Ideas for extra magic

[homebirds]

We always try to do something extra magical to keep the magic going for my dd but I'm running out of ideas. Last year she found one of Santa's buttons in the chimney, previous years have often related to stories santa has told her when we've visited at events etc. Any ideas???

Some people leave a present outside that 'fell off the sleigh". Or you could leave a horseshoe as a lost shoe. Or some tinsel. Or a little gift for you from Father Christmas that she can find and give to you. A chocolate coin or something similar from the reindeer as a thank you for the carrot?

My family used to do a few things. We had a nativity scene on the windowsill and each day the 3 wise men would get a bit nearer, and then 'father Christmas' would move all the figures so they were with baby Jesus in the stable on Christmas morning.

He'd also leave crumbs of mince pie etc, and also a snowy footprint somewhere.

Also we did the story of Baboushka (sp?) which was possibly our own adaptation, but definitely kept the magic going for all the kids. So we'd all find a small gift in our shoes a few days after Christmas Day and it was always a surprise as the shoes were in a different place so we'd hunt to find them. We only had a few main gifts, and the stocking and Baboushka gift were always more funny things than extravagant presents but it was so exciting!

There’s a lady I follow on Instagram who’s DH is a farrier and has been making reindeer shoe’s, there are so sweet, realistically made and shaped enough to look like an actual reindeer shoe but finished with lots of glitter for the extra magic.

We are going to leave ours outside where my DC sprinkle the reindeer food.

Lovely ideas - thank you. Is there a link or anything I could buy a reindeer shoe?

Ahh , how how is your DD?

I made a Sleeping Elf (not one of your Creepy Elf-on-the-Shelf ones) , a little bed (shoebox) and a blanket (flannel) and hid it in the playhouse for DS and I to 'find' walking down the garden with a candle in a jar. The Elf was resting after all his hard work and FC would collect him when he came by our house (so he had to be gone in the morning !)

Small fibre optic tree on a timer that they had to wait till it was on ( FC switched it on f course) before they could get up.

Wrapping paper over the living room door to burst through.

Tea-lights or candles in jars along the path to 'guide' the sleigh ( battery tea lights are much less faff , no pesky relighting)

Reindeer Food was a non starter , it just sat like a lump of puke .

I'm wondering what a reindeer shoe would look like ? How big?

home why not get some of that clay that you shape and bake , then spray silver ?

If you're near Ikea , they have lovely little Tea-Sets , or some of those 'Paint Your Own' ones in toy stores? For the Tea'n'Toast for Father Christmas

My DC are 16+19 so its a long time since we've done these things

NORAD Santa tracker on Christmas Eve www.noradsanta.org
Change your partner's name to 'Santa' in your phone so it looks like you can call him if she's naughty.
Reindeer poo! AKA chocolate raisins or nesquick scattered outside where the reindeer landed.

Last year we found a bell from Santa’s sleigh in the garden only children who believe can hear it ring, it now has pride of place hanging on our tree

We have done the breaking through wrapping paper thing. Looking for something similar to do this year.

FC often used to get to our house too early on Christmas Eve - often when the kids were in the bath - and they'd hear his bells outside. But of course, he saw they were awake so didn't come in. But he would leave Christmas PJs outside the door (sometimes front, sometimes back) - always very cold, as he'd just come from the North Pole (ohh, the hassle of clearing space in the freezer drawers on Christmas eve!!) . My two RUSHED to bed after that, and I still have to do it now (they are teens ;-)

i love the poop on the path idea.

Mine are teens now, but I used to use one of dh's work boots as a template and sprinkle flour round to make Santa's foot prints.

Oh i love that @fan

One year (and I stole this idea from an article in Good Housekeeping) , I put a "Teddy Bear on Every Step"
Bought tiny little bears over a period of time and put one on every stair.

The reindeer get up to mischief in our garden. We’ve had sleigh marks gouged in the lawn, plants flattened, a bush eaten, muddy hoof prints, and they always eat the carrots.
One year there was a present stuck up the chimney and another year there was one on the roof (that was really fun because all the children passing for mass spotted it too)
There’s always a mess of coal scattered round the fireplace, milk rings and crumbs on the table and something knocked over.

Snowy footprints on the hearth.

Crumbs from the mince pie and a massive bite taken out of the carrot.