I have had to return three Christmas presents so far.  One was because I bought the wrong thing, so totally my fault.  But the other two were things that broke.  Broke!  Almost immediately.

These were not inexpensive toys either.  They were two big ticket items for two of the children who received them.  Children who are now very disappointed.

One of the items was a wooden parking garage made by a company with great business practices, who use wood from forests they maintain, all non-toxic paint etc.  I thought I had found a winner.  I wanted to cuddle with this company, that is how warm and fuzzy they made me feel.

Sadly, the toy was not out of the box for half a day before it broke.  When I brought it back to the store the saleswoman told me that  I was the second person to return the toy since Christmas for the same reason.

It was enough to make me shake my fist in the air in front of the overpriced chi-chi toy store crying “Et tu?  Et tu?”

My kids toys might be lead free, but now they are in broken pieces.  “Oh sweetie, I am sorry your toy is broken.  The good news is you can go sit in the corner and gnaw on it safely!”

I am seriously tempted to make all my children’s presents for next year.  I won’t let my complete lack of skill in this area stop me.  “Oh sweetie, don’t think of those as a pile of twings from the yard.  They are like Lincoln Logs only better.”