A darling little girl walked by me as I was examining the doll. The little girl asked if "I was going to buy that doll?" I told her, " probably not but I might." Then I told her I used to have a doll that resembled this doll years ago when I was a little girl. She looked at me in amazement and said without blinking an eye "They had dolls like that when you were a little girl?" I said "yes". She looked at me with big eyes like I was lying. Once again I told her this was the truth. She wasn't buying that story. So I smiled saying, "Actually we had to pull rabbit heads off the little rabbits and stick them on a pole and put a dress on them and pretend they were dolls." I do not know where this came from...it just popped out, I wish it hadn't but it did. The little girl looked at me for a second, turned around and ran. I put the doll back and put my cart in high gear and was out of there, too. I have some obnoxious genes somewhere that just show up from time to time:)
After I got away from the little girl, my mind returned to the doll and Christmas. Each year, months before Christmas arrived, I was on the hunt for the perfect doll. I would examine every doll in the Sears catalog and in the Ben Franklin Store. As soon as I picked my favorite baby doll, a letter would be written to Santa. Mama wrote the letter for me until I learned how to print. I went into great detail to make sure Santa knew which one I wanted. I knew he was busy and I wanted to make it easy for him to pick up the right doll for me.
The year I turned 7, I decided I did not want a doll for Christmas. I was adamant... no doll would be found under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. I had a list of other things I wanted, however no doll was added to the list.
Mama had no way of knowing this was a test for Santa Claus. I heard rumors there was no Santa Claus from some of the older kids at school. I was going to prove their theory wrong. I wanted a doll but I was not going to tell anyone this fact. Santa Claus would 'know' that I wanted a doll. He could pick it out this year...as long as it was a baby doll.
Thank goodness Mama ignored my wishes and bought me a small rubber baby doll. She came with a blanket and a bottle. In my mind she looks like the little doll in the first photo. She was perfect.
Instead of putting the doll under the tree, Mama placed her in the tree and toward the back. When I woke up Christmas morning, I did not see what I expected. There were the toys I had asked for but no doll. I just stood there looking disappointed. The kids were right there was no Santa Claus. Mama was watching me closely and before I started to cry she led me over to the other side of the tree. She seemed as surprised as I was, because there was my baby doll in the branches of the tree. I think that was my favorite doll I received as a little girl. I named her 'Susie'.
It would be another year or two before I gave up believing in Santa Claus. He still came until I was about 11 or 12 because my cousins Anthony and Darla believed in Santa Claus. That was fine with me. People have their whole adult lives to not believe in the magic of Santa. Children should be able to enjoy it while they can.
If I should happen to be in WalMart in the near future, and I will, I think I know a little rubber doll that just might find its way home with me. I will give the little doll to Jacy, my granddaughter and tell her this story. She has pretty much outgrown dolls but I think she will like hearing the story. Good memories should be shared.
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