Stress-free Christmas visits

The spirit of giving
Results from the SickKids Spirit of Giving survey released in November show that we are teaching our children to give back. Almost 90 per cent of parents surveyed said it's very or somewhat important that their kids learn to donate to others; four out of five said they would encourage their children to do so. Here are a few other findings:

• Mom and Dad are the philanthropic role models for children.
• We are leading by example, with 85 per cent of parents saying they have donated to charity in the past two years.
• Nine per cent of parents believe teachers motivate children to donate while grandparents were named by three per cent. Interestingly, no respondents cited celebrities as having a philanthropic influence on their children.

Spend, save and give banks
With the SickKids Spend, Save, Give Banks, children can place coins from their allowances, earnings or savings into three separate slotted canisters, labelled Spend, Save and Give. The banks can be purchased for a limited time at ShopSickKids, $20 for the set of three. Proceeds go to the SickKids Foundation (sickkidsfoundation.com).

Two children's books you'll love
I have a soft spot for children's books and two came across my desk recently that I'd like to share with you:
• After the Beginning by Carolyn Pogue (Copperhouse, 2006) is an imaginative and spiritual tale of how the earth was created and loved by its inhabitants, who gradually became caught up in a world of consumerism that created unhappiness and an unhealthy planet. The earth is saved by the word Remember, and people begin to consider the air and water, and live harmoniously again.
• Sofia's Pink Balloon by Zanita DiSalle (Amethyst House Publishing, 2006) is this writer's first children's story (DiSalle has also written for Canadian Living in the past). It tells the story of how a young girl finally manages to get the pink balloon she desires at a local fair.

Merry Christmas!

Read about holiday stress and how it can hurt your kids.

Page 2 of 2 -- On page 1, find Kathryn's advice on keeping the holidays stress-free.