The Santa Claus blog
When kids stop believing, how to tell the truth, how to keep the magic: pointers for grown-ups.
Sourced, dated, checked
Parents and Christmas magicIn Iceland, families give books. In Poland, they wait for the first star. In Sweden, they watch Donald Duck at 3 p.m. Christmas Eve rituals worth borrowing, with a schedule that works for little ones.
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Parents and Christmas magicBorn from a self-published picture book in 2005, the Elf on the Shelf now visits millions of homes each December. The rules, ideas that take two minutes, the criticism worth knowing, and the alternatives.
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Parents and Christmas magicChristmas magic has less to do with the size of the presents than with what you repeat every year. Ideas for each age, grounded in dated traditions and in research, plus the traps that snuff it out.
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Parents and Christmas magicThere is no single right age, but research is clear about what makes the discovery gentler. What to say at each age, how to handle younger siblings, and a way to bring your child onto Santa’s team.
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Parents and Christmas magicSince 1955, military officers have followed Santa on their screens. The story of NORAD, the tools to follow his route on December 24, and how to turn them into a bedtime ally.
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Parents and Christmas magicMark Twain did it in 1875, Tolkien kept it up for twenty-three years. What a reply from Santa should say, what it should leave out, three sample letters by age, and the tricks that make it look like it traveled a long way.
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Parents and Christmas magicNo study has measured what Santa does to a child’s future. But research on pretend play, reasoning and imaginary friends sheds real light on the debate, and is reassuring on what matters most.
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Parents and Christmas magicMost children stop believing in Santa around age 8, with wide differences from one child to the next. Psychologists have measured it, study by study.
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Four shelves, kept by the archivist