Wednesday, December 16, 2009

All I wanted for Christmas

I was very, very lucky as a kid. I usually got what I wanted and always had a great Christmas. However, I found myself in a bittersweet situation during the holidays.

I got the G.I. Joes, He-Man figures and other things, but I could never have what I really wanted... The girl toys.

I remember walking through the toy section of Wal-Mart, staring at the She-ra figures or the Barbie dolls. I would walk through the aisle really fast so no one would catch me. I thought if they did, I would be called a "sissy" for the rest of my life.

My biggest thrill was The Wish Book from J.C. Penny's or Sears (I can't remember). I would look at the dolls and not worry about anyone catching me. It was pure bliss to have that freedom. I was able to stare at the pictures and imagine playing with the Crystal Castle, Jem or Barbie's dream house.

I (sorta) moved on over the years. But, it would've been nice to have all the toys I really wanted.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was the same way. I wanted all the toys! Why couldn't He-Man live in Barbie's dream castle? With Ken.

Greg Blackshear said...

great post. I aksed for the Six Million Dollar man doll just so I could get The Bionic Woman Doll. I asked for the Superman Doll just to balance out the gayness of really wanting the Wonder Woman doll.

There was no way my dad was going to allow me to get the Charlies Angels dolls so I took my jamie summers doll, my sisters Marie Osmond Doll and one of her Barbies and Viola! Charleis angels season 4 at your service!

Kyle Leach said...

The wish book was a big thing for us too. I used to take it, digest it, then dog ear all the pages with my favorite things. The further along in life the tougher it got for my parents financially, so many of the dreams stayed dreams, but that was ok.

Prince Todd said...

I agree with you. When I was growing up I really did prefer playing with barbies but as the saying went, "Those are for giiiiiiiiirls!"
My parents wouldn't even let me drink flavored water because, "Boys aren't supposed to drink what girls drink."
Great, I could have dehydrated to death because of all the homophobia.

Anonymous said...

My parents were well aware I wanted the Jem doll, they just never granted that wish for me. I will have a Jem doll one day.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.