family fun

Christmas: Everyone Loves Being Santa Claus

family funfamily fun-traditions

Christmas—I have friends who keep the spirit of believing in Santa Claus alive even when their kids grow older. (Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.) But for my family, it’s been a blast for the teens and tweens to be let ‘in on the secret’—even allowing them to help with younger kiddos' presents on Christmas Eve!

New Family Tradition: Elf Stocking Duty!

Our older kids are assigned a sibling’s stocking each year. They love thinking up items that will 1) fit and 2) don’t cost much. Then they get a chance to secretly fill the appropriate stocking on Christmas Eve. Soon my youngest child will join the family tradition and I hope it will continue into adulthood! And, of course, my husband and I have filled each other’s stockings for 19 years.

Isn’t it true? Everyone loves being Santa Claus.

While we don’t let them see their own gifts (obviously!), we happily allow the big kids to help with some of the wrapping (no, not all of it). Plus, it’s so fun to watch everyone light up on Christmas morning—even when one of them already knows what the other is unwrapping.

Maybe Everyone Actually IS Santa Claus?

There’s a super sappy story my mother email-forwarded a couple years back (you know the type). But before you roll your eyes, hear me out. It’s about a little boy who has learned from playground friends that he’s crazy to ‘believe’ in Santa. He immediately heads for the one person he knows won’t lie to him on such an important matter—his Grandmother. She proceeds to take him on a short adventure where she proves people who don’t believe in Santa Claus are very confused.

His grandma helps him purchase a coat for a needy boy and together they secretly deliver it straight to the kid’s front door. (After first adding a tag reading, “from Santa Claus.") She finishes the lesson by telling her grandson, Santa is very real. In fact, now YOU are one of Santa’s Helpers. (You can read the whole sappy story on my Tumbler site if you really want … but please, only forward to grandmas who will appreciate it.)

Whether you proudly place the ‘BELIEVE’ plaque above your Christmas tree or like my family, happily persuade the older kids into participating in clandestine Christmas Eve activities … I’m sure you’ll agree: we all like giving just as much as ‘getting.’ Maybe even more.

Do you keep the spirit of Santa alive in your home or do you let the kids in on the secret?

The following two tabs change content below.
Bio: In a former life, Carissa Rogers was a molecular biologist. In her current life, she is the chief researcher of bloggy karma, parenting dos (and some don’ts), new recipes, and for spice she pretends to be a photographer. She started blogging in February of 2008 and publishes her good & crazy thoughts on GoodNCrazy.com. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Web Statistics