The countdown has begun

I guess the countdown has started.

Not the countdown for a spacecraft to be launched, the countdown for DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS.

I looked and it’s only 44 days. I was curious about the days until Christmas when I heard on the news that certain toys are already in short supply.

Fortunately for me my children are grown. I won’t have to make those desperate dashes from store to store trying to find the popular toy of the year.

I have been told this year’s toy that is in short supply is the Zhu Zhu Pets hamster, a robotic hamster.

Only this year they are not blaming overzealous shoppers on the short supply. This year it is the economy. Stores were scared to order too many Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters and now the shelves are becoming empty of the little mechanical rodents.

I guess if I was a parent with a child who really had to have the Zhu Zhu Pets hamster I would feel bad. But seriously, looking at the shelves and shelves of other toys, I am hopeful that most parents will find a suitable substitute.

I remember the days of Tickle Me Elmo. Every child had to have one.

Then there was the year of the Cabbage Patch dolls. Those pudgy little soft babies flew off the shelves. I admit it was a favorite of my daughter.

I understand retailers and their problems in estimating how many to order. First off, who knows what the popular “toy of the year” will be. It varies so much from year to year.

Will it be a new Barbie doll, a mechanical rodent, or a stuffed toy that giggles? It is anyone’s guess.

But some things never change. Parents will always want to get their child that special gift that brings joy on Christmas morning. I imagine even the pioneers were puzzled on just what type of doll cradle to make or toy truck to carve. I wonder if even the caveman questioned which rock to give his child as a gift. Which one had the right color and shape that would bring joy to little cave boy or girl?

So I wish all parents good luck as they start their Christmas shopping and try to figure out what to give their children. Now I understand why Santa Claus’s hair turned white.