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…)