The Girl Who Never Got a Cabbage Patch Doll

I’ve had some issues getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  It’s not that I’ve been grinchy or anything, just sort of blah.  I haven’t thought about decorating, I haven’t sent a single card yet or baked a single cookie.  Even the idea of shopping isn’t incising, which if you know me is odd because shopping is my favorite form of cardio.  Overall it just doesn’t feel like this holiday is close, let alone right around the corner but I think I’m finally snapping out of it.

A lot of people have been asking me what I want for Christmas this year so I started making my list.  As I wrote down leather camera bag, Michael Kohrs white and gold watch, and Beverly Hills 90210 DVDs (which I ask for every year according to my 13 year old cousin), I started thinking about Cabbage Patch Dolls.

Now at 28 years old, I am of course not asking for a Cabbage Patch Doll this Christmas but I thought back to a time in my life when that was all I really wanted.  Yes of course I got some wonderful Christmas gifts and Santa was always very good to me but for some reason, he never seemed to bring me a Cabbage Patch Doll.  I think I asked for this toy for at least five years if not more and still to this day it is that one item that stands out in my mind when I make my Christmas list. 

So the other day, while I was in Toys R Us shopping, I felt drawn to the doll section.  I just wanted to take a look at the dolls that I once longed for but to my surprise there were no Cabbage Patch Dolls to be found in the store.  Then I was in Target and I felt the need to check their doll aisle to see if they had any but again there was nothing.  Even though I had no intension of buying one of these dolls, I was still disappointed in the fact that something that was once so important to me, was no longer there.  Even though I have out grown dolls, it was still a comfort to know that they were there in the aisle of the toy store if I ever decided I wanted one.

I was definitely disappointed by the lack of Cabbage Patch Dolls but I decided to turn my disappointment into something positive.  When I lived in my last place, I used to be big on throwing parties, especially for holidays, but when I moved into my current apartment, I got away from that for one reason or another.  Throw a party in my apartment is something on my check list of things to do that I say I’m going to do but don’t ever seem to do and maybe now was the right time.  Plus I had a great concept.

A lot of people throw Christmas parties and some have themes but I wanted mine to be unique.  Leave it to the event planner to come up with something different J.  So in attempt to shake my Christmas funk, I decided to throw a Christmas Morning themed party (just a theme not actually held on Christmas morning).  Basically, everyone should come dressed in their PJ’s and all the food will go along with the breakfast theme but the real essence of the party is that I am asking everyone to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots.  This way while we party like its Christmas morning, we will also be helping make someone else’s Christmas morning a little better.  Maybe we will even get someone the one gift they’ve always wanted, just like my Cabbage Patch Doll.

Hopefully one day when I think back on the Christmas of 2010, I will not focus on my lack of holiday spirit or the ridiculously over priced watch that I didn’t get (I at least had to ask!) or the fact that there were no more Cabbage Patch Dolls in the toy stores but instead I will think of the way I feel now at the idea of getting to do something good for someone else this Christmas.   That might be the best gift I get this year!



Merry Christmas to ME!



If you’re having a hard time finding that holiday cheer, don’t worry!    Maybe you need a visit to the mall with friends to take pictures with Santa or the chance to sing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” at the top of your lungs while driving in the car.  It might take until Christmas morning when you get that gift you never expected or when you get a Christmas card in the mail from a friend or Christmas eve when realize that you get to watch 24 hours of A Christmas Story (who doesn't love a good Ralphie fix) but eventually you'll get swept up in the Christmas cheer.  That’s the real beauty of this holiday.  No matter how hard you try to fight it, you can’t help but get wrapped up in the excitement of the season.  And Christmas spirit is contagious so hopefully my new found joy will help you find yours too!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens (even Scrooge finally came around!)