Yes, I confess. I am the Anti-Shopper, which makes Christmas especially trying. But each year I step up and set out in search of the perfect gifts for my family.
And each year it seems there's one particular toy on every kid's Christmas wishlist. This time, it's a Hatchimal. From what I understand about them, the child gets to watch the mystery toy peck its way out of the egg it comes in, and then the kid is supposed to interact with the pet so that new levels of engagement are "unlocked." Eventually, the toy can be taught to dance and talk. You're cautioned not to throw out the instructions in case you want to reboot the Hatchimal to an earlier level.
Sounds like a lot of work for a fuzzy little do-dad to me.
Of course, the holiday hoopla was just as frantic when my kids were young. Back in the 80s, the be-all, end-all toy was a Cabbage Patch Kid. And they were pretty hard to snag. The toy store in our mall sold out their entire shipment in just a few minutes.
I should know. About a week before Christmas, I'd stood in line trying to get one for #1 Daughter. But even though I was too late to buy a doll that day, I thought to ask if I could have a rain check. Surprisingly enough, the store manager agreed to give me one and took down my contact info in case they received any more before Christmas.
A call came on December 24th.
"The item you requested is in," said the mysterious voice on the phone.
I'd almost forgotten about it. "Oh, you mean the Cabbage Patch D--"
"Shhh!" the voice hissed. "Don't say it out loud."
"OK." It all sounded way more cloak-and-dagger than this suburban housewife was used to. Nervously, I twined my fingers in the corkscrew phone cord. (Yes, Virginia, phones had cords back then!) "When can I--"
"Come to the store within the next 30 minutes or we'll call the next name on the list."
"I'm putting on my coat right now," I promised.
"When you get here, do not tell anyone what you have come for. Just ask for Irene."
"O--" The line went dead. "K," I said to the dial tone.
I hurried to the mall and, feeling as if I should have worn a trench coat instead of my parka, I presented myself at the toy store with ten minutes to spare. Irene came out from the back room with the same haunted expression on her face you see on mailmen or UPS drivers this time of year.
"With hair or without?" she asked cryptically.
"With." I blinked in astonishment. Apparently, I was to take the doll sight unseen.
"I'll bring it out while you pay the cashier," Irene said. "Under no circumstances should you take it out of the bag until you reach your car."
She wasn't kidding. There had been near riots over the silly things the week before.
So, hugging the parcel to my chest, I made my way back to my car and didn't even open it there. I waited until I was safe in my house. It was then that I discovered...
I'd been expecting a pig-tailed or curly-headed girl. Instead, we got Clinton Bobbie. (The name was on his birth certificate and "adoption" papers.)
#1 Daughter was delighted. She'd always been a bit of a tomboy anyway so a boy doll was perfect. Of course, he had no batteries, no software. All the hugging and petting in the world wouldn't "unlock new levels of interaction."
But that was ok. Clinton Bobbie ran on imagination. He didn't need to learn to talk or dance. #1 Daughter did that for him. They had plenty of adventures together without the benefit of technology.
Come to think of it, the present they talk about most often is the year I gave them each a "Discovery Box." I filled a shoebox with odds and ends--a set of magnets, a book about identifying birds, a disposable camera, a magnifying glass, a small notebook to record their discoveries, a fresh set of colored pencils, scotch tape, construction paper, and scissors. There may have been more stuff, but those are the things I remember.
They loved those boxes.
Long after battery-operated toys died, they found new ways to play with the things in their Discovery Box. Imagination and curiosity really is the most powerful force in a kid's arsenal.
So now it's your turn to share. What mega-toy was your White Whale? Were you able to capture it or did it elude you? Is there a gift you received as a child that stands out in your memory?
Your kids sounds like mine. They loved the gifts where they had to use their imagination. My mom gave my oldest a Cabbage Patch Doll. I'm not sure my daughter was old enough to understand.
ReplyDeleteThere's no question that my oldest had an imagination. When I wouldn't give her toy gun, she'd just bend her Barbie doll over at the waist & "pew, pew, pew" away at imaginary targets! Now that she's an adult, she's got a real handgun and she's a pretty good shot.
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