Festive Magic Touches
Imaginative ways to make the season extra special
Christmas is already a magical time, but there are little things you can do to give it that extra sprinkling of festive cheer and create some new traditions that could well be carried on for generations to come.
Christmas Eve boxes have become a big thing in recent years, and it’s a lovely thing to do for someone special to extend the festive fun. There are great ones to buy online – we love those by WWW.PREZZYBOX. COM priced from £19.99£35.99 – but you can also make your own by covering a cardboard box or a wooden crate in gift wrap or brown paper and then getting creative with the decoration! Fill it with items you know the recipient will love, as well as bits and pieces that are perfect for Christmas Eve like pyjamas, hot chocolate in a festive mug, cosy Christmas socks, a Christmas DVD… the possibilities are endless! A lovely personal addition for the box is a special Christmas ornament for the tree to signify a special event that’s happened in the past year – maybe starting school or a once in a lifetime holiday. Each year you could add to the collection and create a special Christmas tree full of memories.
For the children, what could be more magical than growing your own candy canes to hang on the tree? Plant some ‘magical seeds’ (red and white jelly beans or Tic Tacs) in a bowl of sugar before bedtime and after some careful “gardening” from the grown-ups overnight… hey presto, there’ll be fully grown candy canes by morning!
It’s traditional to leave out some mince pies and a glass of milk for Santa but don’t forget about the
hard-working reindeer on Christmas Eve. Mix some oats and edible glitter in a little bag and get the kids to sprinkle it outside for the reindeers to enjoy while Santa makes his deliveries.
Nowadays, there are great ways to keep track of Santa including great websites and apps that provide rock solid proof of his existence for any festive doubters. Look up WWW. SANTAUPDATE.COM for breaking news throughout the year about Santa direct from Elf Ernest, Santa’s Vice President of Public Relations. There are even helpful tips, like how to get your name removed from the naughty list!
Grown-ups should also download an app called Catchy which allows you to take photos of Santa as he visits your home on Christmas Eve – you might even be able to capture an action shot of him coming down the chimney…
However, if you’ve no chimney, make sure the kids leave out a special key for Santa so he can let himself in to deliver all the pressies under the tree.
When it comes to tracking the whereabouts of Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve, however, there’s still nothing that beats WWW.NORADSANTA.COM – the North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking them for more than 60 years so they really know their stuff!
One sure-fire way of creating some festive magic is the traditional reading of The Night Before Christmas – for an extra special gift, there’s a great personalised edition of the book available from GETTINGPERSONAL.CO.UK (£12.99).
Kids love writing their letters to Santa, but what could be more magical than receiving a reply from the man himself? Log on to WWW.NSPCC.ORG.UK/WHAT-YOU-CAN-DO/ MAKE-A-DONATION/LETTER-FROM-SANTA/ where you can make a suggested £5 donation in return for your child receiving a personalised letter from the man in red.
Finally, don’t forget the simple touches that can create a truly magical feeling – Santa’s snowy footprints on the mat, the gentle sound of jingling sleigh bells as the children fall asleep… and have a merry, truly magical Christmas!