Vintage Deal of the Day: December 14, 2009

{This edition of the Daily Deal may constitute the oldest item I’ve posted to date here on Chronically Vintage, but the moment I spied this delightful antique catalog, I knew I had to share it with all of you (especially since I know that, like myself, many of you are fan of vintage and antique ephemera). Hailing from 1893-94, this copy of the Bloomingdales Christmas catalog has seen well over 100 holiday seasons, yet is still with us today. Though the front and back covers are showing their ware a bit, for all intents and purposes it appears that both they and the inside pages (which the seller has numerous photos of on the auction page) have held up quite well considering their venerable age. Rich in a true trove of historical information, this lovely 49 page catalog is at the current bidding price of $9.99 (US) on eBay. The listing is on for a little over one more day, and is being offered by eBay seller circa.maine, who will ship this catalog worldwide, should those outside of the US be interested in tossing their bid into the ring, too. Best of luck to anyone who tries their hand at winning this gorgeous vintage catalogue, I’m sure it is a true treasure to behold!}


Happy Monday greetings, everyone! I hope that that you all had a marvelous weekend and are enjoying the countdown as each day catapults us closer to Christmas.

My weekend started off on a good note, I was able to get to a few of the many emails (seriously, I have tons, I tell you! ;D) in my inbox that were most pressing and enjoyed a fairly leisurely Saturday at home. As night rolled in however I began to feel ill and as a result ended up pretty much sleeping through all of Sunday as my body attempted to heal. Today my brain feels far from its sharpest, but physically I am doing a little better. No bother though, nothing can dampen my festive spirit or my happiness surrounding the fact it’s warmed up a tad here over the past couple of days (we’re actually sitting at a whopping zero Celsius right now!).

I thank each of you for the wonderful comments you’ve left on my most recent posts, and assure you that, as always, I will gleefully swing by your own fantastic sites just as soon as I can!

Wishing you all a splendid week ahead and ongoing festive cheer of the highest calibre!

The Sears Wish Book catalogue: a time honoured tradition

For many who have grown up in North America few things are apt to bring back a flood of holiday nostalgia quite like thinking about the annual Sears Wish Book catalogues of our youth. Produced and distributed well in advance of the “big day” each year, these large, glossy paged tomes were the fodder for many a child’s wildest dreams of what may lay in store for them under the tree come Christmas morning.


{Santa beams his jolly smile festively from the cover of a 1957 Sears Christmas catalogue, an image that I’m sure countless kids were thrilled to see appear in the mailbox in the autumn of that year.}


While Sears and their catalogues have been around for considerably longer, the Wish Book (also known as the Sears Christmas catalogue) itself first debuted in 1933. Stocked with a seemingly overflowing menagerie of everything from holiday decorations to shoes, jewelry to scores of toys, the Wish Book quickly became a beloved publication for families across America and Canada.

Though I have never had the pleasure of holding a vintage copy of a Wish Book in my hands, I do recall the 1980s and 90s versions with a good deal of clarity and many a happy memory. Back in those days (and I’d venture to guess in the decades leading up the eighties) the Wish Book was somewhat different from the iteration that exists nowadays, though of course there were endless similarities too. Yesteryear Christmas catalogues seemed to devote more pages catered directly to children. Perhaps it’s just the perception of my imagination, but I seem to recall a much larger (and more diverse) section of toys in the Wish Books of my youth, compared to those of today.

Like many children the world over, I wrote heartfelt letters to Santa as a youngster, promising him that I had been tremendously good all year and asking for a handful of items (I seem to recall my parents telling us we had to limit the number of things we requested). Though I didn’t honestly always end up getting what I’d asked for, the notion that I could, maybe, just maybe, watch a toy or two materialize from the pages of the Wish Book into a present under the tree was more than enough to fuel my love of Sears’ Christmas catalogue.



{A doll house so pretty I would still be thrilled to be given such a present at the ripe old age of 25, was amongst the offering in the 1947 Wish Book, and no doubt was something that tons of little girls implored Santa for that year.}


Gone are the days of penning notes to St. Nick and of thinking I could hear reindeer hooves stomping on the roof, if I listened carefully enough. What remains however is a soft spot in my heart for the Sears Wish book, which I still eagerly run out to bring home and pour over each year as fall starts to resemble winter.

I dream of one day finding a vintage (circa the 40s or 50s) copy of a Wish Book that my wallet can smile about, but until that day happens (such catalogues have many a fan on sites like eBay, who snap up not only Wish Books but Sears catalogues from other times of the year, too), I know that there a fantastic online source that showcases entire copies of vintage Wish Books.

The aptly named source I’m talking about is Wishbookweb.com, a site that brims with not only scanned copies of Sears Wish Books, but also a handful of other holiday season catalogues from chains such as Spiegel, and Lord & Taylor (with catalogues spanning the decades from the 1930s to the 1980s). The images (such as the ones in this post, which hails from Wishbookweb) on this immensely handy website (it is, for example, a tremendously useful source of images that show women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing from vintage catalogues) are well sized, clear, and chocked to gills with enough images to keep you entertained and fascinated long after the last Christmas stocking has come down.

As the years roll by and no doubt paper copies of old Christmas catalogues become harder to find, it is a joy to know that such a website exists for all those who wish to view (or relieve pleasant memories of) copies of Wish Books from the past.

I personally have this site bookmarked and return to it often throughout the year as a reference source for all manner of vintage items one might encounter in a Sears catalogue. It is, however, at Christmas when I most find myself spending hours flipping through the (virtual) pages of the old Wish Books on that site, imagining the countless people, both children and the young at heart alike, who poured over these Wish Books when they were brand new, fantasizing about the Christmas gifts they most wanted to both give and receive alike.


{No matter your ages, there was always something in the Sears Wish Book that was bound to catch your eye. These lovely tie neck jersey blouses from the pages of the 1945 catalogue might have found themselves on the lists of both mom and big sis alike.}


As the Christmas season descends upon us, I thought this weekend would be the perfect date to post this entry, giving you a few weeks to immerse yourself in these wonderful old catalogues, daydreaming that you could still stock your letters to Santa with items from their pages. If you also look back affectionately at thoughts of the Sears Wish Book, I would love to hear about your Christmas catalogue memories.

Merry half a year until Christmas!

Ho-ho-holy moly is it hot! With temps skyrocketing this week and the pleasant, cooler days that still retained some semblance of spring now a thing of the past, it would seem more apt to think of palms than Christmas trees, but I’m a holiday loving gal! I woke up this morning delighted by the fact that the six month countdown until Jolly Old St. Nick arrives has begun!

Indeed you might as well call me Ms. Festive; from decoratiing the tree to basting the bird, stuffing stockings to baking gingerbread, I’m wild about the winter holidays! What I’m not however, is one to buy into the mass consumerism and boatload of stress that sadly so often accompanies modern day holidays of all sorts. No matter the current year, to my mind, Christmas is eternally about the spirit of love and joy, about giving and sharing, spending time with those you hold dear and being thankful for what you have and what you can bestow upon others.

A simple Christmas is a beautiful Christmas in my books, which is a huge part of the reason why I love to turn to the past when I think of this cheerful time of the year.

I know that a lot of my fellow readers are sweltering under soaring temps now, so I thought it might oodles of fun to imagine for a few moments that it was suddenly December and we’re getting ready to deck the halls, linger under the mistletoe with a certain special someone, open our gifts, and sit down to a mouth-watering meal, as a gentle breeze blows picture-perfect snowflakes past the window. Naturally, we’ll be celebrating in vintage style!

♥ ♥ ♥

December’s just begun, which means it’s time to start the advent calendar and count down the “sleeps” until the big day arrives!




There’s so many wonderful things to do this month, but before the days fly past, we must ensure that we’ve checked our list twice, our Christmas card list that is! Wouldn’t want to accidentally forget a dear friend at this most amicable time of the year!








Next comes a different kind of list, the one youngsters (and the young at heart) pen to Santa! For that task, every member of the family will definitely need to pour through the Wishbook. From Johnny to Sally, mom to pop, there’s always something that everyone secretly hopes to find under the tree :)












With wish lists clutched firmly – and eagerly – in hand, it’s time to go pay a visit to Santa himself. Remember to tell him you’ve been extra good all year, kids – and to smile!








With friends dropping by, packages being sent to relatives, and plenty of hungery little snowman builders bustling around the kitchen, we’ll definitely need to whip up plenty of cookies and baked treats to have on hand.














The holidays are a time for socializing, from big office parties to small, intimate gatherings around the fireplace, and everything in between. So dust off your party dress, invite the gang ‘round and celebrate with festive cheer!










With the days ticking down, it’s time to head out to the woods – or for those of us who live in the city to the neighbourhood tree lot – and bring home a lovely tree for everyone to help decorate with all the beautiful, treasured ornaments you’ve collected over the years.








At last Christmas Eve has arrived; time to ensure that everything is ready for tomorrow! From prettily wrapped gifts under the tree to cookies and milk left out for Santa, the only thing left to do is hang our stockings and figure out a way to fall asleep!










Did you get any sleep or were you too excited to rush downstairs and discover the gifts piled beneath the tree? Or were you thinking about the delicious supper that awaits everyone later this afternoon? Whatever you’re jubilant about today, and however your family celebrates the holidays, I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

















{All images in this post are from Flickr. To get more information on a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


Did you enjoy our brief escape from the blistering heat, as we peered into Christmases of the past? I truly hope so, because I had an absolutely delightful time putting this post together.

Having hit the six month mark until December 25th, are you looking forward to counting down the months or dreading the thought of another holiday season? Personally I’m stoked, there’s nothing like the joy of celebrating the holidays in vintage style, watching my all-time favourite Christmas movie (White Christmas), singing carols, and roasting a turkey with all the trimmings to put a mile-wide smile on my lips in and in my heart.