I remember Christmas when I was a child. Knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep the night before, I'd stock up on all of my favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder books -- sure that by the time I got to the Shores of Silver Lake, I would be sleepy. And in case I wasn't, my sister and I were equipped with walkie-talkies in each of our rooms so we could contact each other during the night and strategize the parental awakening process.

Although it was a long, anxiety filled night, it was always one of my favorite memories of Christmas.  The anticipation.  The excitement. The presents!

When my children were young, it was easy to help them feel that same sense of excitement. We put out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. My kids left notes for the big guy, thanking him in advance (and thus getting on his good side for the next year).

And on Christmas morning, nearly every gift was a wonderful surprise.  (When the kids were very young, we’d have to nudge them to stop playing with the box, and play with the toy inside.)

But now that the kids are older, it's harder to re-create that magic. I figure that if you count each child's Christmas present opening event, in total, my kids have had Christmas 55 times. At that rate, anyone would be jaded.

What can I possibly get them that:

•    they want?
•    I can justify buying in these still difficult economic times? (i.e. A replacement iPod or an upgrade to a PlayStation 3 doesn't count.)
•    doesn’t cost a fortune?  (One PlayStation or Wii game can cost $30 - $50 a pop.  At that rate, all they’d get would be a game and a pair of socks.)
•    gives the same Wow! effect I felt when I first unwrapped the box that contained my favorite doll, Busy Lizzie?

Even teens themselves feel the angst.  While researching for this blog, I came across a question a teen posed recently to the Yahoo Answers website, where people can post a question in a forum and elicit answers from anyone.

Here’s the burning question the teen asked:  “i have a phone, tv, ipod, computer wii and xbox. i dont know wht to ask for please i need a lot of responses.”

While some might suggest a dictionary, spell check or Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, the question also suggests that teens themselves are caught up in the same dilemma that parents are—what gift will make Christmas as exciting as it was when the teens were young?

Is it inevitable that in the passage to adulthood, the Christmas high begins to dip, as gift cards and money become the standard present?

Is it still possible to create the magic and excitement—without breaking the bank, while still somehow keeping the focus on the true meaning of the celebration?

Those of you with teens -- and those of you who once were teens -- what made your Christmas meaningful, especially during those years?

And if you could, please hurry with your ideas.  Just in case I really do need to make an emergency trip to Best Buy after all.

Pamela appears Tuesdays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Pamela on her blog Crazy is My Life.