# Catalogs



## oldman (Oct 24, 2014)

Remember "back in the day" when about this time of the year the Christmas catalogs would start filling up our mailboxes. There were so many from Sears, Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, Williams Sonoma and countless others. I wish now that I would have saved just one or two just for the sake of showing them to my kids today and my Grandchildren. They would have gotten a hoot out of them.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 24, 2014)

I remember Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs, Wards is history and Sears will be shutting down soon.   These are a few places that mailed us catalogs last year, we get some, but not from big stores.

http://www.lakeside.com/shopCatalogs
http://southwestindian.com/
http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/


----------



## Shirley (Oct 24, 2014)

Sears had a special Christmas catalog full of toys. My children enjoyed the catalogs almost as much as they enjoyed what they got for Christmas. They spent hours and hours looking at them.


----------



## Butterfly (Oct 24, 2014)

I remember one year as a very young child I wrote my letter to Santa Claus (do they still do that?) and pasted a picture from the Sears catalog in the letter so santa knew for sure what I was wanting!

After my mother died, we found our letters to Santa, which she had carefully saved (she was supposed to take them to the post office for us).  Most were totally illegible, as we couldn't write yet -- just swirls and lines -- and some even had the stamps drawn on the envelopes with crayons.


----------



## midsguy (Oct 25, 2014)

We used to post our letters to Santa in the local sweet shop where there was post box for Santa letters. Different today they tell parents what they want and in most cases they get it. Shame its all changed for the worst


----------



## hollydolly (Oct 25, 2014)

I used to love the smell of a brand new glossy catalogue ..it gave off a really distinct smell (dunno if it was the oil used in the print or what) but catalogues don't have that smell any more.

I still have some catalogues from 30 years ago, stored away in case they ever become collectors items in the future.

In the meantime, anyone who wants to bask in nostalgia for things long gone, can find certain shopping catalogues available put on DVD's and sold on Ebay...I have one from the year my daughter was born and she was amazed at the toys and clothing from the mid 1970's


----------



## Pappy (Oct 25, 2014)

Butterfly said:


> I remember one year as a very young child I wrote my letter to Santa Claus (do they still do that?) and pasted a picture from the Sears catalog in the letter so santa knew for sure what I was wanting!
> 
> After my mother died, we found our letters to Santa, which she had carefully saved (she was supposed to take them to the post office for us).  Most were totally illegible, as we couldn't write yet -- just swirls and lines -- and some even had the stamps drawn on the envelopes with crayons.



Yes they do still write letters, Butterfly, and come from miles around to mail there letters from Santa at this Post Office.


----------



## SifuPhil (Oct 25, 2014)

I remember anticipating the arrival of catalogs for Christmas but I don't really remember which ones they were. This would be around the mid-'60's so I'm sure Sears was one of them, but I seem to also recall separate toy catalogs from other places.

Damn my lost memory ...


----------



## Falcon (Oct 25, 2014)

When you think about it,  we're all a bunch of liars, telling our kids about Santa Claus.

But, we all do it anyway; no harm done.

  SO,  Don't try to tell me you never lie.   LOL


----------



## Pappy (Oct 25, 2014)

I think there was a Sears Roebuck in our old outhouse.


----------



## rkunsaw (Oct 26, 2014)

I have a reprint of a 1908 Sears catalog I bought years ago. I think they still make reprints of some years. Very interesting to look through.

We get lots of catalogs today but they are nothing like the old ones.


----------



## Twixie (Oct 26, 2014)

When I was a bit skint..I used to show my son the toy ''catalogue'' to see what took his fancy...then I could eke out the cost..

He would open the catalogue ..''I'll have that..that..that..that and that'' he would say..:greedy_dollars:

And that was only the first page!!!....


----------



## GeorgiaXplant (Oct 26, 2014)

We used to wait for the Sears and Wards Christmas catalogs and my mother would put them away until mid-November so as not to rush the season. When my kids were little, JCPenney had started to put out a Christmas catalog, too. I remember complaining that they came earlier and earlier every year, but at least it wasn't as early as the TV advertising starts now. The Hallmark Channel has been showing teasers for Christmas programming since early September, and it annoys me no end! It would be nice if the retailers would just wait until each fall holiday has passed before starting on the next one so that we enjoy it. Walmart has had their Christmas displays up for weeks.


----------



## Pappy (Oct 26, 2014)

Here's a couple of mine from my collection of old stuff. 1937 Readers Digest, 1950 Johnson catalog and a early 50's Robbins Magic book.


----------



## Twixie (Oct 26, 2014)

We used to go to our local market and buy American mags..I goggled at them..''Yesiree win a real live pony..X ray goggles..see through peoples clothes..Sea monkeys..just add water'' 

We had nothing like that...I tried to send off for the ''sea monkeys''.. had no idea how much 3 dollars was..or what was a ''zip code''..


----------



## Meanderer (Oct 26, 2014)

A little history of the store catalog. 

https://medium.com/@pahwadivya/the-history-of-the-catalog-b5334841e941


----------



## jujube (Oct 29, 2014)

Twixie said:


> We used to go to our local market and buy American mags..I goggled at them..''Yesiree win a real live pony..X ray goggles..see through peoples clothes..Sea monkeys..just add water''
> 
> We had nothing like that...I tried to send off for the ''sea monkeys''.. QUOTE]
> 
> ...


----------



## RadishRose (Oct 30, 2014)

I had this cash register as a child


----------

