Day 47 of 365 - Holiday Catalogue Delight
Another feature of this time of year is the holiday catalogue. Nowadays, I receive very few of them. The longstanding Sears Wish Book met its demise a couple of years ago and Sears is now closed in Canada. Sears main competitor in the catalogue business was Eaton's, but it closed in 1999. For many, many years since I was young we excitedly awaited the Christmas catalogue from both Sears and Eaton's, both department stores, which also had mail order business. My mother used to place orders from those because shopping options were limited in our small home town.
Even my own children would get excited about leafing through the Wish Book when it arrived. It was a fun activity for them prior to the domination of the internet in retail marketing. And, being able to order some gifts or toys by phone, and later online, certainly saved some time otherwise spent running around from store to store.
Some of the big retailers create more of a holiday booklet rather than catalogue and these may show up along with other advertising flyers in the mail. But I expect even those are expensive publications which may not last much longer.
I used to get the catalogues for Land's End and LL Bean as well, but I have not ordered from them in several years. In those particular ones it was the lavish scenes of outdoor activities and beauty as well as indoor hearth and home which made them so appealing in the holiday season.
What did arrive in our mail this week is the Lee Valley Christmas Gift Catalog. In case you are not familiar with Lee Valley, it has existed for 40 years, primarily selling tools of all kinds for crafting, home and garden. They have a retail location with a small inventory display but are primarily an order based company. You can order and pick up in store, online or by mail.
This little catalogue of less than 70 pages is chock full of interesting items. It is a treasure chest of well crafted tools for woodworking and other crafts. The gardening implements are varied and equally well made. For children they specialize in offering old fashioned wooden board games of different styles, other traditional games, outdoor games and many building kits. There are also camping and other outdoor items. And, to keep up with all our technology, there are various devices which can be used in conjunction with our electronics.
For me, the draw is primarily their wide array of kitchen gadgets. Although they do sell some very well made larger kitchen items it is the smaller items that usually catch my attention. They manage to create, or find from other suppliers, very handy little tools to make kitchen tasks easier. Everything that they sell is made to last.
So, in the past couple of days I have pored over this catalogue and have made a list of stocking stuffer items for my husband to pick up. The store is conveniently located near his workplace, so it is easy for him to stop in, place the order and wait for it to be picked from inventory.
As much as I enjoy looking at holiday advertising flyers to appreciate the lush presentations, it is the practical items such as Lee Valley offers that keep my interest. I appreciate those items every time I use them in the coming months and years.
Even my own children would get excited about leafing through the Wish Book when it arrived. It was a fun activity for them prior to the domination of the internet in retail marketing. And, being able to order some gifts or toys by phone, and later online, certainly saved some time otherwise spent running around from store to store.
Some of the big retailers create more of a holiday booklet rather than catalogue and these may show up along with other advertising flyers in the mail. But I expect even those are expensive publications which may not last much longer.
I used to get the catalogues for Land's End and LL Bean as well, but I have not ordered from them in several years. In those particular ones it was the lavish scenes of outdoor activities and beauty as well as indoor hearth and home which made them so appealing in the holiday season.
What did arrive in our mail this week is the Lee Valley Christmas Gift Catalog. In case you are not familiar with Lee Valley, it has existed for 40 years, primarily selling tools of all kinds for crafting, home and garden. They have a retail location with a small inventory display but are primarily an order based company. You can order and pick up in store, online or by mail.
This little catalogue of less than 70 pages is chock full of interesting items. It is a treasure chest of well crafted tools for woodworking and other crafts. The gardening implements are varied and equally well made. For children they specialize in offering old fashioned wooden board games of different styles, other traditional games, outdoor games and many building kits. There are also camping and other outdoor items. And, to keep up with all our technology, there are various devices which can be used in conjunction with our electronics.
For me, the draw is primarily their wide array of kitchen gadgets. Although they do sell some very well made larger kitchen items it is the smaller items that usually catch my attention. They manage to create, or find from other suppliers, very handy little tools to make kitchen tasks easier. Everything that they sell is made to last.
So, in the past couple of days I have pored over this catalogue and have made a list of stocking stuffer items for my husband to pick up. The store is conveniently located near his workplace, so it is easy for him to stop in, place the order and wait for it to be picked from inventory.
As much as I enjoy looking at holiday advertising flyers to appreciate the lush presentations, it is the practical items such as Lee Valley offers that keep my interest. I appreciate those items every time I use them in the coming months and years.
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