As I write this blog, I have a toy chest next to me in my office. Inside
are the Gifts of Christmas Past. There are probably at least 2 dozen
stuffed animals, the Barbie Jeep with marker drawn all over, the toy shopping
cart with the fake food, the toy steering wheel with buttons that make noise,
the roller-skating Mickey doll, the toy sized wagon and the princess
bed. That does not even include the toy room in the basement. There
we have a miniature foosball table, a giant doll house, a toy McDonald’s
restaurant (To help kids aspire to greatness) at least an entire chest of
Barbies, Trolls, Bratz and Vampire High dolls, a mixed up pile of clothes for
said dolls, a rocking horse, a Dora the Explorer bench that folds into a bed and
the list continues. I can’t believe how much stuff has built up over the
years. Then I think about what I paid for it all and its condition
now. That sour milk feeling starts to creep into my stomach. It
looks like such a waste. Then I think about my daughters putting all their
dolls in the doll house and needing help to get Barbie’s tight fitting clothes
on her. Apparently Barbie put on a few pounds while they were off because
they never seem to go back on again. So we end up with a doll house of
mostly naked dolls with furniture in all the wrong rooms. There are the
dolls with almost no hair because my daughter saw a commercial about dolls with
hair that grew back and thought they had one. After much cutting with toy
scissors, no hair grew back. Oops! I remember the girls making
pretend meals in the McDonalds and serving invisible food to me. I loved
it. My son and I played the foosball game into the late hours of the night
many times. I wonder where the ball ever went for that game. Each of
the dolls has a different story behind it. Some came from birthdays.
A couple were even standing in the middle of special birthday cakes.
Others were gifts from relatives but most of them came down the
chimney. Many of the stuffed animals were simply toys the kids took
hold of in the store and would not relinquish. Both my child and the toy
ended up in the cart. There are hundreds…no, thousands of dollars invested
in items now in toy boxes in my home. I temper that with the memories they
have created and smile. That money was not wasted. It brought
happiness to my children. Now it is bringing happiness to my
grand-daughter. She has just turned 3 and can’t believe the treasure trove
over at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. So maybe I’ll hold onto these
gifts a little longer. They do seem to keep on giving.
are the Gifts of Christmas Past. There are probably at least 2 dozen
stuffed animals, the Barbie Jeep with marker drawn all over, the toy shopping
cart with the fake food, the toy steering wheel with buttons that make noise,
the roller-skating Mickey doll, the toy sized wagon and the princess
bed. That does not even include the toy room in the basement. There
we have a miniature foosball table, a giant doll house, a toy McDonald’s
restaurant (To help kids aspire to greatness) at least an entire chest of
Barbies, Trolls, Bratz and Vampire High dolls, a mixed up pile of clothes for
said dolls, a rocking horse, a Dora the Explorer bench that folds into a bed and
the list continues. I can’t believe how much stuff has built up over the
years. Then I think about what I paid for it all and its condition
now. That sour milk feeling starts to creep into my stomach. It
looks like such a waste. Then I think about my daughters putting all their
dolls in the doll house and needing help to get Barbie’s tight fitting clothes
on her. Apparently Barbie put on a few pounds while they were off because
they never seem to go back on again. So we end up with a doll house of
mostly naked dolls with furniture in all the wrong rooms. There are the
dolls with almost no hair because my daughter saw a commercial about dolls with
hair that grew back and thought they had one. After much cutting with toy
scissors, no hair grew back. Oops! I remember the girls making
pretend meals in the McDonalds and serving invisible food to me. I loved
it. My son and I played the foosball game into the late hours of the night
many times. I wonder where the ball ever went for that game. Each of
the dolls has a different story behind it. Some came from birthdays.
A couple were even standing in the middle of special birthday cakes.
Others were gifts from relatives but most of them came down the
chimney. Many of the stuffed animals were simply toys the kids took
hold of in the store and would not relinquish. Both my child and the toy
ended up in the cart. There are hundreds…no, thousands of dollars invested
in items now in toy boxes in my home. I temper that with the memories they
have created and smile. That money was not wasted. It brought
happiness to my children. Now it is bringing happiness to my
grand-daughter. She has just turned 3 and can’t believe the treasure trove
over at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. So maybe I’ll hold onto these
gifts a little longer. They do seem to keep on giving.
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