I was sitting in a classroom working with a small group of students on reading comprehension when I was distracted by a question that sent the teacher and me in awe. A child was reading and paused to look up and ask, "What is a magazine?" That is right. This younger generation does not get a lot of magazine-time these days. And if they occasionally see one, they don't really stop to think that is what it is, a magazine holding pictures and information.
Back in the day, it was a total rite of passage when I was finally old enough for my mother to buy "Teen Magazine" for me. I had just barely gotten the suffix "teen" at the end of my age when I would pour through these pages to see the latest teen hairstyles and clothes, the makeup colors of the season, and the most recent teen Idol. Long lashes, top-siders, poppy-seed colored lipstick, and big bows in the hair. Baby faced teenage boys wearing layered shirts with the collar flipped up. Within these pages held a whole new world of the possibilities of being cool.
My mother would have stacks of Country Living magazines piled in every bathroom and nightstand. The covers reflected the warmth of winter, the freshness of springtime, and the patriotic picnic spirit of summer to the point where the magazines themselves became a part of seasonal decorating. Back then there were no cell phones to diminish our boredom, so a few moments of downtime could be filled flipping through pages for cookie recipes, summer table settings, or fall door wreaths.
And there was no greater magazine on the planet back in our childhood that could match the "Sears Christmas Catalogue." That is right. This was so big and thick it surpassed a magazine and pretty much filled up the mailbox on the day of delivery. This had all the boring stuff for grownups like winter coats, tools, and yard equipment. There were pages and pages of sheets and curtains, dishes and appliances, socks and shoes. But about two-thirds of the way through the big thin pages that stuck well to a licked finger a child could find the TOYS!
This section started with the babies and then toddlers. It then progressed to the little girl toys flashing pink, purple, ruffles, and blue-eyed dolls. And then it went to the boy toys. Big Tonka trucks, building logs, fake guns, bows and arrows, and outdoor games. Beyond that were board games, family games, larger items and then back to the boring grown-up stuff. But within those pages of Toyland, dog ears were flipped down, pictures were circled, and scribbled lists were wedged in the creases.
Surely Mom and Dad would pass this most valued info on to Santa Claus or to one of those elves that had been watching somewhere throughout the year when we were acting out and threatened. (worked better than any time-out)
Something is lost in this current age of swiping on a cell phone and taking screen shots of something a child desires. The magic is all but dissipated and lost when children cannot hold these pages in their hands and relish in the delight the bright pictures and new toys. Never fear. When mentioning this to my daughter-in-law she quickly produced an Amazon Wishlist magazine from my grandson's room that had obviously been dragged from one end of the house to the other. Pages dog eared and pictures circled! All is not lost! "Yes, Virginia there is still a Santa Claus, and magazines!"
