You decided not to go overboard on gifts with your toddler this year. You asked (begged? demanded!) that your family members follow suit. They are still so young, you reasoned. They don’t even really *get* the whole Santa thing, you figured. They’re perfectly happy playing with a soup pot and a wooden spoon, you exclaimed!
And yet, here you are, the day after Christmas, drowning in a sea of colourful plastic and soft plush. There are so many buttons, wheels, balls, dolls and animals, as far as the eye can see. It’s all musical and it’s all tethered to its packaging with what can only be described as a ridiculous maze of zip ties, packing tape and scissor-proof string.
There’s so much crap, from every distant aunt or college friend, that you couldn’t even name it all if you had to.
Guess what? They can’t either.
The whole day was an overstimulating blur for them. They really enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and there was that one toy they immediately wanted out of the packaging and which held their attention more than anything else. Great, get that one out. Pick a few others, too, to add into the current toy rotation. And then? Pack the rest away.
Tuck them out of sight on a closet shelf. Hide them under a blanket in the basement. Hoard them for when you could really use something new—say, on a rainy day or to surprise them with in the middle of a road trip.
Yes, you are regifting them their own toys, and they will be just as pleased about it as you are.
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