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Whoa, Santa!

01.01.70

"Toys in large quantity scattered on the floor. There's no room for more. And it's all because of Santa Claus."

Since 1964, when "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" first flew into living rooms, the images of toys in large quantity has been associated with "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year."But is it really wonderful to inundate our children and grandchildren with toys in profusion? According to the experts, the answer is "no".

Books such as "The Pampered Juvenile Syndrome" by Maggie Mamen and "Give Me, Get Me, Buy Me" by Donna Corwin put forward similar conclusions: When children are given too much over the line of their childhoods, they can develop a serious case of entitlement, become unappreciative of what they have, and originate to equate love with 'stuff." For younger children, receiving a mammoth pile of gifts in one sitting can be both overwhelming and overstimulating. Why do you conceive of little ones so often prefer to play with the box?

I think back on my oldest son's first Christmas. Santa did his best to put an expropriate amount of gifts under the tree. Two large cases of diapers wrapped in red-letter day paper looked great against the evergreen — and they were as common-sensical as they were pretty. A stuffed dog peeked out from my son's holiday stocking and a few baby toys were wrapped and under the tree. My son was equitable two months old at the time, and his gifts seemed just virtuousness. But then we went to grandma's. There a wooden toy box sat open and overflowing with brightly wrapped gifts. The plunder spilled onto the floor. My mother-in-law stood in the central of it all, holding my infant son and gushing, "Look what Santa brought you!"

Source: STLtoday.com

Help stock Orange County's holiday toy chest for children

01.01.70

HILLSBOROUGH - Last December, an Orange County mom braved the cold and joined hundreds of parents and guardians in a big line that snaked around the Orange County Bailiwick of Social Services Center. They had lined up - some as betimes as 5 a.m. - to participate in DSS's annual Toy Chest incident, which gives county parents an opportunity to settle upon holiday gifts for their children. "I was amazed and humbled by the many of people who walked through the rooms full of gifts," the shelter wrote in a letter to the department. "As a result of your generosity, my son received several gifts that be there his favorites - including a book that we've read together hundreds of times, sometimes more than six times a day. "I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone who helped give huge smiles to hundreds of Orange County children." This year, the division plans to continue giving smiles to thousands of underprivileged county children. But it needs pinch. The Toy Chest, which is coordinated

Source: Chapel Hill News