Speaking of toys

While my folks were visiting, C and I took the opportunity to check out the local toy stores for Christmas gift ideas. We ended up purchasing a couple things for S, so it was nice to get some things crossed off our list. The holiday shopping traffic was not too horrible although we were surprised to see so many out during a Packers vs Bears game.
Having two birthdays before Christmas does make shopping a little tough. After all, they just got a bunch of stuff.
This year we are going to get the girls three gifts each, an idea I got from a couple friends. It follows with the fact that the Three Wise Men brought only three gifts for the Christ-child.
We also want to teach the girls that Christmas is not about how many toys they get. In fact, we want to encourage giving...of ourselves and our possessions.
We plan to go through the play room this week and weed out a lot of toys. Many are items we've had since the girls were babies. We will give them to an organization that will get them into the hands of families in need.
Another thing we will try again this year is ringing bells for the Salvation Army. The girls enjoyed it last year and it got us talking about how we were raising money for families in need. This year might be a little different since I don't think I'll be able to get M to stay in a stroller for two hours. We'll see. It is a good holiday tradition and for a good organization. So if you see a red kettle, please remember to give, even if there is no one ringing a bell at the kettle. Every little bit helps toward helping families in need.