When I worked at Adobe, employees often referred to Microsoft as the Evil Empire. Now that I have children, I'm learning of another Evil Empire: the American Girl company.
Yes, they have beautiful dolls which have surprised me with their quality. And, they come with well-written historical books that knocked my socks off. But good God, does everything need to cost as much as a rare jewel? The catalog (which Mary "rescued" from the recycling) arrived last week, and to my dismay, the girls pored over every item in it for hours. Then, they circled the items they wanted. Consumerism has a young start these days.
Mary showed me a little armoire and said, "I'm asking for this for Christmas." I tried not to choke on my coffee as I saw the price tag: $349. I said, "Oh, sweetie, that's very nice but it's much more money than is appropriate for a Christmas present. It's $350!" To which she replied, "Oh, I know. That's why I'm asking Santa!"
Me: "Well, Santa has to buy toys for the whole world, Mary. He can't spend that much on just one gift."
Mary: "Mom, are you forgetting about the elves? They will make it, and then it won't cost anything at all! See, Mom, I have it all figured out!"
And off she went to write her letter to Santa and his elves, so they could get an early start. Gulp... see what I mean? Evil Empire, I tell ya.
2 comments:
oh dear. THAT is nuts. she is one smart girl.
Beware - Lego does the same thing with boys... Liam and Noah are hoping for the Star Wars Death Star that is ONLY $399.
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