by Ellie Tat

Created on: August 19, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

What, "Jingle Bells" in August? That's right, it is "Jingle Bells" time all year round in our household. The "Jingle Bells", as we call them, are my son's favorite toys.

They are a trio of singing and dancing Christmas toys: a Santa, a reindeer and a snowman. We used to take them out every year at Christmas time and put them away about a month later. Last year turned out to be different. It was my son's first Christmas. He was nearly one at the time and he could not get enough of these toys. He would play their song ("Jingle Bells") again and again, and again.

At first it was good fun for all of us. I even found the lyrics of the song on the net, so that I can sing along. But after a few months of non-stop "Jingle Bells", my husband and I got pretty tired of it. We tried pretending that the toys can no longer sing, but my son eventually worked out how to turn them on himself. We tried to distract him with other singing and dancing toys, but they did not do the trick. He was scared of some and amused by others, but only for a short time. We tried hiding his Christmas toys in the wardrobe, but he would always find them and take them out with an excited scream.

It is easier to withstand a tantrum than resist a happy toddler. My son's happy excitement every time he saw the toys was why we eventually surrendered. After all, there are much worse things in life than listening to the same Christmas song for months on end. The "Jingle Bells now rule our household. They never get put away with the other toys anymore and are even occasionally allowed at the dinner table. We bought a big packet of new batteries and now change them dutifully every time they are running low (which is often).

One of the toys has lost its voice, the other one does not move and they all sing out of time and out of tune, but they are still my son's favorites. He talks to them, feeds them, takes their pictures, blows their noses, puts nappies on them and introduces them to all our guests. He even shows them to his grandmother when he talks to her on Skype.

I am now planning a trip from Australia to Europe with my son and I am at a loss what to do with the "Jingle Bells". Most toddlers have one favorite toy, so it is easy to pack and take along. My son has a set of three and they belong together. If I take just one of them, he'll be looking for the other two. If I take all of them, they will offer him comfort and entertainment during the long flight, but will also oversize my hand luggage. And twenty hours of "Jingle Bells" are unlikely to please the rest of the passengers on the plane, even if they are keen fans of the song. But do I dare to leave the toys at home?

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