Ugh! Being Haunted By the Maji!!!

[nvts]

Remember the story of the Gift of the Maji? The husband/wife duo buy each other gifts, but in order to do so, they sell their most prized possessions to be able to afford to do so.

Bring that into the year 2010.

Target had a great sale on the Wii for $177.00. I got the money together (I hate that they charge $.10 for every dollar that you turn in when you roll the change!), turned in the cans/bottles (we have deposits here) and had enough to buy the Wii and a spare controller.

The TV died. Every 10 mins. or so the whole thing goes to loud static. So much for entertainment...

Well, actually (and I'll never admit it!), with the older kids - it is kind of funny to watch them jump out of their skin when the static pops AND watching them try not to curse when it happens! Well, at least MY entertainment is intact!

You just CAN'T make this stuff up!

Beth

[Marcie Mac]

Am getting SO a WII but we only have a TV in the bedroom, which is where the Nintendo, XBox and Playstation are hooked up - although the bedroom is biggish, really not enough room to play the WII action games unless he is going to stand on the bed and try and play golf or tennis. There is a perfectly good entertainment cabinet in the den where we could put the TV (which is a day older than god) but that would mean him moving some of his Yoda collection.

Love the story about the Gift of the Magi - O'Henry is one of my favorite writers - have all of his books

Marcie

[KTMom91]

On a side note...did you know the Three Wise Men are also known as The Magina?

At least, according to 7-year-old Ruthie, they are.

[Mom2oddson]

Sounds like our first Christmas. My Dad got the 3 grandkids the Nindento Cube (it was that long ago)...They were so excited and loved it. On the 26th of December, our only TV died! Grandpa ended up buying us a TV so that his grandkids could play with their new toy.

In the same theme, our power goes out at least once a month during the winter. So last year I saved up and got DH a generator - didn't lose power once last winter. It's the irony of life.

[susiestar]

I thought stuff like that only happened to us. When Wiz was about 6 my dad came to visit us. Our VCR had died the week before and dh and I were really enjoying not having the tv on much (at that age Wiz still only watched videos b/c otherwise we couldn't escape the gimme's the commercials created - if I never spend 24 hours being pestered to buy some cereal b/c it has a toy in it - a cereal that he would not eat if it was the only food in the world and he had not eaten for a year, btw! - it will still be too soon!! Wiz would beg for stuff in his SLEEP as part of his never ending chattering!

Anyway, my dad took Wiz out for lunch and came back at dinnertime with a pizza and a VCR trying to get us to believe that the VCR came with the pizza the way toys come with Happy Meals! We had a good laugh at him for that one, lol! I REFUSE to pay what they charge for tvs, so our last few have come from Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. I spend $15-$20 for a 25" or so tv and it lasts for 2-3 years - which is llonger than our last new tv lasted for!

[svengandhi]

NVTS -

I am also in NY. I belong to a credit union which recycles my coins for free and charges less than the supermarket for non-members.

I have been thinking about Wii for a family gift. My boys have xbox 360 which they bought themselves and we have no other game systems nor do we have a flat screen or HDTV. $177 seems like a good price.

[Star*]

Okay I was considering getting DF a Wii........then I came across the simple "Deer Hunter" game from Target - you know - orange, plastic shot gun with 3 (THREE) plug in cords to the TV and a fake, plastic log that you secure to the top of the tv with velcro - basically plug and play right? I mean he saw it at target, wanted it - I found it at a thrift store in brand new condition - (a donation) for $2.50 - I thought $40 - to $2.50 .....WOW - so I came home and thought this would be a good test of video games before spending big bucks that I don't have on the Wii - but he insists he wants because of the "air plane flying games".

Okay - so I give him this deer slayer thing (OMW) yeah - In the box, is a corded, orange, plastic shot gun, and a fake plastic log with a direction page - a page mind you. NOT a complicated book - a PAGE. I left him go because the cord had three colors on it. Red, white, yellow. The TV? Had three holes color coded red, white and -----whaddya think? Yup. yellow. So I'm in the office, and I hear STARRRRRRRRR! Oh not good. I am not electronically savvy. I don't want to shoot Bambi, or a goose - or anything and I'm hoping against hope that the Sttttttarrrrrrr call was "Come see me shoot junk on the screen' and not the dreaded 'I need help hooking this up." It was as it happened the latter - of course it was. Groan.

So I go out, plug in the cords. Then I hear "Well I DID that! hrumph." (Um okay honey bunny, but let me try) - still smiling. Then I turned the TV on and off and replugged everything. "Well I DID that! hrumph." (Um okay sweetie snookems, but let me try - I mean (laugh) you called me right?) Then I turned the little plastic log on and off. "WELL I DID THAT TOO STAR." In such a sarcastic tone I turned around and looked at him. Just looked at him and I picked up the orange, plastic shot gun shook it a couple times - you know like they do in the cowboy movies when they lock and load??? And I man Choook Chook sounds and I put the stock up on my shoulder and aimed it at the wall then turned, faced him and made a PKEWWWWWWW noise.....and said "I bet ya didn't try THAT!"

Needless to say.....I saw it today - laying in the dining room, taped back together in the box and as I passed him in the hall he said "I think we just need to give that thing (points to deer hunter game) to one of those toys for Tots things......(then looks at me like a wounded deer) and adds - you know before one of us gets hurt."

Ahhhh yes - I just can't see a Wii in our future.....

[StepTo2]

I'm nor sure where our Wii came from, but it was probably MIL.

When we did the remodel downstairs, it went POOF. NO clue where it went. None.

Probably good though. Last Christmas, Onyxx got the Guitar Hero box - game, guitar, microphone, and drums - and Jett broke the drums after 2 weeks. Did not tell anyone. A week later Onyxx is throwing a HUGE fit and demanding to know why we broke her drums. (Um? Did not play it.) Turned out Jett hid the broken parts. Got grounded for that, not for breaking it... I mean, stuff happens. And since? No one has been the least bit interested.

I wonder if perhaps during the BAD times, Onyxx sold it.

But still - it wasn't very active. They'd SIT and play with it.

[Star*]

Step - you want DEER HUNTER???? mwah ha haaaaa

[Mattsmom277]

Yuckers at the prospect of the broken t.v. and trying to replace it. Especially with the expense of the holidays etc. Have you posted on freecycle? I was given one for PC's bedroom within 12 hours of posting for one after hers conked out.