again. We sure see it here at Kalembar Dune.. Hungover from our binge of conspicuous consumption as a society, we are on a good food diet now – reusing, repurposing, doing more with less, not having to have EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME, IMMEDIATELY.  

So, I say, good for us. Good for us for snapping out of it – and enjoying ourselves with the fun of a simple existence, cherishing the actual serenity of life when it is not overspent, overcluttered, and overdone. In other words, build a snowman WITHOUT a snowman kit. Really? You need a KIT to build a snowman?

'Nuff said. Have a great holiday!