Christmas is one of, if not the most, magical times of the year, especially if you’re a child.

Well, that is, until one of the bigger kids in the playground comes up to yours and tells them the whole Christmas thing is a charade and that Santa Claus does not exist.

Uh-oh.

But panic not, there are plenty of things you can do to convince them otherwise and help keep that festive feeling alive a little longer.

Here are 10 ways to keep the Christmas magic alive.

Embrace the season

Show them you believe – after all, how can you expect your children to have faith in something if you don’t?

Throw yourself into the festivities – and by that I don’t mean down a bottle of Baileys, eat as many Quality Street as you can and wear a piece of mistletoe around your neck.

No. Instead, encourage your children to enjoy all the fun of the season by writing a letter to Santa, visiting a grotto and taking part in some Christmas crafts or baking.

Or if the thought of all that sounds just too exhausting, sit back and throw on a few Christmas DVDs like The Snowman, Santa Claus: The Movie or Arthur Christmas to get you all in the mood.

Play postman

If your children still aren’t convinced, why not send them some post from Santa?

Pop a reply to their wish list in the mail, thanking them for their lovely letter and telling them you’ll do your best to bring them the things they would like.

Just make sure you disguise your handwriting, or better still, get someone else to write it for you.

Call in the big guns

If they’re still wobbling about Santa’s existence, why not arrange for a personalised video message from the man himself.

Portable North Pole lets you create a free video message for each child – as well as mentioning them by name, Santa shows photos of them in his big red book and lists details about their life.

Or for a small fee you can arrange for him to call your child via the Calls From Santa website, where he’ll talk to them about the letter they sent him.

It will be impossible to think he’s not the real deal after this.

Get Elfing

Love it or loathe it, Elf on the Shelf is one of the newer Christmas traditions, which can be fun for children and adults.

You get to play pranks on the kids by setting up the elf in funny situations – as elaborate as you like – and they have fun searching him out each morning and seeing what mischief he’s created.

Just remember to move him to a different spot each night before you go to bed.

Go Christmas shopping alone

If you want your children to believe that it really is Santa who delivers all the presents then don’t take them Christmas shopping with you, even for gifts that aren’t for them.

Otherwise you’ll find yourself fending off more questions like ‘how do you get the presents to Santa, Mummy?’

Same goes for wrapping – do it when they’re not around to avoid further awkward inquisitions.

Traditions

Come Christmas Eve, encourage your little ones to leave a mince pie and seasonal beverage out for Santa – and don’t forget a carrot for Rudolph too.

Then in the morning, make sure they’ve been demolished, with a few crumbs left for good measure.

Go a step further and sprinkle some icing sugar outside to make it look as though Santa’s sleigh landed in the garden, or leave some snowy footprints in the hallway.

Look to the sky

If you want to build the excitement on Christmas eve, check the NASA website to find out when the International Space Station will be passing over your home.

As the third brightest object in the sky, it’s easy to spot if you know when to look up.

Visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane, only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster.

With its bright light flashing, it could easily be Father Christmas flying over from the North Pole as he prepares to start his deliveries.

Become a tracker

Thanks to the internet, there are plenty of websites and tools you can use to track Santa’s Christmas eve journey.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) site follows Santa and Rudolph’s progress around the globe in real time.

It charts them flying over all the different countries and features a counter showing how many presents have been delivered.

Google has a Santa tracker site too, so you can see where he is delivering to, and play games while you wait for him to reach you.

Both are live already and can double as useful tools when it comes to getting little ones up to bed – just tell them Santa’s on his way and won’t leave anything if they’re not fast asleep.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Kate Chapman

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