"Avoid Post-Holiday Letdown"

4. Clean out the fridge of all those soon-to-spoil seasonal treats, and help your friends do the same by hosting a potluck. Toss everything on pretty platters, serve it on paper plates (so there's less work for you later), and settle in to compare your holiday stories.

Can't handle any more entertaining right now? Divide up the cookies and what's left of your famous ham on individual plates, then go with the children to deliver a surprise meal to an elderly neighbor or a friend who's just had a baby.

5. Leave the house Need some exercise after days of eggnog and homemade fudge? Take a family trip to your local zoo (surely deserted on this big shopping day) for fresh air, a brisk walk, and an energizing change of scene. Or go for a long hike in the park.

6. Be crafty Set aside ribbon, scraps of colorful wrapping paper, and a few cardboard boxes from the actual holiday, and make today "Invention Art Day." Let your toddler or preschooler tape and tie ribbons and boxes together into designs and constructions of his own imagination -- while you kick back and watch him play.

7. Start a project Pull out the birdhouse or jewelry kit your child received. Why wait? Now you won't have to find a place to store the bulky boxes these kits usually come in.

8. Sort through your holiday cards and reread them together. Have your child put envelopes into one pile, cards into another, and photographs into a third. While you jot down addresses from the envelopes so you'll have them handy for next year, she can choose her favorite cards to show you.

When you're done, let her cut out images from them to store with your holiday decorations for next year's craft projects, or cut them into rectangles to use as gift tags next Christmas. Another option: With the photos of friends and family that you've received, compile a simple people-we-love book with your child, so that she can remember the faces and names of friends she may not see often.

9. Set aside old toys and gifts for charity As you find spots for the new items that you or your child have received, make a box for giveaways, and select some to donate to a good cause. If he's old enough, let your child help pick the organization.

10. Declare a day of rest -- for you and your child. Eat leftovers. Look through photo albums. Snooze. Better yet, let your child pull out a sleeping bag and camp out in the living room with you to watch his favorite movies back to back (while you take a nap!).

11. Go on a backyard icicle hunt When your child spots fantastic creations, gently break them off (wearing gloves, and taking care to stay out of the way if one should fall), and put them in a plastic bag. Find a place in the yard for your icicle display, and stick each one upright in the snow or in a planter that's filled with sand. You can keep adding to your collection throughout the season.

12. Connect with a friend If your child naps, forget about the laundry and postholiday cleanup today, and call or e-mail a good pal or family member you won't get to see over the holidays.

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