Well, the inexplicable has occurred again. I've had a grand stroke of good luck that, despite my best efforts, I could not have orchestrated myself.

Christmas is what it is. For me, it means doing what I can for the kids and trying to forget about self for a while. Sure, I made a wish list, but the main thing I got from it was a sense of remembering what it was like to wish again. Mom and Dad give Christmas, kids receive Christmas. Trying to be a kid again doesn't always work so I gave up any twinkling in the eye which may have been the last hope for any toys with my name on them.

Just before Christmas, I sold my snazzy new wireless phone on eBay for $200 and bought an outdated Treo 300 PDA used for $60. As much as I wanted the Treo 600, I just couldn't put down the cash for it at Christmas time. My one little palm-sized toy could equal twenty toys for them. I just couldn't do it. We used the extra cash from the phone to give more to the kids while I slavered over the piling toys. Rationalizing, I told myself that I'll look into another phone after financial aid arrives.

On the ride back home after returning the kids, my Treo 300 broke while in my pocket - driving. I just pulled it out a sploof! The rocker hinge broke and wires exposed themselves from the opposing hinge. Great.

I called customer service and they agreed to replace the phone "with a comparable model". Two days later my new phone arrived - a brand new Treo 600 camera phone web PDA.

Sold a new phone for $200, bought an old one for $60, paid $50 to replace it with a state of the art piece that just happend to be at the top of my Christmas wishes. All of this through no fault of mine, a guilt-free wish fulfillment. There was extra money for gifts and I got a little something as well.