ARTICLE: Five Things I Did While Waiting for the Winter Toy Shop

[WesternOutlaw]

Five Things I Did While Waiting for the Winter Toy Shop

The Day After Thanksgiving in the Ordinary Life of an AFOL

First let me begin by telling you that I was fortunate enough to still have a chance at obtaining 10199 Winter Toy Shop by ordering from Legoland California. Like many others in the US, I waited until the week before Thanksgiving to order the holiday set, only to realize that the set had been discontinued. What a wonderfully winter blunder on the part of LEGO. LEGO magazine covers, post cards, and SAH advertising placed images of the little toy shop everywhere, only to discover that they did not have enough to feed their hungry U.S. LEGO consumers this holiday season, ordering a small and inadequate lot of the festive sets. In another wonderful decision, LEGO decided to not backorder the set in fear that the supply would not be available in time for Christmas, discontinuing the highly desired Christmas set. This decision can only be compared to two other great blunders by LEGO including the transformation of grey to “bley” followed by the discontinuation of 9V trains. One has to question the intelligence of our favorite toy company. Are our voices not heard by the LEGO Group?

Let me also point out that the Winter Toy Shop is a CHRISTMAS Toy Shop, with no intent to insult those that do not celebrate the wonderful holiday. Sure it doesn’t contain Santa or any green dressed elves, but it’s definitely not the Great Pumpkin that the set signifies with its CHRISTMAS carolers and large decorated CHRISTMAS tree with gifts and star topper. LEGO has slipped into the same politically correct habit as many stores and companies have done so removing the very name of the holiday and what it represents. In an effort to appease minority interests, we dare not speak the name “C h r i s t m a s” in marketing the set and LEGO SAH’s Holiday Shop with candy canes, Christmas trees, and advent calendars. I particularly applaud Playmobil for continuing to call their holiday sets with the rightful Christmas name.

So enough about the discontinuation of the set and not calling it a Christmas Toy Shop, let’s continue by sharing some holiday spirit that may or may not center on the LEGO hobby. The day after Thanksgiving might be the day my Winter Toy Shop arrives in a smashed box by way of U.P.S., everyone’s most careful carrier. Never mind the damaged box; I would just be lucky that I was not one of many who missed out on the limited holiday set. Would it arrive? I could only hope and keep myself busy until then.

1) My day started early by watching an all-time classic comedy movie Uncle Buck, starring John Candy as a large middle-aged uncle who must watch the boy from Home Alone and his sister while their parents are away from the home for a reason not important to the movie. Huge birthday pancakes; a visit to the local elementary school in which Uncle Buck tells off the scag principal/vice-principal giving her a quarter to get her large facial wart gnawed off by a rat; and Buck scaring the hell out of “Bug”, slimy boyfriend to Buck’s teen niece are just some of the movie’s more memorable parts. Watching the movie would not be a total waste, as I was able to break-down a number of LEGO Civil War MOCs collecting dust on the fireplace, to make room for holiday decorations, soon to be #2 on my list.

2) Number two would take most of the day and involve a lot of holiday decorations inside the house, a fight with my Christmas tree (I curse it every year as I attempt to figure out how to wire the “prelit lights”), and a mid-day lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers, one of the best parts about Thanksgiving. Part of this annual “honey-do” would involve adding a coat of snow fabric to the bottom of my fireplace (where the Civil War MOCs and a few Atlantis sets were resting) in anticipation of the Winter Toy Shop. Someone in the background kept saying, “it looks like something is missing on the bottom” of the fully decorated fireplace; but rest assured, I had a purpose for the empty land and a few Creator 30009 Christmas Tree impulse sets that stayed close by. Strands of lights, gold and red bulbs, Christmas runners, wreaths, lots of Santas, and memorable Christmas photographs would soon decorate the house adding festive holiday cheer to my spooky home that was just decorated with ghosts, goblins, and a Bloody Mary LEGO river boat from Halloween. Christmas time is near, and there’s little room for Grave Stone when it’s time to set up the white snow box derby hills, Hoth battles, and snow villages.

3) After an exhausting day of hanging Christmas decorations, I would be glad that the chore was complete. A relaxing hot shower and bath robe would set the stage for a peaceful and quiet evening. I would take a brisk walk to the mail box to see what was there aside from bills. Okay, the mailbox run was just an excuse to see the Christmas lights that I put up the day before Thanksgiving. Deciding to hang up colored lights this year, bright red illuminated candy canes would lead a path to the front door as well as a blinking star in the front window. I had done a good job on the lights and was one of the first to put them up on my street. I would not have to worry about decorating later as the countdown to Christmas was well underway. Unfortunately, the UPS truck was nowhere in sight as I starred at the blinking star wondering if I would get my Winter Toy Shop. Time stood still.

4) Dinner and a movie is always a great way to finish off a day, knowing that I still had two more days off, and a chance to see the Winter Toy Shop. As I looked upon the decorated fireplace admiring the lights and the many gold ornaments, I spied the desolate snow clearing between holiday pictures awaiting the construction of the toy shop. Would it arrive? It was getting rather late, but “UPS is always busy around the holidays”, I kept thinking to myself. A voice in the background told me that it may not come today, but I believed. I believed that I would see the Winter Toy Shop, but a movie would help take my mind off the evening wait.

5) Retiring to the bedroom, the 1960 all-time classic western, Magnificent Seven would soon create gunfire and building inspiration within the home absent a Winter Toy Shop. One of the more memorable quotes from the movie involves a discussion regarding whether or not someone deserved to be burried in Boot Hill. The response/quote was “There’s nothing up there but murderous cutthroats and derelict old barflies, and if they ever felt exclusive brother, they’re past it now”. Great movie but I must admit it is a little slow, especially when waiting for a LEGO set to be delivered. For those of you interested, we might be seeing a Mexican village as my next Wild West creation.

9:00 PM quickly came and went without a knock on the door or the loud noise of a brown UPS delivery truck. My Winter Toy Shop had not come, and while I was a little disappointed that it had not, I did realize that there’s something much more important than LEGO, not that I didn't really know that before. Christmas decorations, you might ask? No, but the answer is family time. LEGO is a great hobby and the anticipation of getting a new set or a special set is so much fun, but what’s really enjoyable is to be able to share your anticipation with your loved ones. Whether you have friends, family, parents, wife, husband, dog or cat, to be able to share moments of enjoyment and of failure with those you love makes the world go round. It doesn’t really matter that I didn’t get that Toy Shop delivered yesterday, but I am thankful for having a family to spend time with, as well as EB friends who I can share the story with through this article. The Winter Toy Shop may come today, or maybe it won’t; and for some, I know it won’t be coming at all. All of that is unimportant in the “bigger scheme of things". From me to you, I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with warm memories, whether they center around LEGO or not.

Your EB Trains & Town Moderator,

TheBrickster

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the read.

You made it interesting, but Uncle Buck, Animal House or Team America is what I've would have watched (of course as long as the wife or my son wasn't around the house).

To you and everyone - HAVE A MERRY AND SAFE CHRISTMAS - HO HO HO -

[Inconspicuous]

Nice article.

I was fortunate enough to pick up three of them on Black Friday. Good luck with your wait! I remember waiting for the Brickmaster stuff to arrive, and it was painful.

Thank you for sharing the "true meaning of Lego Christmas".

[MetroiD]

Here's wishing your Winter Toy Store arrives today and brightens up the day of you and your loved ones :)

Ours has been patiently waiting in the closet for a month now and I think this week is when it's finally coming out! Christmas decoration is also due... And hopefully, work permitting, there might even be some ottery LEGO MOCcing :)

[brickzone]

Nice article. No Thanksgiving here, but we did get the tree put up today. Holiday Train can now merrily pass around the tree (well, for a short while until the AA batteries run out).

Re: Christmas - my city had a "Winterfest" weekend before last. I don't know if it was retribution, but in true Springfield fashion, with such a silly sounding city event - the city's "eco-tree" (a hideous steel witch's hat that's allegedly a Christmas Tree made from recycled metal) was lowered into the river, and due to recent floods, the fast moving water broke it loose from its moorings just as it was due to be the centrepiece for the switching on of the city Christmas lights. It was washed down the river and crashed into one of the city's major bridges, where it got stuck and pulled into one of the spans. Cue over a day of amateur attempts first to "right" the tree, then to pull it away, and finally setting up cranes to pick off dismantled sections of it. As I say, only in Simpsons have I usually seen such absurdity.

[WesternOutlaw]

Today's Update: No UPS delivery truck or door step package yet.

Thanks for the feedback - glad to hear you guys enjoyed the read.

but Uncle Buck, Animal House or Team America is what I've would have watched (of course as long as the wife or my son wasn't around the house).

Uncle Buck is pretty safe - even for the little ones.

I would have liked Christmas Story or one of the Vacations (like Christmas Vacation), but it's still a bit early.

I was fortunate enough to pick up three of them on Black Friday.

Three! Wow! -and I'd be happy w/ just one.

Ours has been patiently waiting in the closet for a month now and I think this week is when it's finally coming out! Christmas decoration is also due...

I wish I had ordered earlier to build for my mini-Thanksgiving vacation. Maybe it will come soon - maybe...

Re: Christmas ...

Funny story. It just goes to show that when the local politicians want to cheese it up and serve Christmas on a plate, it never works. I think Christmas is in the heart, not a tin tree out of a box (not saying that there's anything wrong with the fake tree that I put up every year).

Merry Christmas to all, but not Lego (until I get my Winter Toy Shop in one piece).

EDIT Dec 1: On the 1st day of Christmas, I got my Winter Toy Shop, da da, da, da da , da da daaaa.

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's a great article, TheBrickster!

So you luckily received your Winter Toy Shop yesterday - I know it's sometimes really disappointing when you're waiting for something but it doesn't arrive.

Have fun with building it up (I built mine up last weekend and I must say that it is really )!

And I totally agree with you:

Although without Lego (or let's say without many Lego sets and bricks ) life would be much poorer

the most valuable is to have a nice family and nice friends!

Klaus-Dieter

[WesternOutlaw]

The set was definately worth the wait. It's a great little starter set for a larger winter village.