How to Select Exotic Christmas

It's probably a little different for each family, but when St. Nick visits our house, he fills the kids' stockings with candy and little gifts. My dad once told me that he would get a banana in his stocking. In those days, bananas were considered exotic, not part of the everyday diet for Americans. It was an unusual and prized treat. In the age of global trade our kids take for granted that thier toys, food, and clothing come from all corners of the earth.
In this article I will show you how to truly surprise the kids on Christmas morning by waking up to a stocking filled with unusual, interesting, and exotic gifts from other lands.

First decide what you want to put in the kids' stockings. If you have more than one child, of course, it is important to distribute the goods fairly, so no-one feels slighted by Santa. That doesn't mean that each child has to have the same number of items as his sibling, or even the same items. A two year-old may not know how to count, but he can thell when his big sister's stack of presents is twice as big as his.

Although just about every kid loves candy, you may want to rethink the idea of filling the stockings with tons of sweet treats. If the notion of dealing with sugared-up, hyperstimulated little maniacs ripping through thier Christmas presents is not appealing, consider alternative little surprises.

That said, first we will discuss candy. By the time most children are four years old, they are familiar with locally available candies. They can tell Skittles from M&M's. One of the first steps you can take to introduce your child to foreign culture is by offering exotic candies in the Christmas stocking. Surprise your child with candy he or she has never seen before.

Next come little trinkets or toys. Most kids have, by Christmastime, let thier desires for gifts be known to thier parents. Santa, however, may have his own idea af what the child should receive on Christmas morning. A handmade Peruvian panflute or a set of Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls may be a totally unexpected joy!

Where to find exotic gifts and candies for the stocking: If you plan ahead, you can find every imaginable exotic candy or toy on the internet. In the eleventh hour, however, there are many local options. You can search the big import stores, like Pier One and World Market, but you may have more luck in the smaller ethnic markets. Another great place to find exotic playthings is at a music store.

*
Be creative.
*
If you have never seen a particular candy or toy item before, chances are, your child hasn't either.
*
Show a positive attitude about trying exotic candy by sampling it with your child on Christmas morning.
*
This is a wonderful way to introduce your children to toys and candy from thier own ethnic background!
*
Do NOT buy Chinese candy this year. The FDA has issued warnings that many of the candies from China contain unsafe amounts of elements or compounds such as lead and melamine.