No More Wishbook Dogfights

When I went out to the front stoop to hang my laundry this afternoon, there was a brand new Wish Book in a clear plastic cover lying on the top step. Yep, it's already Christmas catalog time. Just a few years back, there would have been an immediate family tussle over who got to peek at the Wish Book toy section first, but today, my Wish Book sits on the kitchen table, still in its package. It isn't that they don't know it's here, because I made a loud announcement of its arrival; it's that they aren't interested. Can you believe it? The years of treasuring the Wish Book--the years of poring over the toy section, circling and initialling desired gifts--are past.

The magical Wish Book has become just another piece of junk mail.