Christmas Memories: The Dollhouse

As I consider how to give gifts to my children that will really engage their imaginations and continue to be enjoyed for years, I am reminded of the one gift I received as a child that brought the most fun and memories- my dollhouse. My parents, who were not especially handy people, bought a kit and spent many hours secretly constructing our dollhouse for Christmas morning. It was designed to be a miniature model of our own home with wallpaper and carpet and siding that matched. They made it even more exciting by investing in real working ceiling lights and lamps for the rooms. My sister and I were thrilled to see it Christmas morning and played with it for hours everyday over the years. We also loved shopping in stores and catalogs with our mom for new furniture. And this favorite toy even became the foundation for a Social Studies research project where I outlined the development and social customs surrounding dollhouses throughout the ages.

The dollhouse still stands in my mother’s home with a piece of plexiglass over one side to keep it dust-free. I see it and remember the great joy of playing beside my sister, who is still my close friend. Now my 2 year-old-son looks at it with great interest when he visits his grandmother, and I know when he gets just a bit bigger that the dollhouse will entertain a whole other generation of children- complete with lights that still work, rooms full of furniture, rocking chairs and deliveries on the porch, and a mailbox. But it doesn’t seem that boys typically share the same interest in decorating, and re-decorating, and playing family that we did as kids. Though I love having two boys of my own, I am most sad not to have a daughter who can share my love of dollhouses.

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