All I Want For Christmas . . . is an American Girl Doll?

Would it be weird if I asked for an American Girl Doll this Christmas? I know I'm pushing forty, but still . . .

I feel like I missed out on part of my childhood because I didn't know American Girl Dolls existed until 2010 when my husband, Dan, and I visited the New York store.

That's when I signed up on the mailing list just so I could receive the catalogs and peruse the pictures longingly.

I'm not sure how I missed out on the American Girl craze. Other Gen-X friends of mine have mentioned that the AGD Bandwagon somehow passed them by too. Wikipedia claims the dolls have been around since 1986, but maybe it's because Mattel didn't take over in 1998, and I was a poor college student at that time.

I'm ready now though.

I can easily discuss American Girls with my elementary kids. I know that Julie is the hippie, Kit Kittredge was portrayed by Abigail Breslin in the film version, and Molly McIntire has glasses and hazel eyes, something my four-eyed nine-year-old self would have really related to.

And you can customize the dolls to look like you. They even have brunette, freckle-face options (hint-hint).

When I was a kid, my mother would sneak into my bedroom and play with the dolls in my Barbie dollhouse.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" I asked her the first time I caught her.

"What?" she said, completely unfazed. "I still like Barbies too."

Me too, except I don't have a daughter whose dolls I can steal.

I do have "The Doll Room" though, a spare bedroom dedicated to my old Cabbage Patch Dolls and miniature dollhouse. Let me tell you, Dan loves it.

I also have a curio cabinet filled with Madame Alexander Dolls, figurines, and collector Barbies. My father built the cabinet to display my dolls after I was married, so it must not be too weird for an adult woman to own a bunch of toys.

So . . . no judging, and somebody get this girl an American Girl Doll already!

Wouldn't an American Girl Doll look great in this display case?

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