Have You Finished your Christmas Shopping Yet?

I haven’t posted in awhile. I have made attempts but have had some technical difficulties. And I have been busy… That’s my mantra and it used to make me tired just saying it. Then one day someone said to me that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. So I stay busy and I keep getting things done. So, I decided to start Christmas shopping. I may be about 15 years too late. There are no toys left. No toys made in the USA, that is. Well, you can find a wonderful wooden game of Chinese checkers, and a jazzy wooden jump rope. But I was looking for the incandescent pink and purple stuff with glitter and flowing nylon hair…the Barbie type stuff or a cuddly vinyl doll with sleepy eyes. Not gonna find it. We are at the mercy of the Chinese toy manufacturers who crank out miles of useless colored plastic pieces that end up getting stuck in my vacuum cleaner. Only, now it comes with loose deadly magnets and poisonous lead paint. And now I am getting suspicious of whether there was negligence or intent to harm. It seems that once the problems were identified, the Chinese officials temporarily ceased exports from one manufacturer. That weekend, the co-owner of said facility committed suicide. I have to wonder, was the suicide the result of a crippling mental illness gone untreated or from the weakness of an individual who wanted to avoid facing the consequences? So, is the Chinese government trying to poison our children? Or are we just facing the consequences of wanting cheap toys? Maybe we need to open a toy factory in the Heartland and charge accordingly for the toys that are produced. I would gladly trade in the convenience of having access to millions of toys for under $20 and pay $150 for one nice doll that my daughter would really treasure.