PRE-CHRISTMAS WISHES

            With Christmas just around the corner, during this pandemic that’s causing high numbers of positive cases of Covid-19, we go about our daily routine.  For my husband and me, our routine is staying home except for doctor appointments, and buying groceries, curbside.  No parties, no gathering together with friends, only live-streaming church services through Facebook, no visits from out-of-town family.  Some social distancing with nearby family.  So, what’s our plan for Christmas?  Our outdoor lights are hanging from the porch, with thanks to Steve and Logan.  We have our tree up and its lights twinkle at the window. Ready or not, Christmas is going to arrive.

            As Gene and I were remembering Christmas when we were kids, he mentioned how every year he got a cap pistol with caps for it, and he got fruit and nuts and candy.  As for me, I got a doll and also candy and fruit.  We both recalled the Sears Christmas Wish Book that came each year in the mail.  I turned the pages and wished for many of the toys pictured there.  One thing I really wanted more than any other toy was a farm set with fences, a barn, and cows, pigs, and horses. I never received that but it was fun to wish for.  Actually, my sister, Yvonne, and I created our own farm animals out of corn cobs and sticks.  We molded the red clay of Banner Mountain into ducks and chickens and frogs.  We played, we laughed.  We had fun.  And we grew up just fine without the store-bought replicas of farm animals. Actually, we might have become more creative because we had to make our own toys.  Yvonne grew up to become an artist and I became a writer.

            Thinking of that Sears Christmas Wish Book when I was a kid, reminds me that during this pandemic, while we no longer have the Wish Book, we do have easy access to order whatever we want through the internet.  And our orders come to us now by various deliveries.  Some orders still come through the U.S Postal Service.  Others arrive by UPS or FedEx.  Recently, I’ve noticed even a U-Hall truck delivering items.

            The first Sears Christmas Wish Book came out in 1933 and stopped publication in 2011. Sears brought back a shorter version of it for one year in 2017. 

            Wouldn’t it be nice if around Christmas Eve, a snow would fall across Van Buren County and Santa’s sleigh would have a smooth ride up the hills and down the valleys? 

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