While I've already established that I may occasionally overpay for things, I do exercise caution with my money most of the time. The holidays are not such a time. Normally I budget my expenses, buy store brands, shop at thrift stores, stock up on sale items. But as Christmas is quickly approaching, having kids means toy shopping is quickly approaching. I love toy stores any other day of the year as well, but during the holidays, toy stores become absolutely magical: Magical in their ability to turn the most well-dispositioned, well-fed, well-rested child into a screaming, flailing, lump of spoiled rotten on the floor by the train table. Magical in their ability to woefully understock the most sought-after toys of the year, every year. Magical in their ability to turn clumsy me into a superbly stealthy cape-and-masked superhero of a mom. "Did you just put something in the cart, Mom?" "Just my coat, sweetie," ...which I used to cover the stocking stuffer I threw in there while you were looking at Bakugans.
But mostly, the magic of the toy store lies in its ability to make my gift budget disappear. The source of this power lies within the children for whom I am shopping. My daughter is a tween-aged clone of myself, having been replicated via a process that added artistic ability and 1,000 times the cuteness. My son is a 30 pound, curly-haired mass of adorable genius. My niece has eyes the size of former planets with eyelashes that touch her eyebrows, and never denies her Aint B a hug. By their powers combined, I am a blob of toy-purchasing putty in their hands. Utterly diabolical.
As someone who is quite indecisive, I am easily overwhelmed by options. The toy store is certainly a place with a hypnotizing amount of items that would make the children in my life happy; why choose between those items? I'll just take one of everything.
"How are we already out of money?" Husband asks, and faintly, I can hear three simultaneous "Muahahaha"s from three diabolically adorable voices.
Like a superhero guards her alter ego, so must a professional holiday shopper guard her most important item: her budget. Even against an archenemy such as the toy store, with a weapon as powerful as a precious child.
