We’ve only just finished recovering from (Canadian) Thanksgiving, and Halloween hasn’t yet revealed its spooky face… but something happened today that signaled to me that Christmas is just around the corner: the Lee Valley Early Christmas Gift Catalog for 2013 arrived in my mailbox!
I would have to say that this catalog is my second-most favourite non-personal mail of the whole year (my first favourite, of course, being the Lee Valley Christmas Gift Catalog, which is a little bigger and arrives a little later than the early one). Every year both are filled with intriguing, fun, useful, silly, quirky, unexpected treasures, each item with a writeup that’s so creative and interesting, you’re actually draw to read them and not just look at the pictures.
The little thrill I get when I see the catalog’s cover peeking out of my mailbox reminds me of the butterflies-in-the-stomach excitement I felt as a child when the Sears Christmas Wish Book arrived. Now that was a banner day!
I suppose some might think it a bit silly that even as an adult I still find delight in this sort of thing. But I’m stubbornly hanging on to that little flash of childlike excitement and wonder, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What’s the first thing that tells you the holidays are coming?

Twitter: amateurnester
October 22, 2013
Hi from ICLW! For me, the first sign of Christmas are the cinnamon brooms that my grocery store sells. I LOOOOVE the smell. And I totally remember the Sears Christmas catalogs! I used to go through them with a catalog and try to see how much money I’d need to save to buy everything I didn’t get as presents. Ha!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 23, 2013
LOL, love it! And the cinnamon brooms sound delightful. Thanks for stopping by!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Meatless Monday No. 4 – Sabra to the rescue
Christmas is officially here when Toys ‘backwards R’ Us sends out the toy catalogue. I don’t even have toy age children anymore, but I’d always look through this and dream of the toys I’d get for them and maybe even some for me, lol! I have to say, the package on the front of your catalogue looks like so much fun. I have heard of those packages in the UK that you pop open and there’s this whole mess of stuff crammed inside. I’ve never seen anything like that in the US. I did notice however, that the one on your catalogue comes with a razor and now I’m kinda wondering what it is you Canadians get up to at Christmas? heehee~
Theresa Ledford recently posted… Stupid in the City, part 1.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
October 23, 2013
LOL, I never noticed that… too funny! Yes, crackers can be a lot of fun – and of course it’s tradition to wear the paper hat that’s included in it throughout dinner. Most of the stuff in them is usually rather junky – I’d LOVE it if they were like the one on the front of the catalog!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Meatless Monday No. 4 – Sabra to the rescue
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