Christmas is a special time and has many traditions that tend to be passed down from generation to generation. The anticipation and preparation for Christmas are part of the fun with the festivities and customs related to this holiday season. When two families combine, the couple often takes some, or all, of their respective traditions for their new family. Although there are some general similarities with the traditions celebrated, part of the fun is that families create their own special celebrations – especially when children are part of the holiday.

So, what if your family didn’t really have a lot of Christmas traditions? What if you are feeling overwhelmed with all the choices? Where to begin with deciding which traditions you will integrate into your family?

My family has a few Christmas traditions that are fond memories of my childhood. Several of them I have continued with my family and my sister has continued with her family. Recently I was talking with a friend about Christmas traditions and she asked some great questions about how to share the Santa spirit with her toddler. My friend and her husband did not have many of the traditional Christmas customs in their families while growing up. Now that they have a son, they are wanting to incorporate some special elements into their holidays, but are feeling perplexed, and a little bit overwhelmed, as to where to start.

To help my friend, I did a quick search on Pinterest for “Santa Claus tips for new parents”. This yielded some great pins with ideas and tips. However, she had some basic questions that these pins didn’t fully cover. For this post, we’ll focus on her questions about some of the Christmas traditions.

Why do we do stockings and who puts presents in them?

The tradition of Christmas stockings dates back to the 4^th century if not before. Per the tinselbells.com website, “The Christmas stocking tradition can be taken all the way back to legends of the pagan Norse mythology. There are also stories involving the Christian faith and Saint Nicholas.” However, the actual origin of this tradition is not clear. The current tradition of hanging up stockings varies from family to family. Some families do not hang up stockings if their home doesn’t have a fireplace. Other families hang them up regardless, even if their home is without a fireplace. To go along with the tradition that the gifts are from Saint Nicholas, the presents are put in the stockings on Christmas Eve after the children have all gone to sleep. The stockings are taken down and the presents are opened on Christmas morning. When I was growing up, our stockings were the only gifts we could open on December 25^th before our parents woke up.

When does Santa come?

Santa Claus visits homes on Christmas Eve in the wee hours after the children have gone to sleep. On Christmas Eve, some families enhance the magical experience by checking out where Santa and his sleigh are traveling throughout the world using the NORAD Tracks Santa website or smartphone app. Per the NORAD Tracks Santa app, “the tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa.” The rest of the story of how this accidental call has become a tradition for 61 years can be read on the NORAD app (NORAD HQ Secret Santa Files) and on the nugget.ca website.

Photo credit: Website screen capture from http://www.noradsanta.org/

Another option for Santa messages is the “PNP – Portable North Pole” website and smartphone app. After you create an account, you can send messages and videos from Santa to your children, nieces/nephews, and/or grandchildren.

Photo credit: Website screen capture from https://www.portablenorthpole.com/en

Leading up to Christmas, some families incorporate the “Elf on the Shelf” tradition to encourage their children to behave so they’ll be on Santa’s Nice List. Elf on the Shelf is a relatively new tradition that gained popularity after the book was published in 2004. A quick search on Pinterest for “Elf on the Shelf” will show several examples with clever ways your adopted Elf can be part of your family.

 What do you leave out for Santa?

For many families, cookies and milk are left out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Like the tradition as to why we hang up Christmas stockings, there are several stories or legends about why we leave out cookies and milk for Santa. The Wockenfuss Candies website has a good explanation in this post. Many families have the children help bake the cookies on Christmas Eve. In addition to cookies and milk for Santa, some families leave out carrots for the reindeer. Whatever you decide to do with your family, make sure the cookies and milk (and carrots) are gone in the morning (wink, wink).

Do you open all presents on Christmas morning?

The tradition of when to open presents varies from family to family. When I was growing up, we got to open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest of the presents were on Christmas morning. We traditionally got new pajamas, usually Christmas themed, as our Christmas Eve present. I realized after I was grown up that this was so we would look nice in the photos our parents took. Other families open all their presents, except those from Santa, on Christmas Eve. My husband’s family never opened any presents on Christmas Eve and all their presents were opened on Christmas morning.

Photo credit: Website screen capture from www.hallmark.com

Since Santa Claus is delivering one or more of the presents to your little ones, you may want to use special gift wrap that are only on these presents. In my house, the Santa gift wrap is typically red and white. Some places, like Hallmark, have special gift wrap like this one “Ho Ho Ho Santa” in 2016. However, you’ll want to keep this roll of gift wrap well-hidden and out of sight from curious little ones. Also, be sure that you wrap some presents to your child from his/her parents – to help keep the magic alive.

How do you introduce the idea of Santa to a little one?

During the Christmas holiday season, images of Santa Claus are everywhere – in books, in advertisements, in movies and TV shows, at photo opportunities, Christmas décor, and so forth. The website talkingtotoddlers.com has some suggestions that may be helpful, especially before taking your little one for photos with Santa Claus. Another post on ezinearticles.com has additional suggestions. As your children get a little older, introduce them to the stories about Saint Nicholas who is considered by many as the “real Santa” because of his generosity to those in need and his love for children.

Many families also introduce their children to the religious foundations of Christmas with the Nativity story, by lighting an Advent wreath on the four Sundays before Christmas, and attending Christmas Eve church services. 

Any tips for parents keeping the secret of Santa alive through the years?

For some parents, you may feel uncomfortable with deceiving your little ones with the stories about Santa Claus. This article on pbs.org offers some suggestions in the article titled “Is It Okay to Lie About Santa?” As your children get older, they will invariably discover the truth. How you handle it as a parent is up to you. Some families handle this in a matter-of-fact approach while others use this opportunity to invite their children to join in the magic by becoming a “Secret Santa” to others. I recently saw this post shared on Facebook titled “A Wonderful Way To Explain Santa To Kids Without Them Feeling Lied To” – I highly recommend reading this post for suggestions on how to handle this transition.

Keep in mind that all children discover “the truth” about Santa Claus at different ages. When your oldest child figures it out, it will be important to keep the magic alive for the younger children. When I was an elementary school teacher, I made sure to maintain the story of Santa Claus for my students. I taught second through sixth grades and there was no set age when children “outgrew” Santa. It was not uncommon for many of my sixth graders to still believe. Even as an adult, I continue to enjoy spreading the spirit of Santa Claus.

Now that we’ve covered these Christmas traditions, it’s up to you to decide which ones you would like to incorporate into your family’s customs and experiences. There are many more you can also consider. There are several great lists on Pinterest. Some of the additional Christmas traditions I enjoy include:

• Listening to Christmas songs
• Decorating with Christmas Lights & going to see neighborhood Light Displays
• Donating Toys that have fallen out of favor before getting new ones
• Volunteering (serving at a soup kitchen, etc.)
• Counting down the days till Christmas…paper chains or Advent calendars
• Watching Christmas movies (including Hallmark movies)
• Writing Letters to Santa
• Taking a photo with Santa
• Getting a new/special keepsake ornament each year
• Creating handprint or footprint art
• Making gingerbread houses and/or baking Christmas cookies
• Capturing the memory by taking pictures of child holding Christmas art, Gingerbread house, etc.
• Saving your little one’s first pair of mittens – it’s fun to incorporate these into your Christmas décor as they get bigger.
• Keeping “Christ” in Christmas with Advent Wreaths (Hope, Joy, Peace, Love) & having a Nativity scene in your holiday décor

The magic of Christmas traditions is there is no one “right way” to celebrate or which traditions to share with your family. The important thing is that they are meaningful to you and help build cherished memories for years to come.

Now it’s your turn: What are your tips for parents with keeping the secret of Santa Claus alive through the years?

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