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As children, by the second week of October, my sister Lena and I started changing our Saturday morning routine which was eating bowl after bowl of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal while watching our favorite cartoons and shows like Howdy Doody (the first nationally televised children’s program) and Lassie. Few major things would alter that routine, but the one thing that did was the arrival of the Sears and Roebuck Company catalog also known as ‘The Christmas Book.’

The Christmas Book’s appearance in our house meant we had a couple of months to do chores without being repeatedly told and to even volunteer to rake leaves in our front yard, and sometimes our neighbor’s yards to get special merit as those ‘nice little twin girls.’ Special merit was very important because with Christmas coming, we needed to correct our naughty behavior and put on halos. Lena and I on a scale of ‘naughty and nice’ usually pivoted towards naughty.

The Christmas Book, renamed the Sears Wish Book in 1968, was a catalogue that for generations of Americans was almost as longed for as Christmas itself. It was a 600-page book of wonders that adults and children poured over to see toys, games, bicycles, skates, red wagons, puzzles, dolls, sports equipment, all kinds of goodies and so much more.

Looking through the catalogue was the fuel of every kid’s Christmas dreams while fully understanding most of what you could drool over would not make it under the tree. But it sure was fun to wish for it. Adults loved it because they could keep abreast of current trends for the holiday and once a year advertised treats like the finest candies and other goodies.

My mother even talked about Sear’s Christmas Book that she looked through as a little girl. That catalogue, first published in 1933, was the holiday companion to their semi-annual catalogue called the ‘Big Book.’ She grew up with those catalogues and she watched us enjoy them. The Christmas Book made holiday shopping easy for everyone no matter
where you lived as most of them were mailed to homes. The catalogue had something for everyone. You could call or mail your order in or go to the nearest Sear and Roebuck store and place your order there.

Mrs. Vivian Fisher, the manager at the time Mama went to order things at the store, helped Mama place her orders and told her when she could expect the mail truck to bring the items to our house. Sears had everything, and you could buy what you needed on credit.

Julius Rosenwald was the co-owner and leader of Sears Roebuck and Company. His name was as well known in Washington and Beaufort County as the Sears and Roebuck Catalog store at the corner of Main and
Respess Streets.

Rosenwald, a prominent businessman and a great philanthropist, helped build six Rosenwald Schools here in Beaufort County from 1918-1927.
One built in Blount’s Creek in 1921 and named the Ware School is still standing today and used as a Community Center. He donated millions to Rosenwald schools throughout the South.

Partnering with Booker T. Washington, Rosenwald established more than 5,000 schools, shops and teacher’s homes in the United States primarily for the education of African American children in the South. Many local residents greatly benefitted from the Rosenwald Schools and went on to become very successful educators, businessmen and women, lawyers, doctors, clergy and highly respected citizens in all walks of life.

In addition to the benefactor Rosenwald was to education and making life so much better for so many people, the Sears and Roebuck Wish Book was a gift to us children and our imaginations. It was a launch pad to our dreams and inspirations.