Friday, January 9, 2009

That Ginormous Stocking

Do you remember anything from your childhood that you wanted so bad you can still taste it? I do....for me it was that ginormous stocking.

I grew up on Long Island, about 3 blocks away from our town's "Main Street". There was a very small grocery store not far from my house. When I got old enough, my mom would send me there if she needed a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk.

Every December they hung a truly ginormous stocking from the ceiling. It was full of stuff that a 10 year old kid would find awesome. Looking back now, it held a lot of junk. The kind of junk that you win from the claw game, or that you spend $10 to win at a carnival. But, to my little girl eyes, that stocking was truly amazing, and I wanted it...bad.

When you checked out, you could fill out a chance to win the stocking. I would go along with my mom, so that I could fill out those chances. Every year I was determined that I would be the winner.

My parents and siblings even remember how very much I wanted that stocking. My sister remembers that on the night when the winner was to be called, I would prohibit anyone from using the phone, so as not to tie up the line. I knew I would win.

I never won that stocking. I still get teased about how much I wanted it. My sister was trying to develop some scheme about calling me this December and pretending to be from the grocery store and that somehow I had won the stocking years ago but they weren't able to reach me and I could come pick up my prize. I would have never believed her...but that is how very much I wanted that stocking. My mom let me in on her plan...I think she remembers my heartbreak. Every December when I didn't win, she would console me by telling me that Santa would be coming soon.

Does anyone else remember anything that they wanted so badly as a child and never got....or am I just pathetic?

9 comments:

Pam said...

You are not pathetic! I don't remembe wanting something like that quite that badly, but I'm sure there were things that I wanted that I never got. An Easy Bake Oven comes to mind!

greentigress said...

Hi yes, i wanted a ginormous bit of scaffolding to sing andrew lloyd webber songs on like Sarah Brightman. lol aww

Linda - Behind My Red Door said...

I remember wanting Barbie clothes and they were too expensive so my mom made me an enitre wardrobe with scraps of fabric left from other sewing projects. It was like a dream come true!!

BeachRunner said...

I always wanted a go-kart to cruise around the neighborhood and through the local wooded trails. But no such luck. Instead, each week, I would imagine I was racing my "go-kart" when I rode the tractor to mow the lawn.

Tanya said...

I wanted a Ken doll. I wanted Ken because my sister wanted Barbie, and I couldn't do ANYTHING like her-I had to be totally different! So my mom noticed there was this new doll called GI Joe and he was just like Ken, only a lot cheaper. So I got GI Joe and I was mortified! How could my mom not realize that GI Joe was a BOY'S "action figure"?? My sister's Barbie doll was probably pretty happy; GI Joe is a way better boyfriend than Ken!

Stan said...

I always wanted a red rider bb gun... umm no wait that was a movie :)

Seriuosly though, when I was a kid I wanted a BB gun. My mother was against it though. So I never thought I would get one. Then on Christmas morning after all the presents were open. My Dad said, hmm there is a gift in the garage why don't you go see who it is for. It was a BB gun... was really cool ! No one told me I would shoot my eye out though :P

robison52 said...

I wanted a wooden Staunton tournament chess set and wooden inlaid chessboard badly when I was nine years old (I was a nerdy weird kid), but my parents thought spending so much money for a chess set was ridiculous and I played with my minature plastic set and cardboard board until I could afford to purchase real chess equipment years later.

Cheri said...

Sarah,

Thanks for leaving me a comment. As always, I love receiving bloggy mail.

As for your question: I don't remember anything as a child but as a teen when my mom raised doxies I had wanted my very own and was promised one until someone would call and ask if we had any left and I would have to give up the one I chose, but my mom did come through and gave me the red doxie on my blog 5 years ago.

Heather said...

Cute story. I remember wanting stuff like, and never getting it. Or, I would get it and have to share with all my siblings. Funny how now it seems like junk!