As the air turns crisp and the days grow short, we know that the Christmas season is approaching, and with it, the excitement of the holidays. The ornaments, the songs, the parties and church services all remind us of the joy we've always felt at this holiday time of the year. And, for the children, the promise of Santa Claus's visit always dominates this wonderful season.

Parents look forward to Santa's visit almost as much as their small children. The delight a child expresses on Christmas morning, when seeing all the presents under the tree, is one of the most fulfilling sights in any parent's life, a moment they'll remember forever. Unfortunately, Santa usually leaves the bill for all that delight squarely in Mom's and Dad's mailboxes, come January.

One of the biggest mistakes many Christmas shoppers make is to hit the malls in December without doing any research. Most parents have a pretty good idea by early December what it is their kids really want for Christmas. As with anything, the most popular toys are going to come at premium prices. Parents need to do just a little investigating, before they head out to the stores, to discover where the best prices are found. Newspapers and the internet are good sources for this kind of information.

The internet can be a good place to shop for kids. Many brick-and-mortar retailers have internet sites with special prices on toys for kids that can't be found in the stores, themselves. Though sales tax can be avoided by buying online, shipping costs can be steep. The best way to buy, online, just as in the concrete world, is to do homework, first, and find the best deals.

Parents should never leave the house to shop without a written list of what they plan to buy. Then, while shopping, they should account for everything they spend, beyond keeping receipts. A running acccount of everything that is purchased on a single shopping trip can be a deterrent to overspending.

Once the shopping is done, all shoppers-and parents in particular-should avoid last- minute runs to the mall, for "a little something extra". Once the budget has been met, or exceeded, and the presents you set out to buy have been purchased, there's no need to add to your Christmas debt with knick-knacks that will just wind up in a storage bin by New Year's Day.

We all want the best for our kids at Christmas. Overdoing and overspending will only create financial tension, later on, and leave parents with less-than-perfect memories of Christmas.