Instead of packing the Christmas celebration into one day, revive the old tradition of observing the 12-day celebration from Dec. 25 to Jan. 6, advises a specialist in childhood education.

"Christmas is a season. It doesn't have to be over in a day,'' says Brigid Cortright, director of the Children's Education Centre at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Doing everything at once puts too much pressure on parents, and the children can't appreciate a huge pile of gifts at once, she says.

Mrs. Cortright says she celebrated the 12 days of Christmas when her own children were small. "Every day, my husband and I made sure every child got something -- nothing extravagant, but something -- and we had a party on the Epiphany.'' Don't give extravagant gifts like those described in "The Twelve Days of Christmas,'' but do pick favourite foods, mobiles, posters, postcards, stationery, prints, stickers, stamps, paints, small animal figures, colourful shoelaces or hair ribbons, she recommends.

She also points out that since Christmas is about giving, gifts from the children should be a part of the tradition. -- AP.