hilary.coco's Profile

I remember getting a Rubik's Cube and a Lite Bright for Christmas one year--best Christmas ever!!

I would also add Strawberry Shortcake, Magic 8 Balls, Pound Puppies and especially Speak & Spell. Remember making the Speak & Spell say dirty words? Much more satisfying than the "boobs" and "hell" you could get from an upside-down calculator...

Oh boy - I'm shocked that so many people see this is a major issue. Not every kid cries and screams on Santa's lap. If your kid does, don't put her/him in that situation. If your kid likes Santa, go for it. If not, skip it. But please don't poo-poo those of us who see Santa and his lap as a happy part of a magic-filled, wonder-filled childhood Christmas. And I'll repeat: I completely agree that if your child doesn't want to do it, don't do it. I also don't like pictures if crying or unhappy children.

Meanwhile, on the pro-Santa-picture side: Our daughter was scared of Santa last year and this one, so we decided to skip it. THEN, we went to a mall on an unrelated errand, and she saw Santa sitting there in his comfy green chair... she changed her mind. She wanted to talk to Santa, ask about his elves and reindeer, and give him a hug. Come on - look at this from a child's point of view - he's SANTA!!! We took the picture - my daughter was happy in her breakfast-stained sweater and shoes on the wrong feet. She did not smile, and did have that deer-in-headlights look, but we never left her side, and she knew she was safe. She talks about visiting Santa and looks at the picture of herself at least twice a day. This is a great memory that she will have forever. Go team Santa!

And one more thing - you don't have to go to a mall to see Santa. Photography studios, zoos, children's museums... Santa visits all kinds of places.

except... in the house we just bought, we inherited the long-term effects of sticky tiles in cabinets. I don't know when they were installed by the previous owners, but when we moved in, they were warped, curled, flaky and gross (not just unclean... gross). So now, they are in a landfill, and we spent a few hours scraping the cabinet floors clean.

And here's a question/comment about the "linoleumness" of these tiles: are peel and stick tiles ever true linoleum? My understanding, after talking with the local green flooring center is that they are **not**. Linoleum is biodegradable. Vinyl - which is the usual peel-n-stick stuff - is not.