Christmas
is all about toys right? Of course it isn't – but it is for kids. This
column is all about the toys we asked for back when we were kids. The
toys we begged our parents for when we saw those great commercials on
TV. The toys that looked so much better on TV than when we actually got
them. The toys that sometimes were broken by noon on Christmas Day.

The
toys I will mention are from the memories of myself and my friends.
Most of us are in our fifties. Here goes: Lots of Barbie and Ken dolls,
along with the Barbie Camper. The Barbie head that you could apply
make-up to was also a popular gift. The Easy Bake Oven, and Lite-Brite
were on Santa's list. Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots were awesome toys. Who
can forget the sound the head made when it got "knocked off"? Mattel
first put them out in 1966. It seems for about five or six years in a
row, we got small transistor radios. We probably wore them out
listening to Woo Woo and Uncle Dale, while it was under our pillows. I
can still remember the smell of the new plastic when I opened up one of
those transistor radios.

On with the list…a big cardboard Rex
Trailer Boomtown Jailhouse, a dirt bike (lucky stiff), The Millennium
Falcon from Star Wars, a doll and a doll carriage, a bicycle and a
ball. Coloring books and crayons went into the stockings, along with
socks, pens and bubble bath. Poor Cathy got a Raggedy Ann doll, which
her brother cut the head off of and threw out the window. She still
suffers from PTSD (Post Toy Stress Disorder). Speaking of disorders, I
have learned that some parents used the delayed-reaction tactic. They
would let the kids see the toys on Christmas morning, and then later,
add the "big" gift. These parents led them to believe briefly that
Santa stiffed them. My parents did that for 2 years with my first
guitar, but it was a money issue, not a mind-game.

Back to the
toys…Chatty Cathy was the talking doll with the pull-string. My
friends brother cut the string off with his "doctor's kit." Once the
pull-string was gone, it was just another doll. Tressy was a doll whose
hair "grew" (my sister had one). Chrissy was bigger and also grew hair.
It just so happens that my sister's name was Chris. We still have one
of her toy wooden playpens and an old doll.

The Six Million
Dollar Man action figure, Lionel Trains, Kenner Girder and Panel
building sets, Vac-U-Form, Aurora race track (remember Switch-Lane
Chicane?), Gilbert Erector Set, the Mrs. Beasley Doll (from Family
Affair) and a dollhouse that grandpa made. There were Jordache jeans
with a matching t-shirt, which made a little girl very happy one year,
as did a Patty Play Pal. Kids got Prima Ballerina, Matel's Fanner Fifty
Pistol that used greenie stick'em caps, Secret Sam Spy Attache Case
that took pictures from a hidden camera in the case, G.I. Joes, skis,
snow saucers and of course, sleds.

Here is the list of the toys
we didn't get (or finally got at some future Christmas). A pony, a
horse and a Red Ryder BB gun (you'll shoot your eye out!). My electric
guitar finally came after a couple of years. I looked in the closets
and under the beds staring in June hoping that it would be that year's
gift. A few kids wanted a drum sets that they never got. Santa never
brought the Beatle wig, a play kitchen set, or a Ken doll to some kids,
but I'm sure they got some other cool stuff. I asked for Jane Fonda one
year…but Santa never brought her!

Today the toy wish list has
gone all electronic. Requests include laptops, easy to text cell
phones, video recorders, and of course all those gaming systems. When I
was clearing a space for the tree, I actually found a few gifts from
last year that my kids never bothered to use, or simply forgot about.
What can you do with a 2009 Batman calendar other than keep some of the
pictures?

Want to help some deserving local kids this holiday
season? Toys for Local Children is a volunteer-run, non-profit
organization supporting local children who are victims of violence,
displacement or poverty. Supported by the Somerville Fire Department
and the Somerville Council on Aging, the charity provided toys and/or
funding to over 9,000 children in 2008. For more information, please
contact Cindy Hickey at 617-625-6600 ext 2300 or 617-680-4254.