In search of THE gift
There must be a channel that we (parents that have gifts to buy before a certain expiration date) don’t get on our radios. The only channel that counts, really; the one that identifies the gift that must be purchased before every store on the planet has sold out. Here we are, only a few weeks to go in the shopping marathon and already we’re seeking contacts on the other side of the globe, just in case.
It’s always been there; THE gift. Probably hula-hoop shops sold out just before Dad came in. We know about Tickle Me whatever his name was, and the dolls that should have been allowed to undergo transformation into sauerkraut, and a long line of other products that have always been missing from whatever shelf the unlucky parent happens to be standing in front of at the decisive moment.
This season is like an aftershock from the Wii earthquake; there’s a plastic gadget known as a “zapper” that allows the controller to be aimed in emulation of some sort of restricted arm. Even if you lead a gun-free life, this one is used to replace that ever-so-dangerous crossbow. Shades of medieval nights. I offered to be a true Canadian and fabricate something similar from empty paper tubes and duct tape, but this idea was squashed (did you know that a Wii can also emulate a racket?).
So, we spent some time online. Local stores. Not so local stores. Other countries. Even eBay was called in as a reinforcement, and I’m now waiting to hear from Hong Kong on whether “I’m a winner”. At anything over $30 for a piece of plastic, I will not consider myself to be a winner, believe me. And let’s not forget the pressure from the other side of the house, where the status of our bid has become an important detail.
I’m probably getting off easily. The list could include something really rare; world peace, carbon credits, a laptop that should belong to a child… hey, wait; we’re also getting one of those, albeit not in time for the holidays. A victim of popularity. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to wonder what would happen if manufacturers ever produced sufficient stock. Probably we’d be back to the most interesting of cultural artifacts; the war surplus store.
