Avoid Christmas Package Rage

On Christmas morning when we were kids we woke up and ran to see what Santa brought for us and of course to set about opening the presents under the tree. What was the most annoying part of Christmas (or birthdays for that matter)? Well for me at least it was opening that really super cool present out of its paper only to have to fight with packaging to actually get to the gift. It was as if it were saying "look how great I am, but you can't have me yet, hahahaha". Or it needed batteries, then those had to be found and inevitably someones gift would have to wait because there were only 3 C batteries and it needed 4. Ugh. For our kids today the experience may be even worse than it was for us because packaging is out of control and over the top. I swear some of those toy manufacturers could cut costs by a third if they cut packaging!

So fix this for your kids. Open their presents before you wrap them. Even if you put it back in the original box so that it wraps easier or so that they know that it really is new. Cut the cords, slice the tape, pull off the plastic and for heaven's sake put batteries in the thing! Christmas will be way more fun for you this way too. You can avoid the begging for you to open something or make something work EVERY time a present is open. So yeah it saves them frustration but let's be honest, it really saves us parents a little sanity, and we all know that we need all of that we can get!

Stocking Stuffer Idea #2

www.melissaanddoug.com

Is anyone else super ready for Christmas? Okay well I'm not physically ready but I am sure mentally ready.This is our first Christmas where Little Moxie will sort of get some of the festivity stuff and will hopefully show some emotion to her presents. I feel like a little kid who is waiting anxiously to open my gifts from Santa, but it's reversed and what I actually can't wait for is to see her open her gifts from everyone. In full disclosure, I am looking forward to playing with some of them too. Anyhow on with the idea right... so check out this kazoo from Melissa & Doug. This toy could not be more simple but it's well made and is such a great noise maker instrument. And not that I was fooled at first but just so you know, those blue circles are just painted on there and aren't really working finger holes, I'm just say'n. Additionally the kazoo's recommended age is 3+, but Little Moxie got this on her first birthday and figured out how to use it before her thirty something father. Just hum into it, that's it, like I said simple but very cool. It's also about $4 so you can't go wrong.