Dancing, Skating Santa Decoration (Toy?) from My Childhood

 

I don't know why, but the other day, I remembered this Christmas decoration from my childhood and looked it up.

It's a wind-up skating santa on a mirror pond (via magnet) in front of a little church and a 60s mod-style plastic red reindeer.

Now it's vintage and only $115, what a sweet deal! 

*sarcasm*

So ... this was a tabletop Christmas decoration, not a toy, but as a 5-year-old, how much temptation was THAT?

I have always loved little miniature worlds I could escape too, especially as a child - dollhouses, trains, tea sets, Christmas villages.

So every Christmas, it went like this ...

Mom and older sister:  "That is not a toy. Leave it alone, you'll wear it out."

 

Me: "No I won't."

 

Mom and Older Sister: "Yes, you will."

 

Me: "No I ... uh oh."

I ... wore it out 😂 

But I still played with it, every year, until it fell apart completely.

I just sent a picture to my mom who only vaguely remembers it, but she is sure it didn't cost $115 dollars at Sears back then!

She said "Santa used Sears a lot lol."

Ah, the Sears "Wish Book" catalog used to come every September.

Before Amazon, before the internet, even before ToysRUs came to town, there was the Sears Wish Book. 

For some reason, I remember this cover from 1976 most?

"Santa" would order it over the phone and then go pick it up at Sears, that's the way that worked. Back then, we thought that was easy.

My older sister and I would sit with a marker and circle what we wanted, which eventually was everything we saw.

Santa Mom was probably like "??? Thanks, girls, that really narrows it down for Santa." 

But Santa mom always did a good job picking the right things 🥰

Then you grow up a little and realize this stuff costs money.

So as a preteen, back then, you'd use your paper route or babysitting money, or maybe an allowance your parents gave you anyway, and  then you'd get dropped off at the mall with your friends to get gifts for your family.

Realizing how much stuff costs, you'd get like the cheapest, cheesiest things because that's all you could afford - like a Hickory Farm farms sausage set, despite the fact that it's probably been sitting there for months and you've never once in your life seen anyone in your family eat anything other than breakfast sausage - and yet you're so happy to be able to give something with your own money now and shop at the mall by yourselves with friends like grown-ups! 😂 

And here's a pic of those old Hickory Farms stores at the mall ... 

Or sometimes it was like an old cart as a kiosk in the middle of the mall aisle.

And here's a picture of a typical sausage and cheese set - except I think it was smaller? 

Bon Appetit?!?  😂😂😂😂

My parents acted like they liked it, but you know they gave it to the dog or threw it in the trash later.

Except for the cheese - the cheese was still pretty good. 😂