Personalized Letters from Santa

I still remember the Christmas Eve night I believed Santa Claus was knocking at our door. You see, we lived in an apartment; so there was no chimney for him to climb down. I was about 5, and my mother had been trying for more than an hour to get me to go to bed. I was clad in my jammies already, and we had prepared a tempting combo of chocolate cookies and milk for Santa. So my work was done. But, I wanted to stay up. I wanted to see everything. So, instead of going to bed, I was constantly looking out the window, searching for a reindeer landing I was sure would happen any minute.

And then, that knock came at the door. “Oh, oh, it’s too late. It’s Santa. I told you to go to bed. He’s not going to leave presents for little kids who won’t listen to their mother when she tells them to go to bed.” That was my all my mother needed to say. Instantly, I shot out of the room like a cannon and climbed under the covers, trying to will myself to fall fast asleep before Santa could leave. I still remember the smile on my mother’s face and her tickled laughter as she watched me run the Great Race to save my Christmas presents.

Yes, it was a time of innocence. It was fun to believe in someone as kind and generous as Santa Claus. It would be years before I realized that my mother probably enjoyed those moments almost as much as I did. Too soon, like all of us, I grew older and became too “wise” to believe in the jolly Big Guy who just wanted to fulfill children’s wishes and make them happy.

In today’s “everything too soon world,” it’s difficult to preserve the simple things for our kids, things like the joy of believing in Santa. Sure, soon enough, they’ll learn the truth, but, in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to preserve the simple, joy-filled reality of Santa Claus. Here are 6 ways to help keep Santa real for your kids this Christmas.

1. Help your child write a Santa Letter. Children absolutely love writing a letter to Santa, but, sometimes, they need a little urging and a little help from Mom or Dad to make it happen. Make sure your child includes a gift wish list in the Santa letter. Younger children, in particular, may enjoy drawing or cutting out and pasting pictures that represent the gifts they want.

Once your child has given his or her Santa letter a stamp of approval, simply mail it to Santa at the North Pole: Santa Claus, 1 Candy Cane Lane, North Pole 00001. Don’t include a return address. You wouldn’t want that precious letter to Santa to be returned as undeliverable for any reason.

2. Now, write a return Letter from Santa. Personalize the letter from Santa for each child by including special tidbits, beginning with your child’s name. Mention a few good things that no one outside the family but a wise stranger like Santa would know about your child. Santa knows what a good boy or girl your child has been, because you will fill in some of the wonderful things that make each of your kids unique. Make sure that each letter from Santa differs for each of your children. By the time, they’ve finished reading insider news and some of the things you love most about them in the letter, they will have no doubt that they received their very own personalized letter from Santa!

Now, this is very important for creating the mystique. Print the Santa letter on authentic-looking letterhead – you know, the kind Santa would use. Your local office supply store or paper store is sure to have something that shouts, “Live from the North Pole.”

Just to ensure your kids believe their letter is from Santa, have it postmarked at the North Pole. Simply send your Santa letter inside another sealed, stamped envelope to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709-9999. (It must arrive no later than December 15th.)

3. On Christmas Eve, bake chocolate cookies (Santa’s favorite!) with your child and leave them out on a plate with a cold glass of milk for Santa Claus. After a long trip to deliver goodies to your little ones, Santa will appreciate this kind gesture of appreciation from your child. It’s also a fun way to welcome Santa and let your kids know that YOU still believe, too. I still remember those Christmas Eve cookie-baking times in the kitchen with my mother as one of our most fun Christmas traditions. They continued long after we stopped sharing the cookies with Santa.

Why not leave a short note to Santa Claus next to the cookies and milk, thanking him for visiting and wishing him and his reindeer safe travel as they complete their deliveries to good boys and girls all around the world? These tasty treats you’ve left him will give Santa the energy he needs to complete the work he has prepared for all year.

To reinforce the mystique, leave a few crumbs on the table. Your child will find them Christmas morning and know that, before completing his travels, Santa Claus enjoyed the treat your child thoughtfully left for him.

4. Santa Claus gets milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but what about Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer? Don’t they need a treat to sustain them, too? After all, it’s hard work carrying Santa all over the world. So while you and your child are in the kitchen baking for Santa, why not prepare a Christmas Eve treat for his reindeer, too? When it’s ready, let your child sprinkle the reindeer food on your lawn. What do they eat? Well, reindeer food, of course!

Seriously, with common grocery items, such as oats or granola, you can prepare a healthy and tasty batch of reindeer food. Mix it, and it’s ready. Now, walk out with your little one and sprinkle a small amount onto the lawn or near bushes and trees.(Do not use potentially hazardous items, such as glitter in your reindeer food. This can be extremely dangerous if ingested by small children, pets, or strays if they decide to “sample” the reindeer food.)

5. Leave Santa Claus tracks in your house on Christmas Eve. Don’t do anything to stain or damage your carpet, but leave a trail of boot prints by the fireplace or your doorway. On Christmas morning, be sure to point out Santa Claus’s footprints. More solid evidence that Santa visited last night.

6. After Christmas, children often ask, “Where is Santa Claus now?” Well, after Santa and his elves have worked tirelessly throughout the year making the just the right gift for boys and girls around the world, he deserves a vacation. Doesn’t he? Want a sure way to restore that Christmas joy to your child’s face? About a month after Christmas, why not surprise your child by sending him or her a postcard from Santa Claus on vacation. Then, watch for the smiles. Yes, they’ll still believe.

Make sure the postcard is from somewhere very warm and sunny. After all, Santa deserves a break from all that North Pole cold and snow.

There, you have 6 simple and fun-filled ways to keep Santa real for your kids for as long as you can. You’ve come full circle, starting with the personalized Santa Letter you mailed your child for Christmas. Personalized letters from Santa are a simple and effective way to keep the joy of the Christmas season flowing throughout the year into your child’s life.

Christmas Eve Help for Busy Moms and Dads
Here are a few more tips that might make life easier for busy Moms and Dads:

• Chocolate chip cookies are Santa’s favorite. Get the chocolate chip cookie recipe that Mrs. Claus has been preparing for her husband for years.
• Looking for a handy reindeer food recipe for your Christmas Eve celebration? Get the reindeer food recipe and a great poem for your kids, too.
• Need more ideas on how to help your kids write their letter to Santa? This letter to Santa tutorial will surely help you out.
• “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Need a little help remembering the words as you visit this classic before Santa’s arrival?
• Need a Santa suit to assist Santa on the big day? Not only does this place specialize in Santa suits, but rumor has it that it’s where the Big Guy gets all his suits.

Hope you found something here that helps. Here’s wishing you tons of fun and lifelong memories with your children this Christmas.

Merry Christmas,

Sher