Parents of small children tend to focus, during the Christmas season, on making their childrens' holidays as special as they can be. It's the greatest feeling in the world to see your child's eyes light up at the sight of the goodies Santa left under the tree, and to watch as your child tears into the gift-wrapping surrounding those treasures. But, for parents of little children especially, it can be equally disheartening to see those same young eyes register disappointment, if the hoped-for Christmas toys turn out to be the wrong ones.



Kids usually decide early exactly what they want for Christmas. They have plenty of input, all autumn long, as the commercials they're bombarded with convince them that there are certain toys and games that they can't live without.

The problem for many parents is that kids are hit with so much advertising that they can change their minds several times about what the perfect big present should be, before Santa even loads up his sleigh. It's hard for parents to keep up, and know what's the perfect gift, today.

Even if parents do everything in their power to know exactly what Santa is expected to leave under the tree on Christmas Eve, it's possible that a mistake can be made. There may be different colors of the perfect toy. Many toys come in different sizes or models and some may be more popular and more available than others.

The whole holiday season, for the parents of young children, is about that wonderful moment on Christmas morning, when the surprise is complete, and the magic of Santa Claus is proven-that he really knows what every child wants. No parent wants to be responsible for the kind of disappointment that the wrong color choice or the wrong model choice can create.

What most young parents have yet to learn, though, is that Santa's fallibility is really survivable, for a family. Sure, the great present of presents may be a tad bit different than what was ordered, but in the long life of a family, it's a moment that will ultimately be forgotten.

Though your child may be disappointed, there are other gifts that Santa left that can help take the sting out. But if, at the end of the day, the perfect toy is still being pined for, let your child know that Santa isn't pefect, and he brought what he could fit on his sleigh.

Tell your child that Santa won't mind if you go out, together, in the next few days, and exchange what Santa brought for the gift that your child really wanted. That will take the pain out of any Christmas disappointment for both of you. And the next time it happens, you won't be nearly as disappointed with yourself or with Santa.