I am still hanging around in the 1960s.
Throughout the sixties in small towns all over the United States, children were waiting for the Sears Wish Book to arrive. Check out those prices! Do you remember wearing pullovers and tights that matched?
I remember waiting for the day the catalog arrived. The Murray kids would immerse themselves in it, marking pages and putting their names next to special requests for Christmas morning. Our catalog would be tattered and torn well before the big day.
A bit of history. The Sears Wish Book with half its pages devoted to toys, separate from the Sears Christmas Catalog, was first published in 1934. It was a holiday staple for decades. Then in 1993, Sears discontinued their big-book catalogs, save the Wish Book; and by 2005, the Wish Book had become a 2.5" x 2.5" Little Big Wish Book given to customers at Sears Auto Centers or placed inside packages from Sears.com or Landsend.com. In 2010, the catalog while a bit larger starting again in 2007, went mobile. The Wish Book, an icon of childhood since the 1930s was now available on your smartphone. Who would have dreamed.
Funny, another tradition I still hold. I still love published, illustrated catalogs and mark pages and put names next to special items for gift giving.
While in Greenwood in 1965, the Fireman's Auxiliary and its president Louise Lounsberry Nye, hosted a Christmas party to raise money for new dishes and flatware for the Fire Hall. Cookies and candy prepared by the ladies were served. Grace Young, reporter
extraordinaire, was invited to pull a name to win the $25 prize that was auctioned off. The winner was George McCaffrey! I wonder what he did with that $25. Any McCaffreys out there willing to share the story?
And down the street, the Methodist youth and primary children's party. Mrs. Hoagland was in charge of entertainment; Jeanne Fisher along with Ann Stephens and Genevieve Lamphier, with refreshments; and Robert Hoagland put on the old red suit and played Santa to distribute the gifts. If you were one of those children and remember, we would love to hear.
If 1965's Christmas held a special memory for you, please add it in the Facebook Comments.