It's painful, messy, labour intensive and stressful. No, its not childbirth, but getting through the holiday season when you have children. You may have heard that Christmas is really all about children. It is. It's all about them. They'll tell you so themselves. It is very easy to get swept up in the consumerism and overzealousness of the holiday period, in the eternal quest to provide the "best Christmas ever" for your darling angels -- although frankly how we're ever going to top the first one is beyond me.
To help new and old parents alike, take advantage of this "expert advice" from hearty troopers who have been through the holiday season more than once and lived to tell the tale. Through trial, error and major meltdowns in shopping malls (sadly, not by the children), these tips will help you get through the holidays with a smile.
• Watch your budget
Overspending is an easy trap to fall into when children are exposed to countless hours of merciless promotion for the latest "have to have it" toy or gadget. Finding yourself shoving old ladies aside and standing in line at midnight to acquire one of the "must have" toys is an amateur's mistake.
No two-year-old really needed the Tickle Me Elmo during that frenzy. Remember Cabbage Patch Kids? Was it a really fun toy which provided endless hours of fun? Exactly. Limit the kids to three choices that Santa, or yourself, is expected to bring. This will allow for parents to choose the one gift they can a) find and b) afford.
• Keep an eye on Santa's list
Ah, Santa. Resist the weird and unattainable requests. Have the kids write their lists in November, suggests Eva Chan, mother of three, with the aforementioned three items -- which are understood be an 'either/or' proposition. "This certainly puts a stop to the 'ever changing' Santa list and puts the kibosh on those last minute Santa requests," she says.
If Santa is unable to come up with even one of the three requests (hey it does happen), Dina Vardouniotis of Toronto, mother of two young sons, recommends the following escape line: "Santa made a mistake, he thought Grandma was gonna get it!" Blaming of innocent immediate family relatives gets her extra points in the surviving the holiday sweepstakes.
• Prepare your kids for family visits
Visiting relatives and getting smothered by Auntie Halitosis is no picnic for anyone, especially your unsuspecting children. Dina suggests showing the kids a picture of the relatives they will see prior to the visit. "Tell them a little bit about the person and suggest some things they can talk about with the cousin they've never met before," she offers.
If you have been extremely nasty in a previous life and the relatives are coming to your house, avoid the number one mistake people make: Moving their own children and themselves out of their beds to make room for these freeloaders. Everyone sleeps better in their own bed, and this is especially true for the toddler crowd. Where exactly is the downside of making your still annoying younger brother feel uncomfortable sleeping in a foldout cot in the basement? "Get rid of the Bow Flex in the basement that no one uses and make room for a bed," Dina offers.
Page 1 of 2 -- Find holiday shopping tips, plus ideas for Christmas morning activities on page 2
