[Kamen Rider Die]

Sooooooo it's Christmas Eve.

When you reach a certain age, you stop getting "fun" things for Christmas. You're an adult with a job, so you end up buying the stuff you want through the year. And the stuff you pass on is either so expensive or so specific, that you can't really put it on a wish list. (Making sure someone buys the correct Seihou from a vendor without overpaying, while dealing with import hassles, is way more than I could ever ask a friend or family member.) It's this weird realm of wanting things, but not being able to explain the things you want in a way that isn't a burden.

But, it's still Christmas, and it's nice (at any age) to have a toy to open on Christmas morning. So, a few years ago, I started a policy with myself: any toys that I purchased or that came in on a preorder between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'd just set those aside. I could still buy stuff, but nothing would get opened until Christmas morning. That way, no matter what gifts I got, I'd have something to enjoy on Christmas.

It's a policy that's made the last few years pretty reliably fun. It creates a nice sense of anticipation through December, as I start piling up toys in a corner.

The downside, though, is that some years really get away from me, spending-wise:



I don't have it in me to detail all of the Transformers and Kamen Rider stuff in that mountain of plastic and cardboard, but it should be easy enough to discern. And, yeah, this is all stuff that came in during the last four weeks. (It's not even counting a NewAge Soundwave that's stuck in the mail somewhere, or the Kingdom Warpath, FRS Amazing Mighty kit, and MMC Tortor that are in my Pile of Loot at BBTS.) Upshot, going to have an awesome Christmas! Other hand, eeesh that photo.