How to keep the magic of Santa alive - the definitive guide and top tips when your child has questions...

Children seem to grow up so fast these days… and at this Christmas time of year a casualty of this is their belief in Santa. Sometimes it can be their own natural suspicions creeping up on them, or it can be the result of a conversation with a school friend - so here’s what to do when your inquisitive child starts asking some tricky questions!

Is your child starting to ask difficult questions about whether Santa exists? Here's a definitive guide to answering those questions, and some top tips to keep the magic alive this Christmas!

Some typical questions you might face:

Q: How can Father Christmas visit every house in the world all on one night? And how can he know who’s been nice and who’s been naughty?
A: Santa uses special cosmic short-cuts provided through wormhole technology - he carefully plans where he’s going before Christmas Eve so that he knows his route off by heart, and he travels at such high speeds that he can travel on special space-time continuum pathways that only he can use. It’s all very complicated, and something that even grown up scientists have never truly understood. He also uses the International Date Line and follows the earth’s rotation which helps him to gain many extra hours of time as he travels. This two things combined make it possible for him to travel around the world leaving presents all on one night. As far as knowing who’s been naughty or nice, Santa uses various techniques throughout the year such as helicopters and low flying planes, Santa helpers in shops, teachers, and CCTV in grottos. Crucially, he also just knows...

Q: How can Father Christmas get into our house because we don’t have a chimney? How can Santa fit through our chimney?
A: Santa knows that lots of houses these days don’t have chimneys which is why he’s learnt lots of other ways to get in. Sometimes he uses a magic key, other times he sprinkles himself with his special magic dust - you can find Santa’s full explanation right on this blog by clicking here.

Q: I’ve seen reindeer in real life and they don’t fly!
A: No, well, that’s because the reindeer you’ve seen are either normal reindeer or it isn’t Christmas Eve. Not all reindeer can fly, and besides, even Santa’s reindeer don’t fly every day of the year you know, that would be crazy!

Q: How does Santa fit everything into his sleigh?
A: Santa Claus is a very intelligent man with a vast knowledge who has spent many, many years perfecting this. Quite simply, in the same way that he manages to travel around the world all on one night, he uses science - or to be precise, nanotechnology (which is nothing to do with your nan). He has developed a way of reversing the irreversible thermo-dynamic properties of presents - essentially,  this means that all the presents are shrunk to a microscopic size and they don’t take on their full proper size until he takes them out of his sack. I know this may sound confusing, and that's because its meant to be - Santa keeps all the details a close secret.

Q: How can Santa eat and drink all the food that’s left out for him?
A: Well, firstly because he’s quite fat and likes his food, secondly because he uses a lot of energy on Christmas Eve and so burns it off meaning he gets very hungry, thirdly because his Christmas Eve night is longer than yours (see Question 1 above), and fourthly because he has the reindeer and elves to help him (they like eating too).

Q: Why doesn’t Santa leave presents for grown ups? Why don’t teenagers and grown ups believe in him?
A: Sometimes of course he does leave presents for grown ups, but not always. Santa’s main priority is to leave special presents for children (if they’ve been good of course). Some grown ups (and older children and teenagers) might say they don’t believe in Santa, but no matter how hard they try his spirit still lives in them. That excited magical feeling that everyone gets on Christmas Eve, the little fluttery excited feeling in their tummy, is what’s left over from when they were your age. Santa doesn’t mind if you stop believing, he knows that it’s a sign you’re growing up and that’s just how it should be.

Q: I’ve seen lots of Santa’s in the shops and I know they’re not real…
A: No, they’re not (always) the real Santa - but, they are his official fully authorised helpers. He uses them to help him and if you meet one and he asks you what you’d like for Christmas he will always pass what you say back to the real Santa.

Q: The presents you get from Santa you can buy in the shops, so I know he hasn’t made them…
A: Well, that’s an easy one - there are simply so many children in the world nowadays that Santa’s workshop simply doesn’t have the time to make everything from scratch. That means he has to ask some shops to sometimes help him, and he also knows that sometimes children ask for something very specific that he can’t make - so that’s where the shops step in to help, and that’s why you might find things that he’s given you are also in shops.

With a bit of luck those answers will help you out of most situations - now, read on for some easy practical tips and tricks you can start planning and thinking about!

A few rules you need to remember to help Santa this year…

• Remember that Santa has special handwriting and uses different wrapping paper.
• Santa is a messy eater - mainly because he has to eat and dash in a hurry! So there’ll always be a few crumbs left behind from the snack you leave out for him.
• Hiding presents before the big day is vital (as is hiding your online browsing history if you’re using the family laptop)!
• Santa can sometimes forget to wipe his feet - a few muddy or snowy (flour/icing sugar) footprints on the carpet proves that he was really here.
• Equally, sometimes Santa brings his little elf helpers with him on Christmas Eve and they can be a bit cheeeky and messy. Don’t be surprised if they leave a little bit of glitter sprinkled around the room here and there, or move things about! If you find a cushion in the fruit bowl, a banana on the Christmas tree, or a picture turned upside down, it’s sure to be those pesky Elves! Maybe mention to your child in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Eve that you’ve heard that can happen...
• The reindeer don’t have to eat carrots - they also like raisins, oats, breakfast cereal (any kind), most other vegetables, or even just a bowl of water. The reindeer may (or may not) come into your house, but if they are left outside Santa will take whatever you leave out to them so that they can have some food and/or drink. Sometimes you’ll find hoof prints and traces of magic dust on your front path or in the back garden, along with a few spills or leftovers from their food.
• Track Santa on Christmas Eve - now, this is a good one! The North American Aerospace Defence Command are a proper military organisation who protect the air space over North America. For many years they’ve picked up Santa on his travels around the world on their special tracking equipment. You can find out where he is all day long on Christmas Eve, so log on to www.noradsanta.org during the day and you can follow his travels and watch him getting closer and closer. 
• Children all over the world write to Father Christmas every year, but only a very few special children get an answer. If your child has been extra good this year and you think they’d love to hear from Santa, why not reserve a Santa Letter or Telegram? The PhotoFairytales personalised Letters & Telegrams are packed with information and detail that will make your child know for sure that Santa is real - how else could he know so much about them?! Definitive proof when you need it:

PhotoFairytales personalised Santa Letters & Telegrams help keep the magic alive - each one is individually prepared and signed in ink by Santa himself. They're packed with detail and are superb quality. Visit the PhotoFairytales site for full details. Limited number available!

One final piece of advice: just because their friends don’t think Santa exists anymore doesn’t mean your children have to stop believing too. But it’s OK for them to pretend he doesn’t exist when they’re in front of their friends - because when they’re at home with you they know they can still talk about him because you still believe he’s real.

Banish your child’s scepticism this Christmas, help them keep the magic of Santa alive just a little bit longer! And if you’d like even more great advice, read Santa’s own top tips that he kindly wrote for everyone on this very blog - just click here to read.

Ho, ho, ho,
Sarah x

How to wrap presents - Top 10 Easy Gift Wrapping Tips!

The perfect place for Santa's presents this Christmas... a special personalised
sack under the tree! More designs at PhotoFairytales.co.uk

Buying Christmas presents is just the beginning: that's the easy part(!). Now comes the wrapping...

If you're a bit fingers and thumbs when it comes to wrapping a present you're not the only one. Sellotape that sticks to itself (assuming you can find the end), paper that isn't quite big enough, weird non-square shapes (ever tried wrapping a football?), scissors that won't cut... any of that sound familiar?

Do you wish you were the kind of person that could do that slidey scissors thing? You know, those superior beings that don't have to chomp, they just open their scissors and swish through the paper in seconds?

Here's my easy Top 10 Gift Wrapping Tips to help you through - and if you need some inspiration take a look at my Gorgeous Gift Wrapping Ideas over on Pinterest!

• Rather than adding labels (and all that endless 'To' and 'Love From' writing), wrap presents in a specific colour for each person - either a certain colour of paper, or ribbon - that way they know exactly which colour-coded gift is for them without the need for a label.
• Use a tape dispenser - whether its a hand held one (Scotch Tape do a great one that actually fits on your hand - they've got it on half price at Tesco at the moment!) or a super-posh one - doesn't matter which but its so much easier that trying to get it straight off the roll! If you're a sellotape fiend and tend to overdo it, use patterned decorative tape instead and make it a feature!
• Don't necessarily buy posh paper with a Christmas theme - buy something plain so that you can use leftovers for birthdays, etc, during the following year. Dress them up with Christmas themed ribbon or tags instead. Plain brown wrapping paper looks fantastic for Christmas presents - it can be dressed up to look fantastic (take a look at my Pinterest board for inspiration), and its super on-trend this year!
• Use the roll of paper as a cutting guide to make sure you cut a straight edge.
• Don't be tempted to use too much wrapping paper - the more you use, the bulkier the folds will be. Essentially, you need the width of the present plus two heights (see image below). The length needs to be enough to wrap around your present and overlap by no more than about an inch.

• Not enough paper? Yep, we've all done it - got half way through wrapping to discover the paper isn't big enough! Wrap the bulk of the present, leaving gaps on the ends, then add a sash in a coordinating paper around the middle to disguise the gap. Here's a video to show you how!
• No ribbons or bows? Cut a strip of the same, or a coordinating paper, and use that as a finishing touch instead.
• How to wrap a football! Watch this lady, she makes short work of it and I love the ribbon trick! She's got another great video on how to wrap a wine bottle, and one on how to wrap an awkward shaped present.
• Put some good Christmas music on - you can't wrap Christmas presents without a bit of Slade or Wham on in the background!
• Oh, and the slidey-scissors-through-the-paper thing? The trick there is to have nice sharp scissors and good quality paper. But if you can't master it and need to cut the traditional way, use decent sized kitchen-type scissors and don't cut right to the end of the blade: stop just before and slide your scissors along the cut to continue. That way you don't get the snipped/chomped look. And if you do still get the snipped/chomped look don't worry about it: just do a little fold over to disguise it and give a neat edge.

Take a look at my Pinterest board for some stylish gift wrapping ideas that are all simple but, I think, pretty cute and effective!

If you've got any tips for gift wrapping, please do leave a comment and let us all know - I'd love to hear from you!
Sarah x

How to keep your child believing in Father Christmas: 10 tips

It’s a sad fact, but it does seem as though children are growing up far quicker than ever before. And a casualty of this is often that their belief in Santa disappears sooner than it did for you when you were a child. So I’m handing this blog over to a VIP guest who might be able to help a little….

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Santa Claus!:

Ho, ho, ho! Thank you for allowing me to write a little message on your blog. I won’t keep you long because I am rather busy. 

Right, so, it would seem that the subject of this message is: how to stay believing in me. Well, let me tell you something. There will come a time when your child does stop believing - it doesn't mean that I've gone away of course, it just means that they are growing up and looking at new things. One of the problems parents often ask me is: What happens when their friends stop believing, but my own child still does? I tell them that just because their friend no longer believes doesn't mean that they have to stop. All the while they believe, I will keep visiting. Every year, no matter what. And don’t worry about hurting my feelings if you don’t believe in me any more, I know its just a part of growing up. But it doesn't mean I don’t still expect you to be nice all year though - I don’t like naughty people, no matter what their age!

I often ask parents to help me keep the magic alive, and here are a few tips I like to share:

• Rule 1 is obvious and I'm sure you do it already: Christmas Eve is the time when you must get everything ready for my arrival. Put out your stocking (or whatever it is you like to use) and always leave me a drink and snack. I am partial to mince pies, but anything you can spare is gratefully accepted. Leaving a carrot or two for the reindeer is always a nice touch too (although they are messy eaters, so expect chomped carrot ends to be scattered around!).
  
• Rule 2 - everything I leave is always wrapped in different paper to the rest of your presents because I don’t buy wrapping paper from the shops that Mums & Dads go to. Mine comes from the North Pole and is very different.
  
• Rule 3 - many children worry about how I enter their home if they don’t have a chimney. Please tell them that this is not a problem, I have adapted my entries and exits over the years to accommodate this problem as many newer houses don’t have chimneys. If necessary, I am able to use a special magical key to enter a door - or if push comes to shove, I can sprinkle magic dust over myself and simply sparkle my way in. Don’t worry, it doesn't hurt and I quite enjoy it! I can also enter through cat flaps, lofts, windows and even letter boxes. No present goes undelivered because I can’t gain access, I know every trick in the book!
  
• Rule 4 - hiding presents before the big day is a very important task that parents must adhere to. Enough said.
  
• Rule 5 - I can sometimes forget to wipe my feet when I enter a house, and it has been known for me (and the reindeer) to leave footprints. Not always, but sometimes. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to parents for this - and for anything that I may knock over, inadvertently move, dislodge, or crease.
  
• Rule 6 - if you have been very good during the year (and I mean exceptional), I will write to you. My letters are very special, I only send 100 a year to the children who have shown the very best behaviour throughout the year. If you think that your child should be near the top of my Nice List, click here to let me know and I promise I’ll write to them (and send them some early presents too)!
  
• Rule 7 - the Santa’s that you see in shops, etc (eg, in a ‘Grotto’) are not always me. There, I've said it. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't  If you are in the least bit doubtful as to whether it is the real Santa that you are meeting in a shop, then the chances are it’s one of my helpers. But don’t worry, they are all fully authorised and everything you say to them is relayed directly through to me. Sometimes I wire Grotto’s up with CCTV so that I can listen in and find out exactly what you are hoping for. So don’t worry, I never miss a thing!
  
• Rule 8 - if you spot a helicopter or low flying plane in the sky between October and December, it is me. I’m just keeping tabs and updating my Naughty or Nice List.
  
• Rule 9 - whilst most of the gifts that I leave on Christmas Eve are made by the Elves, sometimes I do have to add things that have come from normal shops. I only ever use suppliers that have passed rigorous tests and have full Santa Approval however.
  
• Rule 10 - a wonderful way to experience my journey on Christmas Eve is by tracking me at http://www.noradsanta.org/. Norad is the North American Aerospace Defense Command. They are a proper military organisation, working to protect the air space over North America. Honestly, they’re real, check them out: http://www.norad.mil/Home.html. Every year they use their specialist equipment to track my movements as I travel around the world.

 There will eventually come a time when boys and girls reach an age where they question if I really exist. But even old, grown up people know that I do - but not always in the way that you think. The spirit of Santa changes as we get older - I can change from the lovely jolly man in my red suit into something that is even more magical: the spirit of Christmas. I may stop visiting after a while, but my spirit lives on. You know that magical feeling you have on Christmas morning that everyone feels no matter what their age? And that wonderful feeling when you give someone a gift? That’s the spirit of Christmas - and me!

Ho, ho, ho - Merry Christmas to you all!

Santa Claus

Slummy Mummy at Christmas

Things have definitely cranked up a notch at PhotoFairytales Towers with the steady approach of Christmas. I can tell things have got busy, not solely because orders are pinging in at a rate of knots but also because of the following tell tale signs:

1: My daughter had to eat her breakfast this morning with a soup spoon (it seemed the best choice over a tablespoon or teaspoon), because I haven’t had time to load/unload the dishwasher.

2: We are having to use kitchen roll as toilet paper because I haven’t had time to do the big shop.

3: The carpet in the living room has gone from a nice oatmeal beige to a nice oatmeal beige with black hairy divots (haven’t had time to hoover or brush the dog).

4: I’m typing this while constantly having to go “phrffphh” to keep the fringe out my eyes because I haven’t had time to make an appointment to get it cut (hence the picture - which is quite true to life).

5: Every time I get an order in which is obviously for a Christmas present I feel a burst of anxiety because I haven’t had time to think about my own Christmas shopping yet.

So now you know I shouldn’t even be sitting here doing this blog - I should be finishing off orders whilst hoovering. Trouble is, I’m not sure even my (usually) stupendous multi-tasking skills are going to help. I may have to dig out my Wonder Woman costume - problem is, its in the wash - or possibly the ironing basket. One of those anyway…

How are you coping? Got everything organised? Do please leave a comment - but if you are one of those super-organised types please try not to sound too smug. I may cry!

Sarah x