Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Dollar Tree Christmas


For the last several years we have taken our younger children to the dollar store for Christmas and let them shop for everyone in the family. This has resulted in always entertaining but rarely appropriate gifts. A paddle-ball game for Jason, a lovely statuette of the Virgin Mary for me, and a a fuzzy porcelain polar bear with a santa hat for Cindy Lynn.

This year I thought we'd do it a little differently. Russ had mentioned that he seemed to be missing some clamps and thought that could be a good Christmas gift. Because I use those clamps a lot in my frame-making, I thought that was a good idea. 5 kids at home, 5 new clamps...the math seemed pretty simple to me.

I told the little kids this morning that we were going to go meet Dad so that they could go shopping with him, but that first we were going to go to Lowes to get his present. "Lowes!" the wailed. "But we want to go to the Dollar Store!" I explained how much he needs new clamps, and that it would be so terrific to get him presents that he needs and wants. They were unpersuaded.

Rachel burst into tears. When I asked her what was the matter, she said that she wanted to go back to the Dollar Store for Christmas presents so that she could get Dad another book like she did last year. Since last year was about 363 days ago I asked for a reminder of what wonderful book she had given Russ for Christmas last year. She sniffed and answered sadly, "I gave him a book about the girl vampire slayer, and he lost it!"
And then she dissolved into tears again. The thought that she might not be able to replace that wonderful book so that Russ could finish reading it was just too much for her to bear.

I tried all manner of reasoning. I explained that we don't buy many books in our family because we read so much, and books are so expensive. Rachel countered with the reminder that this book had only been a dollar. I tried gently to help them see that books that cost only a dollar probably weren't as good as books from a real book store. When Rachel looked at me with tearful eyes I chickened out and backpedaled furiously. "They aren't as big as more expensive books," I told her. "They have soft covers instead of hard covers."

Rachel was never convinced, and in the end we came to a compromise. We would buy the clamps, and then the three of them together would pick a dollar store present for Dad. They seemed reasonably satisfied with that.

I can't wait to see what they got him this time...

---------update--------

I'm not going to say what they did get him, because that would spoil the Christmas morning fun. But I did just hear this conversation:

Rachel: I wanted to get him a lighter, but Jared wouldn't let me.

Jared: Yeah, because he doesn't need a lighter...

9 comments:

  1. I have been laughing about this all day!!!

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  2. Yeah, me too. Rachel's consternation that Dad never got to finish the vampire book was just so real!

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  3. That is so funny! Aren't you glad we have blogs to document our kid's funnies? I really hope, for Rachel's sake, that they still carry that book! And on Christmas morning, you should say, "And Russ, wouldn't it be great to give Rachel a synopsis of the book after you've read it?" ROFL

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  4. Now Amy, let's not be so mean. No book reports on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I thought that book was good and lost, and now I won't even have a lighter to help me read it.

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  5. Amy--great idea. And if she can't find the Buffy book, we can suggest she get him to read Twilight--right?? ;)

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  6. Oh yes, Twilight is good. I just happened to have picked up a spare copy at book club. Rachel is more than welcome to wrap it as long as I'm guaranteed that no lighters are present at the reading!

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  7. Hilarious! Where is your virgin mary statue? On your bedside table, I hope!

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  8. Katie, thank goodness I don't have a bedside table!! ;)

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