Save Halloween Candy for Christmas StockingsIf you are looking at your kids Halloween candy and thinking you really don't want them eating it all. You could consider "borrowing" some of their candy that is not Halloween themed and save it for their Christmas stockings.
Santa Hat Christmas TraditionMy daughter was one of those that wanted to get up at the crack of dawn to open Christmas presents. I got an old Santa hat and, each year, I would leave it on the pillow next to her head. When she woke up and the hat was there, she knew that Santa had been there.
Santa Behind the Scenes - Photographing SantaWhen my kids were little, we would try to catch Santa on video every year. We would set our movie camera up and let the kids hit record and send them off to bed. Once they were in bed asleep, we would hit stop without moving the camera and "wait for Santa to come".
Santa Sided With the KidsOne year for Christmas, we chose to put the tree in the family room, which did not have a fireplace in it. The children thought the tree should go in the living room.
Reindeer FoodMaking "Reindeer Food" is a great kids craft. This simple Christmas craft would also make a great gift for kids that you know.
Playing Santa ClausTo avoid all the clutter of the boxes that the Christmas toys came in, we took every toy out of the box, put a note from Santa to the child on the toy and placed it under the tree as if Santa had played with the toy and left it for each individual child.
Have Kids Pick Their Presents from SantaWith the holiday season coming up quickly it reminds me of what I did when my daughter was little and in grade school. On Thanksgiving evening, I would break out several magazines like Sears, Penny's or even Kmart/Walmart advertisements.
Use Different Wrapping Paper From SantaBe sure to use a wrapping paper that the kiddos haven't seen when wrapping gifts from Santa! Then they will be sure to know that he is real and has stopped by! I hide a new roll each year and if I don't use it all, I tell the kids that Santa left me the rest for next year! :)
Recognizing Santa Gifts For Small ChildrenThe eldest was 20 and still wanted this and the youngest was 10 and still thought Santa brought his "Pong" game. The youngest is over 40 now and still remembers the magic of that last year of believing Santa brought all that for him, a magical time.
Cookies for Mrs. ClausA few years ago after watching the TV movie "Mrs. Santa Claus" with Angela Lansbury, I realized that Mrs. Claus works just as hard as Santa! Why is she stuck home on Christmas Eve?
Santa's Gift Tag StickersHere's a tip to help your littlest ones on Christmas morning (and to confound your present peekers and up-and-coming handwriting analysts!):
Letters From Santa For Your KidsDo your children write letters to Santa? You can get a North Pole cancellation on a letter sent back to your children. After your child writes their letter to Santa, you write a letter back to your child from Santa.
Don't Wrap Santa's GiftsTo start our new tradition, Santa sent a letter to our house, telling our family that he and the elves were concerned about the waste of paper, and the trees. So, he was putting all our gifts in this special sack.
