You get a reaction like this. It’s Eddie Munster meets the Tasmanian Devil when this little guy gets his Wii.

via Buzzfeed

For Christmas, Santa was kind enough to bring me one of the things on my list, the Sephora Scent Sampler. It gives you 10 sample sizes of some of the hottest scents Sephora carries, and you can try them on at your leisure. When you have decided which one you like best, you simply go to a Sephora store with your certificate, and they will give you a full sized version. Even better is that you only pay $50, and the full-sized versions cost $70 and upwards.

A perfume addict, I was pleased to have so many different scents to explore. Usually when I go to a perfume counter, I have to try on at least a couple, and we all know where that leads. It leads to confusion over which scent is which, and often the mingling of scents to where you’re not sure what smells like what.

So I was glad to give each scent the attention it deserved by using only one a day.

Which one will I choose? Well, let’s start with the first four….

Givenchy, Very Irresistible Givenchy Sensual

I was prepared to like this scent, as I have liked Givenchy perfumes in the past. This one smelled nice enough, but there was nothing there that really knocked me out and said, “Wow!” And I like my perfumes to say “Wow!” It is a pleasant scent with a slight hint of muskiness. It didn’t last quite as long as I would have preferred.

Vera Wang, Princess

I don’t have anything bad to say about this fragrance, which is sweet and has a fairly strong bottom note of vanilla. It is light, floral, and perfect for warm weather. I was pleased with its staying power. I could still smell it the next day, before I went into the shower.

Philosophy, Amazing Grace

Now this is where I find myself at odds with thousands and thousands of other women. I really, really hated this fragrance. It was extremely overpowering at first, to the point where I could almost “taste” it. After it faded a bit, it just smelled like soap. And not very good soap, either. I foolishly kept lifting the crook of my elbow up to my nose, thinking it would smell better than the last time. It never did.

LAVANILA, Vanilla Grapefruit

My absolute favorite of the four I’ve tried so far. It has a beatiful, wait for it, vanilla scent that is pure and fruity due to the whole grapefruit things. It makes me happy when I smell it. It lasted the longest, and smelled the best. This perfume has made it to the semi-final round.

Did Santa bring you what YOU wanted this year? I’m guessing that Santa brought not a few of you cheap bathrobes, whatever makeup kits the drugstore had by the till, and that old, dream-shattering standby, slipper socks. But I’m not bitter…

Meanwhile, the adorable sprogs have difficulty posing for pictures, obscured as they are behind the vast and varied mound of life-size, robotic Godzillas, body-function-focused dolls, GI Joe Dream Foxhole with sandbag accessories, and the very last four Bratz dolls in your part of the state, not that we’re counting but Sally got eight presents, seven of them from us.

Well, they say Christmas is for children, but they don’t say you can’t get a gift the whole family will enjoy. Unfortunately, they also don’t tell you where to get the $60,000 for this eye-popping extravaganza: a life-sized portrait of the happy family, in Lego from the Neiman Marcus Christmas Gift Book.

The item description includes the following caveat regarding your would-be blockheads: “Just make sure you have the rights to their likenesses; we’re not here to judge.” In addition to concerns about rights of publicity, the fine print notes, “LEGO and the brick configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group. The Life-Size Replicas are not affiliated with or endorsed by the LEGO Group..” all you need now is USD $60,000 per sculpture plus shipping — and a full-time nanny to make sure that Junior doesn’t dismantle the artwork during playtime. On the other hand, the reconfigurable nature of the sculptures could come in handy in the case of a post-holiday breakup.

Oh, SNAP!

You know, nothing makes you feel quite as bad as seeing something you bought for Christmas on sale the day after. But, how can you explain to your kindergartener that Santa needed to get the toys on sale? Perhaps these toys can be for a birthday, or for friends, but snap them up, because they are at a great price.

Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel Save almost sixty percent on this great easel by one of my favorite toy brands.

Playskool Dream Town Sweet Lily Castle with Dress Up A cute little playhouse, which has the added advantage of being easily set up and taken down. It even comes with a frog prince!

MEGA Brands Struxx ROBOTRIXX Build your creation and have it come to life! Meanwhile, save over seventy percent off the original price!

High School Musical 3 – Sing along microphone She can sing along to songs from the movie, or on her own. Either way, it’s a steal at at $9.99.

Barbie Girls 1GB MP3 Player She can sotre up to 240 songs on this special 1GB model, and you pay less than fifteen bucks!

EyeClops BioniCam This very cool toy was $79.99 before the holidays, and now you can buy it for less than $20.00!

U-Dance No mat necessary! Instead, you hook an innovative, customizable band around your shoes and get ready to execute almost any dance move you can think of! By waiting, you save 60%!

LeapFrog Didj Custom Learning Gaming System Taking the popular portable Leapster to the next level. It offers a computer interface to continue the learning online. Now you can have one for less than $50.00.

My friends, this Christmas was a year to remember. Our car got towed! My son woke up at 5:30am! My grandmother almost didn’t come to Christmas dinner because she “didn’t want to bother anybody” and my mother-in-law got in her annual right upper-cuts and left lower jabs of guilt. Not that it worked, though.

But, happy days are here because Sephora has a sale! It is not very often Sephora has a sale, but in this past six months I have seen more sales than in their entire history. This is bad for them, good for you!

I’m eyeing the Caudalie Spa Radiance Set, simply because Caudalie is amazing. And it’s forty percent off!

I’m also looking at this Frederic Fekkai Absolutely Brilliant Lock-In Color & Shine set, which is going for over thirty percent off. I don’t use Frederic Fekkai because he’s a bit pricey for me, but everyone I know who uses the brand adores it and won’t use anything else.

Also, how can you go wrong with Sephora Brand Cream Lipstick going for $6.00 a tube? You can’t, that’s how. You can hardly get some drugstore brands for that!

Oh, if only money grew on trees! A tree that I had in my backyard!

Unfortunately, life doesn’t quite work like that. But if it did, these are the things I might put on my Christmas list.

Hey, a girl’s allowed to dream, isn’t she?

A Heifer International Gift Ark One of my favorite charities, Heifer International gives the gift of self-sufficiency to struggling populations. The Gift Ark not only provides needy families with much-needed livestock, they are then instructed to pass on one of the offspring to another family in need, and on and on it goes.

Leiber ‘Goddess’ Evening Handbag I cannot even describe the awesomeness that is this clutch.

Judith Ripka ‘Estate’ Diamond Cuff I think I would wear this every time I went out of the house.

Baume & Mercier Diamant 8569 I love Baume & Mercier watches. I don’t know why, I just do.

A Mediterranean Cruise Technically, I was supposed to get one of these as an “official” honeymoon trip, but ahem, it never materialized. But Mr. P did, so I’ll just wait, I guess.

Inside Out Hoop Earrings I’m known for my collection of hoop earrings, and I’d love to add these.

Burberry Prorsum English Rose trench OMG! I love this!

Prada crystal-studded Peep-toe Pumps Currently drooling over these lovelies…

My own personal “team.” You know, a personal chef, a maid, a personal trainer, but no nanny needed.

Tesla Roadster Forget the Prius, I’m going for the good stuff. And it’s good for the environment! Everybody wins!

Anything on your fantasy gift list?

Last week I asked about holiday shopping, and it seems you don’t care how you get your gifts, as long as you get the best price. I’m totally with ya, sisters. Although I will admit to there being a bit of a preference toward web ordering, simply because it seems there is more variety, as well as more hand-made items, on teh nets.

This week I want to know about wrapping. Or, uh, not wrapping, as it were.

I think I am in some sort of denial about there being less than two weeks until the holidays. I’m trying to hold the panic at bay, but not doing a very good job so far.

But do you know what makes me happy? Sales! Bargains! Knowing that often, good things come to those who wait. Feeling that I’m pulling one over on “the man” and buying something for less than someone paid two months ago. Bwaaahaaahaaaa! I’m totally evil that way. You?

Check out some of these amazing deals for the last-minute shopping you need to get done.

Melissa and Doug Deluxe Standing Easel This company makes great products that have the added bonus of being completely non-toxic. We love Melissa and Doug! And we love it even more when we can save 57%!

FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony The pony that started the whole FurReal Friends craze. Can actually support a rider up to 80 pounds! Fulfill her dreams of a pony without needing a paddock. Originally almost $300, you save 50% and pay only $150.

I-Dog Dance White Just plug in your mP3 player and watch him dance! You will also find yourself dancing a bit after saving 50%.

Matchbox Power Scouts Skull Mountain Playset Boys love these Matchbox sets, which usually hook up to other sets for even more fun. And at 66% off, it’s a great bargain.

LeapFrog Explorer Smart Globe This highly rated learning toy has multi-level games for up to four players, a world clock, interactive pen, and plenty of geography! You save 50% off the regular price.

Polly Pocket Ultimate Party Boat Playset So many girls love Polly Pocket, and this is the biggest playset offered! Comes with three of Polly’s friends, who can have great adventures, including parasailing! I’m jealous! You can have this toy for less than eight dollars at 68% off the original price.

Littlest Pet Shop Digital Electronic Interactive Organizer A popular brand, this toy helps her manage her interactive pet and have her own personal organizer! Buy it and save 50%!

The Dangerous Book for Boys Game Did you know that the best-selling book is now also a game? They’ll willingly give up the video games for this one! At only ten dollars, with a savings of 50%, I think I’m going to buy one for myself!

Radio Flyer Turbo Turtle Less than thirty dollars for a ride-on toy? From Radio Flyer? Are they crazy? Meanwhile, you save 60%!

Playskool Mr. Potato Head Indiana Jones Taters of the Lost Ark, Idaho Jones Spud Shhhhh, I won’t tell that you’re really buying it for your hubby! And why wouldn’t you, since it is only six bucks! I’m sort of amazed!

Hasbro Playskool Honeybee Hop A fantastic game that will get everybody in the family moving! Can be played indoors as well for lots of inclement weather fun. Get this highly rated game for 60% off!