Another Halloween has come and gone and once again I had to come up with 6 different costumes since my kids are required to wear a costume resembling a character from a book to school and they never want to wear that costume to trick-or-treat in. We stewed for some time about what Bryton could go as until John suggested he go as the infamous "balloon boy" that's been usurping the news channels as of late. That's treading on dangerous territory, I know. What would he have done if he had actually run into the real balloon boy while out trick-or-treating? Awkward. At any rate, we decided to take our chances. In interest of time I checked to see if by chance anyone was selling "balloon boy" costumes on line. Surprise, surprise, they were. I found a web site that was selling "balloon boy" costumes for the low, low price of $13.00 plus free shipping. All the costumes that I'd seen in the stores were selling for around $25.00. To me, that seemed well worth it. There was an instant costume that I didn't have to put together or even spend time looking for. Plus, it was guaranteed to be here by or before Halloween. (I ordered it the Tuesday before.) I started to get nervous when school got called off two days in a row that week due to snow. If the school busses weren't running, how were mail trucks going to fair? What is that saying? "Neither rain nor snow..." Something like that. I shouldn't have doubted but I did.
When Halloween got here I walked nervously down to the mailbox and opened it up with great disappointment. There was a 5x5x5" box inside but it was too small too fit a Halloween costume in. Or was it? I took it home and opened it up and this is what I found:
One balloon that I would need to find a way to inflate with helium
Two 5" pieces of wrapping paper ribbon
One cupcake holder
One clip that I never did figure out how to use
One paper with the instructions on how to scotch tape the costume together
I felt like the giant balloon that was supposedly carrying balloon boy when it landed. Deflated. I wondered if everything having to do with "balloon boy" was a hoax. We didn't bother putting it together. Instead Bryton grabbed a pair of fairy wings out of his sisters' dress up box and went out. I started kicking myself for being cheated out of $13.00. Not to mention letting my 11 year old walk around with fairy wings on his back. If I'd been thinking I would have just bought a package of balloons and taped them all over him. Done. If I'd been
really thinking I would have advertised this costume on the internet and sent it to people with a package of scotch tape for twenty bucks a pop...no pun intended.
2 comments:
It is like that part of Napoleon Dynamite when Uncle Rico orders a time machine. "This thing sucks!"
Looks like you paid thirteen dollars for a good, true story to tell and a lesson on why to not trust buying things through the mail. I spent $6,000 once to learn the lesson of treat all business deals as business deals even when (or especially when)friends are involved. So, I'd say you got yourself a bargain.
Post a Comment