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It works pretty well for us, especially now that even Chico is old enough (3) to do something, too. I know some of the secrets this year, but not all of them: Harpo (7) is writing poems for his brothers (he's been planning the metre and jotting down images and metaphors he'd like to use, and will get the poems together soon), Groucho (5) is going to make everyone some fudge (of the non-boiling the sugar on the stovetop variety, methinks!), and Chico is drawing pictures for people. I've been knitting like mad--made a blanket for my mom, and hope to have mittens or slippers for everybody else in time for the big day--if I don't get them done, I'll write everyone his own special song, I think (it's very helpful to have a loving, uncritical audience!!). I usually make a Dundee cake for an old friend who emigrated from Scotland a long time ago, and misses home during the holidays. Not sure what Frenchie's doing this year...he's full of surprises!

We've worked hard to keep commercialism out of the boys' lives as much as possible, and I think they seem to have their heads on straight so far. We were so pleased with their (joint) letter to Santa this year, because their only requests were for information (Santa, is there a tailor elf who makes your clothes? Do you wear different clothes in different climates when you are making your deliveries? Do the reindeer live in your house with you, or in a barn? Is your house an igloo? Is the barn an igloo barn? What snack should we leave for the reindeer? etc. etc.--it amused us quite a bit!)

peace
minnie

PS I should have put this in the other thread, but I'll just mention here how much I liked your Jeff Buckley link--what a beautiful voice. What a sad story, too--makes you want to just clasp every moment of happiness to your heart.

Thanks! Kcab! That is really a wonderful suggestion. We usually go to our local Hobby store too. Unfortunately, the economy is so bad that they recently went out of business. So finding an on-line source was really quite helpful! The object in the catalog just below your suggestion, the Altitrak, looks fun too. It lets you measure how high up your rocket goes. Of course, I can never spot the apogee of the flight, but that is just my poor eyesight!

Anyway, thanks for the rocket suggestion. I appreciate it!

On sale and free shipping, general and organic chemistry molecular model set: http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0139554440

DS8 loves it (and yes, I couldn't wait for Christmas).

We seem to have similar ideas, Minnie. One of the reasons we chose DD4's preschool is because it does not allow commercial characters in the classroom or on the playground. That means that the kids are not allowed to wear clothes or bring lunchboxes, backpacks, etc. with commercial images on them, and the schools' toys, playground equipment, etc. are generic and often wooden, which avoids a lot of cheap plastic stuff all around.

We have been able to limit DD's exposure to commercial images pretty well and have been trying to educate family members on this as well as materialism in general. For the past few years, the adults on both sides of the family have been making holiday donations to charities in the names of family members in lieu giving gifts. We have also tried to set a limit on how much DD gets from grandparents and other relatives during the holidays and for her birthday. This year, we had a "giftless" birthday party for DD, and she didn't miss the presents at all. All the kids brought handmade cards, and she loved them. We just wanted to focus on having a good time and sharing in the celebration, not on getting more "stuff," KWIM?

My friends and I typically make things for each other. I make jewelry, so I'm in the process of beading earrings, bracelets and necklaces for the holidays. I also bake bread and make jam for our close neighbors.

Thanks for sharing your boys' joint letter to Santa--priceless! What great parents you are!

Brace yourself for the commercialism in the elementary schools. It can be like second hand smoke: your child may not be watching the commercials at home but they get the message indirectly through the peers. Sometimes they even get even direct messages from the teachers, principal and PTA. Uggh! To counter some of it, I'm planning to give charity gift certificates to the children in our extended family. Here's the link:

http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org/

Your preschool sounds great--it shocks me sometimes, the extent to which children are targeted for marketing, and the fact that so many people don't see any problem with it, thinking the characters are just cute and fun. I heard an interview with Benjamin Barber ("Consumed") on CBC radio last week, and he had some really horrifying statistics about the percentage of small children's vocabularies that are brand names; what really blew me away was that the interviewer really didn't seem to get it ("but shopping is fun!"). I'm going to get his book from the library--it sounded very interesting.

I know the lads will have to live in the "real world" some day, but I don't see anything wrong with protecting them from forces that seek to manufacture desire in them for "stuff" (not all of which is necessarily good for them) before they are old enough to have developed the ability to resist some of that manipulation. I also want to get them used to the idea that every purchase has some potential costs of other sorts--it's important to me that they think about whether the person who made the thing in question got paid properly to make it, in a place that was safe and healthy for the workers, for instance.

Your daughter's birthday party sounds perfect! I think we'll try the same thing this year.

Wish we lived close enough to get together for a cuppa--but this is the next best thing!

peace
minnie

Quesions, you bad bad poster. Now I HAVE to buy it for DD8!

It comes with the molecule building set, yes? Not just the book.

Thanks Minnie,
I added Consumed to my library queu.

I'm sure you're right about the commercialism in the schools, inky; that pressure was certainly there at our university (I was always really grateful to be tucked away over in artsy-fartsy humanities land, where nobody had any real expectations that our research could be shoehorned into something commercially viable! Not much fiscal support for our research, but nobody breathing down our necks, either.)

Avoiding this kind of stuff in the schools is not one of the reasons we're homeschooling, but it certainly does seem like a nice side-benefit of that choice, I must say.

minnie

PS Thanks for the link! I've used the gifts at Foster Parent's Plan several times, myself, which are nice, too (books for schoolgirls in Haiti, or beehives for Egyptian farmers, etc.).

Oh, yes, indeed, Incog! It's great. Can make either ball and stick models or space saving (is that what they're called?) models, single and double bonds, etc. Last night, he made water, ethanol (I think, don't really remember), benzene and vanillin. Nice plastic atoms predrilled with the correct number of holes for bonds, it comes with a little tool to help pry them apart, which DS8 can handle (and he was the guy who had a fine motor delay).

Enjoy! I read on some review somewhere that most chemistry students end up buying two sets so they can make more complicated models.

ps - join as a member to get your 30% discount.