Catalog Flog

'Tis the season, I know, but to borrow a phrase from Jerry Seinfeld, "What's the deal with all these catalogs?" The Friday before Halloween I went out to my mailbox to find it stuffed with catalogs. I seriously had about five pounds of mail that day. And so it began...

Now, each day I break out my forklift and head on down to the mailbox for my daily catalog flog. L.L.Bean, Hickory Farms, Athleta, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Dogs...okay I made that last one up, but you get it. By the way, am I the only person in the world who is not on the Pottery Barn bandwagon? I feel like it. I have to wonder how I got on the mailing lists for some of these. Boston Proper? Mrs. Fields? I mean, I used to know that ordering from the Victoria's Secret catalog was a sure-fire way of ensuring I'd get at least three catalogs a week from them, and who knows how many people they sold my information to? But now, I do so much online shopping, there's no telling.

I think it's hilarious that most catalogs still include a mail order form. It brings back memories of when I used to do that in high school. Of course, back then I also got to ask my mom for a check to pay for it too. Does that still work? Mom, can I have a check for $242.78? I just bought some stuff at Ann Taylor. No? Kiss your what?

Not all of the hundreds of catalogs I've gotten have gone straight into the trash. Here are a few of the ones that are in my pile to look at sometime before Christmas...or right away.

• St. Jude Children's Hospital Gift Book: Give a gift AND give to charity. It has lots of great ideas for those people you just want to get "a little something" for.
• Nordstrom: Need I say more?
• Sundance: I had never heard of this one, but I was intrigued because the brand is owned by Robert Redford. Really beautiful clothing and jewelry...a bit out of my price range though.
• Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean: These clothes aren't really my style, but I love looking through the catalogs and wishing I lived in a place where I actually needed those warm, cozy clothes...at least for a month or so. Know what I mean? My dad is a big fan of the Eddie Bauer button downs though, whenever I'm at a loss for what to buy him (which is always) I know I can fall back on that.
• Initials, Inc.: Full disclosure here, I didn't get one of these catalogs in the mail. I ran across these products at a craft sale and loved them enough to host a party (it's a Scentsy-like business, but with bags and stuff that are all personalizable). The stuff is really cute, so if you're interested in ordering, use the link I provided and get your order in by Friday, November 11. So okay, this mention is a little self serving, but I really do like the products and would have totally saved the catalog had it come in the mail.

Are you feeling the catalog flog too? Any really great catalogs out there I should (or shouldn't) be getting? Oh, and on a marginally related note, the people one street over from me have their Christmas lights up and ON. They've had them up since November 2. Too. Soon.

And with that, I say, "Good day dear readers!"