5 Signs You Have Young Children At Home For The Holidays

A partridge in a pear tree sounds easy. An 8-foot pine covered in glass ornaments...not so much. If you dare to hang breakable ornaments, the top of the tree is the best place. Unless the kids decide to take up climbing.

Egg nog sounds good, but 'tis the season of an alphabet soup of batteries: AA, C, D, you name it. Why is it some toys get used all of the time and NEVER need their batteries replaced, while others get used up so quickly?

We have two nativity scenes at our house. A nice porcelain one (up high and out of reach) and a Fisher Price set for the kids. The kids' set has been known to receive a few unexpected visitors: Transformers, trucks, Elmo, etc. My guess is it's only a matter of time before everyone moves out of the manger and into the more comfortable dollhouse.

It used to be Frosty, Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and the Grinch had a stranglehold on Christmas shows for the kids. Now, it would take you all year to watch half of the shows that are on TV. "Prep & Landing" is one of my kids' favorites, although this year's sequel was a bit of a disappointment.

Want to get some sleep on Christmas Eve? Not going to happen. The kids internal clocks force them awake hours earlier than normal on Christmas morning. It's a scientific fact. That's ok, it will give you a few extra hours to attempt to get the kids' toys out of their packaging. Try not to hurt yourself.