Santa vs. Generous Grandparents

Who needs Santa when you’ve got grandparents? There have been many times when I have seriously considered hiding some of the dozens of Christmas presents my parents have sent my daughter and attaching gift tags that read, “From: Santa Claus” and sticking them under the tree on December 25th. My parent’s generosity is overwhelming… not that I’m complaining (my kid sure isn’t). It’s just that it’s getting harder and harder for me… I mean Santa… to compete with grandma and grandpa when it comes to holiday gift giving. For the record I should note that my 4-year-old is very blessed … Continue reading →

The Santa Threat

It happened in a blink of an eye. I just couldn’t help myself. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve become one of those parents… a full-fledged adult who uses Santa Claus as a behavior modifier. I’ve tried to console myself by thinking of the millions of other parents who fall into the same trap this time of year. Still, I feel bad that in a moment of weakness I pulled out the Santa card and used it on my 4-year-old. The day started out so innocently. I had a list of errands to complete, including mailing out our … Continue reading →

Hey Moms… What’s On Your Christmas Wish List?

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas this year is peace, good health… and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Best Wishes, A Mom In a previous blog I touched on moms, sacrifices, and the holidays. Moms (in general) are notorious for knowing exactly what’s on everyone else’s Christmas wish list while never considering drafting one of their own. So why is it that mothers have such a difficult time coming up with a holiday wish list? I can’t speak for other moms, but I would venture to guess: A.) They’d rather spend the money on their children B.) They don’t have … Continue reading →

Countdown to Christmas: Santa’s Secret Hiding Places

Where do you hide your holiday purchases so your littlest snoopers can’t ruin their surprises? Fortunately, my child is young (and innocent) enough that present peeking is not an issue I have to deal with… yet. However, that is not the case with my friend, who parents three sons ages 7, 9, and 12. Apparently, her enthusiastic cherubs don’t quite appreciate the element of surprise. In fact, their mother tells me that she has run out of hiding places in her home to stow her kids’ Christmas gifts because her mini Sherlock Holmes’ have made it a holiday tradition to … Continue reading →

The Family Christmas Photo

Whereas I wouldn’t dare bore family and friends with a lengthy holiday newsletter detailing every milestone my precious offspring has accomplished in the last 365 days, I have no qualms about stuffing a mini photo album’s worth of pictures in our annual Christmas card. Okay, I don’t really cram mountains of photos in a single card (think of the postage), but I am one of those parents that opts for the multi-square photo card, and I sheepishly admit I do sometimes… all right… often… supplement it with my own 8×10-inch photo montage. When it comes to picking the perfect Christmas … Continue reading →

Holiday Family Bonding Around the TV

If someone is getting paid to write an article about television and children you can bet that the tone of the piece likely won’t be very positive. TV generally gets a bad rap, especially when it comes to children being overexposed to it. However, this time of year I don’t think there’s anything wrong with children spending a bit more time in front of the boob tube—-with their parents—-watching holiday classics like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman.” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”–these are national treasures as far as I’m concerned and … Continue reading →

Another Reason to Encourage Your Kids to WRITE a Letter to Santa

In a previous blog I vented… rather, shared my feelings regarding the influx of websites encouraging kids to go high-tech and email their letters to Santa instead of writing them by hand and shipping them off via snail mail. Frankly, I find the whole Santa email idea a bit insulting. It’s a slap in the face of parents and teachers who work tirelessly to encourage children to practice their penmanship. Think about it; what better incentive to get your kindergartener to master spelling, printing and word order than actually putting pen (or pencil or crayon) to paper and jotting down … Continue reading →

Countdown to Christmas: The Letter to Santa

It’s done. My daughter’s annual letter to Santa Claus is complete. Not exactly a big deal in most households, but it was a major milestone in our family as this is the first year that my daughter’s note to Jolly Old St. Nicholas actually included words… written by someone other than me. What a difference a year makes. Instead of drawing pictures of the Christmas gifts she desired, this year my 4-year-old hand wrote her entire letter to the guy in the red suit. She even addressed the envelope: Santa, North Pole! (Parents with older children feel free to roll … Continue reading →

Mom Killed Christmas

Every year, when I take down all of the holiday decorations, put away the tree, and fold all the tissue paper and ribbon I’ve salvaged, my kids tease me, accusing me of “killing Christmas.” I can’t remember when it started–probably when they were 11 or 12, so it’s been a few years now that I have been both the harbinger and the destroyer of their beloved holiday. Now, granted, my decorating can be a little over the top. One of my daughters warns her friends that coming to our house during the month of December means they need to be … Continue reading →

Time for a Pat on the Back?

Let me be the first to congratulate all you parents out there–you made it through another Christmas! Maybe everything wasn’t picture perfect or like that imaginary fairy tale holiday you have always imagined–but no doubt you did the very best you could and whether things came off without a hitch or not, it’s over, you did it! Time for that pat on the back. After the presents are all unwrapped and you’ve tried to salvage as many bows and ribbons as possible. After the dishes have all been done and the leftovers sealed away in little plastic storage containers. There … Continue reading →