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THE HERALD Wednesday December Page 17 Research could make Christmas shopping less stressful The following article was com piled by the Ministry or Consumer and ltd at ions It may not buzz walk talk or light up but an informal game called Consumer Research could help make Christmas toy buying less stressful for many Ontario families According to consumer experts the equipment required is minimal your children wish list a few store catalogues and a copy of the Toy Report produced by the Canadian Toy Testing Council The object of the game is to find toys that will thrill the children Christmas morning and still hold their interest long after says Carolyn of the Ontano Ministry of Consumer and Com Relations MCCR Too often children choices are influenced by hard hitting marketing campaigns toy council officials say Tearful protests of but everyone else has one are heard more often than Christmas carols in some homes Parents face the same dilemma every Christmas how to fulfil their children dreams without doing them the disservice of buying poor quality playthings Children may be responding to peer pressure but as parents we are victims of tear pressure fear of disappointing our children says Leslie Burtch director of evaluations for the council Regrettably we always seem to find ourselves dealing with two lists our children s wish list and our own list of toys we know will be satisfying The tnck is to find a toy that appears on both One of the best ways to do this is to sit down with the family for a game of Consumer Research Ms says Challenge children to find a few of the best toys listed or their age groups in the CTTC report in categories that interest them Also suggest they look up ratings for the items on their own wish list The toy report rates more than 1 500 products based on a year long play testing program This publication is the definitive reference guide to Cana dlan toys Ms says Not only does it help with the selection of quality playthings it offers a great opportunity to show young people how to use product reports Too often Christmas teaches children to overspend and buy on impulse Why not teach them good shopping skills instead Once i few toys have been selected from the report the con game can be augmented by comparing their catalogue prices This activity teaches comparison shopping skills and has the added benefit of lettiang children see pic tures of the products they like says Ms to a few toy stores to see the merchandise first hand can also be a good idea The toy report does not include photos points out that despite best efforts parents may still have to compromise their final gift choices to avoid disap pointment on Christmas morning If it is within the family budget supplement a good toy choice with one modestly priced fad item from the child swish list The toy report is available at major bookstores for and can be found many libraries Copies can also be obtained by mail for plus 2 postage and handling Write to the CTTC Gladstone Ave Suite 110 Ottawa Ontano 3E6 As well as shopping good play value parents should check toys carefully to be sure they are safe Ms Lentz says Electncal toys that are not batteryoperated should bear the CSA mark of the Canadian Stan Association CSA officials also warn that trie toys such as trains racecar sets stoves and similar products can be damaged and even made dangerous if they get wet They should not be used outside For further information about safety standards for toys contact the CSA Info Centre at General consumer advice is available from MCCR s informa tion centre at Street Toronto Ontano M7A 8555 or toll free at 1 1142 Ontario residents with an area code may call the number The TDDT line for the hearingspeech impaired is 3268566 Bring on the leader The Georgetown and District High School on despite a bad storm on Dec Thi Leader of the Pack was delayed minutes lo the weather conditions hut delighted those to the school Herald photo Fireflies pack Optimist Hall By J D HEWITT Herald Special The Georgetown Fireflies pack ed the Optimist Hall with families showing up for their an Christmas dinner A hot turkey dinner with all the tnmm was put on by the ladies Santa Claus arrived leaving scads of presents for all the children and adults The Fireflies had a very sue camping starting out with the Canadian Families Camp ing Federation at Bingham Park in Kitchener At the long weekend festivities the Fireflies looked after the lawn dart tournament They also participated in Saturday night entertainment with the men dressed up in the latest apparel On the Sunday they put in a float for the parade around the cam GEORGETOWN SPA FITNESS CENTRE EXCLUSIVELY YOURS 8771924 There were a lot of theme cam pouts this year with Fireflies members attending some of the following Chick n Fes at Milton Surprise Birthday Campout at Terra Cotta Christmas in at Western Roundup at Niagara Corn Roast at Guelph s Weekend at Jordan Ghosts Goblins at Woodstock Golfing Barrie and Fergus plus mam other weekend barbecues The Georgetown Fireflies keep active during all the off camping months Holding their own theme dance they also at tended a Spring Fling and a clean air dance The club en joyed card games bowling snowndes dinners and theatres All in all the Fireflies had a busy year and have elected new ex ecutives for President Jane and Kevin Newns Past President Ellen and Dave Hastings Vice President Helen and Bill Ander son Secretarv Audrey Hofdahl Elsie and J D Hewitt CRITERION S RUG CO LTD SALES SERVICE INSTALLATIONS CARPETVINYL TILE 126 ST Georgetown