Sam's Blog

Jingle All the Way (Family Fun Edition) (1996)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad Director: Brian Levant Rating

I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the hilarious comedy, "Jingle All the Way" that you have got to see.  In the movie, Arnold only had one present to buy but he kept putting it off and it was the "one" toy that everyone wanted.  He and Sinbad both fought for the "one" available toy so their kid would get it for Christmas that turned Arnold into a "hero" with his family unlike what you would ever expect.  If you haven't seen it, please rent this DVD and watch it over the holidays and I am sure it will become a new tradition in your home.

My task was to get the new Wii interactive computer game for Christmas and I have been looking for 2 weeks.  Well, last Tuesday morning, I waiting in line in the electronics dept in our Super Wal-Mart in Laurinburg for an hour because this when UPS "might" deliver some, we were told.  I got there early and was the 3rd in line and as we waited, the line grew and grew until around 30 people were anxiously waiting to see if today was the day.  Some drove in from other towns we learned while standing around watching the clerks go about their work. The lady at the head of the line was there an hour before me and she had waited at the K-Mart in Fayetteville for over 8 hours only to be too far in that line to receive the Wii when their shipment arrived a few days before.

It was my lucky day because around 15 Wii's came in!!

Now my kids are going to flip because they are old enough to know that it's not Santa and that the Wii's are impossible to get. 

Here's my idea for extending the fun at Christmas this year past the usual 10 minutes of madness with the opening of presents that I wanted to share with you so it might become a tradition at your home too!   

Like the many movies out like "National Treasure" and its sequel coming out any day and the "Da Vinci Code" and the "Amazing Race" television show, I thought I would put out clues for the kids to find the "BIG" surprise after "they thought" the fun was over.  I did this one year for one of my son's birthday parties and it was a blast.  For that one, I had a series of separate clues for 2 teams to solve which brought both teams together at the final destination.  It only took 10 minutes but was the most fun of the whole party.

To help you with this idea, here are several clues that you can use to do this with your family or you can think of them on your own:

3. Round with a ribbon, Santa on my side, surrounded with beautiful lights and hung with care.  -  Christmas ornament with a Santa scene.

9. Dry or cool, I keep you, in a can you keep me. - umbrella in metal umbrella holder.

12. Poke your fingers in my eyes and I open wide my jaws.  Cloth or paper, I am hungry to devour them all? - Scissors

13. This ball will not move!  Maybe if we both weren't so bronzed.  Oh well, at least we look good and we are such an accomplishment!  - Soccer trophy of a girl kicking a ball.

Matthew 1:18-25          - this makes them read the Christmas Story so they don't forget the reason

                                    for the celebration and then put your next clue on the Jesus in your nativity

                                    scene, etc.

And if you have older kids, you can put a dollar bill in the dictionary under the word "money" from the tip above with a note that the bill may hold more clues.  Then add this paper as another clue after they find the money as your final clue.  (Fix your sequence to match your serial number sequence first.)  Mine was A86173489B so here's the note I am including...

Using the sequence between A & B complete each row with the corresponding letter.

 
J  S  F  R  Y  P  W  D  L

T  A  E  B  Q  C  F  X  N

H  M  J  E  Z  A  U  I  P

E  S  X  B  F  H  A  P  R 

L  G  M  S  T  O  D  W  N

W  R  B  P  I  C  H  S  A

Y  D  N  A  J  O  U  E  B

M  N  W  L  S  A  D  G  R

_. _. / _ _ _ _ _ _

If they get it right, it will say D. C./HAMPER and then they'll have to noddle a bit to think of dirty clothes hamper.