Thousands of letters arrive each day at the North Pole from boys and girls. Some take the time to tell me a little bit about themselves so I can get to know them better and others get straight to telling me what they want for Christmas. There are some that take the time to tell me about their families, their pets, or even their hobbies. Most of the letters make me happy but today I got one that made me feel very sad and I want to tell you about it.

This letter was from a little boy that lives far, far away. He said that he always wanted to write me a Christmas letter but he did not have any paper that looked nice enough to use. This little boy worried that he would be forgotten at Christmas time if he did not send a letter. The problem was that he thought that Santa would only want letters written on the finest of paper. But after worrying for a long time about being forgotten and left out at Christmas time, the little boy finally wrote his letter to me on his school paper. His letter arrived in plenty of time before Christmas. (more…)

Children are notorious for asking questions and although many adults wished that they had all the answers, most do not. Christmas is almost here and if your youngster is old enough and curious enough to start asking questions about Santa Claus, but as a parent you are stump for the answers, here are some facts about Santa Claus that should help parents come out looking smarter than the average bear. (more…)

Most of us grew up going to bed on Christmas Eve waiting for the morning to see what Santa Claus left us. Santa has been around for a long time. However, how did Santa Claus begin? Did he always leave presents under the tree?

Although the familiar image of Santa Claus is a North American invention of the 19th century, it has European roots and continues to influence the celebration of Christmas throughout the world.
(more…)

Around the age of six to eight, children usually start doubting the existence of Santa Claus. While the truth is always good, it is nice to keep your children’s Christmas spirit alive. Especially if there are younger siblings involved. There are a couple of ways to renew your child’s belief in Mr. Claus that cost you next to nothing. It is always a joy to see how excited your child will get when evidence is before them.

Santa Letter: There are many websites that offer to write your child a letter from Santa. However, they cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 to $10. In my opinion, that is a little too much for the cost of paper, an envelope, and a stamp. This is also a great way to incorporate some discipline. “Your mother has told me you are not keeping your room clean. You might want to do as she tells you before I have to give you one less toy this year.” Make sure your child is not smart enough to know your writing on the envelope. This will take ten minutes of your time tops. Ten minutes for a very elated child. I think it is worth it.

Santa’s Hair: When I was at the age where I started to disbelieve, my parents left a brush on the coffee table a few nights before Christmas. When my young self woke up on Christmas morning and say one of the family’s hair brush covered with white “Santa hair”. Due to this creative procedure on my parent’s part, I believe the next two years. What they really did was buy angel hair and brushed it. How simple, yet so believable! (more…)

Raising a child means having a lot of difficult conversations. And this time of year, one of the toughest involves Santa Claus.

For families that celebrate Christmas, Santa represents the magic and innocence of childhood. Talking about whether he is real can result in sadness, a sense of loss and questions for both parents and child. (more…)