The Very Best Gift by CONNIE NEAL Page A

with the eldest to give the younger kids more time to think about their answer. Casey chose Teddy Ruxpin, the first-ever singing and talking robotic teddy bear. Teddy Ruxpin debuted in 1986 when Casey was two years old.
     

     
    2 Casey at Age 2: "I want a Teddy Ruxpin. He can talk and he can sing."
     
     
    If you are a parent, you know that there is a huge difference between a child’s first Christmas and the second or third – once the child can start talking. That huge difference is brought about by television commercials which children learn by heart. That Christmas there was only one thing Casey could say about her Christmas hopes:
     
    “I want a Teddy Ruxpin. He can talk & he can sing.”
     
    But there was a problem. My husband, Patrick, and I were young and both working jobs that allowed us to pursue our dreams but didn’t bring in a sufficient income. Patrick was a waiter – which allowed him to audition for musical theatre productions – and I worked in youth ministry. Our entire Christmas budget for Christmas dinner, tree, gifts for each other and Casey was a grand total of $50. We had set aside $20 for Casey’s gifts. The problem was that Teddy Ruxpin cost a whopping $74. Even if we gave up everything else we still couldn’t afford the gift she had set her heart on.
     
    So , Teddy Ruxpin was way out of reach. We tried to dissuade and distract Casey and get her interested in less expensive toys. But whenever she was asked what she wanted for Christmas, all she would say was, “I want a Teddy Ruxpin. He can talk and he can sing.” And she said it with joy on her face and light in her eyes.
     
    I worried over her mounting hopes. I tried to think if there was any way, any relative we could approach or friend from whom we could borrow, but Patrick persuaded me that we had to deal with reality. Besides, he said, “She’s only two. She won’t remember what she gets or doesn’t get this Christmas.”  So I accepted our financial limitations and determined to get the best deals I could find and make sure Casey would enjoy the gifts we could give her. About that time – a little more than a month before Christmas – the Gemco department store chain was going out of business, so I determined to go to their Going-Out-of-Business sale to find some special gifts within my $20 budget.
     
    I found Casey three gifts. I figured that since three gifts were good enough for baby Jesus (albeit his were precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh,) three gifts should be enough for our child too.
     
    I was happy with my first shopping find. It was a pink tent that had a fitted sheet for the floor of the tent which would attach to the mattress on her toddler bed. As I turned onto a new aisle, I noticed a pyramid of stacked boxes bearing the face of Snoopy, the dog character from the Peanuts comic strip and cartoons. A closer inspection of the mountain of identical boxes showed that these were Snoopy step-stools . Casey loved Snoopy and she had just learned to brush her own teeth, so she would love having Snoopy help her get up to the mirror – like a big girl – to brush her teeth. I thought that might be just the thing. I bought a Snoopy step-stool . I also found her another small gift which has faded from memory with the passing years. I dearly hoped these three gifts and whatever she might get from other relatives would make up for not getting Teddy Ruxpin.
     

Like any good mother of the only grand-child to two sets of grand-parents, I had to take Casey to the mall to get her photo taken with Santa.
     

     
    3 Mall Santa Taking Photos with Kids
     
    This also posed a delicate situation. I knew that Santa would ask the dreaded question. So as Casey climbed eagerly onto Santa’s lap, I tried to catch his eye and signal him.
     
    “Have you been a good girl this year?” Santa asked.
     
    “Yes!” Casey nodded her cute chubby little face excitedly.
     

     
    “What do you want Santa to bring you for