My 4-year-old adores all things feminine and beautiful and that includes, much to my horror, Barbie and Disney Princesses. Throughout the month of December (and, to be honest, November) her only response to “What do you want from Santa, sweetie?” was…a Barbie doll and a Barbie doll and another friend for Barbie and maybe a Polly Pocket.

Me: ALL you want are Barbie dolls? You have a lot of dolls already, honey..

My Child: Barbie needs a friend! I want the Christmas Barbie

Of course she wanted the Christmas Barbie – retailing at about $40 – $44 , the wayyy overdressed and make-upped doll was available everywhere. I almost didn’t get it because I knew it would end up naked and on either the floor of my car or in the bathroom with all the other desolate, frizzy-headed, forsaken Barbie dolls she owned.

But who could resist this?

I got it…at the last minute…because a good friend said she’d gotten one for her 5-year-old and I thought, “Oh, won’t E be so surprised when she opens this up on Christmas Day!!”

That was the fantasy. The reality: The toy is meant to be displayed and comes with a stand, which I knew about, but I wasn’t expecting that the doll’s arm wouldn’t straighten (yes, much like Les Paul, poor Holiday Barbie is forced to put her hand on her comically narrow hip for all eternity). Barbie’s face is just SLATHERED with makeup and she looks very glitzy until you get that pretty dress off her and lose one of her shoes, which is promptly what my 4-year-old did.

To her credit (my child’s, not Barbie’s), she has played with her quite a bit, but alas my prediction was correct. The doll now sits at the bottom of my car.

Ah well, live and learn. Then again, probably not.

| Category Christmas Blunders