It was originally about two inches thick. Later it dropped to half that size, but it was still filled with nearly anything you could imagine. JC Penney’s tried, but nothing could compete with the Sears Christmas catalog. The colorful, collection of each Christmas season’s dreams and wonders first published in 1933 with the name Sears Christmas Book. Richard Sears first published his original Sears Catalog in 1894, calling it a Book of Bargains. Around the country the Sears catalog was often referred to as the book of wishes. In 1968 Sears officially named the catalog the Christmas catalog the Sears Wish Book.
From ant farms to zeppelins, Holly Hobbie dolls to Red Ryder BB guns, it served as the research document for informed Christmas lists (complete with footnotes) from around the world. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that letters to Santa often included page numbers from the Sears Wish Book. The book was often perused over the season, as the dreams and goals changed. Folded page corners, circled item numbers, torn out pages left on the kitchen counter as subtle reminders, the book was definitely ready for the trash can by the time New Year’s day arrived.
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