Crystal Pets

I don't know if they still do this in elementary schools, but back when I was a kid, one magical day every December, the music room was transformed into "Santa's Secret Shop."  I don't know who stocked this little store, but it was every kid's dream.  It was full of fabulous (read: painfully useless) trinkets that we'd buy to grace our family's stockings.  

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't really remember any of the gifts that I bought, but I do remember buying myself several sets of "Crystal Pets" - small animals crafted of clear (plastic) "crystal".  I can only imagine that it was a wave of nostalgia that compelled me (a complete teetotaller) to buy these cocktail creatures from Target's Dollar Spot:

Aren't the colors great?  

There's a giraffe, a monkey, a long-horn steer, a mermaid, a donkey, a camel, and an elephant.
 
I think I like the monkeys best.

I call this "Election 2008: Crystal Pets Edition."

Who says they have to grace a martini glass?  I think they'd significantly cheer up a plain old glass of water.