Used toy exchange

Because I am cheap and because my budget is tight and because I hate malls with the power of 1000 hot burning suns and because Allyo was talking about downsizing her toy stash, I decided to host a used toy/book/clothes exchange the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

This is how it’s going to work.

• People are going to come over with their crap gently used things.
• They will crowd into my not-big house, which will begin to feel over-heated.
• They will throw down their things.
• They will rummage through other people’s things.
• They will laugh, complain about how their kids never even TOUCHED that toy after begging for it for months, pick things out, discard things, hold up dresses to consider sizing and discuss their holiday plans as well as the extended family members with whom they will be forced to deal with in the upcoming weeks.
• They will leave with (one hopes) new stuff.
• Everything left over will get packed into our van and donated by my lovely husband who says, “That’s a great idea! [and then hopefully] You don’t want me there, right?” Right. He will be shuttling the kids away so that they won’t be underfoot.

I don’t know if it’ll get me out of any holiday shopping but I hope it will get at least SOME of us out of SOME of our shopping. I have three or four toys still in their boxes that I’m happy to move out. Who knows what else is down there. (We cleared out a lot — four trash bags full — when we de-cluttered Madison’s room so really I should have thought of this before last week but oh well.)

Anyway. I’ll let you know how it goes. And maybe you’ll want to try it out, too. Also it’ll be fun to see people. As I posted to facebook and sent out emails, I thought about how everyone I invited knows someone else in the crowd in new and unusual ways and enjoyed the six degrees part of it, too.

By the way if you’re local and want details ‘cuz you’d like to come, contact me and I’ll give you details.