Back in the days when a typical family had anywhere between 5 to 7 children,  the discussion of toys for Christmas a child would receive wasn't even an issue, because quite simply there wasn't enough money to worry about such things. If each child received a gift, they considered themselves pretty darn lucky.

These days, the size of most families has diminished noticeably. If a family has one or two children that's considered a "normal sized family". But with fewer children comes the more disposable income. And that often means more toys for Christmas. Not always, but certainly there is more income to spend  Xmas toys when there is only one child than if there were five or six.

Now is this a good thing?  What is the effect of all these toys for Christmas on the child? And more important perhaps, what effect does all this exaggerated gift-giving of toys for Christmas has on the more profound meanings of Christmas? It's easy to feel that a young child can't fully appreciate the meanings of Christmas, nor have to at such an early age. But who's to say they can't learn the gift of giving has to do with "giving' and not the gift? Most psychologists agree that the type and size of the gift muddles the actual act. And the Xmas toys given to a child creates a precedence that is hard to break in subsequent years.

One year the Xmas toys for the child include a state-of-the-art video game system. The next year it's a pair of shoes. The natural response? The child wants to know what they "only" got such and such a gift, when in fact last year they received something much more impressive. Of course the flip side is that because they received a state-of-the-art video game system one year, the next year the search is on for something even more impressive.

In terms of toys for Christmas, it's obvious that children are influenced by their friends and what they see on television. Books and dolls have given way to video games and computers. Colored pencils, water colors and paper have been replaced by digital cameras and cells phones. Naturally, mass media markets to lowest common denominator and that just happens to be children. And oh, don't worry about the price. The easy payment plan will allow you to absorb the cost in 12 easy installments.

This is not a situation that involves only children. It includes adults as well but the stakes are a lot higher. Many times, adult toys for Christmas start out at the high end of finance automatically. Diamonds one year, bracelets the next. Gold silver, silver and pearls. And how often can all this be worn anyway?

Well it's easy to see that the habit of gift-giving and its associated meaning for children starts with the parents. The parents dictate the pace. It's not a secret that if at an early age the parents take the time to explain the importance of the gift instead of the actual gift, the child will learn to appreciate it more. It's only normal that a child wants to dream and wish of all the great things he or she might receive on Christmas day. And that's normal. But parents can do well by tempering this enthusiasm with a little common sense that's grounded in reality.