I always wax nostalgia this time of the year. It's the commercials for toys that always get me started.
When my son was 3, he wanted a pow pow and some vroom vrooms. That's toddler speak for a cap gun and hot wheels cars. Son was the only baby in our extended family for 8 years. We all spoiled him and loved his kiddie talk. Then along comes the nephew 8 years later.
My nephew is 3. He doesn't want a pow pow. He wants a Nerf Vulcan EBF-25. Technical, that kid. Precise. Very, very precise. Poor thing missing out on all the kiddie talk. I'm sure this will traumatize him later in life.
Anyway. Waxing nostalgic.
When I was around 7 or 8 years old, my favorite TV show was Family Affair. Remember Buffy and Jody? Mr. French? Uncle Bill and Cissy? Sweet show about how a family pulls together after a horrible tragedy.
For Christmas 1966, I wanted a Mrs. Beasley doll. Had to have it. Would die without it.
I didn't get it. Was devastated. Lived through it.
Years later, my parents explained to me how they'd searched for months for that doll. They'd gone to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Jackson...every major city within reason...trying to find this doll. No one had them in stock because the doll was the Hot item that year.
I look at pictures of that doll now and wonder why in the world I ever wanted it. It's a stuffed doll with bad hair and licorice like glasses. And the evil grin on her face? Probably would have given me nightmares anyway.
I've come to the conclusion that it was the TV commercials that forced me to want that doll. It probably wouldn't have appealed to me if not for those ads. Thousands of them would have still been sitting on the shelves collecting dust in the department stores if not for those clever commercials. Stupid Mattel ads.
I was talking about this last night with my son. I was trying to get him to start really thinking about what he'd like to have for Christmas. Books, clothes, cds? A new iPod? what??? WHAT do you want for Christmas, son????
He wants a Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 just like nephew wants. He's heard nephew spew that for the last 3 weeks and now he's decided he can't live without it either. Not only do the commercials entice kids, now the kids are repeating the commercials to anyone that will listen. That's what causes the "hot item" mess.
Did I go to every major city within reason to find this? Heck no. I know he'd just play with it maybe twice until the "new" wore off and then it'd catch dust with all of his other "can't live without" toys.
Besides, all I had to do was click the "place in my shopping cart" button at the Target website.
I bought 3 of them.
Don't laugh at me.
We'll see who's laughing when YOU need this hot item and I have an extra one.
Maybe.
Hubby is rubbing his hands together at the thought of playing around with the kids. I might have bought just enough Vulcan EBF-25s.
Holiday Menu - chitlins - November 24, 2008 I'm done - November 21, 2008 Cheater glasses - November 20, 2008 Don't mess with my iced tea - November 18, 2008 Happy Birthday Danny DeVito - November 17, 2008
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