The way it usually works, kids make wish lists for the holidays and then get the shiny new toy.

Tuesday’s election reverses that. Democrats found the toy early the next morning. And now, they have a wish list of what they want to do with it.

I felt pretty sure the Democrats would take the House; they only needed three flips. I hoped they would take the Senate with maybe 52 seats so that the possible defection of Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman wouldn’t matter.

But like most Democrats, I dreaded Election Night. Kamala Harris was certain to win. So was Hillary Clinton eight years before.

Instead, the Trumpian dystopia.

The actual results felt like I got the bicycle, the baseball mitt and the video game console, instead of just the console.

The Democrats gained at least 24 House seats and are predicted by NBC News to gain 41.They’ll hold something in the vicinity of 258 seats; the Republicans have been bullying people with just 220.

They took control of the Senate with a minimum of 54 seats. Two races, not yet called, are leaning their way.

Those margins loom large. Donald Trump can’t pass anything or get anyone appointed to the executive or judicial branches without carving out something around 40 Democratic votes in the House. Given what the electorate said about his policies, that ain’t likely.

So what can we do with this thing?

The kind of sweeping legislation to expand healthcare, reverse the Supreme Court abortion decision and other Democratic priorities doesn’t seem possible. Trump already indicated he’ll veto stuff willy nilly.

But Democrats can’t fear that. If there’s legislation to undo the healthcare cuts that go into effect as a result of the tax cut passed in the current Congress, go for it. Let Trump veto a bill to lower Americans’ costs. That’s the campaign poster for 2028.

If there’s legislation to help get gas prices down, let Trump veto it. And, as it stands, not funding the idiotic war against Iran probably helps that cause.

A push on ethics reform would also go over well. Ban stock trading by members of all three branches of government. Ban gifts worth more than $200 to anyone in government. Limit lobbyists’ influence. Again, if Trump vetoes, make ethics issues an ad subject in the next election.

There’s always a chance surviving Republicans now see the light and want to show they understand that affordability isn’t a hoax. $4-a-gallon and $6-a-gallon diesel are the primary reasons for Tuesday night. Not the only ones, but likely the biggest ones.

It is a Democratic tradition to let bygones be bygones. My saying is Democrats want to govern, Republicans want to rule. Governing means you do litigate the past in order to get your priorities done.

That’s over. The Merrick Garland memorial deliberate speed on investigations needs to join Garland in retirement.

Investigations into what most of us believe are serious crimes against the nation are fair game. Theft of our tax dollars, sweetheart contracts to political cronies, the enrichment of the Trump family and all the other crap we’ve dealt with since January 20, 2025.

We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Legislate for the good of the American people. Investigate for the justice Americans crave.

I don’t impeaching Trump serves a purpose. He’s 80 years old, he’s a senile bat and, most of all, there aren’t enough votes to convict. Making him a martyr for the fourth time – two prior impeachments and a questionable assassination attempt – isn’t a good idea.

But, by all means, haul the Trump kids – yes, even Barron – and Jared Kushner before Congress. Make them testify. If they don’t, find them in contempt. Yes, eventually Trump will pardon them – and lots and lots of other people. But put their perfidy on the public record – and help the state attorneys general develop cases that Trump can’t wash away.

And, there are people who might be worth impeaching. Pete Hegseth mismanaged the precious resource of the world’s strongest military, firing generals and admirals who didn’t meet his political or bizarre masculinity standards.

I love that one of the Democrats who appears to have won in South Carolina is Nancy Lacore, a vice admiral Hegseth forced into retirement. Another is my congresswoman-elect, Cait Conley, who spent 16 years in the military and worked protecting national security. Let’s see how macho Hegseth is when these veterans go at him.

There’s even talk that a Hegseth impeachment might take place in the lame duck Congress. That would be a sign that some Republicans learned a lesson.

Another impeachment candidate is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary. His tenure includes such amazing accomplishments as the return of measles, lettuce that gave people exploding diarrhea and the encouragement of vaccine skepticism that endangers large swaths of the population.

There are Republicans who would happily throw Kennedy under the bus – which he might actually think of as a fitness regimen.

What Democrats can’t do is business as usual. Their model for how they should operate is 250 miles north of the Capitol.

Zohran Mamdani won election as New York’s mayor a year ago. He spent that year doing a lot of the stuff he was going to do – along with creating an image of NYC as a place of joy and striving. If Democrats follow his path and do things that make life more affordable and maybe even fun, their shiny new toy will last a lot longer than the ones under the tree.