I’m showing my age here but there was a time when christmas morning meant a parade of brand new bikes appearing on the pavements near our house. Santa loves bringing bicycles as christmas presents though I never did work out how he gets them down the chimney and it’s no different now. Buying a bike for your child is possibly a better idea than ever before because bikes are fun, they are great exercise, they help children to improve their balance and their confidence, and they give families the opportunity to do something fun together out in the fresh air, away from the 24-7 kids television channels (which to be fair I wouldn’t be without 
) and their video game systems.
There may be a good independent cycle shop near where you live, and if there is, please support it. Local cycle shops are usually the best at helping with servicing and repairs as well. My memories of attempting to repair punctured rear tyres are bringing me out in a sweat as I type.
If there isn’t a good local independant cycle shop, then the brand leader has to be Halfords. They have an amazing range of bikes for all ages and at all price bands. One of the things that some parents of younger children forget is that these days, practically EVERYTHING you buy comes in need of assembly (I say younger children because by the time your child is 5+ you will have come to accept this terrible fact). Childrens bikes with gears etc. aren’t the simplest things to put together for everyone, and of course, you don’t want to make any errors which might lead to accident or injury. However, another great thing about Halfords is that they will either build your bike for you, or they will give it a free safety check if you’ve had a go yourself and want to be sure it’s all as intended.
It’s also vital that wherever you get your christmas bike from, you make sure you buy a childs safety helmet to go with it. Elbow and knee pads are also a good idea, but a helmet is absolutely vital to protect little heads.
Mums and Dads who travel to work by tube or train might also want to consider investing in a folding bike so that they can do part of their daily commute under their own steam. They’re also easier to store at home as well!
