Christmas Eve has to be one of the most exciting days and nights of the year; the anticipation of what is to come and of course the knowledge for children everywhere that a special visitor is on his way with a sackful of presents!
Parents often find themselves wondering just how to make the most of this magic time and how to prepare the whole household for the treats to come in the morning!
We have put together our very festive guide on how to prepare for Santa; from tasty treats to fun and games all to get you in the Christmas mood!
Write Santa a letter
Children (and adults for that matter) love writing letters to Santa letting him know exactly what presents they would love to see under their tree. This can be done either a week in advance of Christmas or perhaps on the night itself, it’s up to you.
What is in the letter can depend on your child; they might just want to draw a picture or perhaps write a simple list of their dream toys. For older children they can write up and decorate their letter to make sure it sounds out against all the other letters that Santa receives.
Make Santa’s treats
Now we have the plate, we need something to leave out for Santa. Santa loves nothing more than home-made treats to boost his energy on the busiest day of the year for him. You can make sure that he has something really delicious to enjoy by baking some cookies, shortbread or even a slice of cake ready to leave out for him on Christmas Eve night!
Sprinkle the reindeer food
When it comes to Christmas Eve, Santa wouldn’t get very far with his deliveries if it wasn’t for his trusty reindeers; therefore it is important to remember them on Christmas Eve too.
One great way to do this is to sprinkle some special reindeer food on your garden so that they have something to nibble on whilst Santa is bringing in the presents. Reindeer food is really easy to make.Take some oats and mix it with glitter (to make sure it sparkles in the moonlight) before sprinkling on your lawn or if you don’t fancy the mess; you can always leave it in a bowl outside.
Whilst these great activities make sure your children go to bed full of excitement we can’t promise that they will stop them from waking you up at the crack of dawn. Just make sure that you have prepared with a large jar of coffee!