You helped end the Cold War and this is the thanks you get???

Welcome to a free-enterprise economy, Mr. Gorbachev. I found this priceless piece of 20th century memorabilia at the local Goodwill clearance outlet. How could I resist for just 50 cents? My memories of duck and cover drills in the 1960s and the Red Scare and musty, dark bomb shelter in a neighbor's back yard only made this more irresistible. Who should I find among the piles of cast-off treasures, but Mikhail Gorbachev. Yes, the man who helped end the Cold War, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 crafted of squishy plastic, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit and packaged as a Christmas ornament. Meet Santa Gorby. Complete with the unmistakable birthmark on his forehead. The package says it all--Kinder Gentler Fun all Year!

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the items I've purchased at thrift stores have given me, my friends and family countless hours of pleasure, & laughs along with consternation (what was I thinking??). It's definitely a guilty pleasure and once the thrill of the hunt got in my blood, I've never found a cure. If I hadn't been seeking that thrill, I would never have seen Gorby tricked out as Santa.