This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
When I was a kid, Christmas was absolutely my favorite holiday. I give my parents credit for that, because they went so far above and beyond to do things that would make Christmas magical for my siblings and I. One year, they recorded and edited a video of Santa coming down the chimney and then disappearing back up the chimney. This was in the early 90s so we are talking on a tape with an old-school camcorder. Props to them cause that could not have been easy! They also got up on the roof to walk around on Christmas eve night so it would sound like Santa walking around. They dropped a bell in the front yard for us to find among many other things that just created a magical experience for us kids. It’s my goal to be able to do the same for my kids throughout their childhood while they still believe! So without further ado, here are some ideas that will help make your child’s Christmas absolutely magical!
This post is all about how to make Christmas magical for kids.
13 Ways to Make Christmas Magical For Kids
1. Write letters to Santa and Visit a Christmas tree farm that has a mailbox for The North Pole! Chances are Santa might even be there for photo ops and your child can tell Santa what they want for Christmas! This is one that has become a tradition for my family. Sometimes tree farms will even have reindeer and concessions like hot chocolate. If you opt for a real tree over a fake tree it can be extra special to let your kiddos help pick out the Christmas tree for the year!
2. Have Christmas movie nights with popcorn and hot chocolate! One of my favorite things to do around Christmas time is to watch Christmas movies! Probably because there is so much nostalgia for me from watching them as a child. There are so many classic Christmas movies that your kids will probably end up wanting to watch every year with you!
3. Drive around and look at Christmas lights or go to a Christmas light display around your home town. Most cities have little drive through light displays or light parades that are typically pretty affordable to visit. However, there is always those couple houses around town that always go crazy with lights every year. I’ve even seen some with light shows synchronized to music! Its super fun to drive around and scope out the lights and then talk about our favorite houses!
4. Include your kiddos in making Christmas cookies/treats or even Christmas dinner. As I’m sure you know, kids are so independent and want to be included in doing all the grown-up activities. Letting your kids help with making Christmas treats or Christmas dinner would definitely stand out to them and make them feel proud of contributing to the meal! Letting your kids take part would not only be a fun Christmas activity but its also educational and helps build skills. Plus, they would get to taste their handy work!
5. Watch the Santa Flight Tracker on Christmas Eve Night. There are several websites that have a “Santa Flight Tracker” that you can pull up for your kids and watch Santa travel together. It’s fun just to check in and see what countries he is in. If he happens to be nearing your state you can always use that as a reason to get the kids to tuck into bed! Two of the best trackers are Google Santa Tracker and the NORAD Santa Tracker. Both sites have countdowns and Google Santa Tracker even has games the kids can play! NORAD doesn’t become interactive until December 1st!
6. Leaving cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve is a pretty well established tradition throughout the US but if you haven’t adopted the tradition yet, it really is exciting to see the look on your kids face when they see the cookies they left for Santa are gone! Well, all but a few crumbs and maybe a cookie with a single bite missing of course! Another fun spin is to let your kids leave carrots or “reindeer food” for Santa’s Reindeer. Be sure to leave some bits of carrot or trails of reindeer food out in the yard to show that the reindeer received their treats! Click Here for an adorable Santa’s Cookies plate that is PERFECT for this!
7. Use this “Santa’s Magic Snow” kit to create Santa’s footprints by your fireplace or entryway. The kit even has a book to read to your kiddos! So cute and fun! However, if you don’t want to splurge on the kit you can always use some good ole flour or baking soda to create your footprints! Baking soda will even clean your carpet! If you aren’t afraid of glitter, you can even mix glitter into the flour or baking soda to make it sparkle for a little extra magic.
This post is all about how to make Christmas magical for kids.
8. Make sure that your presents from Santa are in unique wrapping and you can even switch up your wrapping style. I like to make my Santa presents a little fancier with lots of ribbon and bows. Another way to try and be sneaky is to swap gift tags with a friend so if your kids are a little older they don’t get onto you because of your handwriting. Otherwise, you can use special Santa gift tags or even use this Santa Claus signature stamp!
9. Have Santa leave an “accidental” token like a button or glove by your plate of cookies as if Santa left his glove after removing it to enjoy his treats. You could even leave a bell in the yard as if it came off of a reindeer!
10. If you are lucky enough to get a white Christmas you could even go as far as leaving “reindeer prints” in the snow. I know when I was a kid my dad actually got up onto the roof and left deer prints on the snowy roof. To this day I’m not sure of his method, however, the closest I could find was this leather branding iron in the shape of a deer hoof!
11. Have Santa leave a thank you letter next to his empty plate of cookies and glass of milk. You can use this as an opportunity to write a response to the letter your child wrote to Santa previously and to say a few nice things you admire about your kiddo and some of the kind things they have done throughout the year. This also encourages good behavior for the year to come!
12. Catch Santa on video! Although my parents had to go at it old school to make their video back in the day, there are several applications and websites where you can “catch Santa on video”, however, Capture The Magic seems to be the resounding favorite when it comes to using an app. If you fancy creating your own unique video, you can always use this “Santa Sleeve” to create a homemade video!
13. Elf on the Shelf! Elf on the Shelf has become a beloved tradition. If you haven’t heard of it, now is the time! Your elf arrives and it “reports back to Santa” but it only moves at night and if your child moves the elf it kills the magic. You place it in different funny positions every day! It definitely has the plus of being able to use it to influence your child’s behavior! There are so many cute and creative ideas for different poses or mischief for your child’s elf to get into! Check out our other post on Elf on the Shelf Ideas. Having an Elf on the Shelf is sure to make your kid’s Christmas Magical!
This post was all about how to make Christmas magical for kids.
[…] HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS MAGICAL FOR KIDS […]