Writing letters to Santa Claus is perhaps one of the oldest and most beloved Christmas traditions. The reason is simple really. This tradition focuses on a festive icon; a hero that children love. And children can enjoy this tradition with or without the participation of their parents. All you need is a pen and paper to make this tradition a reality. But of course, that’s not the ideal setup for this party favorite.
Writing letters to Santa Claus is so much more fun when it becomes a family event. And kids love sending letters to Santa cleverly decorated with glitter, stickers, and pretty stationery. And luckily, almost as if by magic, it seems that in every household there is at least one adult who has Santa’s real address at the North Pole.
Letters from Santa Claus naturally lead children to expect letters from Santa Claus. And that has resulted in another kind of tradition. Over the years, parents have done their best to secretly write letters themselves and try to convince their children that these letters had a North Pole postmark and were actually written by Santa. But nowadays they can simply order authentic Santa Claus cards online.
Children not only receive personalized letters from Santa Claus, but also receive a video greeting from Santa. In fact, parents can order packages that include a Santa’s Nice List Certificate or even one of Mrs. Claus’s famous sugar cookies.
Decorating for the holiday season is another favorite Christmas tradition. In addition to having a Christmas tree as a focal point, we like to have obvious Christmas signs throughout our homes. We accomplish this by adding swags to our stair railings and along our fireplace mantels. We also hang mistletoe over doors and add table decorations wherever we can. We even moved our thirst for decoration outdoors and added lawn ornaments and lights to our house and garden.
The most basic Christmas tradition is probably that of giving gifts. We still give gifts to people we care about during the Christmas holidays. But during these tough economic times, gift-giving has changed a bit. Many people are now giving ‘gifts from the heart’ and the recipients love it. These gifts are usually handmade items. They can be things that are simple craft projects or in other cases they are family heirlooms that are passed down as holiday gifts. This ‘back to basics’ has given new meaning to the concept of ‘giving from the heart’.
As you celebrate the holidays this year, consider the ways you celebrate them. Are you following the traditions of past generations or are you setting new trends for your family? Is writing letters to Santa Claus a family event in your house? And what kind of gifts are you going to give this year?
The traditions that children follow in their homes as they grow up tend to set the course for the traditions that they will follow throughout their lives. We can choose to focus on having time together to write letters to Santa, create Christmas crafts, or just find time to bond. These special moments can help strengthen family ties and create cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
