Christmas insanity!! by kim

I tell you, those who say there is not a Santa Clause...I beg to differ!!! Something, some kind of spirit, that spirit of Christmas and good ol' Saint Nik took over my normally sane mind and had me driving to the next town over to wait for 12 hours in the cold. It was SANTA who made me do it! I was quite fine with having them wait until after Christmas, I mean afterall, they should just be freaking happy they are getting an upgrade from the super nintendo dont'cha think?? But seriously people, he made me do it! You don't understand, those people waiting for concert tickets day over day, nuh uh, not me, won't catch me doing it! I love my sleep, I love my warm bed, it was calling to me last night and after many minutes of questioning myself for doing this. I thought, oh what the hell, it's christmas!

Here we are, the other 5 people I bonded with last night over our crazy quest for the love of Christmas..from the left, a boy who was 14, holding a place for his Aunt who was coming from an hour away, his other aunt and uncle, the lady who was really on half that size, but was worried about the cold, so she doubled everything up and sat on a recliner chair was a women I actually knew through a friend, she was #4, and then my son's friend who took the insane challenge with me, his name is Rhette, God love that kid!! His mother would not do it, but he really wanted it, so she said he could come with me so I had company!! That kid is awesome!!! Especially since he brought me a really coool and comfy little convertable bed/chair! And his mum packed us water, chocolate, smut magazines and fruit leather.

When we arrived at 9:45, I said, Hi! My name is Kim, I guess we will be spending the night together, so nice to meet you!! That broke the ice, and we all talked about the game for a bit. The one guy, who was the extra body in case someone needed to take a pee pee break, had one already and was just waiting with his siblings and son (the 14 year old) he was so nice, he was a very tough NYC boy, with Gold caps on his tooth and an accent from the bronx, I'm sure! He was the one reassuring us all that we had not in fact lost our minds, but just were doing it for our kids, cause we loved them. He was also the one who while we were all trying to catch a few winks, he was making sure we were covered completely and that his propane stove was pointing in our direction if we were cold.


Here we all after a long long night, filled with rain...an air horn...a few stray cats...a lot of people stopping by hoping to join our little line..a visit from the police....and a few good friends who stopped by to give us donuts and hot cocoa and tea!!!

Now here was the thing, number 1-3, they arrived at 8pm, number 4, she arrived at 9, and us 5 & 6 arrived at 9:45pm...the store opened at 10am sunday morning...the manager left us at 10pm, shaking his head and saying good luck, I'll be here at 8am so I can tease you behind the window! There was a sign that said, we have 6 Nintendo Wii's that will be available at opening time on Sunday.

The first visitor was just a couple random people before midnight, and once we told them there were only 6 and we were six sitting there not going to move, they moved on....the one guy around 1am drove by a few times and then came back around 20 minutes later blowing an air horn...well I hope it made him feel better, because I just fell back to a semi relaxed state..the rain started around 2am and at 3am, I woke up and said "it rained???" and the cops were talking to the others...Rhette and I kept going in and out of sleep and everyone else did a little bit, but we never completely had any good REM's that is for sure!! We all woke up at 5 or 6 am when people really started coming and stopping...first was the cute little kid, he was like 10, his parents dropped him off and drove away..and I said, they are coming back right?? and he said yeah in a minute...so we broke it to him..I felt soo guilty, he was so disappointed...then there was this really annoying old guy....who was snacking on some piroulles and smelling of a fresh shower and horrible old man after shave...who says..."just having some breakfast, heh heh" and so he just stands there...and I being the 6th one, and feeling like he would probably try to push me first says..."you do know there are only 6 games right"??? and he says yeah...i'm hoping they have an extra...or one of you will have to pee sooner or later...I have him my angry eyes...and informed him i would pee right where I was sitting thank you very much!!! He just stoood around so we all went into our..."we've been up all night, and we could all take you right about now grandpa!!" speech...and he stayed for about an hour or more...I finally said, who are you trying to get this for..thinking the old fart will say, his beloved grandson who has never wanted anything so much in his life......NOOOOOOOO, he says...my son, he's had the new version every year they have come out....and I said, how old is he..cause seriously this guy was older than my 65 year old father...and he said 20!! I not only gave him more angry eyes...but I also gave him my angry pursed lips....he finally left....then there was the young girl who came and of course I had to break it to her, and she said...I've been waiting for this for so long..if I'd only known, I would have come last night...not sure how she got the info at 7am, but whatever, she then said with tears in her eyes....I don't have any gifts for my kids.....to which I replied....yeah well neither do I, so find another line!! (hahahah, kidding, I would never be so mean...but I did say the first part, the other part was under my breath:) BUT the kicker, out of all these people was the little person in a wheelchair, right after we were talking about the mother and the little boy, about how bad we felt for a minute....and how we all thought for a second...should we, could we....?? the worst was this little boy about 13, I would guess, in a wheelchair and a little person...his mother helps him out of the car, into his chair and he wheels himself over, right next to me....silence....i'm trying to give the others the vulcan mind melt to tell them that it is their turn and I cannot do this or else I'm liable to give him my spot and to please for the love of God tell this poor kid.......silence..nothing....oooh what handicapped kid??? we don't see anything, you see, we are 1-5...muah hahahahha !! So I finally say...Hi honey are you waiting for the wii?? and he says with a chip on his shoulder and not very nicely...yeah...and so I say..well there are only 6...and I'm the sixth...and he says..."SO!" and so I say...well we've been here since 9pm last night..and he again, says "so!"....hmmmm...so I ask him if he drove around looking for a while and he says "NO!"....so finally he is trying to look in the window at the manager, (luckily the manager had just gotten there about 15 minutes prior and told us all, you six are the lucky ones, once the store opens, you waited all night, you deserve these!!) so the kid goes in the direction of the mom's car, and she gives him the thumbs up sign...and so he comes back next to me..so I try to make small talk and watch my fingers, as he is rolling his chair really close to me every few minutes....so finally his mother comes out...and says...hey buddy, how's it going??? ya'll waiting for the wii??? and I said yep, since 9pm last night..and like I told him there are only 6, the sign says so..and there are six of us...and she goes "oh, well...so!"....I couldn't believe it!!! So I said, yeah well the manager already told us they were ours...he left us here last night and just went into the store and told us on the way in, that we got them! (don't worry, I was still nice!) THEN she says...."WELL, DID YOU TELL HIM THAT?????"....so I said...well kinda, I mean...I was trying to tell him that..so she scoffed and wheeled him away and they both glared a very evil glare at all of us!!

So that was it...we did it..it was actually very fun, not that I will make it a habit...but it was an adventure and we got the wii....HOOOORAY...no rain check from Santa, not this year....Cheese will be soo surprised and happy and the day will be great..and when he is older, for the both of them...when the words come out of my mouth...I brought you into this world.....I can also add...and when you were little, I sat out in the cold for 12 freaking hours to make your Christmas morning...so you better do what I say!!!!!

Crazy things parents can do... by thomas

...especially for christmas

It is saturday, 9:55pm... at the moment I am writing these lines, kim is in her car driving to EB games. She heard that 6 nintendo wii will be in tomorrow... the shop opens at 10AM... she took a chair, covers and so on, and will spend the night (apparently 3 people are already waiting) in front of the shop...

Crazy uh?... I am in montreal else I would have come with her, or just convinced her that our bed was way more comfortable. so she is going to wait 12hours... I hope they wont feel like peeing or something, or be thirsty!!! Sigh... and in the end it is not even sure that she gets it, as I am sure people will push to get in

3 Weeks to Christmas...by Thomas

... and we are already getting ready!!!

Kim has started to get xmas decorations, and we are getting the tree this weekend. We will decorate every single room of the house... This will be our 3rd Xmas together.

After two xmas' of telling the kids, Santa would NOT bring any Ipod, or PSP, or any other toy of the month, we have decided to get one of those high-tech systems... the Nintendo wii!! lots of family fun in perspective. However, before getting to play with it, little cheese will have to use a bit of his brain (unfortunately pickle's has been deserving coal this year, so he will not be allowed to play with it for a while - he should feel lucky not to be in France were it's Père Fouettard).

To bring a bit of fun, since we won't be able to bring them to NYC, we decided to make a treasure hunt... Afterall, after begging us for so long for a cool present, they will have to work for it. Not that it is a hard hunt... I have been writing the clues and my English isn't that great yet. So lets see if you can get gold...

Let's start with the enveloppe Santa left under the tree

Let's start easy, you all guessed we have to go to the shower... not sure why Santa had to go there, but well, maybe he spilled some milk over him??? There you find a second envelope

At least, he is nice, he is washing his dishes... No need to explain this one, you all get it... Now the next clue.
Ha... for the ones not knowing ticky yet, he is our little dog, and there is noooo way to get peace with that little monster, especially if you are eating something... Best place to get a rest, the futon in the sitting room with view on the lake... and the next step in our treasure hunt...

Late breaking news
********

Okay now blogger is to blame for the rest not being done...it won't allow Thomas to add the other clues....this draft has been sitting, and I wanted you to see it, even if it was not complete...so there you have a little part of what the kids will see, a little view of how wonderfully magnificent that frog really is:) pooo pooo to blogger for not allowing him to finish and add the other clues....

BUT we have now discovered we have an even bigger problem here!!!!

The only gift we were planning on giving both boys is the Nintendo Wii....and it is impossible to get.

2 weeks ago we saw it on walmart with a game bundle (8 games) for $650 or something, and I would/could not allow him to buy it..I have never spent that much on one present and felt too guilty for him spending his money. As it was, I was having a hard time letting him buy the system for $250 and one game for $50, so I said we should just wait and he should not spend that much. Then last week we saw it on E-B games for about the same price and when he was trying to order it, could not because he would be using a canadian visa/debit, but shipping to USA, and that was forbidden, as it was also forbidden for him to ship the system to canada..so again..I thought, don't worry, we'll find just the system and 1 game, without a problem...(HA, the universe says...we'll teach you for being so optimistic!)

Yesterday, I talked the frog off the ledge that he was about to jump off of...you know that ledge that these fricken toy makers make...the ledge where normal everyday people who want their kid's to have the item they are wishing for, have to stand on...and jump recklessly..that ledge yesterday was called the EBAY ledge...for 1 game and the system...$550....No way, don't do it...well I talked him down...my kids will be fine without it...I refuse to let these monster's who are destroying the name of Christmas win..we will do the treasure hunt, even if we cannot find a Wii...and they will find a picture..and will just have to wait till they get them in the store....frustrating...but it will be just fine!

A friend who went to the Nintendo store in NYC, a kid who was blatently honest with her said...as soon as a shipment comes in..all the employee's call their friends and family and they come in and buy the systems and then put them on E-BAY. The guy at E-B games told us to look on ebay, that is where all the systems are...well that just plain sucks! The spirit of Christmas just gets more and more lost every year. All for the love of money! Pathetic!

If anyone knows where to get a wii, please pass it on:) HA

I have my parents looking in Hawaii on their vacation and when they get back to chicago they can look too, but I highly doubt anyone will find it! It sooo should not be this way, it's Christmas for godsake!