Last year at this time, I remember looking everywhere for a Fur Real Friends Jungle Cub for each child. It didn't matter which kitty they received, just that they had specifically asked Santa for it. There is precious little time left before they stop believing in miracles, and all.

My kids are fairly easy to please, and normally I avoid Black Friday like the... well, Black Plague. So I thought I was smart and tried to find them online. I managed to win the Ebay auction for one, after finding the other on Amazon or KBToys. Both arrived in plenty of time. Yule came and went, and the kids were very happy to see them under the tree. However, the one I purchased from Ebay turned out to have a broken gear, so the toy makes loud, whirring noises and doesn't move its front legs. All sales final, feedback had already been left. Thankfully, my daughter was a good sport about it, since, according to her, "Due to the population explosion, poor Santa has too much work, so he has to delegate responsibility to toy companies. He doesn't make 'all' the toys; he just delivers them." (I offered to replace it for her at a later date, but she snuggled it and said she'd keep it.)