Researching the toys with your child will help you select toys that won't languish in the closet. Pictured here is the Fisher-Price ImagiNext Bigfoot, a gift my own children ranked highly for this Christmas.

In the blue-collar Latino family that I grew up in, you sacrificed everything you could to give the kids the presents they wanted for the holidays.

My brother, a cop, for example, is going to be working numerous off duty gigs this month in order to go all out for my niece’s Santa list.  Like robots, my sister and I have always done the same for our children.  None of us has ever stopped to question the FAMILY TRADITION about gifts because it seems so harmless.

I would have continued the tradition this year except for a revelation that I got recently while cleaning my kids’ closet.  My liberating insight? (more…)