By Robin Farr
As kids get older, they start to lose the little glint of magic in their eyes that comes with believing in Santa. For many parents this is a sad milestone, and no wonder! We all need a little bit of magic in our lives.
Here are 5 great ways to keep the Santa magic alive if you’re not ready to have them stop believing.
1. Send a message from Santa using Portable North Pole
Portable North Pole allows you to create a customized video message to your child from Santa, and it’s really well done. We’ve done this for our oldest the last couple of years – he still believes, of course, but the look on his face was priceless. The bonus with this one is that you can get a little parental reinforcement from Santa. Has your child been good? Santa will tell him that but will also remind him to “listen to your mother” (or whatever message you choose to insert). I’ll say it again – priceless!
2. Write a letter to Santa (and get a response)
If you prefer the more traditional/less digital approach, you can still help your child write a letter to Santa, and Canada Post will very kindly work with Santa to make sure your child gets a response. How do you write a letter to Santa Claus? Simply send a letter to the address below (no stamp required!). You can write in any language, too.
Santa Claus
North Pole HOH OHO
Canada
3. Track Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve
I discovered NORAD Santa years ago – before I even had kids – and we’ve followed along on Christmas Eve ever since. NORAD fires up their Santa tracker each year on December 1, so you can get an early start on keeping up with Santa’s preparations. Come Christmas Eve, check in regularly to see what country Santa has just visited. You can start early that morning to tick off his present deliveries in far-flung countries and then watch as he gets closer and closer to your home. There’s a NORAD Santa Twitter account too; @NoradSanta. If the excitement of Christmas Eve doesn’t already have your kids believing, this will do the trick!
4. Leave Santa’s boot prints near the chimney
This idea has taken off thanks to Pinterest, and you don’t even have to be especially crafty to do it. Just get a pair of boots or adult-sized shoes and dip them into something that will make good footprints on whatever flooring you have – it can be flour, baby powder, dirt, even glitter. Then make boot prints on the floor from the chimney to the Christmas tree and voila! Physical evidence that Santa visited. (If you want to really have fun with it you could sprinkle “reindeer food” outside too.)
5. Get photographic evidence of Santa caught in the act
[image via iCaughtSanta.com]
You can carry the magic-making right through to Christmas morning by using iCaughtSanta to make
a picture of Santa in your living room. It’s quick and only requires three steps:
- Take a picture of whatever setting you want Santa to be “caught” in – near the tree, by the fireplace, etc. – and upload it to the site.
- Choose a Santa to insert into your photo from one of the many poses offered and adjust him as needed to make your photo look realistic.
- Download, email or print your photo.
Whatever method you choose, have fun keeping the Santa magic alive in your kids.
