By Alet  Viljoen, Single mom to the nearly 4 yr old Logan and author of  Lettuce and Lu in the house of many colours.

Christmas was never really intended to be about Santa and the presents he will be sliding down the chimney the night before.  Yet, considering that we are all parents and in dire need of five whine-free minutes, I think the coming of the festive season goes hand in hand with what we could call motivation.

 I was brought up believing the few weeks before Christmas, one needed to be extra careful of the tantrums you plan on throwing, the state of your bedroom and how high you jump when mom asks you to do something.  Likewise, my child is starting to become acquainted with these concepts. 

 So I communicate with Santa Claus on the telephone every other night – I either inform him of what a good little boy Logan is, or I tell him all the naughty things Logan has done. 

 A friend of mine has taken things one step further which I think will work for children a little  older.  She is benefitting from a harmless little bug currently residing in most of our homes, called the Christmas Beetle.  These little beetles are spies for Santa and the helpers of parents.  They are in our homes to see what kids are up to while their mommies and daddies are busy.  And they report directly to Santa Claus.

Does Santa help you motivate your kids to stop whining in the run up to Xmas?  What do you do?