Here Comes Santa Claus

photo courtesy of FreeChristmasWallpapers.net

Santa is coming in just a couple of weeks!  Are your Christmas Eve goodies all planned for him?  No?  That's okay!  Here are a few ideas on what to leave as a treat and a thank you to Ol' St. Nick himself.  Click on the photos to learn more.

First things first.  He's gotta get in the house!  If your home is like our former dwelling, you don't have a fireplace.  Hmmm.... dilemma.... how will Santa get in so he can leave all those wonderful presents under the tree?  Why, with a special Christmas key, of course!  This key from Charles Locksmith is exactly the kind we had when my children were little.  Just leave it on your front porch or a balcony railing, and Santa will have no problem getting in.  This is also nice if you have used your fireplace on Christmas Eve and the ashes might still be hot.  Can't have Santa getting burnt on his way down!  Christmas key to the rescue!  :)

Ah, the tradition of leaving out a plate of cookies for Santa!  He must get an awful lot of cookies, don't you think?  How many big ol' cookies can one man eat, anyway?  Even if he munches as he flies around, there's no way he can eat all those cookies!  What to do, what to do..... Well, how about making some MINI COOKIES for him this year?  Better yet, some mini Gingerbread cookies!  Gingerbread is Santa's favorite, after all.  Right?  Sure!  Bakerella has a great little recipe and tutorial on her blog for making these delightful Gingerbread heads and Snowmen.  Nice and small, they're handy to munch on without getting overly full.  And they will fit nicely in his pocket in case he wants to save some for Mrs. Claus!

All those lovely cookies deserve a beautiful PLATE on which to serve them!  This Christmas tree melamine plate from Swanky Press is PERSONALIZED.  You can have Santa's name put on it, or Merry Christmas, or maybe even Cookies for Santa (if that fits)!  Santa will have no problem knowing your cookies were made just for him when you set them out on this beautiful plate, and it will last for many years so you can use it again and again.  Hmmm.... I think there's a new tradition brewing in here someplace...!

Don't forget the MILK!  He needs some lovely, cool, delicious milk with which to wash down those awesome cookies.  But let's face it, Santa's a busy guy -- places to be, gifts to deliver all in one night -- he doesn't have time to hang around drinking a glass of milk.  How do we solve this little conundrum?  Enter Bake Me Happy and their 8-oz. milk bottles!  Now Santa won't have to stay in one place to enjoy his snack; he can take it with him!  And guess what..... the milk bottle is PLASTIC so he doesn't have to worry about breakage while he's balancing it among all the gifts in his sleigh!  Do you like the label?  It's included!!  You get a printable file!  Oh, Santa will love his stylin' milk bottle, don't you think?

While Santa's in the house delivering your gifts and having himself a little snack, how about treating his hard-working reindeer to some yumminess, too?  Sprinkle some of this wonderful Magic Reindeer Food from Ragtag Paper out in front of your house and Santa's reindeer will love you!  As a bonus, the magical brilliance of this reindeer food will sparkle in the moonlight so the reindeer will be better able to find your house.  How cool is that??

Well, Santa got his cookies and milk and he's sure to bring some home to share with Mrs. Claus.  Because, again, he can't possibly eat all those cookies from all those houses all by himself!  His reindeer have their yummy magic reindeer food.  Who are we forgetting...?  Oh yes!  The elves!!  They work hard all year to make the gifts that Santa delivers!  How about making some little treats for them, too?  Check out these tiny donuts from The Unconfidential Cook's blog.  They were made by the cook's daughter, Emma!  She made little cakes, little "ice cream cones", and even little pizzas!  Everything is elf-size!!  I especially like the donuts because they fit nicely in a little mint tin so Santa can just stick them in his pocket and bring them home to his elves.

So there you have it.  Everything you need to let Santa and his crew know how much you appreciate all their hard work.  Have fun, and Merry Christmas!

~ Pia