My mom used to tell me it's never ok to give someone a living thing as a gift unless the giver lives with recipient and is willing to accept full responsibility. I think that is the best Christmas advice I have ever heard!

 I grew up in a virtual menagerie. (That would be a collection of animals for anyone who flunked SAT vocab and thought that word meant something naughty) At any given time, our family's back yard was filled with exotic pheasants, rheas (they're like ostriches), rabbits, chinchillas, tortoises, an opossum named Pansy, and sometimes, even a cat or dog. What I learned from that time in my life is that animals stink, they're noisy, and they're expensive.
Once in high school, my dad brought my grandmother and I a pair of finches. (tiny birds that don't do anything entertaining) She liked looking at them, but I was in charge of caring for them. It's important to  note that he didn't live with us and broke the cardinal rule of gift giving. I didn't have the heart to tell my dad that I didn't want anything to do with the little birds. That was my first mistake! Eventually I forgot to feed and water them, and did you know that finches can only go about a day without eating? You can test this if you want. I killed a bird. My father who loves me and didn't want the lone finch to be sad brought me a new one to replace the one that "mysteriously" died. They had an egg, made a family, and one by one, they all suffered the same fate. I forgot to feed them! I have to confess though that I blamed second hand cigarette smoke on their deaths, and this is the first time I am openly admitting my role in their demise.
Skip ahead a decade and a half(ish). My 7 year old bought a betta fish with his own money a while back, but wouldn't you know it, I am the primary care giver of said fish. My husband wouldn't allow the fish to live in the kid's room, which was good for the fish. On the other hand, it's on the window sill in my kitchen where I see the dirty water and attend to it, and our child has learned nothing about fish maintenance.
That's what happened two days ago when I almost committed another act of petocide (not on the SAT b/c I made it up, but I bet you know what it means). I was going to pour some of the gross fish water down the drain and refresh the bowl, but I poured the fish out with the water. Right into the disposal. Having just poured out the water, I had to pause and refill the container before my rescue mission could commence. Thankfully, I was able to gently fish him out and get him back in the bowl alive. The poor little guy was not looking good for a while, and I was sure he wouldn't make it, but I am pleased to report that he is just fine today.

Let this serve as a cautionary tale to anyone considering buying their kid a pet for Christmas. What are you willing to commit to the pet because it will be all yours! How often do you think you'll remember to feed it? Reptiles can go much longer without eating in case you're wondering.