The Easy Bake Oven

Get Organized and Stay Clean with Christmas Spirit!

It’s December and I know we are all busy. Parties, school concerts, family gatherings, shopping, wrapping and baking. December is a month that seems to fill up fast. It’s not necessarily a month we think of when we think of dejunking or organizing. However, if you have kids I’m going to suggest a quick “clear out”. There are two reasons why I think this time of year is perfect for going through kids toys. First, there are new toys coming that you need to make room for. Second, there are many parents who will be scanning the shelves of second hand stores to find the perfect gift for their child, a gift they can afford. Why not donate just in time to help make someone else’s Christmas a bit brighter. I know there are lots of toy drives this time of year and donating new toys is an awesome way to help out. But there are parents out there that aren’t receiving any outside help this season and they will be looking for second hand Christmas gifts.

Let me tell you a story and then we can talk about how to get this done. When I was six I really really wanted an Easy-Bake Oven. I was glued to the TV when the commercials would come on. I wanted one for my birthday in June and it was the first thing on my Christmas list in December. In the commercials a little girl with blonde pigtails (just like mine) would bake perfect cakes for a tea party. It looked like so much fun!

I had no idea how much one of those things cost, but my mom knew, and they were expensive. In 1963 when they came out with the first Easy-Bake Oven it cost $15.95 which is the equivalent to $127 today. I don’t know what they sold for in 1980 but I can guess they weren’t cheap. Did I mention there are 7 kids in my family? Oh ya, I did. No one was getting an expensive gift like that with so many kids to buy for.

Christmas morning there was a big gift for me from Santa. I tore off the wrapping paper and underneath was a box we got when we bought peaches in the summer in BC. I pulled the lid off and spotted this amazing turquoise green color. We pulled it out and I could see it was an Easy-Bake Oven!!! It was even cooler than the one advertised on TV. You see I got the first Easy-Bake Oven, not the one I saw in commercials. I just assumed Santa’s elves made me a different one!

I was beyond excited. My dad made some comment about Santa getting his peaches from the same place we got ours. I wasn’t suspicious in the least. It seemed like a reasonable explanation as to why the elves put my new Easy-Bake Oven that they had made into Santa’s fruit box. That Christmas I also got several packs of the new Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Cake Mixes and my mom made me an apron to match my oven. I think it took two days for me to use up all those cake mixes but my mom said she would teach me how to make the cakes and frosting from scratch. Even with a new baby at home she made the time to do exactly that.

It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I learned the story behind my Easy-Bake Oven. I was home helping my mom and dad organize and we were looking through some of our old toys and I asked if my mom knew where it was. My mom couldn’t remember where it got put but then she told me how she got it. She said she knew I wanted one so badly so the summer of 1980 she went to dozens of garage sales all over the city hoping to find one…and she did. Someone’s used toy made my Christmas magical. Today I love baking and I also love aprons!

With just over two weeks until Christmas this needs to be quick project. We aren’t doing a full organizing job. One hour tops from start to finish including travel time! First think about what you know your child is getting for Christmas and then make sure you will have a space for those new things. Make space by clearing out any toys your child doesn’t play with anymore. Put them in a bag or box and head straight to the goodwill. It’s that simple. You will never know which kid will be given those toys but I promise you that their Christmas will be brighter and their parents hearts happy because of your donation. Who knows, maybe one day 40 years from now they will write about it on their blog.

-Kiersta

Check out this link to see the history of the Easy Bake Oven.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a34493/easy-bake-oven-history/