#132: What Your Favorite Harpist Needs: A Gift List with a Difference

Long, long ago in what seems like a galaxy far away, there was no Cyber Monday. There was barely even a Black Friday. We shopped in stores, not on the yet-to-be-imagined internet. 

And for the children who were dreaming of holiday presents, there was the Sears catalog, the “Wish Book” edition. If you are an American of a certain age, you are nodding your head right now, but if you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll explain.

Sears is a department store chain that was founded in 1892. It was in the beginning exclusively a mail order business, and the Sears catalog was an important resource for shoppers all over the country, but particularly in rural areas that had limited access to stores. But, the special “Wish Book” edition, first printed in 1933 and released every year at holiday time, was the ultimate catalog shopping experience. It ceased publication in 1993, but at its peak, the catalog had over 600 pages with more than 100 pages devoted to toys. My brother and I waited for that catalog every year and boy, did we wish our way through the pages!

There’s no more Wish Book, but there also seems no end to our burgeoning consumerism. I have no desire to add to the frenzy but I did want to offer some ideas for harp-related gifts that you may enjoy giving to a harpist friend or putting on your own wish list. The twist to this list is that everything on it I have chosen because it will make a harpist’s life easier. Some of the items are recommendations for things you can purchase, but there are some that aren’t things you could buy for any amount of money. It’s about increasing harp happiness, not decreasing your wallet.

So grab a cup of tea and take a break with me, a rest from the holiday shopping rush. We’ll talk about the little things, a few bigger things and the less tangible things that every harpist could use at the holidays or any time of year.

By the way, I’ve included a link in the show notes to a list of everything I’m mentioning on today’s podcast. This is purely informational; I’m not making a commission or earning any money from any of the things on this list. You don’t even have to enter your email to get the list. All you have to do is click the link.

But if you’d like to show the podcast a little love, I’d be so grateful. Just share this episode or any of the episodes you may have found helpful with a friend. You’ll be sharing valuable information to help your harp friend, and you’ll be helping me to help more harpists. That’s a win for everyone and it doesn’t cost a thing!

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Download my “What Every Harpist Needs” list PDF here.
• Check out our Harp Mastery® shop! 
• Related resource 10 Quick and Easy Stocking Stuffers for the Musician on Your List blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]