It worked on me when I was a kid. Kept asking for the (insanely expensive) LEGO Space Monorail, and every time it didn't materialize my parents would do this wideyed "well we TOLD Santa to get that for you, what the hell is his problem" routine. Successfully diverted my wrath to an imaginary scapegoat. My letters to…

"A little thing that can turn into anything at anytime."