Amazing true Christmas story!

We had one of those Secret Santa things at the church (they don't call it that, but that's what most people call them) where you get a description of a present desired by a child who's been signed up and you buy it and wrap it in time for the big Christmas party. We had a five-year-old girl who wanted a toy. And since the party is early this year, we had no time to order something online. This was going to require a personal visit to the store to personally buy a toy.

We split our forces to tackle this mission: Mrs. Key, being a former girl, was strategy, I was tactics. But of course no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.

She chose the Hello Kitty Dream Lite as an excellent present for a girl of that age. Late Saturday night we confirmed the presence of the present at the local Walmart through the company Web site. I was to procure same early Sunday morning, along with the necessary AAA batteries, because nothing sucks like getting a great toy without the necessary batteries. It would be wrapped and delivered at Sunday afternoon Mass. Sunday I got up, dressed, raced out the door without breakfast or even coffee. IT. IS. ON.

Well, sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, the last Hello Kitty Dream Lite was sold. When I got to the store and couldn't find it, I used my phone to check the Web site again. Now it said the nearest one was at a Walmart twenty miles away.

Agh agh agh agh agh!

Okay, don't panic; it was just after eight now, and that meant the nearby Target would be open. Did they have it? Target Web site says... YES! To the Fredmobile! Na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na na...

But NO! Target was out too! In fact, this toy seems to be a hot seller this year. I had hit the wall; it was time to text Mission Control.

Garcia, Walmart was sold out--Target claims
to have but cannot find--going to look in bedding

Nuts! Okay, thanks. Don't leave Target;
if you can't find it I'll find another toy.

There were some Minnie Mouse Dream Lites, but Hello Kitty was needed for Dream Lite goodness of fit. Hello Kitty is soothing in a way Minnie is not. 

Gah--found Minnie @#&$! Mouse Dream Lite...

Gimme a momento to find something else, por favor...

Hello Kitty Neon Fairy Glitter Doll?

I sent this picture. Why did they stop there with the adjectives? Why not Hello Kitty Neon Fairy Sparkle Rainbow Angel Glitter Doll?

No; hang on...

Ok, how about Barbie Holiday doll or the
ballerina dolls (there are three of them:
pink, blue, and purple)?

On it

Barbie Holiday Surprise or
Barbie in the Nutcracker? You pick

(Time passes, Jeopardy! theme runs through head, grown man standing around in Barbie aisle not weird at all)

Fading...no coffee...

Holiday Surprise and another
Barbie outfit for her?

Done!

So our adventure had a happy ending. Some little girl is going to have a fun gift from Santa, and we once again proved that we were a great team when it comes to dealing with these little crises. 

Still don't know what was wrong with the Hello Kitty Neon Fairy Unicorn Sparkle Rainbow Angel Glitter Jewelry Stardust Princess Lollipop Kisses Doll. But you have to trust the women to pick things out. They know what girls will like. If it had been a boy there's no question I'd have gotten something that simulated destructive ability on a harmless scale, which is what boys' toys are all about.