Unsung: The Sears Wish Book, a ghost of Christmas past
(Chicago Tribune Religion News)

The first Sears Christmas Book, in 1933, was a modest 87 pages. It offered fruitcakes and Mickey Mouse watches and live canaries. By 1968, the catalog had ballooned to 608 pages, and sold quilted robes and copper fondue pots and Electric Football games. That year, Sears retitled it the Wish Book,...