Letters From Santa Clause

This is just a short post about a wonderful Christmas Tradition that anyone can appreciate. First of all, it is important to understand the importance of holiday traditions.

When you think back over your past holidays - especially ones from your childhood, what do you remember the most? While many of us will remember a special gift received at one time or another, most of us will always treasure the memories of the love and security we felt during a holiday event. This might be a time that family and friends traditionally visited, or a time when the family did something together to celebrate in a special way.

Of course, it's wonderful if you can afford great things during the Christmas season - if a vacation can be added into the holiday fun that is definitely a way to make it special. But the reality is that most of us cannot do that. Even if we have the money we probably do not have the time. The fact is that money can hold us back from doing a lot of things that could make the holidays more memorable.

But the good news is that there are some wonderfully amazing ways to make Christmas magical without spending much money at all. A favorite in my home is taking at least one Saturday to create homemade Christmas decorations. The whole family gets involved.

We have a craft box that we use to hold things like extra buttons, styrofoam balls and other pieces of styrofoam (the kind used for packing), remnants of cloth, pipecleaners, construction paper, glitter, pine cones, ribbons, lace, and, well, you get the idea....This craft box, as we call it is actually one of those large plastic tubs that are usually used for storage. We are constantly adding to it.

As we make our decorations Christmas music is playing and we are sometimes singing along. I usually throw a cake or other delicious baked goods in the oven. The house smells great and we have a wonderful time. I usually make a special holiday drink on that day - it's a tea with orange and cinnamon flavor - very tasty and has just the right hint of specialness because I save it for the holiday season.

Besides the Christmas decorations we spend time writing letters to Santa Clause. The funny thing is that even the non-believers and full grown adults seem to enjoy this. Christmas really is magical - it seems to bring out the best in everyone.

The best part about writing a letter to Santa Clause is when he writes back! There is a website that offers this service for a very small price. The letters are personalized and look authentic enough to turn almost anyone into a believer again!

Simple traditions like these can make Christmas special and leave lasting memories that will always be cherished. If you don't have a craft box yet now's a good time to start collecting items that can be used for fun projects. And if you haven't written Santa in a few years, why not give that a try too? Surprise your kids with a genuine letter from Santa. The looks on their faces will be true Kodak moments!

Inexpensive Ways To Make Christmas Special

Let's face it, although Christmas is a wonderful time of year, it can also be stressful. The truth is that some people are more depressed during the holiday season than any other time of the year. This is sometimes due to loneliness but many other times it is related to feelings of powerlessness or complete failure when one is not able to provide the gifts or the Christmas that they feel their family deserves.

The good news is that the focus of Christmas doesn't have to be on gifts at all - instead, it can be placed on a nice tradition of getting together with family and loved ones. Just enjoying time together, having a nice meal and conversation can be a very nice way to celebrate the holidays.

As for the children, that can be very easy. Begin with fun things like doing simple craft projects. My family has always used Thanksgiving to mark the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. After our traditional dinner, the children gather around the table and write their first letters of the season to Santa. I say first because they usually end up writing two or sometimes three.

You know how that goes - the kids change their minds as time goes on and they worry that they will be on Santa's Naughty List because of some bad behavior so they write another letter to explain it away.

Another wonderful tradition is decorating our home. Once again the kids get in on the action. They enjoy making ornaments and other items to adorn the house. They proudly point out to visitors the things they have created.

By instilling these basic traditions in our children at an early age we are teaching them that there is more to Christmas than simply what is under the tree. In fact, one of our traditions is for the kids to make Christmas cards out of construction paper for the residents of a local nursing home.

We draw names for each of us in the family and the idea is that we have to 'make' the gift that we give. This has been a lot of fun for everyone - and even though the gifts are simple and sometimes, lacking the expertise needed to make them what they should be - they are extremely special because they were handcrafted just for us.

We also play silly games on Christmas Eve where the winners get a prize from the 99 cent store. It's good family fun.

By using your imagination and creativity you can find ways of making Christmas special. How about having your children receive a genuine letter from Santa direct from the North Pole? This inexpensive gift will become a treasured keepsake and you will cherish the delight on the kids' faces as they read the letters again and again.

I will be posting more ideas as time goes by so keep checking in!