The Magic of Christmas Eve
While it’s without doubt the most wonderful time of the year, December can also feel the loooongest month for kids. And therefore the most exhausting for parents. Little ones, with no concept of time, can wake up wondering every day if today is the big day that they have been hearing about for so long! The tree is ready, they are ready…what’s the holdup mom? WHERE’S SANTA!? Cue a few frustrations and disappointments…. and maybe a few medicinal beverages for mom and dad.
But good news guys – we are nearly in the home stretch. Christmas Eve is getting so close we can almost smell the Santa cookies!
Every household does Christmas Eve in their own unique way, with many families repeating special holiday traditions on this night. It’s the good stuff that warm, fuzzy forever memories are made of.
What Christmas Eve traditions do you have in your home?
Perhaps you are looking to add to them, or even start a brand new one this year? If so, check out a few of our favorite traditions below. We dare you not to feel like an overexcited kid at Christmas after reading them:
- Magic Reindeer Food –As well as leaving out treats for Santa, get your little one to mix some oats, dry cereal, glitter and colored sugar together and sprinkle it on the lawn / patio before bed time. Tell them it’s the sparkly glitter that helps keep reindeer flying. When the littles finally go to bed, sweep it up and show them how hungry Rudolph and his crew were the next morning.
- Cozy New Pajamas – Every kid wants to look their best for when Santa stops by, so why not treat yours to a brand new pair of festive pajamas on Christmas Eve. Wrap them and let them open the gift just before bedtime – guaranteed sweet Santa dreams! PS, we are ALL for cute matching family pajamas here. ‘Tis the Season!
- Magic Key – Reassure those children who don’t have a chimney that Santa will still be able to deliver all those toys. Buy an oversized key and tell your littles that it’s a magic key to the house that they can leave out for Santa. Get them to wrap it and leave it on the front porch, and watch their faces when they see it opened and the key returned on the tree.
- Santa Evidence – Leave even more evidence for the kids to find on Christmas morning. Take some flower or powdered sugar and sprinkle it around boots to leave snowy footprints in the house. Or if you would prefer less mess, why not use this website http://www.capturethemagic.com/ – it allows you to put Santa in YOUR own picture of your home, so you can tell the kids that you caught Santa on camera, and actually show them!
- Track Santa – Not only is this is great fun, it’s a great geography lesson – for mom and dad too! Cozy up together and track exactly where Santa is in the world on Christmas Eve using this website: http://www.noradsanta.org/
Have magical fun families – especially those who are parents for the first time this Christmas. You thought Christmas was great as a kid, but just wait and see, it gets even better with kids!
