This is not quite on topic, but it's a true Christmas gift story:

When my mother was a kid her family had a terrier, a rather hyper little dog, named Spanky. One year at Christmas, my mother and her siblings (3 of them) were unwrapping the presents. The dog was participating, enjoying the whole thing, and was busy with a piece of cheese or something, when my mother opened a package containing a mechanical bear. It was furry, and had one of those wind-up motors, and looked rather real, if a bit small for a bear. My mother wound the bear up and released it, and it took off across the carpet, lumbering, making a growling sound, and shooting little sparks out its mouth.

The dog, Spanky, leaped straight up in the air and instantly launched himself at the bear, barking furiously. He seized it in a death grip, and the two of them tumbled into the Christmas tree, scattering presents and decorations in all directions. My mother said it was a hell of a fight, bear and dog growling, sparking and struggling, and everyone was laughing so hard that they couldn't be bothered to stop it. In less than 30 seconds of frenzied activity, the dog managed to "kill" the mechanical bear. It never growled again. Spanky was VERY proud of himself, having saved the family, and retired to the hearth to sleep it off.

My mother said the whole incident was entirely worth the price of the toy as far as she was concerned.

- LH