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Those Barbie Dream House Years

December 19, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

Vintage Barbie Dream House - Christmas Memories
Those Barbie Dream House years were melt-in-your-mouth easy. Santa didn’t have to spend one moment pondering what to get my sister and me for Christmas. As long as he dropped Barbie and a few of her latest accouterments down our chimney—a shimmery ball gown, a groovy convertible or a hip Malibu Ken to ride along on her adventures—we were set for the year, and Santa was free to fly to someone else’s rooftop.

A few days after Christmas when Momma began to count the seconds until school started back, we loaded up our new Barbie things and headed over to Little River to visit our cousin Lesa and her new Christmas Barbies.

Yes, our Barbies were cousins too…

For hours we played in the living room around Lesa’s Christmas tree while Momma and Aunt Lavern camped out in the kitchen guzzling Folgers and inhaling banana pudding or whatever pie still sat on the countertop after all the Johnsons had feasted. (Aunt Lavern made the BEST banana pudding, the best everything for that matter…)Do you girls want some pie? Aunt Lavern called out.

No, we’re too busy, Barbie’s getting married!

December was always the month for Barbie weddings (mainly because Lesa hadn’t yet chopped off all her new Barbie’s hair…)

As Barbie walked down the aisle with a Ken she barely knew, Momma and Aunt Lavern lamented the details of their next diet which would start January 2, right after black-eyed pea and cornbread day.January was always the month for dieting.


6 more sleeps…

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Fred Astaire

Filed Under: Holiday, Memories, Simple Pleasures Tagged With: Barbie, Christmas, Johnson Family, Northeast Arkansas, Santa Claus

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Comments

  1. Staci Sandquist says

    December 19, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Memories…..

  2. Staci Sandquist says

    December 19, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Memories…..

  3. Colene says

    December 19, 2013 at 6:30 am

    You make me smile! Those childhood memories are the best! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

  4. Dorothy Johnson says

    December 20, 2013 at 4:33 am

    Love the”melt-in-your-mouth easy” description. I got a Barbie the first year she came out. I was almost too old at 13, I don’t think we grew up quite so fast in the olden days. Since then, I’ve bought a kajillion for Maria and all my granddaughters. Pretty cool dollhouse!

  5. Trisha Flaherty says

    December 20, 2013 at 4:42 am

    Thanks for the memories! I had the camper and airplane as well! But Barbie never had many clothes, I used to take material scraps and wrap them around her – My friend, Joyceanne, God rest her soul, always had beautiful clother both store bought and handmade. I rememer with much shame, convincing her that the scraps were much better than the clothes she had and she traded me! But them her mom made me give them back! God rest her soul too. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Did you have Chrissy or Velvet whose hair grew? Merry Christmas!! Trisha

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 20, 2013 at 6:21 am

      Yes! I had Velvet and my sister had Chrissy. Or vice versa. Loved those dolls too!

  6. Taylor Bradford says

    December 20, 2013 at 9:45 am

    I never had a Barbie house, but I remember a friend of mine did. We would play for HOURS!

  7. Aleshea says

    December 21, 2013 at 8:04 pm

    *Sobs* I never got the barbie dream house. I also never got the lifesize barbie.

    • Bekah @ re•solve says

      December 22, 2013 at 3:38 pm

      I didn’t get them either but oh how I miss being happy with a barbie. Stupid adulthood 😉

      Thanks for linking up Talya!


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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