For all those who lo's (and adults) still believe in FC you need to do this on xmas eve!

[Lilyloo]

Basically bag of porridge oats and glitter (food and light) for the reindeers on xmas eve it's a ritual for us from mil and dc's love it ! But remember to sweep up after bedtime to aviod any questions in the morning been there! Usually put in a bag with a poem like this attached!

Shhhh I don't have any family so actually it makes things less complicated, but I can remember all the sulking/nonsense!

The bells were really handy as when dd was 7 a girl in her class announced that EC was not real but my dd, having heard the bells the year before would not be swayed as she had heard him on his sleigh!

We are actually going to Lapland this year for 5 days (although this week they bumped us due to overbooking, despite the fact we had booked/paid in Feb - tis back on now though phew) so we are spending much time discussing FC et al.

I hope no-one tells DD before we go as she is 9 soon and still believes.

(I'm obsessed, aren't I)

aww I think its lovely having lo's that still believe......

I want ours to believe for a long long time.... x

Just love this thread, it has made me well up!!
I love christmas and it isnt my DD (5) that doesn't sleep it is me (37) xmas eve.

We do the glitter food but am loving the red fabric caught on the hinge thing.

We started the new pyjamas one last year that i had read about on here - it is that FC sends a new pair through the post - i then get them out after the crib service in the afternoon and left them on her bedroom door knob saying " look look they have arrived the new xmas jamas - also look nice, new and swish in the xmas photos/video, for years to come

I'm a nanny and am planning to have a christmas party for 10 LOs the wk before the big day.

I have had a word with the man in red and he has agreed to take time out from his busy diary to come along and drop off a pressie or 2 for the LOs.

As they are all under/just over the age of 2 I plan to have him make a little bit of a racket in the garden thus alerting LOs to the idea there is something going on out there, then getting them all to watch thru the french doors as some surprises are dropped from his sack. He will then disappear (so's not to terrify them). I think bringing him into the house will be a little too much for most of the children and I dont want to spoil the rest of the party (also worried the host child might recognise daddy ).

I love the whole santa idea.

We always have a visit from fc on christmas eve too.

Started years ago when I was little and al our cousins were satying with us for christmas.

One of the dad's would draw the short straw and have to dress up in the outfit and then sneak down to the bottom of the garden.

At the alotted time, the curtains would be openned and someone would say, ''I think I can see something in the garden''.

My dad used to have an emergency red flashing light that he took out (we never noticed it was ours).

Hushed awe in the house. Lots of shouting out what we wanted for christmas.

Fc would wave and wander around aimlessly with his sack, ten disappear.

We stiil do tis now for our children and my dad wears the same outfit!

AND, i still get the same butterflies in mu tummy when I see him

DHWT that sounds so lovely. I'm hoping my plan pays off. I have great memories of my own childhood, putting out the drink and cake/sandwich for FC and a carrot for rudolph, putting up the stocking etc (which was always filled with nuts, apple and tangerine in the morning Then a sea of gifts from that lovely man in red.

I was gutted when I found out the truth.

The longer you can keep the magic alive the better.

Does anyone want to share their favourite memory/memories from when they were younger?

am loving the jagged felt will do that this year
we have done the bells and reminds me of polar express where they say those who don't hear the bells don't believe

I am so gonna keep watching this thread for ideas. My LO will be 8 months this Xmas so probably too early but can't wait to see her face when she is older x

ohhhh mlb, its never to early...

dd is only 3 but I so love looking at her christmas day pics, she was only 6 months old and bless, was propped up "opening" gifts lol.! DH & I were soooo excited that we woke her at 5am and were shattered come 10am!

She also gets excited and I guess is now at an age where she knows something happens on dec 25th iykiwm...!

Excited this year as its ds's 2nd chrsitmas and at 22 months it will be so good....dd keeps telling ds all about santa sooo cute....

I use an apple corer on the carrot stump - two huge indents!
Santa always leaves a thank you note for remembering his reindeer - he asked for the mince pie recipe to give to Mrs Christmas one year!

lilyloo I love the PolarExpress, we now watch it every Xmas eve with the dc. Makes me well up every time.

marmadukescarlet - do you mind me asking how you did the bags for the reindeer food?!

I'm thinking of offering to do this for our school fete (worse than death..! ) but don't want it to become a nightmare.

I love the idea of reindeer food and will do it this year.

We always left a mince pie for FC and a carrot for rudolph. Both would have a bite out of them on Christmas morning.

mimismama am sure it's quite easy to do even in large numbers.
Get some small bags , print of a little poem and fill with porridge / glitter / sugar etc then tie off with some nice coloured ribbon and tie on poem.
Should imagine no more than half hour to do quite a few!

watching this too.
when DH wasn't likely to be in from work to be "rudolf" either my dad would eat the mince pie and carrot (I don't like either) or we would have apple and a chocolate biscuit.
DS1 is 11 now. We have to buy a certain type of drink (I think it's Newcastle Brown) and leave a chocolate biscuit because "dad doesn't like them".

Do you throw the letter to Santa up the chimney?

Think we might do the reindeer food for PTFA too (bought some for a local hospice a couple of years ago - think it's brill). Don't know if I culd pull off the bells though

Lol we have a dog who goes mad at anything coming through letterbox / doorbell ringing etc and today dd asked how santa comes in without her making any noise didn't know what to say !

Oh wow love the ideas on this thread. Ds will be 2.10yo this year so will def be doing some of these. Me and Dh love christmas

My Uncle used to dress up for my DB's DC's when they were young and for my DC's.One time he came in and had forgotten to put on the beard!!,we were all falling about laughing with jokes like FC had a new razor for christmas then,he didn't realise and neither did the DC's.

We also had a little bell which one of us would ring discreetly before he came in,and we would all comment on it must be the reindeers bells,the look on the DC's faces was lovely.

They always wondered where "Uncle" had gone,and always accepted he'd popped to the loo and missed FC!!

Last year a slate slipped on the roof (sounded like a reindeer landing on it) and we also had a power cut whilst watching 'Annie' on Christmas Eve. (The power cut was due to the reindeer flying into the power lines above the house, apparently). Was great!
Also we do the sprinkling of 'reindeer dust' in the front garden, put out sherry, mince pies and carrots (which have mysterious bites out of them in the morning).
Also I secretly keep DD's list to Santa (which I've got her to write and put into an envelope with a stamp and 'post' it for her while she's at school) and then scrumple it up, drip water and soot all over it and leave it dangling out of the chimney for her to 'discover' half way through Christmas morning. I say 'Oh look, he must have dropped it' and she picks it up in wonder saying 'Santa actually had this in his POCKET!' So cute.
Oh yes and we watch the progress of the sleigh on the Nasa internet Google earth thing (can't remember what it's called). She loves that too. (So do I, I get quite excited). She's 7 now and I get almost as excited about it as she does!
We also made a gingerbread house (from a kit in John Lewis) and decorated it on Christmas Eve night. Lovely - think will make it a new tradition to do every year.

Love the idea of reindeer food - didn't think of that one. DD1 has a fireplace in her bedroom, so last year - all the goodies were left by that - mince pie, 'smoothie' (santa's very healthy don't you know!) and the carrots. Rudolf also 'left' dd1 and dd2 and special bell each that would clearly have been previously attached to his collar..... [hmmm]

OOOOh I am feeling Christmassy now!

mimismama My DC go to a rather bunting cupcake type school, so image is all!

I used greaseproof bags - lakeland did them them fairly cheaply iirc.

Previous year I used small brown paper bags, but had to put 'food' in a small plastic sandwich bag inside.

I use brown paper luggage tags, replacing the string with red paper Cath Kidson paper string (99p per huge roll at a sale). I print a nice outline drawing stamp of a reindeer in black and colour nose in red.

I printed the reindeer poem on a clear label and stuck it on the other side of label. These are really price, but run our own biz so stole got them from the stationery cupboard.

Rolled/folded top of bag down a few times with tag string inserted, stuck down with tape.

HTH.

Never thought of a power cut !
Can you post letters to santa via royal mail never done this before but dc wanting to post a letter any ideas ?

I love the red felt idea but we don't have a fireplace so don't think it would really work. he wouldn't have anything to rip it on.

would love to do the footprints but is there a less messy way than using flour?