Christmas came early for the Gonzalez kids this weekend as family and friends came through with toys o'plenty. So much so, I had to do some pruning of their existing stash lest they overrun anymore of the apartment. Annoying noise-making toys and a bagful of stuffed animals were the primary victims of the purge. Only two Elmos remain: the bi-lingual plush and the "Mr. Potato Head" knock-off.

Reluctant as I am to credit anyone with giving the "best" gift, especially in this case, I have to admit that Isaac's Clap & Laugh Microphone Set ranks in the Top 5 ever. It's a microphone and stand with a speaker in the base that has two pedals, one for a laugh track and one for applause. We set it up last night and Isaac broke it in with a couple of performances of kiddie standards - complete with some hammy chatter with his "audience" - which led me to hit the computer for some MP3s to play some of his favorites for a sing-along. He shied away from his [Harder to] "Breathe song" and offered some random backup on This Love before hitting his stride with his favorite, Drift Away. Lean Back and My Love Is Like... Wo closed out the pop portion of his set, and we switched to some Sesame Street and more kiddie standards. In all, it was about a 30 minute performance that left my cheeks sore from smiling so hard.

Of course, there was virtually no clothing in the mix - no one wants to give the "boring" gifts - so we'll be taking a trip to Old Navy to stock up this week as the weather has officially become post-autumnal.

PS: Only the Jets came through for me this weekend, with the Red Sox going for maximum drama, the Cards giving in to the Clemens angle and fantasy football making reality appealing again.

PPS: D&D was the right game at the right place at the right time. My Tiefling Rogue came through big with a well-timed tanglefoot bag, neutralizing the main bad guy and setting him up for the kill. The session ended with him about to palm a couple of gems from the treasure... If this means anything to you, you were either there, or are a big geek. In four cases, both. ;-)