At this time of year I develop what I call Sears Wish Book syndrome. As a little girl that catalog meant that Christmas was coming and I could prepare for my visit to Santa. Even though one year I got distracted and wondered why Santa needed to wear a wrist watch, I still remembered to tell him what was at the top of my list because I believed he had to at least honor that wish.

In the past few years, my anticipation for the autumn/winter holidays began to coincide with the previews of fall/holiday doll collections and the arrival of new play line dolls on store shelves. I am determined to wait to see if certain dolls equal or surpass their prototype photographs and committed to wait a year for reasonable prices. But lately every new doll seems to suit my tastes whether it’s an innocent little girl or the darkest Goth. I’ve begun to find spare moments to window shop for dolls online and it seems that every doll that I’ve ever considered is available at a great price.

For now I’ve bought some brightly colored school supplies for my home office and I’ll look for a few decorative items for the upcoming holidays. There is no cure for Wish Book syndrome, but on Christmas morning, when I finally release my allocated 2008 dolls from their boxes, I will feel like Santa came through for me once again.