URGENTT HELP! Which Tours to join in Rome-Where to stay?

I am going to be in Rome for Christmas and all i have done so far is booked my plane tickets for my husband and 2 daughters. I have decided to use Presto Tours as my tour company based on my sister in laws experience with them and the reviews about their tour guides...but i don't know which tours to book.

The Vatican is a definite, but there is so much to see in Rome and i will only be booking 3 tours due to the special that Presto offers with a free tour after booking 2. (probably would have booked just 1 tour of the vatican and done the rest on my own). I would appreciate any quick advice on must sees in Rome and any recommended tours over others. What is the next best thing to see in rome after the Vatican?

I am also concerned safety in Rome with my two young daughters and I would like to stay in the safest area in Rome. I am real nervous about heading over to Europe for the first time since 1996.

Any recommendations on decent priced hotels in a safe location? What fun things are there to do for children (daughter 9 and 12).

What kind of fun things are there to do during Christmas in Rome?

I want to get this all over with as soon as possible as Christmas is coming up and i am sooo stressed.

rome has plenty to see, and I guess that most of it can be done by yourself, just walking around and taking public transport. I can't giv eu any advice on guided tours because I don't know rome that well, but also because I think that if you're able to get some information by yourself things can be visited in a better way and with no hurry.

About the hostel... you shouldn't be that nervous. Rome is a safe city, as safe as any other big city is.

I haven't had time to write about my trip. Thank you for the replies-they were very helpful. Rome was a blast! My daughters loved it and everything went smooth. We ended up taking the Vatican City Tour, Colosseum + Ancient Rome Tour and Rome City Tour. (Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Campo, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps) We did lots of walking-even on our own. Rome was amazing. My favorite was the Roman Forum. Thanks for the advice prior to the trip. I feel like i can give lots of advice now! Rome was very safe and the locals were friendly.

The only place where a tour is absolutely indispensable is the Forum Romanum, which is really just a boring pile of old rubble if you don't know the historical background.