Christmas can be a tough time for children. For one thing, they're all keyed up about the presents that they've been dreaming of for months. Secondly, there's a lot of extra commotion in the house during the holidays, and for many kids, way too much sugar. Thirdly, small children may have mixed feelings about the whole Santa thing - after all, a herd of hoofed animals on the roof isn't something you see every day.

Kids can be excited about Christmas and scared at the same time. My three-year-old awoke from a nightmare the other night, and I couldn't get many details out of him - but in the morning, he told me that he dreamed Santa was taking his toys away. In his nightmare, Santa wasn't bringing presents, he was stealing them! Well, what do you expect someone who enters your house in the dead of night to do?

It's a good idea to check in with small kids to make sure they don't have fears about Santa or Christmas that you're not aware of. Remind them that you're taking care of them and that they'll be safe. You're allowed to change the Santa story a bit to make your child feel more comfortable. After all, Christmas should be joyful, not terrifying!

My older son was afraid of the reindeer when he was smaller. "They're too big, and they have antlers," he said. He'd seen elk in our town, so he knew what he was talking about. "They don't come in the house," I told him. "They are tied to Santa's sleigh." "Okay," he said, "as long as they're tied up."

Sometimes a visit to a mall Santa can calm kids' fears - sometimes it hurts more than it helps. Ask your child how he's feeling about the whole thing - you may need to have a few heart-to-hearts to make sure that that holiday fears aren't stressing him out. For some children, you may need to adjust the mythology so that Santa doesn't come in the house. That's okay. Let your child know that Santa will leave the presents in the garage, or make other 'arrangements' that will help your child feel comfortable. If Christmas is about the children, it's perfectly fine to value the child's experience over the traditional St. Nick story. One thing's for certain - Santa won't mind.

Liz Ryan is a CEO and a mother of five kids ages three to twelve. She leads the online network WorldWIT (http://www.worldwit.org). Liz lives in Boulder, Colorado.