As a kid, the second best thing to christmas itself was cracking open the sears christmas wish book for the first time. Here we can take pleasure in reminiscing about the good ol days. Retro toys and video games from the sears christmas wish book. Very carefully, id leaf through all those pages with pen in hand circling everything id love to have. To anyone born before the mid1980s, the term wishbook or christmas catalog probably has special meaning. And about remembering something that wasnt a wish book.
Prior to 1933, sears customers often affectionately referred to the large, semiannual, general catalogs sears issued as the wish book or book of wishes. There is no better feeling than the sears christmas book arriving in the mail. Opinion how sears was the amazon of its day the new. I was going to go over the contents of the 1980 sears wish book and also survey what was on tv during the. Dec 24, 2017 the sears wishbook catalogs, along with the montgomery ward, and jc penny ones, hold some of my fondest christmas memories. Sears was a major christmas retailer for any christmas shopper in the 1970s. Even so, southern girls of a certain age still have fond memories of the best sears catalogue to arrive all year. Nothing says christmas to me like my memories of the sears. I poured over this book until it was ragged each year.
Id take the catalog, lay down on the floor in the front living room, so. The sears christmas book, fondly known as the wish book, got its start in 1933 and quickly became a holiday staple for many american families. Vintage 1970 sears christmas wish book catalog by rustology. Mama, santa, and the sears wish book southern living.
Vintage sears 1991 christmas wish book catalog toys electronics fashion i adored the wish book when i was a kid. Oh to be able to be small again and relive that wonderful time with my parents and family. Sears canadas wish book gone with the retail giant, but not. Aug 24, 2014 we have some good newsand some badthe good news is we still have sears the bad. Find sears 1978 christmas wish book by simpson sears 1978. Sears 1978 christmas wish book by simpsonsears 1978.
By the time it was renamed the sears wish book in 1968, it had ballooned to 608 pages, giving shoppers an expansive assortment of gifting options for all ages, interests, and budgets. Sears wish book history legacy of the sears christmas. Vintage sears, roebuck spring summer 1973 catalog wish. Weekly flyer by freshco,sobeys,nofrills,foodbasics and metro. Sears wish book christmas season 1970 paperback 1970. Dec 08, 2016 i grew up in the 1970s a time before the internet, when children often dreamed of yuletide by flipping through the pages of the sears christmas wish book. The 1970s and denim go hand in hand together like jimmy hendrix and a guitar, or bianca jagger and a white horse at studio 54. Wishbookweb update 1968 and 1970 sears christmas catalog. It offered fruitcakes and mickey mouse watches and live canaries. The 1933 christmas book catalog started a tradition that made the sears wish book an american icon. Nostalgia is often triggered by something reminding you of a happier time. Dec 20, 2017 sears canadas wish book gone with the retail giant, but not forgotten. The leaves of grass of latetwentiethcentury commerce.
Couldnt wait until it came in the mail and then i would spend hours looking, dreaming, wishing, even marking all the things i wished i could have. Sears carried every kind of product, for most every kind of consumer, and their catalog was an exhaustive list of. Sears carried every kind of product, for most every kind of consumer, and their catalog was an exhaustive list of all of it. From then on, the wish book catalog covers regularly featured children, santa claus, and christmas trees. Those old sears christmas catalogs may be worth some money. How sears was the amazon of its day the new york times. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Eleven new catalogs added to the archive wishbookweb. Somehow, mama convinced us that she could help communicate our hearts desire to the north pole if we dogeared pages and circled our absolute favorite toys. The 1991 sears wishbook comes in at a whopping 806 pages, by far the largest of the christmas catalogs currently found on the site. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. For a while now, ive been dying to get my hands on an old sears or jc penney catalog from the 1970s. The sears wish book was a popular christmas gift catalog released by sears holdings corporation, annually in august or september. Dec 21, 2019 the inaugural sears christmas book, which highlighted miss pigtails dolls, fivepound chocolate boxes, and live singing canaries, was just 78 pages.
Sears christmas wish book remember going through these and. Nov 24, 2018 some recent prices paid for sears christmas book catalogs in very good to excellent condition, published from the 1950s through the 1990s are. By 2005 the wish book had been effectively discontinued, and while sears has maintained an online version at since 1998, it in no way evokes the self. Sears wish book cover 1991 vintage sears wishbook catalog 1991 804 pages department retail store book the ecstasy of creating your wish list with the 1991 sears catalog. We have some good newsand some badthe good news is we still have searsthe bad. Mar 15, 2017 1948 sears, 1959 fao schwarz, 1967 jcpenney, 1973 canadian simpson sears, 1975 eatons, 1977 sears, 1989 sears, 1990 jcpenney, 1991 sears, 1994 jcpenney, and the 1996 jcpenney. Vintage tv vintage decor vintage jewelry vintage advertisements ads advertising vintage christmas crafts christmas graphics ol days. Unfollow sears wish book to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Dec 12, 2014 the sears christmas book, fondly known as the wish book, got its start in 1933 and quickly became a holiday staple for many american families. Sears wish book christmas 2015 roebuck catalogue sealed new gift idea toys.
And youre absolutely right both about the catalogue size at least an inch or two thick. By 1968, the catalog had ballooned to 608 pages, and sold quilted. My parents had many kenmore products and my stepdad liked his craftsman tools. I found a few pages of micronauts in the canadian release of the wish book. Sears wish book every christmas i would spend hours. If you have any christmas books i do not have listed here, please get in contact with me and we can post the images here to round out this. The catalog contains toys and other holidayrelated merchandise. Sears canadas wish book gone with the retail giant, but not forgotten. Sears christmas wish book remember going through these and circling everything you wanted. Price new from used from paperback, 1975 please retry. The 1933 christmas book catalog cover illustrated some of the featured items in the catalog.
Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. The first sears wish book was published in 1934 and was a separate catalog from the annual sears christmas catalog. Dec 22, 2016 and youre absolutely right both about the catalogue size at least an inch or two thick. And then, i worked in the catalog department for 8 years, so i lived with handing out all those toys. The first sears wish book was known as the sears christmas book catalog when it was rolled out in 1933, right in the midst of the great depression. Christmas 1980, as the photo above sort of illustrates.
I will miss sears, the wish book was a big part of christmas in our house. Aug 31, 2016 sears wish book 5 sears women 34 recent posts. Vintage sears, roebuck spring summer 1973 catalog wish book seventies style. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Sears christmas catalogs a big day when the catalog finally arrived hours of day dreaming. We mostly had thrift store furniture, but flipping through these pages is like visiting my parents house back in the early 1970s. These things were staples in my home growing up and just looking through. One of the most cherished christmas memories of those who grew up during the decade of the 70s is waiting for the annual sears christmas wish book, a catalogue of everything a kid dreamed of getting for christmas. The wish book or big book or dream book, as the catalog was variously called, could run a staggering 1,500 pages and offer more than 100,000 items. Dec 07, 2009 growing up in the 1970 s the christmas season always began with the arrival of the sears wishbook in the mail.
Unfollow sears christmas wish book to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Sears wish book for the 1975 christmas season paperback 1975. Growing up in the 1970s the christmas season always began with the arrival of the sears wishbook in the mail. The sears wishbook catalogs, along with the montgomery ward, and jc penny ones, hold some of my fondest christmas memories. They can be found on ebay, but im not willing to pay top dollar for one.
The final event which kicked off my holiday season was when my sears christmas wish book arrived in the mail. The sears catalog and the name wish book were closely linked over the years. They also received new dishes, baby dolls and buggies for each one. The wish book that started in 1953 is from the canadian branch of sears. In fact, i dont recall ever giving my parents a wishlist written on paper. This year we see the prominence of the cartridgebased video arcade 2600 and how handheld electronic games began to be categorized as sports, learning and brain games, etc. The next year sears started a tradition by putting colorful, warm christmas scenes on the cover. Sears canadas wish book gone with the retail giant, but. Christmas catalogs are excellent references books for products available in 1973. Though sears was first to market with its trademark wishbook holiday catalog in the.
The first sears wish book was printed in 1933, and published in 1934. But on the american side, the sears christmas book started two decades earlier. Growing up in the 1970 s the christmas season always began with the arrival of the sears wishbook in the mail. Sears christmas wishbook catalogue october 2015 june 2016. Sears christmas wish book remember going through these. Dec 23, 2016 when i think back on the most affecting literature i read in my youth, the 1976 sears christmas wish book instantly comes to mind. I grew up in the 1970s a time before the internet, when children often dreamed of yuletide by flipping through the pages of the sears christmas wish book.
Each year, children would pore over its pages, dogearing corners in hopes that santa might notice and decide to leave their favorite toys under the tree. Nov 29, 2017 the first sears christmas book, in 1933, was a modest 87 pages. Wishbookweb update 1968 and 1970 sears christmas catalog wishbooks now available just added two great old catalogs to the wishbookweb site tonight the 1968 and 1970 sears wishbooks. Sears christmas wishbook catalogue october 2015 online selection of gifts, womens fashions, holiday decor, fitness, personal care products, furniture, electronic entertainment products and. This edition of resurrecting the past was originally going to be resurrecting the past. The sears wish book was a popular christmasthemed catalog released annually by the american department store chain sears in august or september. The first sears christmas book, in 1933, was a modest 87 pages. Start shopping to get cashback in points on every pur. The catalog contained toys and other holidayrelated merchandise.
We couldnt wait to finish the dinner dishes and get a cup of hot chocolate and spend the entire evening pouring over the sears and jc penney christmas catalogs. Some recent prices paid for sears christmas book catalogs in very good to excellent condition, published from the 1950s through the 1990s are. Sep 10, 2017 sears was a major christmas retailer for any christmas shopper in the 1970s. Lets make your wish list with our virtual sears christmas wish book. Just over 1,200 pages of new content free to enjoy. This year 1973 was the year santa brought our daughters the big gold kitchen set. Nov 02, 2017 1948 sears, 1959 fao schwarz, 1967 jcpenney, 1973 canadian simpson sears, 1975 eatons, 1977 sears, 1989 sears, 1990 jcpenney, 1991 sears, 1994 jcpenney, and the 1996 jcpenney. If you were like me, this book defined the christmas season. Sears wish book history legacy of the sears christmas catalog. Vintage sears, roebuck spring summer 1973 catalog wish book. The sears christmas wish book was every kids favorite book. Sears wish book 1973 in 2020 vintage kids fashion, retro. One of the extremely wide product selections of the sears catalogues christmas gifts, clothing, decoration and entertainment is live now. The inaugural sears christmas book, which highlighted miss pigtails dolls, fivepound chocolate boxes, and live singing canaries, was just 78 pages.
Oct 04, 2015 sears christmas wishbook catalogue october 2015 online selection of gifts, womens fashions, holiday decor, fitness, personal care products, furniture, electronic entertainment products and toys will in front of you one click away. In 1982, a currier and ives print graced the cover. Start shopping to get cashback in points on every purchase. Sears published its last generalinterest mailorder catalog in 1993, and began to scale back its christmas wish book around the same time. The second event was watching a charlie brown christmas. I was obsessed with it when i was six years old much like stephen kings night shift would capture my imagination when i was, kurt vonneguts breakfast of champions when i was 17, and walt whitmans leaves of grass when i was 22. Make offer 1990 sears wish book the great american christmas catalogbiggest wishbook ever. Whether its an old commercial or a book from your past, it belongs in rnostalgia. I was going to go over the contents of the 1980 sears wish book and also survey what was on tv during the week of christmas, using the tv guide from that time.
755 1429 440 933 1259 1221 1395 654 1467 701 375 787 1563 358 528 463 537 814 927 145 532 509 22 24 1615 33 1354 1097 488 629 765 927 527 825 693 504