Growing up, I saw too many kids being forced to sit on Santa’s knee for a photo, so I decided when I had kids I would only get a photo done on their first Christmas.

My second son was born exactly a week before Christmas. Two days before Christmas I took him to the shopping centre to get his photo taken. I have the most beautiful photo of him at 5 days old fast asleep on Santa’s knee. The photographer even zoomed in a bit so it’s just my son and Santa.

When I was a kid, before Mum got us some “proper” stockings, we used to use Dads socks (clean ones). One year, one of my brothers decided they weren’t big enough - so he decided to put up a pillow case. Not to be out done by his big brother, my other brother decided a doona cover was a much better idea…

Both boys were disappointed, however, because neither the pillow case or doona were full of gifts! They still received the same number of gifts they would have received with the sock.

Every year I have my kids photos taken with Santa. I buy a nice frame and put them on display when I put up my Christmas decorations. It’s nice to look at them every December and reflect on how much my kids have grown and changed. I only leave the current photo on display for the whole year.

Santa adapts well to each family’s preferences and traditions, leaving presents wherever suits the family, be it in a stocking or not, under the tree, indoors or even outdoors.

So let us know where Santa leaves presents in your house - is it the same as when you were younger? Is there a story or reason for that place?

Love Santa’s Elf

When I was a kid, we used to go to my grandparents every second year, and we always left a snack for Santa when we were there.

One year, instead of the traditional glass of milk, we left a stubbie of beer. The next morning we found a note from Santa saying “Thank you for the beer, but I don’t drink and fly!”

A couple of years ago, Santa wasn’t able to make it to the occasional care centre where my darling wife worked and daughters were cared for, so I volunteered to don the red suit and fill in for the big man.

I remember it being a typically hot December morning so it wasn’t much fun to wear a suit, cushioning, wig, beard and gloves, but watching the kids’ excitement was worth it.

The funniest part of the day, however, was watching my 2.5 year old daughter stay away form me in fear. Her mum got her close to me only with a bribe of a lolly bag, and that was only with holding mum’s hand tightly and running once she had the bag! All her friends sat on my lap, but not my little girl.

It was hard keeping a straight face and not telling her who was really under the suit, but we weren’t going to spoil the illusion for any of the kids.

From the time we’re one or two years old until we’re about 10, we get a special visit from Santa on Christmas Eve. We also see Santa at special events, shops, parks and in books and movies.

Some families have special traditions for Santa - like leaving the same snack every year, hanging up stockings, finding presents under the tree or on the bed. We love hearing about these traditions, so pelase share them in this category of our blog.

Your special stories can go in here, too - those one off things that happened that hold a special place in your heart.

To add your story, please register on the site by clicking ‘register’ under the meta heading on the left, and then log in using your password. Go to the ‘write’ page and type in your story - simple! Stories are all moderated before they go live (just to ensure it stays family friendly) but your story should be live not long after you post it.

We hope that sharing these ideas will bring a smile to your face and give others’ inspriation for creating their own special memories and family traditions.

Love Santa’s Elf