Scanning Around With Gene: The Art of Inadequate Gift Giving
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The clothing was of shaky value and design, though I do like those golden slippers. But living in Los Angeles, I never had cold knees.



These Kennedy items were, in a bad bit of timing, from the November 1963 edition, which obviously went to press long before the events unfolded in Dallas.


I remember really wanting some items, like these smoking Fiji dolls and this bicycle speedometer.


And then there was the completely useless category, like Furry Freddie here, the Freudian philosopher. He responds to every mood!

Yes, I spent many an hour looking through Family Circle magazine and wishing I had a couple of bucks to blow on a toothbrush caddy or bike-speed indicator. Just the idea of something showing up in the mail with my name on it was fantasy enough.
But I never did order anything from Family Circle‘s back pages, and eventually my father quit his job and we stopped getting so many magazines. Not only that, but my parents had to start paying for the liquor.
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This article was last modified on May 17, 2023
This article was first published on September 24, 2010
