If you work with children like I do you HAVE to like Christmas. This one holiday along with Halloween provides the easiest questions to break the ice with children. Between "what are you going to be for Halloween?" and "what do you want for Christmas?" you've got the entire season covered. From October to December the conversations are easy no matter what developmental concerns there are.
So far this week I have gotten an idea of the popular toys, Big Hugs Elmo seems to be a good one. iPads are a frequent request and of course there is always good old Thomas the Train (amazing how 14 years later and I can STILL name all trains, their colors and their numbers! IMPRESSIVE eh?). A child this week told me he would like a beluga, when I said to his mother that should be easy (thinking buy a stuffed one or a plastic one) she said: "Oh no, not easy, he wants the real one at the aquarium". But the kiddo who took the cake was the one who negotiated with his mother to get on the scale to be weighed ONLY if Santa would bring him a puppy. Needless to say I stayed out of that particular negotiation.
I have also gotten insider information about the "good" Santas. As I posted on facebook the word on the street is that the one at the Oakridge Mall is not very good as he does not bring you what you want but the one at Metrotown is a good one because he brings what you ask for.
Other information provided to me this season includes stuff like "We can't have turkey at home because we don't eat birds" (when I made the mistake of asking a vegan child if he was going to eat turkey) or "My Dad cooks the turkey in the backyard" (after more questions I found out it is a deep fried turkey) or "My Mum is in charge of Christmas because my Dad can't cook and my grandma sleeps all the time".
One of the kids asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I was dumbfounded, I hadn't thought of it and could not come up with an answer..... what do I want? After a while I thought I don't want anything because I don't NEED anything, isn't that that great?!
I would like other people and particularly children to have what they need though so in order to give kids what they need AND make a difference I will give UNICEF's survival gifts. YES, sad but true, SURVIVAL gifts, the ONE aim of these gifts is for children to SURVIVE, not to be happy or care free but to survive. Like I said, sad but very very unfortunately true.
If you are like me and have everything you need consider this and GIVE this holiday season. Wouldn't it be great to know somehow you have made a difference? Happy Holidays!
https://secure3.unicef.ca/site/Ecommerce/1657021215?FOLDER=0&store_id=1201&gclid=CIfj85qen7sCFRHZQgodREkA5Q
