Mitch here!
I’m on a bi-yearly Christmas cycle. Every other year, I go so hard with festivity I need more than 365 days to revamp and rev up for another holiday season. It’s a holly jolly conundrum, to say the least. Luckily for me, 2018 is an “on” year, and I’m about to go Christmas crazy. I’m thinking about Halloween as Pre-Christmas, Thanksgiving as Christmas 1.0, and real Christmas as Christmas 2.0.
As luck would have it, the Larkin Family got the opportunity to get a super early start on Christmas this year. Remember all those trips to Bentonville, Arkansas? Well, part of the reason we went was to help try out, select and review the toys that Walmart is carrying for the holidays this year!
Wishlist Event
Emma is also featured in Walmart’s newest toy catalog, which is currently dropping around the country. In tandem with the catalog’s launch, Walmart is inviting you and yours to your local Walmart today (November 3rd from 1-4 p.m.) to get in on the fun. Kids will have the opportunity to play with all of Walmart’s incredible toys, develop their holiday wish lists, and grab copies of the catalog. Santa will be there, too! And there will be all kinds of giveaways.
Arkansas trips
But let’s go back to Arkansas. This past summer, we headed to Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville for what has proven to be the best gig in the history of being a kid. Of course, the Larkin Family experienced multiple flight cancellations along the way (#LarkinLuck). But our time in Bentonville was really awesome. Walmart filled a conference room with all of the toys they were considering carrying, and invited kids from around the country to play with ’em. I’ve never seen a group of happier youngsters. It was a Willy Wonka situation, and Emma had the golden ticket! I was so happy that I got to be there to experience it with her.
And now, the toys are available for purchase at Walmart. They’re amazing. I’m talking about Rideamals animatronic horses, Disney Princess Royal Horse Carriages and Paw Patrol firetrucks that actually drive around and stuff. And, the creme de la creme of the whole event? This Power Wheels Barbie Dream Camper which is the size of a Fiat and comes with a kitchen. These toys are no joke! When I was a kid, a good day of play involved sticks that fell into my yard. Emma is livin’ the life.
Shop Emma’s Favorite Toys
Walmart sent Emma’s Wishlist Event toys for her to play with at home, which explains the pictures you see in this post. And as a guy who spent most of the past week assembling these toys and then tripping over them in our tiny house, I can say that my Christmas spirit has been tested. But I digress. ;)
We feel truly lucky that Kelly’s blog affords us unique opportunities such as this Walmart collaboration, and as Emma’s dad I take the responsibility seriously to remind her that having America’s Best Toy Shop send you multiple giant animatronic horses is not reality. We explained to Emma that she could play with the toys for a few days, and then pick her favorite. (She went with the firetruck!) And that the rest would be donated to a local charity which will ensure that less fortunate kids will have special holiday seasons. The best part? Emma was happy about it, and couldn’t stop talking about the “other kids,” which she pronounced “udder kids.” My heart grew three sizes from this experience, and I think I just might have two “on” years in a row.
Man, Christmas is so awesome :)
Mitch. Out!
This post was sponsored by Walmart, but all opinions are my own. As always, thank you so much for supporting the partnerships that keep Kelly in the City up and running!
