Hellobee

It’s almost been a month now since the Christmas bonanza, and I thought it would be nice to see what toys were the big hits and misses for the year

Drake – Age 8

Hit: The bulk of Drake’s gifts this year were chapter books. He loves to read and asked for some of his favorite chapter books, which he spent all of Christmas break devouring.

Miss: I bought Drake his first Magnadoodle when he was around 2 years old. The drawing on the front was a fish and so Drake called it Big Fish. Through the years we have gone through countless Big Fishes as Drake would draw on it daily, and into the night often sleeping with Big Fish on his bed. Over time the magnetic residue wouldn’t wipe away and Drake would ask for a clean slate.  The first time we replaced it we had Santa fix it for him in his workshop. Since then he has had a variety of different versions including colored ones. The last Big Fish we had was getting old and so I thought I would replace it again this year since Drake had stopped using it a while back when it wasn’t erasing so well again. Well on Christmas morning he didn’t seem to care one bit about it and when I asked him if planned on using Big Fish anymore, he said I could give it to his sisters. I admit part of my heart broke a little. I told Mr Chocolate later that it was like an end of a small bit of childhood for Drake. Fiona and Juliet happily use it now so it’s not a waste, but it’s still sad to me that Drake no longer sees the importance of what once was a treasured toy that he used daily.

Surprise Hit: My best friend this year sent Drake a new board game called The Magic Labyrinth. I never mentioned it to my friend but had it on my wish list and didn’t end up getting it. One day during the break when Fiona was napping and my other two were bored for the umpteenth time as they stood among their piles of new gifts, I decided it was time for family game time. I have been wanting to do that for some time but it’s hard because of the ages of our kids as well as finding the time. We opened Labyrinth and it was a huge hit. We ended up playing it almost every day of the break and plan on bringing it to Mr Chocolates parents’ house one night for game time after dinner. Besides the kids Mr Chocolate and I enjoy the game too.

Juliet – Age 5

Hit: I buy gifts a lot during the year. I pick them up on clearance and on sale after the holidays and throughout the year with gift cards. Last summer I saw this cute little toy called Scruff A Luv, which is basically a mystery pet that you have to clean up to find out if it’s a puppy, kitty, or bunny. It’s supported by the ASPCA as a way to encourage pet adoptions by taking in a ratty looking pet and caring for it so its true beauty shines through. I picked it up on a whim and left it in my gift closet where I contemplated using it as a gift several times, but it ended up under the tree and my goodness I’m glad it did. Since the moment we opened it up to give it a bath Juliet was in love. She named it Berry and took it everywhere with her on Christmas. Berry sleeps with her and is often her star pupil when Fiona and her play school. It’s truly the breakout star of Christmas for Juliet and I’m debating getting the new lavender one for Fiona at some point so she stops trying to steal Juliet’s.

Miss: In truth of all my kids Juliet is the easiest to shop for. She loves all things girly and cutesy and is always interested in anything new, so there are rarely any misses with her. I guess the one I would say is a bit of a miss was a game I bought called Shadows in the Forest. I’m always looking for new games to try with the kids so when I found this game that you play in the dark, I knew my kids would love it. A week ago when it was dark enough, I started a game with Fiona and Juliet who were fascinated by the lantern, the glow in the dark dice, and the little shadowling creatures. The game is a collective strategy game which I learned pretty early on is almost impossible to play with a 5 and a 3 year old who both want to hold the lantern, peek at where the shadowlings are, and dance and roll around the board bumping into it, which is hard enough in the light but ridiculously annoying while playing with only the light from a toy lantern. At the end I quickly ended the game as best as I could. Both girls had fun and wanted to do it again right away, but mercifully it was time for dinner. Later at night I googled the game hoping to see how others played and after watching a group of 4 adults play, almost lose, and have the game go on for over half an hour, I was glad to know I had managed pretty decently in comparison. I think this game is probably best played with more adults who can better help the kids with strategy as well as keep them honest and on their bottoms so as not to turn the game over in the dark.

Surprise Hit: My sil made some hair spray for herself recently and asked if I wanted her to make some “Mermaid Spray” for the girls, which was just water with a little bit of salt and lavender mixed in. I said sure and on Christmas they were each gifted a small spray bottle of mermaid spray, which was immediately generously doused on each of their little heads.  Then they shared the love all Christmas spraying everyone over and over, themselves included. In the morning before school Juliet regularly gives herself a little spritz and recently they both came over with their empty bottles asking for a refill from the big jar their aunt gave me after seeing them go through it like wildfire on Christmas day. Sometimes the best gifts come in all forms.

Fiona – Age 3

Hit: A Paw Patrol coloring book. Seriously. Months ago when I was trying to get Fiona to give me some idea of what she wanted to ask Santa for, she saw a Paw Patrol coloring book and wanted it. I told her she didn’t need it right then and she immediately switched tactics saying this was now what she wanted to ask Santa for. I tried to keep her on track with the toy she had asked for since I had already purchased it, but throughout the weeks before Christmas she kept mentioning it. So one day when she was at school I ran and got it for her as an added surprise from Santa. Well lo and behold this was the most exciting thing to her on Christmas Day til now. She colors in it everyday inviting me to share with her and clearly this is the gift she wanted.

Miss: So the toy she did ask for Santa for, a Leapfrog Storytime Buddy, hasn’t gotten as much love as one would have expected since she asked for it. It might have been because I kind of corralled her into this choice after needing to nail down something to get her before Christmas was upon us. We opened it recently and she did spend a little bit of the morning testing and playing with it. I think she is warming up to it more and more especially when Drake and Juliet are eager to try it, but it doesn’t seem to be sparking the same joy I was expecting.

Surprise: It’s hard to find games that a three-year-old can play successfully on their own without much direction from a five and eight year old. I ended up buying Hungry Hungry Hippos  because the concept was easy enough and it allowed Drake and Juliet to play with her as well. It was much enjoyed at Christmas. We brought it over to my sister in law’s house as she hosts Christmas dinner, and the kids had a blast playing over and over with all the various adults. The drawback was we lost quite a few balls that are still turning up whenever my sister in law cleans, but the kids still enjoy this one now so it was a good choice in my mind.

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What were the hits, misses, and surprises in your home?