I've been trying to cobble some stores together and finally finished fleshing one of them out. True Story:
The Time: Christmas 1984.
The Place: Woodhull, Ill. a.k.a. Small Town USA. Population: (on a good day) around 900.
The Craze: Cabbage Patch Kids.
Remember that wild time in 1984? When those plastic headed dolls that smelled like baby powder hit the shelves and then promptly flew off? Signed by Xavier Roberts (who is that guy anyway?) on the butt... these dolls were magic. Every.Kid.Wanted.One.
Myself included.
You see, I had visions of a red haired cabbage girl. In my most elaborate fantasies I pictured her wearing a green jogging suit. (Obviously fashion has always been an interesting and challenging venue for me. What kid wants a jogging suit for her doll? The ultra-cool kind I guess)
Well, at that time my family lived in small town Woodhull, we didn't have any big stores (still don't) and the likelihood of any store getting Cabbage Patch Kids... Well, it was more likely for some of the local pigs to learn how to fly than for there to be any Cabbage Patch Kids for sale.
Add to that, the media frenzy that fed into the craze for the Cabbages! The weeks leading up to Christmas, there were newscasts about it on the teevee. Film coverage of folks running each other over to get a Cabbage Patch for their kiddos. Radios were all a-chatter about this phenomenon. Everywhere you looked there was more coverage about how many disappointed kids there were going to be this Christmas due to the incredible popularity of these dolls.
All of this struck fear in my 9 year old heart. I knew, KNEW, that to ask my parents for a cabbage was to ask the impossible. If those parents on teevee were being denied in the stores, what hope did my folks have? So, I had to go higher up.
I asked Santa.
And I fretted. I had visions of my beautiful red haired Cabbage. The one I couldn't wait to hold, to cuddle, to marvel in. She was already SO REAL in my mind. She was all I could think about. And I so imagined Christmas morning... 2 ways... The first way was picturing waking up and going downstairs, rubbing sleepy eyes and blinking in disbelief at seeing my, MY, red haired Cabbage. The second way (the one I thought was most likely), started the same, but the blinking was in angst at realizing not even Santa would be able to fulfill my dream of the red haired Cabbage. Oh it was torture.
Finally, when I could barely walk under the weight of my hopeful wishes and dread of disappointment, I came to my Dad to have a very serious conversation about Christmas. I knew my Dad would be upfront with me. I had a feeling if I asked my Mom, she may sugar coat it so that I wouldn't feel bad now. But my Dad. Well, he'd be straight with me.
With a deep breath and a solemn face I asked him the question that had kept me awake for weeks:
"Dad? Dad, do you really think that Santa.... Well. (another deep breath)
And he said to me "If you believe. If you really believe. So. Stephanie... Do you REALLY believe?"
Emphatically, Enthusiastically, and with a conviction never before seen in a 9 year old I said "Dad. I really believe. I really believe"
So let's talk a moment about Christmas Magic. And let me tell you what was happening behind the scenes.
A store in Galesburg (the closest big town) was due to have a big shipment of Cabbages come in. They took names down for a waiting list. My mom happened to be on that list. She had even requested that if they, by chance, got a red haired Cabbage, then she would be so grateful if they would hold that one for her.
Then tragedy struck. The shipment came in, but instead of lots and lots of Cabbages... The store received 3 Cabbage Patch Kids.
My mom started working on the tale she knew she would have to weave for me about how Santa couldn't get a Cabbage to me. How to keep the magic of Christmas in my childhood, while at the same time delivering disappointing (soul crushing! To a 9 year old) news.
And. The phone rang.
It was the lady from the store.
Turns out my mom was one of the first ones on that waiting list.
Turns out that in the 3 cabbages that were delivered there was one with red hair. Wearing a green jogging suit.
And that lady was holding that particular Cabbage for my mom.
Her name was Kyle. And in her birth certificate it said that she liked horses.
I'll tell you what. Kyle still smells amazing.
And, I still believe.
