Well, here we are. It's Christmas Eve. Man, this countdown, not to mention entire Christmas season, really flew by. Hopefully, this last entry won't disappoint.
     I was 12 years old for the Christmas of 1991, so the tops you see above you were aimed right at my demographic. Oh boy, is looking at them ever a time warp! That's not necessarily a good thing, because I've yet to meet anyone who's said that middle school was one of the highlights of their life. Still, even with some not-so-good recollections from that era , I can't help but chuckle at some of the memories, and this catalog page is ripe for that.
     This page is a self-contained rap rivalry, with nearly all of the shirts devoted to M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice. Clearly, M.C. Hammer was winning. There is a lone appearance by Nelson on the Shannon Miller doppelganger. Ah, Nelson. I am nothing if not honest on this blog, and I will admit that I still get excited in the car when "Love and Affection" comes on. Yes, even 15 years later, I'll crank up some Nelson. There is something about this page, however, that I find particularly perplexing.
     I looked through many Christmas catalogs to make this countdown, and I saw a lot of trends represented in clothing. I've seen everything from Muppet Movie jackets to New Kids On The Block t-shirts to Spongebob Squarepants pajamas. The 1991 catalog offered me something I didn't see in any other. Now, I had to reduce the above picture quite a bit, so I don't know how much you can tell, but aside from the modeled sweatshirts, everything else is an honest-to-goodness sweater with names and catchphrases knitted right into them. It was like a compromise for parents and daughters,
"You can't wear your M.C. Hammer sweatshirt! It's the church Christmas Eve service, for crying out loud! You have to wear something nice!"
"Well, I'm not putting on a dress, and you can't make me."
"We're going to be late! Look, just wear a sweater with a nice pair of Dockers."
"Can it be my M.C. Hammer sweater?"
"Whatever! Just get ready!"
A couple of the sweaters even had photo patches, so when you said "Ice Ice Baby to the EXTREME", everyone knew exactly what you were talking about. I don't recall ever seeing one of these in real life (though that doesn't mean I didn't), nor do I recall seeing anything like this in any other catalog. It is a lone example of early 90's marketing, submitted today for your approval along with ankle-loop jeans, continued proof that, for whatever reason, we can't be satisfied just wearing plain old jeans.

     There it is - the 2006 Christmas catalog countdown. It was a blast for me, and I hope I can do it again (or something like it) next year. Tomorrow's the big day, so I wish everyone reading this (um...I guess that would be Mom) a wonderful holiday. The blog will be back in its regular format very soon, but until then, God bless us, everyone. Merry Christmas!