One of the most venerable holiday figures other than baby Jesus is Santa Claus. Every Christmas kids go to bed after a year of trying to be good little children and hoping the magical saint will stop by their home and deliver them wonderful presents on Christmas Day. They even go to the extent of writing letters with their preferences in hope that Santa will get them just what they wanted. If you have young children that are experiencing their first Christmas this is a great opportunity to help them believe in Santa Clause. Here are some tips for just how to do it and make it a fun and exciting experience.
If you have children ages 5-7 a great idea is to have them make treats for Santa Claus. This is an age old tradition where kids leave Santa something to eat as thanks for coming. The traditional foods are milk and cookies. A fun activity is for your children to help you make then decorate with frosting Santa and reindeer cookies. This will be something to do on the night before Christmas and will sure to be great fun for the kids. You can also make other holiday treats such as gingerbread men and houses that you and your kids can decorate with candy. Of course make enough so that your kids can have some as snacks too.
Many families have great holiday traditions for Christmas Eve. It might be to go caroling with neighbors or reading famous holiday poems like "It was the Night before Christmas". If you want to fire your kids' imagination about Santa you can read other stories such as Frank Baum, The Life of Santa Claus. It is a great holiday story with a lot fun and adventure to capture the imaginations of your kids. You will find your family enjoying the reading. You can also have them watch holiday specials. If you miss it on TV you can also buy the DVDs at the store.
Another great idea is to have holiday present games on Christmas Day. One great game to play is Secret Santa. Essentially everyone gets to randomly choose a present and they also have the option to trade. Then everyone can get a pleasant surprise when they open the gift they chose. In some variations of the game, the goal is avoid getting the present that is actually a lump of coal or some other undesirable present such as pennies or socks. This is a great game to play and will be sure to excite your kids by building up the anticipation for presents.
For the more skeptical child, you will probably need to give concrete proof that Santa is real. A good idea is to put together a Santa evidence kit. You can make one yourself or order one online. The point is to make it look like Santa came by. If you have a chimney you can make boot tracks leading away from the fireplace or you can leave a pair gloves or Santa's hat. You can also have your kids receive Santa letters. You have your kids accomplishments listed as well as what they wanted for Christmas. You can order the letters online and they will even come with an official North Pole postmark. This will be sure to make even the most skeptical kid believe in Santa Claus.
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