Parents Guide to Santa Sample

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A Parents Guideto Santa Claus

(101 Ways to CreateChristmas Magic)

By

The Inspired ElfJohn Hagerman

Inspired Elf PublishingWayzata, MN


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Copyright 2013 by John Hagerman

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, distributed, or transmied in any form or byany means, including photocopying, recording, or otherelectronic or mechanical methods, without the prior wrienpermission of John Hagerman, except in the case of briefquotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other

noncommercial uses permied under copyright law. Forpermission requests, write to:

Inspired Elf PublishingP.O. Box 55Wayzata, MN 55391

Or email at: [email protected]

www.SantaGuides.com

ISBN 978-0-9889136-9-1

Cover and Interior Illustrations: R. M. Hanson

Editor: Monica FrischkornBook Design: John Hagerman


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To my mother, who instilled the spirit of Santa;to my wife, who nurtures the spirit;

and to my kids, who live theSpirit of Santa year round.


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INTRODUCTIONThe rst Christmas after I started dating my wife-

to-be, Jan, I became reawakened to how magical mysingle mother had managed to make Christmas for mytwo brothers and me. For Jans family, who all workedat her fathers jewelry store during the Christmas season,

Christmas had become an afterthought; the end of anexhausting few weeks of long hours, impatient customers,and frazzled nerves, worrying about whether theyd sellenough to keep the store open another year. The tree anddecorations were put up out of habit, rather than as ameaningful family experience or expression of faith andChristmas Eve was spent in numb recognition that the next

day was nally a day o after ve straight weeks without abreak.The gifts her family exchanged Christmas morning

were, more often than not, items family members had pickedout and wrapped for themselves, rather than lovingly chosen


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presents somebody had thoughtfully selected for them.What other gifts might have been under the tree tended to besocks, underwear, and clothes that would have been boughtanyway because the old ones were worn out or had been

outgrown. It was a utilitarian day of rest rather than a dayof magic, joy, and celebration. Having spent several years inthe jewelry business myself, which is how Jan and I met, Ican understand how her family handled Christmas, and thatmakes me appreciate even more what my mother did for usevery Christmas.

The rst Christmas Jan and I spent together, we spent

Christmas Eve with her family in Moorhead, Minnesota. Weexperienced her familys usual routine. The next morning wegot up at 5 a.m. to make the drive to the Twin Cities to spendChristmas morning with my family. What a contrast! Shecouldnt believe how nostalgic I was about my childhoodChristmases and how excited I was for her to experienceit rsthand. Christmas had always been a combination ofexhaustion, tension, and disappointment for her and she just

couldnt understand why I thought it was such a big deal.As we drove I told her about how my mother had madeChristmas magic for us, while at the same time makingsure we always understood the real reasons we celebratedChristmas. Telling her about my Christmases growing uprekindled a love of Christmas in me.

When I was young my Mom worked all day at the

YWCA in Minneapolis, and most evenings at the Old LogTheater in Excelsior, Minnesota, struggling to keep the

bills paid. We were always too broke for Christmas to beabout rampant consumerism, yet I dont think we kids everhad an inkling we were poor. I think Mom worked hard tomake birthdays, Easter, the Fourth of July, Halloween, andespecially Christmas, magical days to make up for how lilewe had the rest of the year. She was good at it, and I still geta warm glow thinking about it.

For instance, Mom made sure we learned the truemessage of Christmas by taking us to the late night churchservice. That service served three purposes: it reminded us


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of what Christmas was really about, it strengthened ourties to the people in our church, and it insured we would bequickly asleep when we got home so she could assemble andarrange the gifts for Christmas morning. The late service also

insured wed sleep late enough the next morning to give hera lile time to sleep. (We still managed to be up by seven.)

When we went to bed Christmas Eve there were onlya few gifts under the tree. When we got up in the morning,to our eyes it always looked as though the walls were aboutto buckle from trying to contain all the gifts! Our excitementgrew as we realized the stockings were lled and the house

smelled of baking rolls. As we came down the steps, ourjaws dragging on the oor at the abundance, the lights onthe tree seemed to shine a lile brighter, and the ornamentswed handmade seemed a lile preier than they had beenwhen we went to bed.

The Christmas cookies and milk wed left out forSanta (cookies Mom had helped us kids bake a couple ofdays before) had been eaten and there was always a note

from Santa thanking us for the treats. Mom only let us emptyour stockings, and play with the toys Santa put there, untilmy grandparents arrived. It heightened the anticipationand excitement we felt as we wondered what was in themounds of packages. Once we actually got to start openingthe gifts, she made us open gifts one at a time. My younger

brother, being the smallest, would always pick the rst gift

for someone else to open. The last one to open a gift wouldthen pick out the gift the next person would open. At theend of the day, the stacks of gifts were never very large, butsavoring every gift that everyone got, and hearing the ooohsand aaahs and thank-yous for the gifts wed given, made itseem endlessly wonderful.

My mother used many of the strategies outlined inthis book, such as going to visit Santa, making decorationsand baking together, writing leers to Santa, puing outcookies and milk, and making us wait until Christmasmorning to discover the gifts Santa brought. But the joyshe brought to the day infected me at a young age, and


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continues to grow in me as Jan and I work to keep the magicin Christmas for Holden and Priscilla, our two children.

Moms gone now, but her love and her ability tomake holidays special lives on. She would have shaken her

head at some of the ideas in this book, laughed at others,and some she might have even tried. I know she would haveappreciated the thought behind all of them.

John Hagerman

The Inspired Elf


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CONTENTS

Santa History and Traditions .......................p. 1

The Run-up to Christmas .............................p. 16. . . .Connecting Kids to Santa ................................ p. 75

Gifts and Santa ............................................. p. 90

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ............ p. 109

After the Kids Are Asleep .......................... p. 122. . .Santa the Rest of the Year ............................. p. 136

Santa IS Alive! .............................................................p. 139


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A Parents Guide to Santa Claus

SANTA: HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

1

Believe in Love and Magic

To my mother, Christmas was about love and joy

and magic; it was about the smile on childrens faces and the

warmth in their hearts; but most of all, it was about openingher kids up to the awe and wonder of the great gift theworld celebrates Christmas morning. After all, its love wecelebrate on Christmas Day. Its love that makes the seasonwhat it is. When we remember that love is about giving to our


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Santa: History and Traditions

loved ones, and to those less fortunate, we understand thefoundation of why Santa is an important part of Christmas for

most of us. Santa, at his best, is about the gifts that are given,not what we receive.If youre reading this book theres a prey good

chance that you either already believe in the spirit of Santayourself, or you want to believe. Its hard to keep others

believing in Santa and the magic of the season, if you dont.You dont have to go crazy over Christmas, like Ive beenknown to do, but if you want to have any success keeping the

people you love believing, youve got to at least appreciateChristmas and want the joy and love of that season to infectthem, too.

It all starts with your aitude. If you believe, youllprobably be able to help others to believe. If you dont believe,

but pretend that you do, those around you will know thetruthespecially the kids. If you dont believe right now, thendo your best to suspend your disbelief. Find a way to replaceyour skepticism with an honest desire to rediscover the magicof the season. If you start looking for the love and magictheres a good chance youll suddenly discover the spirit ofSanta starting to ll you up. You dont have to feel it to getstarted helping others to believe, but when you realize yourefeeling the spirit yourself, others will be inspired by it, too.When you feel the spirit, nurture it. It wont take long for it to

take root and turn into Christmas magic for you and everyonearound you.

2

Learn and Share Some History of Santa

If all you know about Santa is what you see on TVor at the mall each December, its prey dicult to inspiremuch belief in the power of Santa. After all, the guys in


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the commercials and the men in the rented Santa suit arestrictly commercial inventions designed to get the kids to

pressure you into spending more money at Christmas. Thekids quickly learn this, and the magic of Santa often fadesto cynicism by adulthood. Thats why learning some of thehistory and evolution of Santa, and sharing what you knowis Number Two for keeping the spirit of Santa alive.

There is lile dispute that Santa Claus was inspiredby Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in Lycia, a part of AsiaMinor, during the Fourth Century A.D. To understand how

an ancient bishop from the eastern Mediterranean becameour modern-day St. Nick, we need to understand a lile ofhis real life.

According to the St. Nicholas Center (www.stnicholas.org), in Holland, Michigan, Nicholas becamea bishop at just 17. He lived his faith in everyday life andhis actions spread his fame throughout the Middle East in

stories told by sailors. Nicholas was outspoken and wouldstand up to those in power and position if it meant helpinghis ock. How he became the patron saint of sailors goes along way toward explaining the roots of Santa Claus.

In the rst half of the fourth century there werethree major crop failures and an accompanying famine thatthreatened Lycia. People were hungry, and when BishopNicholas heard that ships loaded with precious grain were

about to leave the harbor for Alexandria, he took action.He went down to the docks and begged the sailors to takea measure of grain from each ship to feed the people. Thesailors refused, saying that the wheat was meted andmeasured and that they had a contract for delivery of everygrain. As the story goes, Nicholas told them, Do this, and Ipromise that it shall not be lessened or diminished when you

get to your destination.The sailors relented and left a measure from eachship in Lycia. When they got to Alexandria and unloadedthe wheat, the full weight of the wheat was accounted for.Bishop Nicholas gave the wheat to all who needed it during


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the two years of the famine. His actions and the miraculousfull measures of wheat established him as a legend. Sailors

spread the story, and the legend, throughout Europe.Sailors brought St. Nicholas with them to the newworld. In Greenland, Vikings built a cathedral and dedicatedit to St. Nicholas. Christopher Columbus landed in a port onHaiti on December 6, 1492, St. Nicholas Day, and named theport in Haiti for the saint. Jacksonville, Florida was originallya Spanish selement named St. Nicholas Ferry.

During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th

century reformers tried to stamp out the worship of saints,and St. Nicholas was no dierent. Both reformers andcounter-reformers, tried to get rid of customs based on St.Nicholas, but, thankfully, had very lile luck. The commonpeople loved St. Nick, insuring his survival on the Europeancontinent, and people continued the tradition of placing nuts,apples, and sweets in shoes children left by beds, windowsills,

or by the replace. Only in England was there any success inpermanently altering the St. Nicholas traditions. The Puritanssucceeded in wiping out the worship of saints, only to have St.Nicholas replaced with Father Christmas, a blatant variationon the St. Nicholas legend. Replacing St. Nicholas with FatherChristmas was the start of a trend toward a more secularapproach to Christmas observances.

While we know that the Puritans and other Protestant

reformers who seled the rst colonies in America did notbring St. Nicholas with them, there is some dispute about whodid bring the St. Nicholas traditions to the colonies. Manyreports credit the Dutch with bringing St. Nicholas to NewAmsterdam, but there is lile actual evidence. It seems morelikely that German selers in Pennsylvania were the rstColonists to observe the St. Nicholas traditions in connection

with Christmas. Some years later, well after the traditionswere rmly established by the Germans, there were accountsof St. Nicholas visiting the Dutch in New York on New YearsEve.

After the American Revolution, many of the Old


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Dutch traditions in New York were revived. In 1804, JohnPintard, who founded the New York Historical Society, began

promoting St. Nicholas as a saint for both the city and thesociety. Washington Irving joined the society in 1809 and, onSt. Nicholas Day, December 6, he published KnickerbockersHistory of New York a satirical work of ctionthatcontained many references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.His references were some of the rst to transform the saintly

bishop into an elsh character with a clay pipe. It seems likelythat Irvings fanciful tales were the origin of the legends of St.

Nicholas in New Amsterdam. Included in the stories are: therst Dutch ship in New Amsterdam had St. Nicholas as itsgurehead; that St. Nicholas Day was observed in the colony;that the colonys rst church was dedicated to St. Nicholas;and, as the rst note of our modern Santa, that St. Nicholascame down chimneys to bring gifts to children.

The New York Historical Society held the rst St.Nicholas dinner on December 6, 1810. Alexander Andersonwas commissioned to create a painting that was the rstimage of St. Nicholas in America. The painting gave St. Nickthe reputation for gift giving because it showed an elshgure lling stockings hanging by a replace with childrenstreats. In 1823, the jolly elf image was solidied in theAmerican imagination by the now classic poem, A Visit fromSt. Nicholas. Its beer known today as, The Night Before

Christmas.

3

Read Night Before Christmasand Be Able to Quote It

When it comes to Santa, no story is more iconic thanthe The Night Before Christmas. Its been read for over185 years, been made into numerous movies and television


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specials, and is constantly quoted on cards, in commercials,and on the radio during the holidays. Its ubiquitous,

but thats also what makes it useful as Number Three forkeeping theSpirit of Santa alive.

If you read the story to someone, especially kids,every year, if you learn some of it by heart and can toss aquote in at just the right moment, it goes a long way toward

building up the magic of Christmas.In case you dont have a copy handy, here it is in its

entirety:

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMASby Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads;And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just seled down for a long winters nap,When out on the lawn there arose such a claer,I sprang from the bed to see what was the maer.

Away to the window I ew like a ash,Tore open the shuers and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave the lustre of midday to objects below,When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a lile old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;


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Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blien!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane y,When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,So up to the housetop the coursers they ew,With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each lile hoof.As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had ung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyeshow they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll lile mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;He had a broad face and a lile round belly,That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And lled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,And laying his nger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;


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He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all ew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

The poems use of much of Washington IrvingsSt.Nicholas imagery made the it enormously popular.

Artists and writers continued to inuence how St.

Nicholas, or Santa Claus, was portrayed in America,moving him toward the contemporary of Santa we knowtoday. In 1863, Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, began aseries of black-and-white drawings for Harpers Weekly basedon Irvings work. They showed Santa as a smiling, rotund elf,with a owing white beard, wearing fur trimmed clothes, andholding an ever-present clay pipe. He continued drawing theseries until 1886 and solidied much of the vision we have of

Santa today. Along the way the old German Sankt Niklausand Dutch Sinterklaas, morphed into Santa Claus.

Early paintings of Santa showed him in a green suit,but by 1906 he was being portrayed in his trademark red suitand matching bag. For the next 25 years Santa was portrayedin a range of body sizes, clothing styles, and colors. By the endof the 1920s, artists N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell were

consistently showing Santa in the fur-trimmed red velvet suit.The image that permanently established Santas iconic statusin contemporary culture, and cemented the jolly red-suited,white-bearded elf in the American imagination, was the 1931

appearance of Santa in a Coca-Cola ad by Haddon Sundblom.Coke continued the ads for 35 years.

The success of Coca-Colas vision of Santa helped

popularize him in North America. Hes even makingheadway in Europe where Santas popularity threatens tounseat the image of St. Nicholas, who is still viewed as aChristian bishop and saint.

At rst glance, it may be hard to see any resemblance


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between our modern Santa and the fourth century BishopNicholas, the saint who was extraordinarily kind and

generous. But, if you look close enough, Nicholas modelof giving is reected in Santa. Nicholas loved children andcared for the poor, and set an example of what is at the centerof Christmas. When you look, you see that example and itreminds us to keep that simple, authentic generosity and loveat the center of our Christmas celebrations.

4

Learn the Roots and History ofChristmas Traditions

Santa doesnt exist in a vacuum and, though the

current image of Santa was popularized for commercialreasons, Santa himself was popular long before the adcampaigns. Santa grew out of Christmas and that ties himto ancient traditions from around the world. Knowing someof these traditions and being able to share them with othersadds to the richness of the season. Seeing people light upwhen you share some of the lore can reinforce your beliefs,

too, which is why Im making this Number Four for keepingthe magic of Santa and Christmas. You may also nd newjoys, celebrations, and traditions to add to your season aswell.The Bell

In cultures throughout Europe, bells have beentraditionally used to ring in special occasions, announce thetime, and raise alarms. In the United States, the Salvation

Army eectively uses the connection between Santa and bellsto raise money. Their bell ringers, and the accompanying redkele, have made the bells an iconic Christmas image.


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The ChimneyChimney sweeps were very common in Victorian

England, and they were seen as symbols of good luck for theNew Year. References to Santa coming down the chimney inOld Christmas, Washington Irvings story about St. Nicholas,and the poem The Night Before Christmas, rmly paired thechimney with Santa as an image of the season.

The Sledge or SleighSanta is invariably portrayed with his sleigh drawn

by reindeer, an image that is shown in countless Nordicpetroglyphs. The petroglyphs frequently show the sleigh, orsledge, loaded with a tree. Today, the only country that hasdomesticated reindeer as part of its culture is Finland, a factthat seems to conrm that this is the origin of the connectionof sleigh and reindeer to Santa.

The TreeOld petroglyphs show an image of a r tree being

carried on a sleigh and may be part of the connection of ther tree to Christmas. More popular mythology is the Yule treethat is erected at the winter solstice that marks the shortestday of the year. The timing of the Christmas celebration, soclose to the solstice, was likely chosen by early church leadersas a way of connecting pagan rituals to important church

dates, thereby making it easier to bring pagans into the newreligion.

You can nd even more historical details about St.Nicholas at www.stnicholas.org.

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Celebrate St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated December 6. With theBishop of Myras reputation for giving gifts, loving children,


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and helping the poor, it seems almost inevitable that hewould be adopted as a symbol for celebrating Christmas. St.

Nicholas Day is still celebrated in many places around theworld. If you cant nd a celebration, consider asking yourcommunity or a church to start celebrating the day. If youprefer something simpler, trying having a special familydinner to celebrate the day.

Celebrating St. Nicholas Day gives you a chanceto teach your family (or others) about where Santa camefrom, and celebrating a day just for St. Nick creates the

opportunity to talk about who he is and how he ts intoChristmas. It also lets you stay true to the real meaning ofChristmas when its celebrated on December 25.

6

Learn and Use Santas NameFrom Around the World

Theres nothing like knowing a persons name tobuild a personal connection, and the same is true of Santa.When you learn some of the names for Santa, or whoever

it is that brings children presents at Christmas time aroundthe world, you build a strong belief in him, and you createconnections to dierent cultures around the world. Heres agood list to get you started.

In the United States and Canada we use the name SantaClaus.

In England, Father Christmas is the traditional Christmasgift giver. His coat and beard are much longer than thoseof the American Santa.


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In France Pere Nol is the name used for FatherChristmas.

German children use Christindl or Kris Kring, refering tothe Christ Child---the one who brings gifts.

In China, he is called Shengdan Laoren.

Latin America and Spain share many similarities andmany variations in Christmas customs. Most of these

countries are predominantly Catholic and believe elNio, or Baby Jesus, brings children presents.

In Brazil and Peru, hes called Papai Noel.

In Puerto Rico January 6, at the celebration of Epiphany,or Three Kings Day, is when many children receive gifts.

Epiphany is twelve days after Christmas Day, hence TheTwelve Days of Christmas. Most Puerto Ricans alsocelebrate and exchange gifts on December 25. (Three kings

bring toys on Epiphany in several other countries too.)

In Italy Babbo Natale, (Father Christmas) brings giftson Epiphany when kids set their shoes by the door theday before. In the morning, they get up to discover their

shoes lled with small toys and treats. Babbo Natalecomes on Christmas Eve in some parts of Italy. LikeSpain, Portugal, and most Latin American countries,Italy is mostly Catholic. For these countries December25 is traditionally more religiously remembered for the

birth of Christ. Epiphany, or Lile Christmas, is theday for gift giving. The Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos;

Melchor, Gaspar and Baltsar), ll childrens shoes underthe Christmas tree on January 5, to be discovered themorning of Epiphany. Santa Claus, known as Papa Noel,

brings gifts Christmas Day. Some lucky children receivegifts both days.


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In Morocco, he is known as Black Peter.

In Japan, Santa is just Santa or Santa Claus. He is alsofrequently called Santa no ojisan, which translates asUncle Santa.

In Sweden, Jultomten visits the evening before Christmasday pulling a big bag of julklappar (Christmas presents)in the deep snow.

In Norway P Norsk is what Santa is called, and alongwith his elves Julenissen, he arrives on the evening ofDecember 24.

In the Netherlands, he is called Kerstman.

In Finland, he is called Joulupukki.

The Dutch call him Sinter Klaas, as we learned from hisarrival in the American Colonies. Traditionally he rides awhite horse and leaves gifts in wooden shoes.

In Russia, he is called Grandfather Frost. That is dedmoroz (the second o has the accent and the last z is

pronounced as s).

7

Read Virginias Letter Each Year

The leer below, from eight-year-old VirginiaOHanlon to Francis P. Church, the editor of the New


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York Sun in 1897, became an instant Christmas classic. Itmakes for an inspiring read and can go a long way teaching

about the true meaning of Christmas, as well as layingthe foundation for a lifelong belief in Santa. The leer andFrancis Churchs response are printed in their entirety.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa ClausBy Francis P. Church, rst published in The New York Sunin 1897.

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently thecommunication below, expressing at the same time our greatgratication that its faithful author is numbered among the friendsof The Sun:

Dear EditorI am 8 years old. Some of my lile friends say there is no Santa

Claus. Papa says, If you see it in The Sun, its so. Please tell methe truth, is there a Santa Claus?Virginia OHanlon

Virginia, your lile friends are wrong. They have been aectedby the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except theysee. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensibleby their lile minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be mens

or childrens, are lile. In this great universe of ours, man is amere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundlessworld about him, as measured by the intelligence capable ofgrasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainlyas love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know thatthey abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas!

How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! Itwould be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would beno childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable thisexistence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.The eternal light with which childhood lls the world would be


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extinguished.Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe

in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all thechimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if youdid not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no SantaClaus. The most real things in the world are those that neitherchildren nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on thelawn? Of course not, but thats no proof that they are not there.Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen

and unseeable in the world.You tear apart the babys rale and see what makes the

noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world whichnot the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all thestrongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry,love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picturethe supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia,

in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever.A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 yearsfrom now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.


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The Run-Up to Christmas

THE RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS

Christmas creep is what I call the aggressivecommercialization of Christmas, and it makes it moredicult to keep believing in Santa. Christmas displays start

being put up the moment back-to-school supplies take aback seat, startling shoppers who have the misfortune todiscover Christmas decorations set up in one aisle, while thenext aisle is merchandised for Halloween. I prefer to waituntil after Thanksgiving to start trying to engage the magicof the Christmas season. Almost all of my tips focus on thefour weeks of Advent that precede Christmas.

One of the exceptions is decorating the outside of

your home for Christmas. You can obviously put up thelights in December, and for me theres something puristabout that, but puing the lights up before Halloween,in order to do it in pleasant, non-freezing weather, isacceptable. (Its not a lot of fun trying to wrap frozen strandsof lights around bushes, rails, and guers. Its a lot easier,and more fun, when the lights are warm and exible, and soare your ngers.)

Thanksgiving was the ocial start of the Christmasseason when I was growing up. After eating Christmasdinner, usually at my grandparents, my mother would drivemy brothers and me into downtown Minneapolis to look


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at the citys Christmas lights and decorations that had beenturned on that day for the rst time. We then parked and

walked to stare in wonder at the animated gures and scenesin the big windows of Daytons, Minneapolis version ofMacys department store. The windows became clothing andmerchandise displays just three decades ago, and Daytonsitself disappeared as a brand years agothe stores are now,in fact, Macys.

With the warm memories the ritual created in me,its hard for me to even think about starting the Christmas

season before Thanksgiving, so Im going to exercise theauthors prerogative and start there.

8

Make Your Home Attractive to Santa

I believe one of the best ways to keep kids andyourself infused with the Christmas spirit is to makeyour home aractive to Santa and alive with some of thetrappings of the season.

Make your home aractive to Santa is purposelya vague statement open to wide interpretation. If you wantit to give you license to become the maniacal yard decoratorthat aracts thousands of light-addicted pilgrims and spends


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thousands on your electric bill, go for it. If, on the otherhand, you prefer a simple, yet tastefully decorated tree,

a few strategically placed decorations, and softly playingChristmas music, thats great, too. Its even good if youdecide Making your home aractive for Santa meansnothing more than a good excuse to give the inside of yourhome the scrubbing youve been meaning to give it for thepast eight months. The point is, the Christmas season is atime when were waiting for something new to come intothe world. Its a time of shared anticipation and your home

should reect that coming change in its appearance andtone. The change will lift your kids and your family into theholiday spirit and, if you handle it right, it can help all ofyou get closer to the spirit of the season and to each otherwhile creating some great Christmas memories.

9

Get the Kids to Help Clean for Santa

I know clean means dierent things to dierentpeople. With two kids at home and my wife and I both

working, clean means a full dishwasher, a path clearedthrough the toys, and the clothes either hung up ordown the laundry chute. When weve cleared enoughroom to actually vacuum, all four of us feel a sense ofaccomplishment. For my brothers, clean has always meanta pristine state of cluer-free and dust-free order that hasnt

been possible in my house since my kids were born. Imnot going to dene clean, but I will try to give you some

reasons why your clean can be part of renewing beliefs inSanta (and give you some side benets in the process).

Cleaning your home in anticipation will makeyou feel beer. It also provides lots of opportunities to


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bond with kids by making it a game, or by geing them totell you all the reasons a clean house is more aractive to

Santa. Cleaning can be a great cue for geing a fresh starton aitudes, and goals. It can also give you a wonderfulopportunity to talk about what Santa and Christmas mean.

If kids resist helping, there are things you cansay that might make them more cooperative. Try, Santamay not be able to leave presents for you if he steps onsomething, or trips on something and hurts himself. Or, Inorder to make toys for kids all over the world, the elves have

to keep Santas workshop picked up and in order. Whatwill Santa think if he sees our house like this? Use yourimagination.

Finally, a clean house makes it more comfortableto invite friends over to share some holiday cheer. Havinga house full of friendswhether your contemporaries, thekids friends, or all the relativesis a great way to share

the joy of the season or to re-energize yourself if youvemisplaced your lile bag of seasonal cheer. And startingwith a clean house makes it easier to keep the upcomingdeluge of packages, new toys, and muddy boots frominundating you.

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Set Up the One-In-One-Out Rule

Part of our preparations for Christmas includes areminder to our kids of the One-In-One-Out Rule. Thatmeans for every new toy the kids get, one toy has to go outof the house. If the toy is still in good condition it eithergets donated, sold, or traded in at a childrens resale shop.The process of going through all the kids toys gives them achance to understand what a privilege it is for them to have


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as many nice toys as they do, and it gives us all a chance toconnect back to St. Nicholas and his tradition of helping the

poorboth good things to reinforce at Christmas.Here are a couple of notes about this rule to makeit work. First, set it up ahead of time, dont let the kidspostpone their decisions until Christmas Eve. Around ourhouse, we keep the rule in place year round, and that makes

the Christmas discussion easier. Second, help the kids

develop a plan for which toys are being donated, sold, or

traded. A lile planning will make it fun and easy.

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Give Mathoms

We use the Christmas Cleaning and One-In-

One-Out Rule as ways of discovering great mathoms togive. (Mathoms are a tradition established by Hobbits.)

Mathoms are things weve enjoyed but no longer need, and

that we know someone else would denitely enjoy geing

for Christmas. Most people call it re-gifting, but we prefer


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mathom because it makes it more playful and fun. We do

this all year long as a practical way to prevent the possibility

of being crushed under a collapsing mound of toys, but it isparticularly important this time of year.

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Take the Kids on a Tour of LightsIve already mentioned my family going out on

Thanksgiving to look at the lights and decorations the cityand department stores had put up, but my mother didnt stopthere. At least once or twice during the season shed take us ona drive to look at homes decorated and lit up for Christmas.

We loved the beauty of the lights, and the time spent withher. Wed always talk about Christmas and what we wantedfrom Santaa fact Im sure my mother counted on in makingher list of what to get us. She made the drives fun andentertaining, and it cost nothing more than the price of gas.

In most cities around the country its easy to nd alist of the best places to visit on your Tour of Lights. ManyTV stations and newspapers maintain active lists, and, if

they dont, it shouldnt be dicult to nd someone who hascollected the information on lights in your town and postedthem online.

If, after searching high and low, you cant nd anyinformation on beautiful Christmas light displays in yourarea, then youve been given a wonderful opportunity todo something special for your community, and have a blastdoing it. Make it your familys mission to gather or solicit theinformation about the best light displays, and post it onlineyourself. (You could prod your local media outlet to get on the

ball, too.)

Documents

Parents Guide to Santa Sample