The Toys R Us Big Toy Book, whose arrival ranked right up there with Santa and the Easter Bunny when I was a kid, is set to arrive at homes across the country this weekend.

WalletPop had a chance to get a sneak peak at some of the hottest deals in the book (and Toys R Us's own break-down of the hottest toys and trends) and narrowed it down to what we think will be the best bang for your buck. Overall, the Big Toy Book offers more than $5,000 in savings on toys of all prices and categories.

Some highlights:

• $10 gift card with any $75 purchase
• $25 iTunes Gift card with purchase of an Apple iPod Touch
  
• Free life-size Barbie Dress with $40 Barbie purchase
  
• High School Musical 3 Cheerleader outfit with $40 High School Musical purchase
• $20 off Circus Ring from Playmobil or HOT WHEELS Trick Tracks Ultimate Stunt World
• 25% off of Select Pink board games from Hasbro and select Hannah Montana games
• Over 25% off of ALL Tag Reading Books from LeapFrog
  

Everyone has one (or two) of them in his family: The official holiday spirit monitor. Always pulling out the precious collectibles (whether that's emotional or monetary value should be left to another blog post). The bad news? Their houses are virtual minefields for little children, or the more clumsy among us. The good news? It's always really easy to shop for them. In fact, that good news can also be bad news when you're browsing in thrift shops and see the display of vintage Santas or artsy menorahs. Surely Aunt/Grandma/Mom/Uncle Kelly would love those!

Wait. Don't take that Father Christmas, complete with swan and gold accents, down from that high shelf! Can you get it for the same price (or less) at those after-Christmas sales? Probably. You'll think it's just the thing in the thrift store in October, but play patience and wait until December 27th. You'll get it for a great reduction -- most stores sell merchandise after the holidays for 70% to 90% off -- and without those character-adding chips and missing fingers. What's more, you can bask in the satisfaction of not having been taken in like all the eager souls who paid full price.

And just think how much Aunt/Grandma/Mom/Uncle Kelly will appreciate having a nice box, complete with styrofoam inserts, to store it in.

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.

I was thinking last night about how much debt people go into to make sure that Santa is generous with their kids during the holidays.

How many bankruptcies do you think Jolly Ol' St. Nick has caused? If you add up the holiday extravagances that have burdened families with debt in this country over the years, I'm willing to bet that the subprime crisis couldn't hold a candle to the havoc Santa is wreaking.

The point is: The myth of Santa is making you broke, and you need to come up with a new myth that can make you rich, or at least less poor. I've thought of something but, before I tell you, I need to warn you: This is not a happy little Christmas fable, and your kids aren't going to like it. But if your goal is to terrify your children into frugality, it might be worth a try. Here it is: