At my son's elementary school, the question is on everyone’s lips these days: What are you getting the kids for the holidays?

My answer: Nothing.

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He's totally psyched just to light the candles... why throw presents into the mix before we have to?

The gift list for my two boys is still empty. It’s not that I don’t have any ideas on what to get them. I know that my 4–year-old would love a Buzz Lightyear toy, and that the little one could use a new puzzle or two. My list is non-existent for another reason: We are skipping the gifts this year.

Don’t get me wrong, we have nothing against gifts. They get birthday gifts, simple “I love you” gifts and little trinkets my husband brings back from business trips. We live in the UK, separated from both our families by a lot of water, and there is always a little something arriving in the mail from the boys’ grandmas and grandpas, not to mention suitcases full of boxes to unwrap when they come to visit. These kids are hardly hurting for presents.

This is probably the first year that my eldest is old enough to really understand and remember for next year that the winter holidays and presents go hand and hand. While he has learned all about Hanukkah in school, he has yet to ask what he's getting. He comes home singing song after song, excitedly tells me about the menorah they are making in class and even gives me a brief outline of the Hanukkah story. He asks me each night, "How many more sleeps before we can light the candles and sing together?"

For him, that’s what the holiday is about. Not eight nights of presents, or comparing his take vs. his friends’. For a precious few years before he grows up and learns better, the holiday is a true holiday, a time to celebrate together, bond over latkes and pig out on jelly donuts.

My husband and I ask ourselves how many more years we have left until he catches on to what some of his friends have doubtless discovered. The answer is probably not many. But while it lasts, we want to preserve his innocence and let him enjoy the holiday as it was meant to be celebrated.

Rachel Elbaum is a London-based writer who secretly stocks up on gifts months before her kids' birthdays.

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Father's Day is next Sunday ... got big plans?

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your dad or your partner, check out these suggestions from TODAY Moms contributors Mary Ann Zoellner and Alicia Ybarbo (TODAY producers and authors of "Today's Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby's First Year.")

They've got selections for the sporty dad, the trendy dad, the techie dad... full disclosure, I'm a sucker for matching daddy-baby outfits. Which leads to the question, who's responsible for buying the Father's Day gifts at your house, you or your kids? At what point does responsibility for the holiday shift over to the kiddos -- or is mom always involved, at least in a supervisory capacity?

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While it may seem like you’re only just discreetly disposing of that leftover Halloween candy and starting to feel a little queasy about the looming logistics and culinary challenges of Thanksgiving (now under a week away), it should be noted that there are still other holiday-related necessities to worry about, namely gift shopping. Whether you got started on your shopping this summer  (don’t you just hate people who are that organized?) or you’re last-minute maniac, we’re about to dive headlong into the annual fray. Are you prepared? Do you feel lucky?

According to retail experts, the hottest items this year, for both kids and adults, are often the same things. The legitimately young and the …er... young-at-heart are both competing for the latest gadgets and collectibles. For the gift-giver, this can be an expensive dilemma. It’s a sobering statistic, but evidently the average American will spend $710 on holiday presents this year. Once again, are you prepared?

What are the big items on your family’s wish list this year? More importantly, have you started shopping? What’s your strategy? Share your secrets in the comments section.

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