Children love to write letters to Santa Claus. Usually parents lend a hand. How should a parent help a child write a letter to Santa Claus? Here are some tips that will make your child’s letter to Santa more than just a list of gifts he or she wants.

Dear Santa………
First of all, a letter to Santa should be a personal message from your child to Santa Claus, not to a parent or grandparent. The child’s own words should be used and his or her personality should shine through. Very young children ages 2 to 5 can draw or cut out pictures to show gifts they want for the holidays. The parent can write down words just as the child says them. Encourage your child to watch as you print and say the letters out loud. Talk about the sounds the letters make. Show the child how to leave a space between each word.

Kindergarten through Third Grades
For children in kindergarten through third grade, making a chart of words is a great idea. The child can think of words first, get help spelling them, illustrate them, and then write the letter by himself. The 5 and 6 year olds will need a bit of additional help. It helps to have a chart showing the form of a letter to Santa, for example, showing where to put the date, the greeting, the body of the letter, and the closing. Your child should tell Santa the good things they have done during the year, as well as what they wish for as gifts.

Grades 3 through 5
Children in grades 3 through 5 probably don’t believe in Santa Claus, but can be encouraged to write a letter anyway, “for fun”. Encourage your child to tell what good deeds he/she has done during the year and how he/she has helped others. Have the child put in a “Good wish for the world.” The child can also tell “Santa” their goals for the coming year. Parents can respond to these letters, giving advice and sending love to their children. Keep the letters to Santa Claus for posterity.

All children should send best wishes to everyone at the North Pole. The letters may be mailed to: Santa Claus, The North Pole, The Arctic, Earth.

Do you ever feel as though your children don’t understand the true meaning of Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza? Do your children write letters to Santa Claus that are laundry lists of expensive presents they want? Read the following story and consider helping your children learn the true meaning of the holidays.

Since 1997, Lori Fletcher, working in New York, hasn’t sent Christmas cards to her business clients.
Instead, she’s sending them notes saying what gifts she has purchased for poor children in the area.

Stories like this flood in from the Operation Santa Claus office (http://www.operationlettertosanta.com/Pages/story_1.htm) every Christmas where poor kids write in requesting just one simple gift. Some people take home over thirty letters from children and still feel that it isn’t enough.

Operation Santa Claus receives over 150,000 letters to Santa from children in need, most of them in the New York area. Post Office workers volunteers to sort the letters and track the gifts – this is an amazing story of generosity from people at every level in the city.

One kid included a picture of a Rolex watch he had cut out of a magazine advertisement, and advised, “I have been good almost every day.” One girl asked for “pencils for school,” and said it was important because she wanted to be a secretary when she grows up.

One boy wrote to Santa, “I love you and I will always believe in you.”

How can my family learn the true meaning of the holidays?

Of course your children will still write their letters to Santa Claus. But, think of the lessons in humility, love, and generosity your children would learn if every parent insists that each Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza the children in the family use money they earned doing chores or saved from their allowances to purchase gifts for needy children.

Even if the “gift” costs only fifty cents or is made by hand, the importance of helping others less fortunate will be learned and appreciated. You don’t know any needy families? Ask the school principal, your pastor or priest, or call a Mission in a low socioeconomic area and you will find plenty of them. To make the lesson more powerful, the givers should remain anonymous.

Learn the true meaning of the festive season this year!

It is fascinating to know how Santa Claus makes kids around the world very happy during Christmas. Every wish come true and smiles can be seen from their faces. This happiness may even last for a lifetime. But have you ever thought if Santa has other names? When and how he brings the gifts all over the world?

Every country calls Santa’s in a different name (Father Santa, Kris Kringle, Granfather Frost, etc) and he has unique ways in bringing gifts to the children. Below is the list of countries where Santa is giving away presents.

• Known as Santa Claus in Canada, Alaska and US while Kerstman in Netherlands, he loves to bring gifts on a sleigh ride with his reindeers and flies through the sky during Christmas Eve.

• In Germany, gifts are given during December by Knecht Ruprecht (on the 6th), Christkind, (on the 24th), Belsnickel and der Weihnachtsmann.

• La Befana (Old Witch) is flying on her broomstick to give candies to kids in Italy. This is done on the night before Epiphany.

• In France, Pere Noel places the gifts in the shoes that kids have left near a fireplace. This is observed every 6th of December.

• Children in Africa hung their stockings where Father Christmas would place their presents during Christmas Eve.

• Heiliger Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) give rewards to good children in Austria during December 6. While Christ Child brings gifts during December 24.

• It is quite different in Belgium because Pere Noel (St. Nicholas) visits the children twice. First is every December 4 so he’ll find out who have been good and bad among the children. Then good children would receive toys and candies while the bad ones will find twigs on their stockings on December 6.

• Santa Clause (Winter-grandfather, Tel-apo or Mikulas) in Hungary has similar practice as in Belgium which is done on the 6th of December.

• In Brazil, Papai Noel (Father Noel) who usually wears a silk clothe will bring the gifts for Christmas. However, Latvians believe that Father Christmas brings gifts for 12 starting on the eve of Christmas.

• Kids in Sweden will behave all year so that during Christmas, Santa would give them great presents such as toys and candies. They would hang stockings on their Christmas tree. During Christmas Eve Santa will come down the Chimney and put their presents on the stockings underneath the Christmas tree.

• St. Nicholas is very popular in Russia because of the miracles that he had performed. A feast is being celebrated every Dec 6. But later on, his identity changed into D’yed Moroz (Grandfather Frost). During January 1 D’yed Moroz (Grandfather Frost) arrives to bring gifts from a Sputnik-drawn sleigh.

• UK’s gift giving tradition started in the Victorian era. Santa is known as Father Christmas and children would write letters to him about the presents they want to receive. However, instead of sending the letter, they would burn them because they believe that Father Christmas would be able to determine their wishes through the smoke.

No matter how we call Santa in our country, there is one goal that he always would like to achieve which is to give joy to the kids all over the world and make them feel that the earth is a great place to live.

Is Santa Claus Real? This is a question that is on most children’s lips at some point in their childhood. What will you tell your child what they ask if Santa Claus is real?

Of course Santa was a real person. He was St Nicholas, the patron saint of giving. St Nicholas was born in 300 AD. He was a holy man, being brought up in a monastery after being orphaned at an early age. He remained within the monastery and rose to the position of bishop.

He obtained his reputation for giving because there are many tales of him giving gifts to the poor and needy and in particular children.

Over the years the European community have embraced to concept of St Nick and customised it to make it their own. Because of this Santa’s appearance sometimes changes, his cloak may be described as different colours but his ‘Giving’ nature remains the same.

It is sometimes considered that Christmas festivities which do not include the nativity misconstrued the meaning of Christmas. However, St Nicholas was a religious man and lived his life according to the holy scriptures of the time and it’s because of this that Santa and the Nativity hold parallels.

The birth of Jesus Christ itself depicts God giving mankind his only son, and the prospect of the gift of eternal life. Additionally the three wise men also came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

Although St Nicholas lived many years ago, he still lives on. He lives because he is a major part of Christmas and we all keep Santa alive, and he lives in us every year that we give one another a gift at Christmas time. So when your child asks you if Santa Claus is real, say – Yes.

Visit www.santaspostbag.co.uk for a free special Christmas message to send to your child from Santa, so that they know that the patron saint of giving – Father Christmas himself still lives.

Everyone knows Rudolf. He is Santa’s leading reindeer on account of his red nose that lights Santa’s way through the winter night sky every Christmas Eve.

However, there is no mention of Rudolf in Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem ”Twas the Night Before Christmas (‘also known as ‘A Visit From St Nicholas’) written in 1822. More clearly names all of Santa’s reindeer -

“Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!

On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!”

But Moore doesn’t make any reference to Rudolf.
Rudolf is a later addition to the festive season. The famous Christmas song ‘Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer’ was written by Robert L. May originally created as an advertising strategy for the Montgomery Ward Department Store in 1939.

The song depicts the heart-warming tale of the disfigured reindeer. Rudolf has the obvious deformity of a bright red nose. Because of his nose he is ridiculed and cast out from reindeer society.

“All of the other reindeer,

Used to laugh and call him names,

And they wouldn’t let poor Rudolf,

Join in any reindeer games.”

However, Rudolf’s luck changes when Santa sees Rudolf’s affliction as an asset and asks Rudolf – “Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

This simple but touching story line won the hearts of millions, so much so that Rudolf was added to the festive season as a special companion of Santa.

More Christmas info at www.santaspostbag.co.uk

As a parent with young children, I used to wonder how it would feel once my children grew up and stopped believing in Santa Claus. How would we stop the wonderful Christmas morning ritual of opening their Christmas stockings together? What would we do to replace that warm feeling of all sitting round with delightful gifts from Santa?

Well, my children are going to be 21, 19 and 16 this coming Christmas, and we still continue to enjoy the wonderful myth of Santa – though they stopped believing in him long ago.

Last year my suggestion that everyone was old enough to manage without their stockings from Santa was greeting by an uproar – in particular, from my eldest son who simply loves the magic of Christmas.

Although each of my children still get plenty of presents under the tree, the fun of choosing small and appropriate gifts for their stocking is one of the most enjoyable preparations for Christmas.

Each year I enjoy choosing them gifts such as gold-wrapped chocolate coins, crazy toys & stocking fillas, a book and/or magazine that they’ll enjoy reading, dried fruits (- such as apricots, or figs), useful stuff like fun rulers, erasers and pencils, character socks or underwear, as well as the obligatory silver coin and satsuma or orange for the bottom of the stocking.

In recent years I’ve added a DVD to the list too – buying these cheap from discount outlets has meant that it’s not so expensive – although for many people this is a luxury. I now budget about the same for the stocking as I do for their present itself – around £40-£50. In previous years, I’ve managed to fill their stockings for around £15 – in fact, they all say that their best year was the year that their stocking was full of nuts and dried fruits.

I have often started collecting stocking filler items as early as the summer – particularly when the children were young and finances were particularly stretched. In the July sales there’s often plenty of bargain & fun items that are ideal stocking fillers. Each year I wonder if our tatty stockings (they’re all long socks left over from my teenage years or from their grandfathers rugby days) will manage to hold these goodies bursting out of them. Every year I wonder how I’ll manage to find enough to fill one of these socks, but end up with more gifts and toys than there’s room for.

Whatever your children enjoy or like – with a little creativity you can ensure that their eyes will light up on Christmas morning as they sit on their beds and open their full-to-bursting Christmas stockings.

The belief of Father Christmas the giver of presents adds excitement for many children to the festive season. St Nick, the jolly, plump man dressed in a scarlet cloak and hat trimmed with white fur, who delivers presents in the dead on night on Christmas Eve. His reindeer fly him from roof to roof so he can drop down the chimney pots to stuff stockings with gifts ready for Christmas morning. No wonder parents want to hold their children’s faith in Santa Claus as long as possible. Here are some tips to plant hard evidence of the existence of Santa.

Mince pies and Sherry
Before your child goes to bed on Christmas Eve, let them prepare a snack For Santa. Leave a mince pie and a small glass of sherry out for him in the living room.

Before you go to bed, drink the sherry and eat mince pie. Make sure you leave a lot of crumbs on the plate.

Reindeer bells
Buy some bells and ever reveal hem to your child. An hour or so after bedtime nip outside, out of view of your child’s bedroom window and ring your bells to mimic the sound of bells on Santa’s reindeer collars.

Correspondence from Santa
Of course you can’t do this in your own handwriting because you will get caught out. At www.SantasPostbag.co.uk you can send a free personalised email to your child, adding details such as the child’s age, best friend and even the family pet adds credibility to the letter and the existence

Wish list letters to Santa
SantasPostbag.co.uk also enables you child to write a letter to Santa, listing toys they are hoping to find under their Christmas tree and your child receives a reply from Santa which rein-forces he existence of Santa.

Use these little tips to prolong your child’s magical belief in Father Christmas.