10 Things I Wanted for Christmas As A Kid

Good morning! This month, my gift to you is blog posts visits from Christmases past. At the end of this post, credit is given to the weekly memes I participated in at the time of its publication December 13, 2011. Some minor fixes needed tending to as things go in Blogosphere but for the most part the original content is nearly the same. This is for your enjoyment, no comments are needed. 😉

If you’re like me, then there were Christmases you didn’t get what you wanted. Growing up in southern West Virginia, as a girl times were always tough. None of us kids complained or at least not much. We were happy, well-adjusted kids living in humble conditions.

One of my inspirational writing prompts this week is by  Hello Giggles “List 10 things I wanted for Christmas as a kid, but didn’t get and still want.” I figured this would be a breeze to come up with but it wasn’t.

Despite the things I wanted and didn’t get, I never felt that I was without. So, for the fun of it, let’s walk through Christmas past to see what this once little girl had on her wish list.

#1

One helpful thing which alleviated much of my longing for this toy was my best friend, Anita who got one and was she was totally selfless in sharing. We spent many joyous hours playing Susie Homemaker with her Easy-Bake Oven.

#2

 

Another Christmas, Anita got one of these or at least similar to it. Again, she allowed me the privilege of playing with her new toy. Yippee-ki-yay or hi-ho, Silver away! Anyhow, years later when we had our son we bought him one. We named his spring rocking pony, Bucky. Our little boy was wild about it!

#3

The Hula Hoop hit the scene in the late 50s, but it remained popular through the 60s and has kept its place in our culture through the years. In recent years, I’ve gotten a semi-urge to buy one for myself simply because it would be wonderful exercise but the thing which stops me is I’d have to go outdoors to use the hoop. I don’t believe I’d do this except in the warmer months. As an adult, I don’t like the idea of getting too hot or fighting the pest to play with the hula hoop in the elements. 🙁  Need not worry, though. Anita had one which she shared with me. What a pal!

#4 

I really thought this was fascinating, as the box says, to see God’s little creatures busying themselves making tunnels. Don’t fret, Anita had one. 🙂  That’s how I came to be fascinated with it. The closest I came to anything like this was after parenthood. I bought our children a butterfly garden for our homeschool. It was totally cool, too. I thought briefly about getting an ant farm, but it didn’t make sense to buy one since we get these little guys occasionally in our house during the warm months.

#5

This one, I’m baffled on. I remember kind of wanting this doll, but I don’t recall if anyone I knew got one. Perhaps, I saw commercials announcing this dolls interesting features and since the doll has my name then I was automatically drawn to her. It would have been super neat-o to have had one, though.  Years later, I got my version of Chatty Cathy doll when I had three living baby dolls of my own. Funny thing is, I could never figure out how to remove the batteries.

#6

 

Anita had a green Honda mini bike which was sort of like this one.  That’s been a lot of years ago, though. It was such a fun thing to ride. I had the privilege of riding it a time or two, and one time I went solo only to wreck. I don’t think I hurt the mini bike, but it sure did scare me. Part of me wanted one of these babies for years. It would still be fun to have an off-road bike now since I’m well past the mini bike stage. 🙂

#7 

Playing Barbie Dolls was one of my beloved things to do with Anita. It’s amazing how much time we spent dressing up and undressing our dolls for their dates with Ken or GI Joe. It seems this camper was a hot toy in the early 70s when the Malibu Barbie came out and I was kind of wanting one. I think Anita got one. Like always, I was able to enjoy her toys. This satisfied my desire to have one of my own. God’s little miracle to me.

#8

 
 

Try as I might, I was unable to find an exact photo on the net of a true vintage cotton candy maker, which may have been in an old Sears Roebuck & Co catalog. Do you remember the Wish Books? Every year, we would get them and we never lost interest with going through page after page in that heavy, large catalog.  I don’t even think today’s Internet browsing can compete with those magical days of yesteryear spent wishing for this or that. One such item every kid wanted was a cotton candy machine. None of us were fortunate enough to claim such a present for Christmas or any other special occasion.

#9

Roller skating was one of our favorite pastimes, but one we couldn’t do often. We managed to talk our folks into forking over the dough and the time to take us to a nearby skating rink on occasion. I loved roller skating. I never could do any of the fancy movies but could skate pretty fast. I hurt pretty bad, though when I crashed. I got plenty of my share of bruises and blisters back in those days. What memories! I may need to re-think this one. I can’t afford any broken bones at my age now.

#10

The granddaddy of all gifts was an above ground pool similar to this one. Today, I fantasize about having a large in ground heated pool with flood lights for nighttime dipping. Maybe one day when money is no object…if only I can find that mystical tree which grows greenback, then I can have my heart’s desire. Where was I? Oh, yes when money is no object then I can have a pool. I’m pretty sure even Santa would have great difficulty bringing this one on his sleigh.

It’s interesting, Santa or no one else gave me these things and surprisingly I didn’t turn out to be too bad as an adult. I don’t hate the world or my parents, blame my current state of affairs on a poor environmental upbringing, or despise my best friend for getting all the nice toys.

Instead, I offer up thanksgiving for parents who loving cared the best they could for me and my siblings. My heart is full of gratitude for the sweetest friend ay girl could ask for. Anita was truly my angel! The kids I grew up with were in the same situation. That way of life was normal. We didn’t know any different. Instead of disappointment, we joyful received our gifts with big happy smiles and we never stopped daydreaming. I was so blessed.

Perhaps, this will sound cliché or corny to some but it truly doesn’t make any difference what I get for Christmas. It’s the thought that counts. Better still, I prefer giving gifts than receiving them.  There really is something special about putting someone else before yourself this time of the year, like the lowly shepherds and peasants did in Bethlehem one starry night long ago or even the Magi who traveled hundreds of miles bearing gifts for the new-born King.

Each Christmas, I think about my gift to the new-born King. Yes, I know He isn’t a baby anymore, and He lives in heaven. However, I can still offer my gift to Jesus. Every year it’s the same, I give myself to Christ. I want to be in His service doing whatever He would have me to do.  This is my gift.

What things did you want as a kid and didn’t get, but still want?

Today’s random musings was inspired by Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop weekly prompts.  If you like to post about anything then join Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday Thoughts. Thanks Stacy for keeping the randomness alive while Keely at UnMom is taking a break!

I know you’re busy.  Tomorrow morning, I will announce the winner in last week’s BOTB Christmas edition.  Stop by if you can to see if your favorite cover artist came out on top! 

Christmas warm wishes,

To learn the symbolism of the Three Wise men’s gifts, read Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

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24 comments

  1. Emeril Lagasse had an Easy-Bake oven, and look how he turned out…

    I always thought “The Little Drummer Boy” was kind of an odd song. Here’s Mary, no doubt exhausted from giving birth to Jesus, who is now (finally) asleep in the manger, and here comes Ringo…

    1. John,

      So, you’re saying if I had gotten an Easy-Bake oven I might be world class chef? I wonder if it’s too late to ask Santa to bring me one?

      An adult would think that about the little drummer boy. lol Mary knew the importance of her baby, so I think she did mind all the fuss even if it was a bit rackety. 🙂

    1. Mimi,

      I think more than anything, when I wrote this it was just fun to remember and to feel the excitement of these things as child again. I guess that’s why I partly want them after all these years. 🙂

  3. I had that Barbie camper. 🙂 Funny thing is I hated dolls including Barbie. It was for my stuffed animals. 🙂 XO

    1. I loved Barbie Dolls! I could play for hours on end with mine. My best friend who lived next door and I would play with our Barbies all the time. It’s a great memory!

  5. CAThy!
    This was a really fun blog bit to read! It brought back some memories for myself, as well (although I never wanted a Malibu Barbie or a Chatty Cathy ;^)

    I seem to recall my little Sister having one of those Easy-Bake Ovens. And a Hula Hoop too, OF COURSE!

    We all had roller skates (with those metal wheels — Ha!-Ha!)

    Yep! Got a bicycle one year, with a purple seat and a sissy bar (which was considered super-cool in the 1960s). But the biggie for me was a Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummy, which I wanted desperately. That was probably 1969 or ’70. And I did indeed get the dummy. I was so thrilled with it that I stopped opening other Christmas gifts for about an hour, because there just wasn’t anything else I really wanted. My Ma actually had to tell me to stop playing with the Charlie McCarthy dummy and open the rest of my gifts under the tree. (I was a weird kid. Helck, I’m STILL a weird kid! :^D

    Hopefully you received the E-card I sent to you. If not, please check your spam file. And if you still don’t see it, please let me know and I will resend it.

    You and I know The Reason for the season, and isn’t He just the absolute BEST?!!

    Bless And Be Blessed.
    ~ D-FensDogG

    1. Stephen,

      I’m glad you enjoyed this old post. It was fun to re-read it myself.I love going down memory lane. Unfortunately I do not see the e-card you sent. It’s quite possible I deleted it accidentally and then I cleared my trash bin. I did check my spam folder but nothing from you was there. And, yes The Reason for the season is absolute the BEST! That’s why I’m so happy for the holidays. Thanks for visiting today, dear friend. Have a blessed Christmas weekend!

  6. I, also, wanted the Easy Bake oven but never got one. I did get two (yes, two!) hula hoops – one metal and one red plastic. I always wanted roller skates with the built in shoes. I had the ones that you fastened to your shoes but my roller skating career came to a skidding halt when I fell and broke my left leg in three places. I got (when I was older) a hand-me-down portable record player and a manual typewriter from one of my mother’s sisters. I was over the moon with them! What I could wish for now from my childhood – Venus Paradise (and only Venus Paradise) coloring sets.I loved them! Alana ramblinwitham

  7. Hi, Cathy!

    I was wondering how you got a dozen comments already, dear friend. Now I see that most are from 2011. 🙂 I’m glad I didn’t miss this post today, because you and I had not yet met in the blogiverse at that time it was first published, and it is fascinating to see the list of items you wished for at Christmas during childhood, but didn’t get. That Chatty Cathy doll would have been ideal for you, given that she shared your name, even the same spelling. I admire you for being a well adjusted girl, content and even thankful instead of green with envy and bitter toward your folks. You were raised right and grew into an outstanding citizen. As I look over your list, it does seem like your friend Anita got most of the things you wanted, but if she welcomed you to play with her toys, then what’s the difference? You really had a mature, sensible way of looking at life at that early age, and so did your neighborhood friends. That makes me happy. I had a hula-hoop and my dad erected a large above ground swimming pool in our backyard. We used it constantly during the warm months, and it was usually filled with visiting friends and relatives.

    I enjoyed flashing back to a post that originally ran long before you and I became friends, and checking out your childhood Christmas wish list. I know that you are a fan of young singing sensation Jackie Evancho, having introduced her here at CAAC earlier this month, I have a set of her greatest performances now running at Shady’s Place, and I hope you can come over and enjoy more of her songs. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and once again I wish you and your entire family a happy and blessed Christmas, dear friend Cathy!

  8. I wanted many of these things too, but I did get the hula hoop. I was good with it too.

    I turned out okay too. I think we turned out better because we didn’t get everything we wanted.

    Have a fabulous day and rest of the week, Cathy. Love and hugs. ♥

  9. That’s so funny! I so wanted an easy bake oven because they were advertised on the back of comics but they weren’t sold here. So your picture cracked me up. I also wanted a pogo stick (which my daughter wants for xmas…ha!) and boot roller skates (I had those strap on ones and was envious of my skating friend who had the boots!). I did have that exact barbie camper van, and LOVED it. Ironic that I am not a camper myself. I also had an ant farm but we didn’t have the right kind of ants where we lived (not big enough not to escape) so it was a complete waste of plastic AND a huge disappointment. Thanks for linking. See you next Friday, if not before #Xmaslinky

  11. Ohhhh…..I love your list. I had an Easy bake Oven. Those were fun! I can’t remember if I had the Barbie camper or just played with it at a friend’s house. 😉

  12. Every year for Christmas I got a set of Fuzzy felt. It’s still one of my favorite memories but I can’t seem to find it anymore…

  13. I had a neighbor who was a spoiled girl, got everything she wanted and unfortunately, never shared. Some of the things on your list I had, like Malibu Barbie and hula-hoop. I also had a pogo stick.

  14. Hands down would be the Easy Bake Oven. My dad wouldn’t have bought one even though we could afford it. He thought they were a fire hazard. Turns out he was right.

  15. Cathy, first thanks for stopping by and reading my guest post on Time out for Mom today!!! 🙂 This post is great, it brings back so many memories. I grew up in East Germany and was 10 when the wall fell…we didn’t have any of those toys, I can still remember a Christmas where my grandma knitted all new outfits for my few dolls and I was so happy!!!And after the wall fell…that first Barbie under the tree…I was in heaven!!!

  16. I always wanted one of those doll heads you could put makeup on. I think they made a Barbie one.
    I remember getting the sears catalog and the JCPenney catalog and looking and wishing at Christmas time.

  17. Oh, I very clearly remember the Christmas morning I unwrapped Barbie’s camper! dreams coming true for a little girl – LOL. And one year, I got a real horse. yep, cue the haters. But I was also expected to help take care of said horse, christened Beauty, and beleive me: much harded than a dog, cat or fish!

  18. OMG ~ Loved this post – it was like going down memory lane for sure!! I LOVED my Easy-Bake oven – it was the best!!! They even still made those when my daughter was little too!! (she is now 31) 🙂 Hoola Hoops – check! Roller Skating – Check! Cotton Candy – Check! Chatty Cathy – Double Check! Barbie Dolls _ Check! Thanks for this post! Merry Christmas to all!!!

  19. That’s a good idea for a blog post! I may have to steal that and post about the stuff I wanted and/or got as a kid. Children of the 80s will love that. 🙂

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