Christmas is a special time of year. A time for love, family, and of course presents. It's a special time for all of us. We have loved Christmas since we were old enough to remember and every year we get back into the spirit of sharing and caring. As much as we like to think that we extend ourselves to be extra nice every year the real Christmas is one of shopping and spending. We all love to give gifts, it's the spirit of Christmas to give…okay we like to get too but giving is where it is at and giving to kids is the best feeling of all. Seeing their little eyes light up when they look at the tree for the first time and seeing them beam when they open up the little wrapped packages of joy. We all love to buy for kids, but it seems that everyone's favourite person to buy for is the baby in the family. We all buy and wrap presents for babies and their families, with the thought of how happy the baby will be with our present. That is until we give it to the baby and realize that they can't even open it yet and barely have any clue as to what is going on. Well I say we're all suckers. We're lucky if the baby chews on the stupid wrapping paper.

Ever year around Christmas young families go out and spend all of their hard earned money on tons of presents for their newly born children. I'm talking about the real babies the ones having their first Christmas. These babies aren't even one yet and we're going out and spending all of our money on rattles and clothes and toys for this baby who has no clue what is going on. Most of these people are young couples struggling to make a start in life. I'll bet that they say to each other in loving voices that they shouldn't buy gifts for one another this year so they can save up…then they go out and spend all of those savings on a kid who won't remember the day anyway. I say save the money.

I understand that you want to get some presents for the baby, I'm not saying don't give the baby anything. I'm just saying don't get it everything. Sure you have to buy clothes and crap for the baby but you have to do that everyday. Why not use that money to get yourselves something nice. You just had a baby and your lives will from now on be devoted to giving everything you have to this kid, why not treat yourself while you can? I mean, there is no way that this kid is going to remember its first Christmas, hell I'll bet they won't even remember their third. You could wrap up diapers and put them under the tree for all that it matters. You could give them a rutabaga and their eyes would light up just as much. You have a video camera and the kid will see it when he/she gets older? Easy, do some creative editing. Shoot a large pile of gifts. Shoot the kid opening one or two (trust me that will take so long). Put in some type of time lapse (shoot the tree or the dog or something), then return to see the baby still opening gifts. Make some comment like 'Wow! Look at all of these gifts…there is a lot of love in this house!' Issue solved…no therapy needed.

Okay maybe you think I'm being mean or insensitive to the kid, stop and rethink that. Are you sure it isn't the parent who wants to see all of the gifts and the fun at Christmas? Are you sure you aren't projecting your desire to see lots of gifts onto the child? Trust me, use this time as a freedom, it won't be long before the kids are crying for the expensive toys that you can't afford. You know what I'm talking about. Well if you need to see lots of gifts buy stuff for the family or save it and buy lots of gifts when the baby is old enough to remember…I think 5 is good. You don't want to start the kid on a path of being spoiled rotten too early. Besides that's Grandma's job. Oh and just in case you were wondering that goes for Birthdays too, Shoppy.

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