A Christmas Memory from Matador Texas
A DOLLY THAT OPENS AND SHUTS HER EYES
When I was growing up,
Christmas at our house was a happy time, with family and friends, and
lots of delicious food to enjoy. But it was during the Great Depression,
and Santa Claus didn't deliver a lot of toys to our house. I'm not sure
I really believed in Santa, but I played the game well and went along
even when Santa didn't come through with my wish list. But there came a
time when I wasn't content to rely only on Santa Claus.
.
The Sears and Roebuck catalog with a toy section that came in the mail
in late summer wasn't called a Wish Book for no reason. This particular
year the toy section contained a picture of a doll that would fulfill my
wish. I knew that particular doll, with eyes that open and shut, was
meant for me. Wasn't that line from the song, "Up on the Housetop,"
requesting Santa to fill little Nell’s stocking with "a dolly that will
open and shut her eyes," written about me? Grandpa said it was.
.
I might not believe in Santa, but I did believe there had to be a way
for me to make sure I got that doll. The rule in our house was that you
didn't cut anything out of the catalog unless it was last year’s copy.
That rule got broken as I carefully cut out the picture of the doll I
wanted. My plan was to bypass Santa and send my letter, with the picture
from the catalog, to my older sister.
.
The plan worked just as I had hoped it would. My sister might not have a
direct line to Santa, but she did have a Sears and Roebuck catalog. On
Christmas morning, just as in the song, little Nell got a dolly that
would open and shut her eyes--the very doll I had chosen from the
catalog.
.
My plan worked even better than I had hoped. Not only did I get the doll
I wanted, but she came with her own little wooden bed. Later, I would
learn that my sister’s husband, who was better at woodworking than any
of Santa’s elves, had hand-crafted the perfect bed for my doll, and my
sister had made the mattress, pillow, and linens for it.
.
I was one happy little girl that Christmas morning and didn't feel a bit
guilty about going over Santa’s head to get the gift I wanted--a dolly
that opens and shuts her eyes.
.
Janelle Jackson Shirley
Photo: Me & Dorinda
. . . for more like this please see
Christmas in Texas |