Greetings and hello to everyone.

What does Xavier want for Christmas? That is a question we have been hammered with a lot of late. One person texting or calling or emailing on a daily basis as Thanksgiving fast approaches because she refuses to step into a store after Thanksgiving Thursday (and who can blame her?).

Rebecca and I finally got down to brass tacks on this question, and we spent some time wandering through toy stores. We found many things we thought appropriate and made notes to send to those asking the question.

Xavier was with us, of course. One of the nice things about his age is, Rebecca mentioned as we walked the aisles, "He can see what we're buying him, but when he gets it on Christmas Day, he won't remember it. So, it will still be a surprise." That's a good theory, but Xavier has a long memory.

As Xavier is proficiently mobile on his feet, we let him walk the aisles with us. From time to time we would pick him up to and have him examine a toy. If it evoked an excited reaction, we added it to our list.

It was when we rounded the corner to one particular aisle we knew the shopping was over. Xavier toddled around, saw what was lining both sides of the aisle, and stopped. It was as if his brain was on overload. Which to choose? Which to choose?

His brain lock lasted only a moment, then he no longer walked the aisle, he toddler-ran it! Over the railing he climbed. Over the side he went! It took him some effort to get over the side, but he was determined. What did he choose? There are so many!

It was a difficult decision between the pink Mini or the Audi Spyder. He tried them both out, back and forth, but settled on the Spyder. That's right, 0-2.5 mph in seconds. Black exterior. It had leather bucket seating, power steering, power brakes, manual transmission. It even sounded like an Audi, especially when Xavier made the vroom-vroom sounds himself. Too bad his feet don't reach the gas petal; he needs about six more inches of leg.