Christmas gifts Reid won’t be getting from us

November 19, 2007 by Barbara.

I went shopping at Costco last weekend. With my iPod on and no small friend accompanying me, it’s an almost relaxing way to spend some time. I don’t understand why they have a better produce section than my local Loblaws but they do and so there I was. Of course, I couldn’t get to the produce without passing by the Christmas toys that have been out for weeks. Many were easy to pass by but there are a few  that Reid won’t be getting for Christmas from us that caused a little twinge of regret. Note I have a closet full of toys (slight exaggeration but only slight) that will provide Reid with Christmas presents, compliments of the Discovery Toys consultant starter kit that I bought when Reid was a newborn.

I spied:
* Little MD kit by Parents for  $12.99. Reid has a domed case from Discovery Toys that she uses for a doctor’s kit. It has no equipment in it but she improvises and imagines really well. Playing doctor is a favourite imagination game of Reid’s.
* Game table by Parker Brothers for $39.49 that has 4 classic games - chess, checkers, cribbage, poker dice - and either Monopoly and Clue or Monopoly and Sorry! All of the games come in a solid wood cabinet that is just a bit bigger than a normal-sized checker board and a few inches thick. All of the games fit inside the table, or that was the impression I had when looking at the box. Yes, I do know that Reid is too young for all of the games I just described, except maybe the poker dice since we could always play a matching or counting game with them. I am the lover of board games but a mother is allowed to project her dreams and desires, don’t you think?
* Bucket of Tinker Toys for $34.49. Imagine the fun we could have with this messy toy! I think this one might be more about me, too. Remember the train track I obsessed over last Christmas? I put the Tinker Toys in that mental category, too. I imagine that Ken, the one who does most of the housework, won’t mind me bypassing the multi-piece distraction.

We didn’t see these things but Reid still isn’t getting them, though she would love them, I’m sure:
* A hockey stick sized for a 3 foot-tall 3-year-old who seems to be right-handed and a puck to go with the stick. I don’t think Reid would have a preference between wood and composite, though I understand that wooden sticks are falling out of favour.
* Mini sticks and a mini puck. I don’t actually know if they make mini pucks or what is appropriate for use with mini sticks. There were no mini sticks in my childhood and they don’t seem to be at daycare, either. (I haven’t asked Ken about this matter, don’t think that he is less of a man for me not knowing ;+)
* A baby sister or brother. This one was suggested by a random, strange woman who brought her kid to trick or treat at our house at Halloween. She started innocenly enough, asking if Reid was my only child, but it went downhill when she asked Reid, “Do you want your mommy to give you a baby sister or brother?” Reid nodded, a bit reluctantly, as if *she* realized that the question shouldn’t have been asked. Thankfully, Reid hasn’t raised the issue again.

It’s never too early to think of the toys you won’t buying, eh?

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