Is there anyone who does not use Santa?

[Just Me]

Angela - I think it is about making your own traditions that make it special. For some people that does involve Santa, but for others, it doesn't. Things like special food that you only eat at Christmas, enjoying family time together putting up the Christmas tree, what you do when you unwrap presents, how you spend Christmas day, things that you can do in the lead up to Christmas - I think it is things like that that make it special.

We do advent for our kids so for us, December is a whole month of lead up to Christmas but our advent is not about them getting a present everyday - we do activities based advent. We try and make it a bit of a festival for our kids - some days we go somewhere special, on other days we do craft or cooking or we do something for someone else. At the moment we have limited our days where we do things for others to making presents, cards and wrapping paper but as they get older, we will probably do volunteer work somewhere as a family (the kids are a bit little at the moment and I think we wouldn't be that helpful if we volunteered somewhere). We also have other things like Christmas light looking, going to Carols and a Christmas party on our Advent Calendar. We put it on the wall last weekend and the kids are already excited - each day they get an envelope with information about today's activity.

There are lots of ways to make Christmas special without Santa and without being commercial too. I think you just have to go out there and figure out what things you find special and how you want to spend it and make it something that you look forward to every year

[beckoes]

i knew from an early age that santa wasnt real, but i got a christmas stocking from santa till i left home....and i went home for christmas a few years ago for a few weeks and got a stocking then too.... my mum cant help herself
DD loved seeing santa at the shops and i have and will continue to explain it in a way that she will be able to make her own mindup....some people belive etc etc....i think its harmless and part of the joy and wonder of christmas and being a child, but i dont like the thought of using it as a tool to make a child behave...santa wont come if your bad etc.
i think you just have to explain it in a way were your kids understand that not every one belives the same thing, which is part of life anyway.