Reagan Joins the Christmas Rush

You say you’re having trouble finding that perfect holiday gift to buy this year? Or worse yet, once you’ve found it, you can’t find a salesperson to ring it up?

Maybe next year you should go Christmas shopping with former President Ronald Reagan.

There were no surly sales clerks and no waiting in line Friday when Reagan went shopping in public for the first time since being elected President in 1980.

During a 45-minute visit to stores at a Century City mall, Reagan purchased stuffed animals to give to a pair of charity collection drives, chocolate candy to give to White House telephone operators and golf balls and chocolate chip cookies to give to himself.

His shopping spree gave hundreds of other shoppers a treat.

Reagan patiently signed autographs, posed for snapshots and briefly chatted with admirers as he strolled between stores. He was accompanied by several Secret Service agents and office aides who tipped off several reporters to publicize the annual Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots drive.

“Wow, this is my Christmas present,” said accountant Fred Lopez of Hollywood, who interrupted his own noontime shopping outing to shake Reagan’s hand.

Shopper Bonnie Brown of Westwood got a close-up peek at the former President through a storefront window as he counted out $9.75 for a pound of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies at the Blue Chip Cookies shop.

“I’ve only seen him on TV,” Brown explained. “He looks much younger than he photographs.”

Paige Maloney of Pasadena agreed--except for 78-year-old Reagan’s hair--which is growing out after recent surgery. “I’m surprised his hair is gray,” she said. “It always looked brown on TV.”

Customers queued up inside a See’s candy store didn’t recognize Reagan at first when he walked in. But when he cut in line to buy a five-pound box of chocolates for the switchboard operators and a tiny chocolate Santa for wife Nancy, their mouths dropped open.

“I don’t mind him going ahead of us,” said Barbara Parkins of Beverly Hills, who stood halfway back in the line. “He’s probably had a hard day.”

Reagan drew a laugh when he held the foil-wrapped candy Santa in the air and asked other shoppers, “You think she’ll like this better than a diamond bracelet?”

He drew understanding nods when he turned down sales clerk Ruth Marx’s offer of a free sample chocolate to nibble on. He said he had just finished lunch--corn chowder topped off with a chocolate sundae--at a mall restaurant.

On his way out with his $40.70 candy purchase, Reagan stopped to tweak the chin of a grinning 5-month-old Lindsey Niedenfuer. She’s the daughter of actress Judy Landers and Seattle Mariners pitcher Tom Niedenfuer.

When he shopped for his stuffed animals at the Disney Store toy shop, assistant store manager Suzi Silver led Reagan straight to a shelf loaded with Mickey Mouse dolls. He eventually selected three--a Mickey, a Minnie Mouse and a Thumper the Rabbit--and Silver helped carry them to the cash register while Reagan picked out a set of cartoon-decorated golf balls for himself.

Reagan pulled a roll of $20 bills from his pocket to pay the $80.59 bill. He explained to clerk Caren Sebok that Mickey and Minnie will go to the Toys for Tots campaign while Thumper will be given to a charity drive being conducted by the California Highway Patrol.

“I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have the golf balls for myself,” Reagan said. “I can’t recall the last time I went Christmas shopping. This is the first time since before I became President. There are a lot of things I couldn’t do as President. They wouldn’t even let me to go church.”

Reagan said he has not yet shopped for a real Christmas gift for his wife.

Before leaving the shop, he signed a few more autographs--including a scrap of paper balanced on top of an “magic slate” drawing tablet that Lillian Land of Beverly Hills had selected for her 2-year-old granddaughter.

To her delight, Reagan signed his name hard enough to press through the paper. His name also showed up on the toy’s reusable plastic drawing surface.

The signature that once graced presidential proclamations, national tax bills and international treaties now appeared on a kiddie drawing tablet.

The memory of this shopping trip will be etched forever in her mind--and on the toy tablet, Land decided. “I’m never going to erase this,” she vowed.