To parents, the holiday season may mean parties, music and pageantry, as well as a whirlwind of Christmas-themed activities, from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. To their youngest children, the holiday season means planning for one thing-Santa Claus's Christmas Eve flight and visit. And every child understands that Santa Claus knows exactly where to leave the toys and goodies he's bringing, because he knows where every child lives. Lots of children are fairly meticulous about preparing for Santa Claus. Many of them write to Santa, carefully listing the toys and gifts they want to receive. Many children work hard to improve their behavior, as the holiday season begins, heeding carefully the advice in the song that says, "He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good, for goodness' sake!" Santa Claus is important enough to young children, that, for all of its ceremony and celebration, its lights and its sounds, Christmas can be serious business. Yet, every now and then, parents can come carelessly close to ruining Christmas, as though they didn't understand anything at all about the holiday. Like when parents decide that, after spending every Christmas of a child's life at home, this year the family's going to Grandma's house, or to the beach, or anywhere that's not home. It's the perfect way to panic a child. After all, how is Santa supposed to know where a family's going to be, if they aren't at home? Parents who make such ill-conceived plans for Christmas had better have a plan for convincing their children that Santa Claus can, indeed, find them, on the big night. Sure, Santa could leave the presents at the family's home, but then the children wouldn't have much of a Christmas morning, would they? The best thing is for parents to provide some kind of proof that Santa Claus is aware of the family's plans. The Santa at the shopping center could assure a child that he knows where the family will be. Or a letter from the Big Guy might make a child breathe easier. There are many ways a parent can find to prove that Santa won't miss them, but it's a sure bet that, if this is the family's first Christmas away from home, their child will be on pins and needles, worried about what Christmas morning will bring. Of course, no child will totally believe that Santa can find the family, until Christmas morning dawns and the child finds the treasures Santa has left. But once that's happened, and Santa's come through, the Christmas trip is something that can become a family's tradition.

Children of all ages love to dress up-at Christmas time they love it even more as adults are also inclined to dress up. At this time of year there is high demand for children’s Christmas costumes, there is also a demand for costumes for adults. In stores all over America a man is employed to dress up and play at being Santa Claus to entertain the children-in addition to this there will be other smaller people who may be dressed as elves. Children like to wear all kinds of costumes. Children’s Christmas costumes are a particular favourite-children love being asked to play angels or Santa Claus. They especially like wigs and beards and if they are in a school concert or pantomime and are asked to play Santa Claus, then they love it-just watch young children rummage in a box full of wigs and beards; they have so much fun.
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When we walk into large department stores or malls and see Santa, we know that Christmas is just around the corner.  Santa is a symbol of happiness and excitement for children.  Most of us have magical memories of Santa Claus.  There may be a time during the Christmas season where you or your friends need Christmas costumes such as Santa, Mrs. Claus or an elf.  People wear Christmas costumes in school plays, at house parties or even for surprising children Christmas Eve when Santa shows up unexpectedly.  Some people wear Santa Christmas costumes in stores to attract customers and listen to what some little boy or girl wants for Christmas. 

If you are buying Santa Christmas costumes for yourself or others, you certainly want to look authentic so nobody guesses it is you under the costume.  When looking for Santa Christmas costumes, you often find them in large department stores or costume shops.  Many shops online specialize in Christmas costumes.  The internet is a great way to shop, compare prices and have your Christmas costumes sent to you without ever leaving your house.  Once you have your costume, there are a few things to remember.  Father Christmas is a plump fellow with a round belly that shakes when he laughs.  He is probably plump from all the cookies the boys and girls leave out for him to eat.  If you are not plump to start with, you will need to make yourself heavier to wear Santa Christmas costumes.  A very easy way to give the illusion of being heavier is to take a cushion and sew a couple of ties on it.  Fasten the cushion across your waist and chest.  You may need to push it a bit to make it shake like jelly.  Make sure your Santa Christmas costume is big enough for the pillow to fit.  Your Santa boots should appear lined with fur and a turnover piece at the top that looks like fleece.  Put blush on your cheeks and nose as Santa has rosy cheeks and a cherry nose.

If you like to sew and have the time, making your own Christmas costumes is certainly an option.  There are patterns available for any Christmas costume you can imagine, such as Santa Clause, Mrs. Clause, Santa’s elf, Rudolf or even Christmas tree costumes.  You can find patterns at hobby and craft stores, fabric shops, large department stores and online.  You will find the best selection is on the internet, as there are hundreds of sites from which to choose.  They carry a huge selection of sizes, materials and price ranges.  It is certainly a fast and convenient way to shop for Christmas costumes.

Perfect your, ‘Ho, Ho, Ho” which is Santa’s trademark because you do not want anyone to find out your secret.            

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It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the Christmas season. When the carols begin to play, we know that there are parties and events to attend, family to visit, and decorations to put up. It's also the time when Santa Claus makes his annual sleigh-ride, with his bag full of goodies for children everywhere. Parents look forward to Santa's visit almost as much as their small children. The delight a child expresses on Christmas morning, when seeing all the presents under the tree, is one of the most fulfilling sights in any parent's life, a moment they'll remember forever. Unfortunately, Santa usually leaves the bill for all that delight squarely in Mom's and Dad's mailboxes, come January. Many Christmas shoppers, and especially parents, hit the shopping bricks, each year, without doing enough delving. Though most parents know by Thanksgiving exactly what their kids want Santa to bring them, a lot of parents head to the stores without knowing where to find the best prices. As a result they may buy the sought-for item at the first store they come to, when they could buy it for less, down the street. The internet can be an alternative way of finding the perfect toys. Sometimes, leading up to Christmas, retail stores run special internet sales on popular toys and games. The advantage to internet purchasing can be in saving on sales tax, but consumers will pay for shipping, in most cases. It's also a good idea to make sure you're buying something that the retailer actually has in stock, and can ship promptly. Moms and Dads should always remember to take written shopping lists with them, when they hit the malls at Christmastime. A running account of what is spent, along with a total budget that's written out, can be a great tool to have when a parent is tempted to overspend. Once the Christmas shopping for the kids is done, parents need to put it out of their minds until Christmas morning. Too often, parents want to add that extra little spark to their kids' Christmas day, so they find themselves, at the last minute, running back to the store for just a little more. Then they exceed the budget, and usually wind up buying something that gets thrown away soon after it's opened. We all want the best for our kids at Christmas. Overdoing and overspending will only create financial tension, later on, and leave parents with less-than-perfect memories of Christmas.

Christmas songs are as diverse and varied as the individuals that listen to them.  The number of Christmas songs recorded over the years is staggering.  More than any other holiday during the year, Christmas definitely has the most songs.  As soon as thanksgiving is over, radio stations across the country start playing the Christmas classics along with new ones.  You realize just how many Christmas songs there are, when you can listen to one radio station for days and not hear any repeated.  As children, many of us can remember going door to door in the snow singing Christmas carols.

There are wonderful classic Christmas songs that many people grew up hearing and still listen to today because they are timeless.  Here are some interesting facts you probably never knew about the top holiday songs:

  More on Traditional Christmas Songs

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The holiday season always seems like a whirlwind of shopping, parties, pageants, and family gatherings, a month or two of furious, but joyful, activity, leading up to Christmas and the New Year celebration. By the time it's all over, most of us need a breather, a bit of time to relax and reflect and renew. No matter how wonderful the holidays have been, by January many families experience a kind of celebration withdrawal. Most of us naturally miss the lights and the music and the fellowship of the holiday season, and the gray winter days of the next few months just seem to emphasize the fact that the wonderful feelings of Christmas are over, for nearly another year. But the feelings generated by the season leading to Christmas need not vanish completely, for the calendar, beyond December. Though Santa Claus's visit is the high point of the holiday season for families with children, there are many other aspects of these days that can be kept fresh and alive, throughout the year. Those donations of clothes and toys and food we worked so hard to make during the holiday season can, and should, be repeated throughout the rest of the year. Most charities, which take in the bulk of their donations just before Christmas, find themselves scrambling to meet their goals during the rest of the winter. Many families find that the new toys of Christmas have replaced old favorites, in their childrens' hearts, and are able to gather last year's toys and drop them at their local donation centers. Kids grow out of their clothing so fast that most families have boxes full of gently-worn clothes, which are perfect for donation. The preparation and delivery of donated goods can be an all-day family project, capped by a movie or a trip to the pizza parlor, to celebrate making someone else's days a bit more special. Besides donation, volunteering together can be a rewarding way for a family to liven up the winter, after Christmas. Families who find themselves longing for the feelings that permeate their lives during the holidays can rekindle that spirit, year-round. Working together to make others' lives a little better isn't just a generous exercise, it's also a wonderful way for a family to keep Christmas alive. The calendar shouldn't be the only way to measure the spirit of Christmas.

Every parent understands the importance of Christmas morning in a child's life. It's the goal of most moms and dads to help St. Nick make the day as perfect as they can. The joy a child expresses at finding the mound of toys and goodies left under the tree by Santa Claus is something that makes every parent smile. Every Christmas is the same, for most parents-they want it to be perfect, for their kids. Years pass and the various ways families mark Christmas morning become their own specific traditions, habits that make them comfortable. However they choose to celebrate the morning after Santa's visit, through the years, the memory of their first Christmases will remain strong in their family fabric. Every Christmas morning is a time which is unique in its own right and can be recorded and preserved forever. There are many different kinds of media available, today, with which to record the occasion. Unlike years past, there's no training necessary to be the family photographer, today. Most cameras, either video or photo, are simple point-and-shoot devices, making their operations simple enough for anyone to use. A lot of families, today, have video cameras, to record their children's lives as they grow. A recoding video camera, set on a mantle or a tripod in a corner, is a simple way to record the magic of a family's Christmas morning. Mini-tapes and DVD's are easy to store and keep for later viewing. Digital photo cameras, today, are also simple enough for anyone to be the designated family photographer on Christmas morning. Many families are just more comfortable with photos than with videos, especially on a morning when everyone rises and heads to the tree, with little regard for how they look. Candid photos, though can often be more interesting and funny, later on, than even video. Generations from now, the descendants of today's families will appreciate the fact that someone took the time and effort to record their ancestors at such a joyful time as Christmas morning.

Every year, the dazzle, the colors, the music, and the magic of the holiday season seem to fill our senses earlier than the previous year. Santa Claus appears in stores and advertisements as early as October, and the parties that fill the season begin in November, often prior to Thanksgiving. The season that leads to Christmas and Santa Claus's visit is full of parties and events that keep most families busy, until January. Many of the holiday activities we indulge in, every year, are centered around food. Every culture and ethnic group seems to have its own rich epicurean heritage, which is spotlighted in this season of joy and cheer. Not only is it difficult to avoid eating wonderful, calorie-filled food during the holidays, it's probably impossible. It's really true that the average person puts on at least a few pounds during the holiday season. And the earlier we begin celebrating the holidays, each year, the more pounds we're likely to add, before the New Year. And it's not just an adult problem, either. Children today are just as vulnerable to the holiday weight gain as their parents. So, what to do? It's probably unrealistic to expect anyone, during this busy season of parties and pageants, to begin a brand-new cardio-vascular exercise program. Our calendars are too full, already, to spend hours, each day in the gym, to make up for our over-eating. That doesn't mean that there aren't ways for families to spend at least some time, each week, burning off a few calories. Weekends can be great times for parents to take their kids on morning walks. An early, brisk, half-hour walk can charge the metabolic batteries for the whole day, so that the body burns calories more efficiently. A good walk on the morning of a party, where there will be great food, can stave off a tiny bit of weight gain. Whenever possible, family members should avoid elevators and climb stairs. There are few ways to get an overall cardio workout that are better than stair-climbing. Though children love escalators, parents should set an example, especially during the holidays, and use the stairs. Parents should make sure that both they, and their children, receive as much good sleep as possible, during the holidays. Lack of sleep has been proven to contribute to weight gain, in both adults and children. Avoiding wonderful food during the holidays is like trying to avoid Christams carols-who wants to do that? The best thing that families can do to avoid buying larger clothes in January is to look for as many opportunities as possible to burn a few extra calories, every day.

When most parents face the holiday season, they imagine themselves busily shopping, cooking, cleaning for guest visits, and of course, doing whatever is necessary to make their childrens' Christmas special. Adults are so used to being busy and stressed, during the holidays, that they forget that their kids may want to be a part of all the preparations, too. But even as they plan their strategy for surviving the busiest time of year, most parents forget to actively include their children in the preparations that make the holiday events what they are. Kids want to be contributing family members, and help out, in whatever ways they can. Parents need to remember to include their children in all aspects of their holiday activities. Christmas shopping is one activity parents often try to avoid with children, especially young children. Too much frenzy, too much traffic, too many people. But kids can learn valuable lessons by Christmas shopping with their parents. Like, the fact that we often help Santa Claus, by giving gifts to other family members. Kids can learn, during Christmas shopping trips, the relationship between giving and loving, especially among family members. By observing Mom or Dad, as they shop for the family, children can discover the joy of finding gifts with real meaning, gifts that will make a statement about love. Then, having learned that lesson, when a child has spent time and effort considering and choosing the perfect gifts for Mom and Dad, there's even more to look forward to on Christmas morning, than what Santa left under the tree. Kids can be a great help, during the holidays, when it's time to decorate the family home. They love the sights and the smells and the dazzling displays that all the decorations can provide. And children love to place their own stamp on the decorations and make some of the decorating decisions, whether it's choosing where to hang a strand of lights, or making paper snowflakes to hang from the ceiling. Children need to feel the sense of family closeness and belonging that's part of the magic of Christmas. Participating, with the family, in the activities of the holiday season, even the preparation for those activities, enhances every child's enjoyment of this special time of year.

Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Choose from one of our Christmas craft-decorating, free ideas. SANTA PICTURE: If you're looking for holiday craft ideas for preschoolers,, this is a great place to start. So, let's begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture. Color the picture with colored pencils. Once coloring is done, use wisps of cotton to serve as Santa's beard and use a small ball of cotton at the tip of his red hat. You can use small, black buttons to serve as Santa's eyes, and a red button for his nose. Fill the rest of the area of the white construction paper by drawing presents or candy canes. When the picture is finished, your children can sign their names right under Santa's image. Take a piece of heavy cardboard and secure the picture to it. Put the picture in a frame to protect it. Place this frame in a memorable area of your house for all to look and admire. SANTA CHRISTMAS CARDS: Santa Christmas cards is another art activity your children will be able to do. With a piece of white construction paper, measure the paper to a size of 5×7 inches. Cut the paper to that particular measurement. You can either fold it vertically or horizontally. Tell your kids to personalize their version of Santa on the front page. Let them use crayons or colored markers to help stimulate their imagination. After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends. You can even add this to your Christmas craft-a-day calendar; it's a great craft to do with your kids or students. MAKE A SANTA PLATE ORNAMENT FOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE: Things that will be used are crayons and markers, cotton balls, a large paper plate, and color sparkles. Trace or draw Santa, without his red hat, on the plate using the drawing materials. Use the cotton balls to serve as his beard. You can even stick the cotton balls together into a V-shape so that Santa's beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can serve as Santa's hair, also. Use a blue marker to color in Santa's eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa's glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa's nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate. Well that's it! There are many different ways to share with your kids on how to make Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.