Christmas Eve tray for Father Christmas

[DecktheHallswithTroughsofBolly]

This will be the first year we do this for DD. I bought her this little tray which she can open with her last advent calendar picture (my parents have a tame robin in their garden of which she is very fond so she will be well chuffed). Going to do a tot of rum, a mince pie, her "letter to father christmas" and leave a carrot.

What do you put on your small child's tray ?

Same! Well sherry as Santa gets too tipsy on rum.

My mum used to put a bit of flour and glitter mixed by back door to denote the landing. I loved it and will do for dd too

Happy Xmas xxx

I love that idea ! I was supposed to be working nights on Xmas Eve, as was DH but I had my hours cut - an upside of which is that DD will now be doing Christmas Eve and her Christmas Stocking with Mummy not Nanny. V pleased as I was quite sad about that

We have a cookie and a glass of milk as Father Christmas doesn't want to get too drunk and doesn't like mince pies! And a carrot of course.

My DD (10.6 yo) still does The Tray.
When she was about 4 yo she found the little Ikea teaset in the cupboard and used that.I bought her the bowl/plate set and cutlery to go with it.

So at our house he has:
cereal with a jug of milk
a cube of sugar in the sugarbowl
a plate of toast (buttuered and jam) for the Elves, cut into tiny triangles
orange juice
a pot of 'magic' tea (it never goes cold)

I have to scoff the cereal, bite the toast, drink the juice and throw the tea down the sink

We leave a mince pie, Drambuie and a carrot. We also leave out reindeer food outside (porridge oats mixed with glitter).

70isaLimitNotaTarget

You eat the cereal? And throw the tea down the sink?!?!

But what will Father Christmas eat and drink?

My friend, bless her sweet heart, admitted to me that she still does "The Tray" at the grand age of 31 ! She puts out a tot of whisky, a mince pie and a carrot. She then goes to bed and her DH ceremoniously follows 10 minutes later.

She gets up in a state of high excitement at 5am to find the whisky drunk, the mince pie eaten and a bite taken out of the carrot !!

Last year dd1 was just 4 (Nov baby) and we did the usual tray, mince pie x2 (one to take home to Mrs Claus) a glass of Baileys and a carrot for Rudolph.

I drink the Baileys, dh eats the mince pie and chomps on the carrot.

Last year though dh decided to get creative and ate a banana (our tray is left on the table where the fruit bowl is) and he made a right mess! Banana skin left on the table instead of in the bin and pieces of banana left lying on the table. DD1 found it hilarious when she came down that Father Christmas had eaten a banana and made a mess!!

What I found really lovely though was that this year, when reading a story about Father Christmas, she remembered that last year Father Christmas had made a mess with the banana! She just came out with it and neither dh or I could believe that she remembered!

DH is planning to do the same with an orange this year

Oh I love reading all your variations! At our house it's a piece of birthday cake (DH birthday 24th) and a glass of milk and a carrot. Cake and milk disappear, carrot tends to get nibbled. Our kids are sure the cake makes a welcome change from mince pies available elsewhere!!

Mince pie, beer and carrot here.

We also make a runway on the front path with tealights so FC can see where he's landing.

Glass of milk and a couple of cookies here and the carrot is left outside (we dont use a tray, it is just left on the coffee table). We buy the reindeer food at the school christmas fayre (oats and glitter) and sprinkle that outside before the kids go to bed.