I am not entirely sure why, but recently I seem to be finding many memories of childhood hiding behind every door.
As I begin shopping this holiday season I am recalling the moments in my childhood when I was surprised and elated by Christmas gifts that I had secretly yearned for. I was unusual in that I never told anyone what I wanted despite my mom’s efforts to cajole a list out of me. I believed it would be greedy to ask for things I wanted. The irony in that is my most desired items were quite inexpensive.
Many children crawl beneath their trees carefully unwrapping and re-wrapping the gifts on which they located their names. Some did not go quite so far, but they did seek to know if they had the largest gift, or if their beautifully wrapped packages rattled. My brother was among that group. I cannot say I did not sneak under any trees. I certainly did. But I did not look for large gifts or gifts that rattled. No, I felt the edges of each gift hoping to find… spines! Yes. I hoped that I would receive books. I still adore books though I read more of them on my beloved Kindle now than I do on the variety that I sought all those years ago.
For several years I followed a particular girl detective. Her name was not Nancy. The girl I followed had blond curly hair, freckles, three brothers, and several friends. Her name was Trixie Belden. She lived in New York on a lovely little farm known as Happy Valley Farm. I adored Trixie and read her books so often that I could still tell you the stories. Unfortunately those beloved books found their way into the trash after I entered the Air Force. If you see any of her books in the little antique shops or used book stores… look for the 70s version (not the icky paperbacks from the 80s). If they are in good condition I would reimburse you in a heartbeat. For those who are knowledgeable, these are the “Uglies” editions. They may have been ugly or cheaply made compared to earlier editions. But they were mine and I loved them.
Oh, there were other gifts I adored. Of course anything that involved Donny was a big hit, as you must have figured out if you read an earlier post.
But I also loved the Spirograph, the loom on which I made multitudes of ugly potholders and my first Brownie camera. I do still have that last item. When I decided the Spirograph would be something my kids loved I began the search. I was sad to learn that they no longer exist. Well, actually they do exist but they are a horrible imitation of the original. So, now I am on the hunt for the original Spirograph too.
What were your favorite toys and possessions of childhood?
