Flashes of Panic

Rules of Gift Giving: 1) The socks and underwear rule - socks and underwear don’t really count as gifts, you needed them anyway. (T-shirts get perilously close at times.) 2) When the box is a bigger hit than the gift, you spent too much on the gift. 3) When toys overwhelm the house, something is out-of-whack. 4) Ask yourself what toy will be treasured by the child and remembered fondly when they’re grown. That is the toy to buy them. (Of all the toys I had as a kid, the building toys - Erector Set, Lego, and Lincoln Logs are remembered well. Also, Matchbox Cars and a Tonka Dump Truck - I remeber working hard one day to destroy that, and feel real pangs of regret. Finally, a panda teddy bear that I had my grandmother make pants for once when my parents were on vacation. These are the only toys I really remember. We also had board games, but they were always community property with my sisters…except Mystery Date - that was THEIRS!) 5) Clothing, unless it is a special highly desired item, can be risky. I don’t know girls toys well. The battle today often seems to be picking out a toy that will cut through the clutter. Kids seem to often have too many toys.