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He’s Just Like Us!

In which the author buys a toy from an actual toy store

Cliff Annicelli, Editor-in-Chief -- Gifts and Dec, 2/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

By some odd alignment of the stars, I rarely find myself with a need for toys, yet I typically have an office full of them. Since 99 percent of them arrived unsolicited, it’s a pretty random assortment of the well-known and the obscure. Suffice to say, many people stop by my office to say hello and pick up a quick present for their kids from among the bounty. And no matter how random a toy or bizarre a concept, if I put something out in our office “free box,” it’s gone within minutes. It makes me think that yes, there’s a toy for everybody; and that I’d make a terrible merchant since I’m always shocked someone actually took such and such a product.

But despite all these toys orbiting my small sphere of influence, this Christmas I found myself with nothing particularly suitable sitting around the office for the one child I do sometimes need to buy toys for, my 8-year-old nephew. So, I stalled.

Christmas was almost a whole week away so surely something cool would show up soon courtesy of the corporate mail room. Unfortunately, none of the holiday best-bets I’d squirreled away during the course of the year, according to my sister, were going to be of much interest to my nephew. Did he want a Zhu Zhu Pet? I’ve got a few of those...Nope, not into Zhu Zhu Pets. How about Bakugan? Surely, Bakugan. He’s 8 and don’t all 8-year-old boys like Bakugan? I’ve got the 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid right here...Nope, not into Bakugan. Bah! Wait, there’s Lego. I know he likes Lego—especially Star Wars. Except, of course, I haven’t any Lego sets sitting around the office. So, off to Toys R Us Times Square I go...on December 23...with Han Solo’s line from the original Star Wars ringing in my head: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

I was right about the bad feeling. Upon walking through the revolving doors and running the gauntlet of commemorative photograph hawkers TRU’s Time Square store employs, I knew this was not going to be a fun experience. Twenty minutes later I’d clawed my way to the Lego section to find it picked clean but for the most expensive sets, which, while tempting, were out of the range of my family’s agreed upon “Recessionary Christmas” spending plan. So, that left Plan B: Go to a specialty toy store.

At this point it was getting late and I figured I only had one shot left, so I headed to Zittles, a glorified toy department above an independent pharmacy. It’s a great resource if you know it’s there; not being at street level, it hasn’t (to my eyes) much of a walk-in business. The selection is a well curated mix of mass and specialty product. But when I arrived the Lego sets were long gone there, too. Sigh. So, on to Plan C: Just buy something!

I needed to choose very wisely. My family’s favorite holiday expression is “Did you bring the receipt?” After much circling, I settled on an R/C motorcycle. It had enough wow factor for a good Christmas gift, yet wasn’t extravagant. It was soon finely gift wrapped, and I was on my way home for a drink.

Cut to Christmas morning. Nephew, opening gift, exclaims: “I always wanted this!”

Whew...

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