My brother and I peer out of the window, our gaze affixed intently on the empty street. We jockey for position, eager to be the first to spot it. The word came down from the highest ranks. This event could happen any day now. Conditions were right, the moon and stars aligned, and the calendar displayed late fall/early winter. The time was drawing nigh.
The arrival of the annual Sears Wishbook marked the beginning of the holiday season. In the mid-19th century, catalogs became central to the remote shopping experience, a vessel to far-off lands, containing everything from Daisy Red Ryder BB Guns to dress patterns and everything in between.
