Every year many parents scramble to buy the hot toy of the Christmas season (heads up, this year the top picks are LeapFrog's LeapPad Ultra, Big Hugs Elmo, Flutterbye Flying Fairies and any giant  Lego kit) for their kids. Somehow we get it into our heads that nothing but the toy in the top spot in their letter to Santa will do. I am no different, I do try to get the toy my daughter really wants each year—if it is in the budget. Some years I haven't been so lucky. Did my daughter really want FurReal Friends GoGo My Walkin' Pup more than anything in 2010. Yes. Did I search everywhere for one? Yes. Did I get my hands on one? No. Was I going to pay someone on Craigslist twice the retail price to get it. Umm...no. Was my daughter disappointed on Christmas morning? Maybe a little. When my daughter realized the toy dog was not under the tree, I told her that Santa left a note saying he was very sorry he didn't deliver it on time. I told her he had given me the go-ahead to get her one of the pups in the New Year—if she still wanted it then. Fortunately, there were enough gifts from family members that she soon forgot all about it. It also helped that one of her best friends did get the pup in question so she could use it when she was playing over there. And by the second week of January she said she really didn't need one anymore. Lesson learned. This year my daughter didn't ask for anything on the "hot toy" list. Just lots of craft kits. I am sure that pretty soon all she will be asking for is clothes. Here's hoping the "cool" styles are easier to find than the toys. How do you deal with finding the toy on the top of your child's list? Will you go to any length to get it? Image via FlickrCC/kellyv