The Sears and Roebuck Wishbook, and the J. C Penney Christmas Catalog are becoming collectibles on Ebay, but none that I ever handled had a chance to survive after Christmas. These on Ebay must have been saved by families without children. As for mine, favorite pages were marked, edges turned down, and hours of handling each day until December 25th absolutely wore them out.
Of course, many of my dream toys never materialized. I was one of 5 children and was “too old for my wants to hurt me.” I always loved and appreciated my gifts, though, and my parents did a great job of making me happy.
But a month of dreaming with the catalog had it’s own good memories. It made December a special "month" of Christmas wishes and not just "one day" when some of the dreams became reality.
Yes, I’m computer literate enough to know that the Wishbook exists online, but bookmarking a website somehow loses the joy of holding the book in your hands or taking it to bed with you with a flashlight, under the covers.
