Five Reasons Not to Shop for 2007's Hot Holiday Toy

Parents all across the United States are holding their collective breath in anticipation for THE announcement. Many have trained like an Olympic athlete all year long in their quest for it. Retailers live for it, and your children swear they would die for it. It is time again for the hot toy of the year to make its debut. If you're just too weary and burned from past attempts to fight for this season's must-have toy, here are five good reasons to just say "no" and feel justified in the process.

1- No standing in line at 2 AM in twenty degree weather equals more sleep and no frostbite. Yes, people really DO line up outside of a store advertising a limited number of "hot items" on sale in freezing weather and sometimes even days before the sale takes place. That's dedication I'm just not willing to commit to.

2- Your children really won't die if they don't get one. Trust me. I know you're thinking, "But their friends will have one and they won't!" Those same friends will also be sick of playing with or watching the Hot Toy of the Year by three days' time. They will then be at your house because they're bored.

3- It will be on sale and easily available by the New Year. Again, trust me. I made this same mistake last year with TMX Elmo. Granted, Elmo was bought online so I didn't have to stand in line and suffer for him, but my child simply had no use for him. The next week I was in a big retail store and there sat the elusive Elmo with 20 of his clones. On sale.

4- You will save money. Let that sucker selling forty of them on Ebay for double and triple the actual price have a slice of humble pie this holiday season. This is another example of what extremes people will go to for the Hot Toy of the Year. Remember the Wii? People were actually paying thousands of dollars for this gaming system that could be bought for around $200, if you could find one before the holidays. TMX Elmo was selling for double its actual price, too. Somebody was laughing all the way to the bank and I'll be it wasn't those parents that bought something from one of these sellers.

5- Everyone knows the box it came in is more fun anyway. Enough said.