where wildly different is perfectly normal
The BIG Book
The BIG Book

The BIG Book

Things have been MUCH too dark around here this week. I’m supposed to be laughing at chaos, not getting kicked in the teeth by it. See all the color? Too cheery to be that dark that long. So what’s cheery and pleasant and brings me happy thoughts?

Yes, Jamie Bamber
Yes, Jamie Bamber

Wouldn’t that bring you happy thoughts? Not necessarily PG, but happy? Mmmm….but I digress.

No, wait, I don’t want to digress yet.

Hang on.

Trying to breathe.

Um. Yum.

Ok, what else is cheery and pleasant and all that?

TOYS!

The Toys R Us BIG Toy Book!

Yes, the Holy Grail of Holiday Shopping for the Under 10 Set dropped into our lives in last Sunday’s paper. The boys have spent an embarrassingly large number of hours pouring over the pages, circling and marking and initialing and drooling (really dudes, the pages are starting to warp) and planning and negotiating and working up rough drafts to Santa.

I believe the current cost estimate is roughly akin to, say, the GDP of Luxembourg.

Last year A tried to email Santa his wish list: the entire Lego catalog. It didn’t make it to the North Pole, it got caught in the Holy Crap, Kid, Really? filters the elves set up after the boom years of yore.

This year J is actually writing his list (he’s working on it as I type). Yes, I have one kid who’d rather walk on fire with his tongue than write, and another whose day is not complete unless he writes something and tapes it on the wall. And then takes off paint. Or the finish on a cabinet island. But I’m not bitter, oh no…

Like many families, this year Christmas will be a smaller affair. It will certainly not be a repeat of last year’s Wii-derful Christmas. More along the lines of You Get What You Get And You Don’t Throw A Fit. I’ve already started shopping, and will be done by Thanksgiving because I want to enjoy my holidays this year. It will also not be a repeat of XMAS cards 2008, where I got cards, got stamps, got sick of the whole process and said screw it.

Me? What do I want? Well, I already have my drool-worthy photo above, so beyond that…I’m pretty content. I have a home, an employed spouse, reasonably happy and healthy sons, and a dog who thinks I walk on water. Beyond that, I want a direction to my life. I’ve been working on it, but it’s still a process I’m not close to completing. I miss having a goal, something to achieve. And frankly, I’d like to bring in a few coins. But overall, I have everything I need.

Just try to find that in the Big Book of Toys.

5 Comments

  1. mmmm…eye candy….yummy

    The lego catalog is porn for under 12’s. After that, well, I’m just starting to learn about all of that. As if I needed anything else to worry about.

    Oh, and if you find that direction thingy, let me know. kthxbye!

  2. You know, you REALLY ought to issue a warning when posting a picture like that. I didn’t have a towel ready to catch the drool and now I think my keyboard is hebr%$ ^*&…wait, what was I saying…Bamber….drooool….

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