It is not Christmas yet! The marketing promotions are already beginning and the first item that is sure to be in short supply is "laughing, giggling Elmo". The doll sells for $40-45 and is available on ebay for $135. Is this a great country or what?
The current Elmo frenzy caused a friend to reminisce about a Christmas past. He was trying to buy a doll for his daughter (it probably wet the bed, barfed in your lap and giggled). They were in short supply and the chances of buying the doll were slim. Then, a store manager who knew he was looking for the doll, called my friend and indicated he had a doll he could buy. My friend had to drive to the store, enter through the back door and go directly to a special office. Very mysterious. The doll was in a paper bag so that nobody could identify it and the exchange took place for cash. All the way home this friend felt fantastic. He had done it. He had procured the ultimate Christmas present. He could just imagine the look on his daughter's face on Christmas morning. He would be her hero. What a special feeling my friend had? He had pulled off the impossible.
On Christmas morning when the doll was unwrapped, my friend said his daughter was delighted and there was a flurry of loving exchanges (thank you Dad, you know) and then the doll was set aside while she opened other packages. So much for being special. The doll was just one of many Christmas presents.
When asked what happened to the doll, my friend said it is in a box in the attic in almost "mint condition".
There is an exhuberant giddiness that goes with the search for that special thing that is sure to please the recipient. We've all done it. Then there is the anticipation of the moment that the gift is presented and the gleefull look in the eyes of the recipient. Ah, the gratification.
I am reminded of gifts that were special in our family. Cabbage Patch dolls were difficult purchases. I think they all had registered names. Does anybody remember Cabbage Patch?
The first Christmas we were in Milwaukee in 1963, I had been employed for 6 months and we were destitute (no money, Honey). The offerings under the Christmas tree were sparse and there were two little daughters who deserved more. I remember taking $20 out of our savings account which essentially wiped out our savings. The money was spent to buy a dolls for Grasshopper 1 and Grasshopper 2. They were very young at the time so they had no idea of the sacrafice that went into the dolls. That is not important. The gift generated that special feeling that goes with trying to please someone you love.
Here is wishing you that special joy that goes with finding the gift that is sure to please (regardless of how much dust the gift collects later on)!
Love,
Dad