Kimmers, I was actually thinking about getting one of those pretty little fountains, except that every time I passed the display, I wanted to head for the bathroom. (Nature/environmental tapes of mountain streams and waterfalls have a similar effect; not quite what I really want to relax)
Berke, you're too virtuous. Send the stuff to me.*g*
Ickle Dorritt, at least you can burn the candles. I'll trade you even up for seasonally decorated coffee mugs. Can't kill those suckers with a stick.
'Spaw, it's small comfort, but there was an article in the Wall Street Journal just before Christmas that said that according to Amazon.com, those very fish (and presumably the rest of their ilk) were listed on the top ten most despised gift list.
Speaking of talking stuffed animals, I got two this year. One was a fox. I named him Vergil, but if you push the proper rib, or thereabouts, he says, in a cheesy pseudo-French accent, "I am Fabian Fox, would you like a cafe au lait?" I thought I could ignore this, or do some minor surgery, but then somebody pushed the button a second time, and the thing howled, as though in gastric distress from the cafe au lait. I love it, but thank heavens my teenaged urchins don't push the button very much. (Other buttons, yes). I also got a plush frog, complete with crown that says in a raucus voice something like "Come here, get real close, I'm gonna kiss ya!", followed by the loud, vulgar sound of a big sloppy kiss. The givers have *that* kind of humor. But they certainly didn't expect me to grin and yell,"I've been snogged by a frog!"