The Ultimate Christmas Gift

December 8, 2017 Valerie Archual Comments 0 Comment

We can all probably remember that one sought-after toy that failed to show up on Christmas morning…

It was the one toy at the top of our Santa list that we would fantasize for weeks about seeing glistening under the tree lights.

For me, it was the 1970’s “Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman” action figure doll by Mego.

I remember I wanted that doll so bad I could taste it!

I still recall writing that Santa letter and listing it at the very top of my wishes, in order of importance of course.

“Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman doll”

I wrote, making sure that Santa wouldn’t get confused just in case there were any other imposter Wonder Woman dolls out there.

But that year, every single brilliantly wrapped Santa gift that bared the name “Valerie” written in glue and glitter, was not a “Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman” action figure doll.

I wasn’t disappointed though.

My mama’s words about Santa always rang true in my ears, especially that year:

“You can ask Santa for anything you want, but he can’t, and doesn’t, always bring everything.”

And plus, I trusted Santa’s judgement.

He knew best, and for whatever reason, maybe another six-year-old girl wanted or needed that Wonder Woman doll more than I did. Or, maybe it was a whole “supply and demand, first-come-first-serve,” kinda thing.

Either way, it was Santa’s call and I was fine with that.

What jogged this memory of “Christmas past,” you ask?

It was a shopping trip I made just a month ago for my granddaughter’s sixth birthday present.

When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she made mention of a toy that just so happened to be one of this year’s “hottest Christmas toys,” although I had no clue of this in the very beginning. My daughter had simply mentioned that they were sometimes hard to find.

Thinking, with it being November and all, maybe the Christmas toy craziness hadn’t quite kicked-in yet.

But regardless, I planned ahead.

I called our local Toys-R-Us, and the sales associate explained they were currently out of stock but were expecting a shipment that evening, and that these little $14.99 treasures would soon be back on the shelves when they opened the following day.

Perfect.

I had to be in that area the next morning anyway.

I would simply hit Toys-R-Us first, wiz in, grab it, and be out the door and on my way in hopefully less than ten minutes.

The following morning 9 A.M. Toys-R-Us parking lot

I parked and was promptly inside the automatic sliding doors where I was greeted by the friendly giraffe’s picture.

I was suddenly approached by a lady storming out of the store in the opposite direction.

Rudely she stopped in front of me and said, “If you’re here for “Fingerlings,” you can just FORGET IT!! They don’t have any!!”

Without even giving me a chance to respond, she briskly walked past me, and was out the door.

First of all, I thought, how did she even get into the store so early?

And secondly… how did she know what I was looking for??

I grabbed a basket and continued down the entrance way that led to the customer service counter.

Another older lady witnessing the tail end of the outburst, looked at me, shrugged her shoulders, and laughed, “Yep, no Fingerlings!” This informant being a lot more cheerful than the first.

I felt like I had been scooped up and plopped into the middle of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, “Jingle All the Way!”

I smiled and thanked her.

I approached the service desk and went ahead and asked the sales clerk about the little plastic monkeys they call “Fingerlings…”

“We’re out… You can try for Saturday, but I’m warning ya, when we get ‘em in, they’re gone in less than twenty-minutes…”

She said this in an exhausted expression of, ‘it’s gonna be a longggg holiday season’ kinda way.

I thanked her and decided I would hit Target’s toy section next, as it was right around the corner.

Target, approximately ten minutes later…

Inside, I made my way to the toy aisle.

There were big brown boxes everywhere.

Several sales associates were opening the boxes and restocking the toy shelves.

Jackpot! It was shipment day! I thought.

Surely some of those brown boxes would contain these little plastic monkey gems.

I found an aisle that had six empty slots labeled, “Fingerlings.”

I looked around to find a sales associate, but instead, found an older lady, parked there in the center of the aisle, glaring at me.

Catching me by surprise, I smiled at her, her face remaining frozen, not moving a muscle.

Not knowing how to respond and thankfully having my attention quickly drawn to a passing sales associate, I stopped him.

“Excuse me!!”

“I’m looking for Fingerlings? Did you get any in?”

He shook his head regretfully at me.

“No Ma’am… I’m sorry we didn’t…”

He spoke to me as if we were at my grandmother’s funeral.

Still trying to process the peculiar turn of events that I seem to be encountering concerning these little monkeys, I thanked him and smiled.

I turned around to leave, only to find that the glaring lady was now joined by another lady, her face just as sternly frozen as her counterpart. Oddly enough, these women didn’t seem to know each other, but both remained standing side by side in the center of the aisle.

I smiled again.

“Hi!” I cheerfully responded in an attempt to lighten the somewhat heavy air that seemed to surround them both.

There was literally no reaction.

I tried another approach.

“I was wondering…. are you guys looking for these Fingerling things, too??”

To which both women started talking all at once.

The glaring lady proudly explained that she was a “collector” and boasted about her original Furby’s that were “still in the box!” along with some of the very first Cabbage Patch Kids that “had never been touched by human hands!”

I showed enthusiasm.

The other lady said her granddaughter had gotten a Fingerling when they came out about six months ago and “doesn’t even touch it now!” but that her other grandchildren wanted one, so she too was on the hunt and wouldn’t stop until she found them!

I then realized, what I had perceived earlier as “glares,” weren’t actually glares at all! They were simply their shopping game faces.

“Well, I guess we won’t be finding any here today!” I said humorously.

Their game faces returned and didn’t budge.

I continued on my way and just as I was about to turn the last corner, I glanced back.

Both ladies still stood solid as a rock in front of the empty Fingerling racks.

Perhaps they had planned to stay there until the next shipment came?

Perhaps they had been there since the previous one was delivered?

I do not know…. but those ladies meant serious business.

Next Stop, Walmart

I had to make a Walmart run anyway and thought, ‘what the heck?’ I’ll take a look-see in their toy section also. I found four feet worth of empty shelving with three posted notices saying : “Fingerlings-only 1 per customer.”

“Fingerlings. Friendship at your fingertips.”

I wonder what these friendly little monkeys would say if they knew what kind of sour demeanor and havoc their awaited arrivals were causing?

I was informed by the first glaring lady that some people were paying triple the amount of their worth or more, just to get them in time for Christmas! She herself admitted to doing this.

Ode to the creators of these finger clinching monkeys…

I’m sure their Christmas’s will be rather green this year!

Needless to say, I did not find a “Fingerling” for my granddaughter’s birthday.

And you know what??

She survived!!

Just like I did when Lynda Carter was a no show that Christmas.

In fact, I don’t think my granddaughter ever even noticed!

She was happy that she was surrounded by her family and friends and cake and games, and that’s all she really cared about.

As we get consumed with the whole holiday season and all it brings, let’s not forget what’s really important.

It’s not about all the presents, and racking up the balances on the credit cards, and making SURE that little Sally gets that desired toy she asked for, even if it means paying quadruple the amount for it.

It’s about family and friends.

Being together and enjoying each other.

Creating memories that we hold in our hearts forever.

The special memories that we relive year after year when we hear that certain carol on the radio, or make that recipe that dates back to our great-great gramma, or that one tradition that we still continue long after our loved one that created it has gone.

But more importantly, it’s about rejoicing over the most wondrous gift that any of us could ever receive.

That first Christmas present that came to us so many years ago, wasn’t wrapped in beautifully sparkling paper or glittery, shiny bows, but was instead wrapped in swaddling clothes and presented to us in a lowly animal stable.

A gift to us from God, in the birth of His Son Jesus.