I've looked at these photos for years and years but since my Mom died, I've consciously been soaking in every detail of each photo that she's in or the ones of our home we grew up in.
I came across a photo of my brother and I playing in my childhood room that stirred up some major nostalgia. I was roughly 8 or 9. My dad had built a simple four-room dollhouse for me that I had filled with miniature furniture and animal figurines called the Sylvanian Families. I remember, in detail, playing with them but I cannot remember when they came to be in my possession or where they went. As we've been going thru my mom's stuff and boxes she put away, I'm surprised they haven't been hidden somewhere for us to find. I don't think she kept them anyhow.
It's a shame though because apparently they're collector's items now. If you've frequented a toy store recently, then you've probably seen the new updated, mass-produced version called Calico Critters. But the Sylvanian Families are now only found via eBay, etsy and other resale sites.
After perusing websites, I kept noticing how many "vintage" pieces I actually used to own. Most special was the furniture that had working drawers and teeny tiny books and plates and silverware and kitchen utensils, etc. Even the little bed and couch were wrapped in a tight floral patterned fabric. Of the actual figurines, I know I had a bunny family, some bears and raccoons. Aside from my homemade dollhouse, I had the actual Sylvanian Family schoolhouse and treehouse, both of which had their own special features that I loved.
Today's Calico Critter versions are cute and I would definitely buy them for my niece or if we had a daughter but there's just something about the originals. A couple of weeks after seeing that photo, I still could not get my Sylvanian set off my mind. I began looking online and aside from the outrageous prices for "new in box" sets, I found a couple of options that didn't seen too unreasonable...if I wanted to take forever collecting one piece at a time. There were a few larger collections for sale but even then there happened to be a drawer missing or a small break or a figurine that looked chewed up by a dog.
Then I hit the jackpot! A collection on eBay that included the Sylanian house, a bear family and 30+ pieces. They were used but everything was in tact and complete for the most part with a price tag of $100. Yikes.
A couple of days later I still couldn't get if off my mind. For some reason it meant so much to me to be able to hold those pieces again, pieces from my childhood that I've been reliving as I go through my mom's photo albums.
As we've been going through my mom's stuff, the things that have the most meaning to me are things from the past, things I remember from childhood that she miraculously kept. So nostalgia got the best of me. I took a couple more days (a longer version of the "10-minute rule") to think on it and then I bought it!
The set arrived two days ago and I couldn't wait to unwrap every individual piece. I waited until the boys were at their school and I took it all out, examining each piece and setting it up to take a few pics I promised to send to a friend.
It was a fiscally smart purchase because buying each individual piece would have added up to much more than the overall price I paid. But more than that, having this connection to my childhood, when my mom was there and we had long summers together as a family and quiet times at home, means more than anything to me.
One day I may pass it on, but for now, if I'm honest, I'm happy to have been a little selfish by shelling out for a piece of nostalgia.
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