Getting Ready for Santa with Excited Children
This is a collaborative post.
Christmas Eve is a magical night, especially for children who believe in Santa. As we all know, Santa Claus is key in the Christmas tradition, and every year, children eagerly look forward to his visit. So, how can you prepare for Santa’s arrival and make it an exciting experience for your children? Here are some ideas to help your Christmas Eve to be magical and run for all the family when you have children who are excited, and probably a little over-excited, for Santa coming!
Write another letter to Santa
Encourage your children to write a letter to Santa expressing how good they have been, what they have enjoyed this year and any hopes for a nice family day together. It is also worth reminding them it is too late to request gifts now. Otherwise, they may get all excited for a toy they have requested at 4 pm Christmas Eve that you have no hope of fulfilling for them!
Help them with the letter if they’re too young to write it themselves. Ensure you leave the letter somewhere near their stocking so Santa can read it. This will make your children feel connected to Santa, and they will be excited to see what he leaves for them.
Create a festive atmosphere
Whilst you have probably already put up the decorations and lights for Christmas there are still things you can do. How about making some Christmas-themed food to enjoy for tea? Whether you make biscuits, sandwiches or even just jam tarts, you can make them Christmassy with the help of a cookie cutter!
For children who like cooking you could mix up the stuffing ready for Christmas dinner or get their help chopping vegetables. They will always keep well overnight and it might save you some time whilst also helping them to be involved with the excitement of Christmas day being less than 24 hours away!
Leave snacks and a drink for Santa
Leaving food and drink on a Christmas Eve plate for Santa is a great way to show your children that Santa has been there during the night. You could also make some special treats and decorate them with your kids to add extra fun to the experience. Whether you make cookies and fudge or something a little healthier, like chocolate covered oranges, it will be a fun activity they will enjoy.
What do you leave out for Santa? What do you remember leaving as a child? According to some research by The Modern Milkman, 39% of people leave mince pies out and 17% leave cookies. I can’t remember leaving out anything specific so I guess it depended on what my mum had available! I guess you can leave whatever you fancy and explain to your little one that Santa likes variety and wouldn’t want mince pies or cookies everywhere!
When it comes to drinks, what do you leave out? Apparently, 12% leave out a glass of brandy and in total, 36.4% leave some kind of alcohol. Again you could leave whatever you have out for Santa, as he probably likes a mixture of drinks! Milk is always a good choice for Santa not to be driving over the limit, or perhaps if you have had an alcohol free beer delivery that could be left out for Santa? Take your pick!
Do you leave anything out for the reindeer? Instead of buying special reindeer food which is usually just oats and glitter and not great for the environment or wildlife, how about just putting out some carrots? They can easily then be used for Christmas dinner!
Track Santa’s movements
On Christmas Eve, you could track Santa’s movements using your phone or on TV. This will be a fun and entertaining way to keep your kids engaged and excited. They can watch Santa as he travels the world, delivering gifts and spreading joy.
I would say, however this isn’t necessarily a great idea if your child will want to keep watching until they get to the UK. From experience, I can say Ben hates the idea of stopping watching, so think about what your child will enjoy and cope with.
Tell Christmas stories
Before bedtime, tell your kids some magical Christmas stories or read a book about Christmas legends, traditions, and customs. You could also watch a Christmas movie or listen to some Christmas carols singing as a family. This will be a great way to end the night and get everyone into a festive mood.
What is your favourite Christmas movie? My favourites are Home Alone (the first one of course!), The Snowman, and Nativity.
What will you do?
Preparing your children for Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve can be a magical and exciting experience. Creating a festive atmosphere, writing a letter to Santa, leaving a Christmas Eve plate, tracking Santa’s movements, and telling stories will make your children feel excited.
Remember, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and you can have fun without spending lots of money on things like reindeer food, matching pyjamas and Christmas Eve gift boxes. Most of these are unnecessary and more designed for making an Instagram Christmas picture, who needs that anyway? Have fun and enjoy the time with your children. That is all you need for a perfect Christmas Eve.