FUN FRIDAY--TOY CATALOGUE!
Staring at toys reminds us to play.
When I was a kid, we discovered toys we wanted via the JC Penney toy catalogue that came around the end of October. Of course, what other kids had influenced us, but I remember sitting down with that giant catalogue and staring at all the toys.
By the time I had kids, the catalogue had pretty well disappeared, yet smaller catalogues from places like Amazon and Target were exciting--as were the newspaper ads at Thanksgiving.
My kids are young adults now, but apparently, I still get toy catalogues. One came this week and I flipped through it. I don't know why, exactly. Flipping through the pages brought back so many memories of the excitement of my kids over the toy(s) they wanted that year. It reminded me my JC Penney catalogue--although I don't remember asking for anything other than Cabbage Patch Dolls and a monster stuffed animal.
The toy catalogue this week brough back such good memories. I realized that even though my kids won't be asking for Bluey or anything, connecting to the joy of toys is always a good idea. Toys remind us to take time to play, which is hard to do in a busy schedule.
As you may know, we live and work on a cattle ranch. This week we processed calves. This means that I've been feeding crews and helping with calf vaccinations. It's been busy! I wasn't sure if I would do anything playful, but the catalogue arrived and within seconds I was a kid on Christmas morning and then an adult hiding gifts for my kids.
Most of life isn't about big, extravagant things--although those can be great. It's about the every day blessings: flowers, sunshine, a cozy blanket, and even an unexpected toy catalogue. What a fun surprise! Do you still look at toy catalogues? Or is there something else that sparks memories for you?
When my kids were little we used to get the Toys R Us catalog (the big book, or something like that?). This year I’ve seen toy catalogs from Walmart and Target, and I usually get one from Lego. All are fun to flip through!
For me, it was the Sears catalog! I would spend hours poring over that thing, circling all the things I wanted but knew I was unlikely to get. But it always ignited dreams!