My Mini Meltdown...in the Most Festive Way Possible

Jingle All the Way, staring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is one of my all time favourite Christmas films, even in spite of its being mostly ridiculous...and staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film his son wants a Turboman doll for Christmas. It's the main event, top of the list, the most important gift of all. But our dear old Arnie has left it until the last minute to buy it and the film is all about his crazy antics as he scrambles around the entire city on Christmas Eve, searching for a toy that sold out months ago. It isn't your typical Santa story, but I've always found it funny.

"I became the Arnold Schwarzenegger character..."

That was, until I became the Arnold Schwarzenegger character. (At 5ft.4. And a girl.)

My Turboman doll was the new Wreck it Ralph Disney Infinity character. Disney Infinity (like Skylanders, which was last year's must-have obsession) is a video game with an endless amount of characters, all of which have to be bought separately. You are never done buying them! There will always be more!
Any character my nephew didn't already have went straight onto the list for Santa and right at the top was (my now enemy) Wreck it Ralph. Eager to be the best-loved family member, I convinced my brother that Santa could stand let me get this one. I wanted top auntie points.

So it went on my shopping list. And stayed on my shopping list. Deadlines came and went, our trip to Bluestone came and went, and still I hadn't started my Christmas shopping.

"Don't leave that Wreck it Ralph thing any later. You might not be able to get it." Words of wisdom from my mother.

Panic set in quickly when the first shop was out of stock.

"Can I help you find anything?" Asked the man working in Game.
"I NEED Wreck it Ralph!" I half screeched, eyes wide, a Vanellope figure in one hand and Mickey Mouse in the other. (I tend towards the melodramatic at times.)

No Wreck it Ralph in Game, no Wreck it Ralph in Argos, no Wreck it Ralph in Tesco, no Wreck it Ralph in Toys r Us. I checked online. The nearest one was 124 miles away. I was beginning to feel a whole new level of sympathy for Arnie. Poor guy didn't even have the internet to help him out. Thankfully I did and managed to order the make it or break it, must-have toy online...for three times more than the normal retail price.

"I wanted top auntie points."

And even now, with Wreck-my-bank-account-Ralph dispatched and certain to arrive in time, I can't seem to shake the holiday stress. People have no festive cheer. They just elbow you out of the way in the overcrowded streets. I almost lost a limb in the Christmas market the other day. I actually had to queue to get into the Card Factory today just to buy wrapping paper for the Beacon's present. And Kirsty thought I was on the verge of some sort of breakdown when I couldn't find any red ribbon in Wilkinson. But they had pink! And turquoise! Even black! In whose world are those festive colours? (No, I am still not over it.)

So it seems that this is a grown up Christmas. Overpriced, crowded, stressful, and with nothing but black bows to wrap your presents in. But, then again, as freaked out as I may get by the queues and the price tags, I'm still a great lover of Christmas. And I will never forget the true meaning of it.

Baileys. Baileys is the true meaning.