Christmas Comes Earlier Every Year – A Vintage Xmas Catalog Interview

Okay, Labor Day is over, so let's haul out the Christmas stuff. Who's with me? Just retailers? Okay, I understand that it's disgusting. But I just couldn't wait until Christmas to unwrap this interview with this feisty collector of old Christmas card catalogs who begins our discussion with this disclaimer: "First, let me start by saying that while collecting old Christmas catalogs is a part of what I do, I don't consider myself a traditional collector of them. I say that because my motivations for acquiring the catalogs now are always to get them on the website (www.wishbookweb.com). And unlike most collectors, I happily destroy the books to get proper, archival scans of them."

So much for ho, ho, ho…nonetheless, Jason, a writer/editor/actor, currently living in New York City, and working on a number of monstrously-entertaining projects, has a great collection of these old catalogs and shares some wonderful insights in the following interview:

ephemera: First, let me be the first to wish you Merry Christmas, Jason. So, how did you become interested in old Christmas catalogs?

Jason: In the early 1990's, along with a whole lot of other people I think, I began to collect action figures and toys. I can't recall how I came around to it, but at a certain point that toy collecting made me want to check out the old Christmas catalogs I had grown up with. But I didn't buy one until years later, probably around 1999. 

ephemera: Did you begin consciously, knowing what you would collect, or did you just one day discover what you were doing?

Jason: In the case of that first catalog, it was very intentional -- though at the time I didn't suspect I would start to accumulate more than just a few. But with that first old Christmas catalog, which was a 1970 JC Penny catalog, I ended up enjoying perusing the sections outside of toys, just as much as the toy section itself. The fashions, the electronics; it was all a very slice-of-life of that era, and I found that fascinating.  

Seeing the Internet develop, one of my favorite things was how people online would share their collections of things. And I thought, "Isn't it great that one person can share these valuable pieces of our collective pasts with so many?" That seed of an idea eventually led to me wanting to post entire Christmas catalogs online, freely available for view. And the beginnings of that led me to my good pal Alan, who had already been scanning and sharing some catalogs via Flickr. That got me onto Flickr, and we partnered up to combine our efforts to get as many catalogs online as possible. That's when the www.wishbookweb.comconcept really took off. It's also when my Flickr site began and grew into what it is today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/

ephemera: It's a great online collection. Kudos to your, sir. What challenges or obstacles do you encounter as a collector/dealer? How do you overcome these challenges?

Jason: I'm a digital-archivist of sorts with the Christmas catalogs, and my challenges are pretty simple.  First is the cost-factor. Any Christmas catalogs made before 1970 are getting more and more expensive.  Second is the process of scanning itself. Scanning a 500 page catalog is tedious, time-consuming work.  So I don't do it every day, or even every month. I do it in fits and starts, and may not even update the site for months and months at a time. But it continues to grow. 

ephemera: What are your favorite items in the collection? Do you have a crowning jewel or show stopper in your collection? If so, what is it?

Jason: My favorite thing really is the website in general. It gives anyone with an Internet connection access to a few thousand dollars worth of entire Christmas catalogs. As for the catalogs, I especially like? Well, the 1940's wartime catalogs that are now part of the collection were tough to get, and they reflect the times in which they were released, so those are cool.  I personally really enjoy the 1960's and 1970's books. I suppose my faves are usually the latest catalog that I've added to the site.

ephemera: What resources do you recommend to would-be Christmas catalog collectors?

Jason: Well, if you want to get a giant taste of Christmas catalogs, just visit the site: www.wishbookweb.com. Beyond that, eBay is the best place to find old catalogs, though folks are finding them at estate sales, and other places too. 

ephemera: Thanks, Jason. It's always great to rush the season, and I couldn't think of a better way to do so than by featuring this fun interview. I appreciate your willingness to share your fascinating collection with my readers.