Welcome to the Love Santa Blog

We share lots of Christmas related ideas, recipes and crafts in the Love Santa blog. You are welcome to comment or submit your own Christmas stories, too.

Dealing with piles of Christmas decorations?

May 29, 2012 | ,

Christmas tree decorationsFrom Christmas to Christmas, we all tend to get more decorations.

For some of us, the kids make special things each year at school or are given their own Christmas ornament. People give ornaments as gifts, something pretty catches our eye or we ‘inherit’ things from our families.

However you collect them, your Christmas decoration collection probably grows every year.

What to do with those decorations?

It’s nice to keep all those decorations because they are all beautiful in their own way and may have sentimental value, too.

But let’s face it, storing them throughout the year can be challenging and there is only so much space on your Christmas tree…

So what do you do with those decorations?

I know some people like a stylish Christmas tree so only store selected items or buy a new set every year to match a theme.

Others are happy with a haphazard decoration style, so let the kids go wild with whatever they have, giving pride of place to items with sentimental value.

Even at 14 my daughter enjoys seeing the decorations she made in kinder and prep or at home with me, so I certainly keep the decorations my kids make. With 4 kids, though, the tree is filling up!

I often decorate a gum tree outside our house (choosing suitable decorations for the impact of weather of course so never child made ones) so that uses a few of our decorations. And I’m thinking of using a second tree this year!

What’s your favourite Christmas story?

May 23, 2012 | ,

Girl reading story at Christmas

Sharing stories at Christmas

At Love Santa, we love Christmas and Santa and all the magic that goes with those celebrations. We love to share that happiness and to hear people’s stories and ideas.

So we invite you to tell us your favourite Christmas story on this blog. Whether you just make others smile or you share a great tradition/idea, your contribution will brighten the Christmas magic, so what are you waiting for?

Simply share your story by writing it in the form. We’ll check it is ok (just to keep out any spammers and non-family friendly content). Then we’ll make it live so your story is shared.

How does technology impact your Christmas?

May 14, 2012 |

Modern gifts - books in paper or tablet formWe’ve come a long way in the last 50 or so years. TV become mainstream and colour, we got the Internet, home computers, mobile computers, mobile phones and now smart phones and social media, books can be read on tablets as well as paper, and so on. Our world is a different place.

But has Christmas changed as much?

  1. Christmas may be more materialistic and about presents for some people – I know my kids get a lot more stuff than I ever did as a kid because things are cheaper and our lives have changed
  2. it’s more realistic for homes to set up Christmas light displays than it would have been 50 years ago so we have more beautiful displays to watch
  3. we all have big meals and eat too much on Christmas Day so that hasn’t changed much! Actually, I am aware of more people choosing to have BBQs and salads these days rather than the traditional hot meal on a hot day so maybe it is changing, slowly
  4. as a kid, I would spend the day playing and being with family. Some kids today spend time playing mobile computer games (which I personally hate as I think they should socialise) so that is different for some families
  5. people who are so inclined still go to midnight mass or other church services – maybe a smaller proportion of us do this now but I think that change is more than technology driven
  6. for people who are separated at Christmas, technology is certainly a help – with phones, emails, social media and the like, people can be in touch with distant family and friends on Christmas Day even multiple times.

What about your family and traditions – have they been changed by technology?

* photo courtesy of 123rf

Regifting old Christmas presents

May 4, 2012 |

I think we’ve all been given something we really don’t want as a Christmas gift. And some people will give that gift to someone else the following Christmas or birthday – giving away a gift you received is called regifting.

Is regifting just cheap and nasty?

Nervous toddler with a Christmas giftAt first glance, many of us would be uncomfortable about regifting – it does seem a bit cheap and nasty to give away something you didn’t pay for or even put time into choosing as a gift.

Then there’s the risk of the original person finding out you regifted their present and potentially being hurt by your actions.

But maybe it isn’t always a bad thing…

When regifting is ok

The times I think regifting could be acceptable if it is something you genuinely would get for that person anyway – because they need or want it.  For example, if you were given a book about your aunt’s favourite artist, she would probably love getting that as a gift. And it does nobody any good on your bookshelf if you don’t like that artist.

As for not spending money on it, well Christmas and gifts shouldn’t be just about the money we spend anyway. And if you had been given a gift you actually liked, you would have spent the money on the new gift. Instead, you reuse that gift and spend the money buying yourself something. It sort of works out!

If you are worried about the money aspect, buy something small to go along with the regifted item.

Remember that no one will ever know you regifted something unless you tell them. I mean, how often do we ask for proof someone actually bought the gift themselves?

The important thing, however, is to protect the feelings of the person who originally gave you the gift – especially if you know they put effort into giving you something nice. So don’t regift something in front of the original gifter.

Oh, and never regift a personalised gift! Unless it is to someone with the same name as you anyway!

Receiving a regifted item

Have you ever knowingly received a regifted item for Christmas or a birthday? How did it make you feel?

* Photo courtesy of 123rf

White Christmas desires?

Mar 28, 2012 |

White Christmas in Canada

A white Christmas is not something many Australians have experienced, and certainly not in Australia. Yet it is an image we see every year as so much Christmas imagery (and movies and TV programs) is based on the Northern hemisphere.

Snow, bare trees and a warmly suited Santa. Or sunshine, heat and outdoor Christmas meals. Both are valid Christmas experiences.

What do you think – would you like to experience a white Christmas?

 

 

Seasonal Christmas gifts

Feb 28, 2012 | ,

Summer ends tomorrow. Of course we may well get a lot of hot weather yet but there’s no denying that colder weather is on its way.

With the colder weather are there Christmas gifts you received that will now get used?

Aside from the fact that shops are full of summer things in November and December, most people seem to think of gifts with immediate use. So I see t-shirts, bathers and shorts given for Christmas much more often than jumpers and jackets for example.

Sometimes I do manage to think ahead and give a gift that is not related to December/January – especially if someone has a major life event later in the year – and often buy a general present (i.e. something that can be used at any time). I admit I rarely buy a winter-related item as a Christmas gift though.

Are all your Christmas gifts relating to summer (or winter if you’re in the Northern hemisphere obviously) or do you plan ahead?

Would you prefer to get some gifts ready for another season?

Sending thank you letters to Santa

Jan 6, 2012 | ,

Am I the only one who makes my kids write to Santa AFTER Christmas? A few people look at me strangely when I’ve said my kids always write thank you letters to Santa.

I just think it is good manners and teaches them respect. Thank you notes to Santa are in some ways more important than other thank you notes because he doesn’t hand you the present to get even a cursory ‘thanks’.

My expectations of the letter have changed over time (as my kids get older they are capable of more of course) – I wrote the first few with their input but now I let them write their own letters and am pleased to say they do it pretty well.

Writing two letters a year isn’t a big ask, especially given how much Santa does for us!, and is much better than just writing one letter all about what you want! Do you have any other relationships in your life where that would work well?

This year we made the thank letters part of our Boxing day – it is a quiet day at home, exploring new things and tidying away wrapping paper, etc so it seems like a good time to write those letters.

But seriously, does no one else do this???

Christmas lights in Vermont & Wantirna

Jan 3, 2012 |

We went looking for Christmas lights a week before Christmas and ended up finding some lovely lights so here’s what we found in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs…

Bellbird Court, WantirnaChristmas lights on a garden tree in Melbourne

A few houses there have decorations. The first house has a beautiful tree covered in lights and another has fewer lights but is beautiful in its simplicity with white reindeer forming a path to the front door.

2.5 Santas for this group, but well worth it if you’re in the area

Beddoe Rd & Allison Ct, Vermont

We found  a number of houses on Beddoe Road (starting at the corner of Cosgrove St) with lights. One or two had a lot of lights, which was nice, but only about 2 Santas for the street. We turned into Luck Drive and found one lit up house on our right.

Then we  turned into Allison Court. Most homes in this street have some lights set up while a few have a lot of lights. Altogether it is a good street to slowly drive through – but a walk along would be even better (our kids were too tired by this stage so we drove!)

Put all 3 streets together (and you could walk between them) and this is definitely worth 3 santas.

 Morack Rd, Vermont South

We only saw these lights while driving past on Burwood Highway but I think there are a few places and they were certainly lit up!

Narracan St, Vermont

This one is a mixed review. The house has quite a few lights on the house, in the garden and inside the windows. You can walk through the garden, too. It stands out and is worth a bit of a drive.

However, if you have been there in the past (as we had), this is not the display it once was. It used to be covered in lights, have a snow machine and create traffic chaos in the side streets! A few neighbouring houses were also decorated (but not this year). The owners have sold off many of their lights and decorations but hopefully will retain some lights for Christmas 2012.

Surrounding streets (such as Hartland Rd) have a few dispersed homes with nice lights, too, so driving through these streets can be rewarding.

Christmas bells in lights

Read more about Victorian Christmas lights or share other lights in the Vermont/Wantirna area for others to enjoy…

Love Santa amuses children

Dec 19, 2011 | ,

Activites from Love Santa to entertain kidsIn the lead up to Christmas, young children are very excited and often need more activities, attention and distraction – while parents needs kids busy so they can get things done!

Here are a few activities (additional to those in Santa’s letters) that may entertain your kids while they wait for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve:

 Santa’s face colouring in page

 Six white boomers colouring in page

 a printable colouring-in book about Santa train (for early readers – they’ll get skills from it)

 a pop up Christmas tree card or mantlepiece decoration

 play games and see what’s happening with Santa’s preparations to fly Downunder

 cook some yummy treats for the family – just to check they’re ok to leave out for Santa to snack on!

 go and see some Christmas lights or Myer (and other) store windows

 try some new Christmas craft ideas

 tell some Christmas and Santa jokes and fun stories

 set them up on the computer and play some Santa games

 write letters to Santa – even if they’ve sent a list, let them write a friendly letter to Santa for fun (and good manners!)

 teach them some Christmas tongue twisters…

 listen to the story of Kris the Moose (although disappointing that the Boomers are ignored šŸ™ )

 together, read Santa’s letter to the world (it’s about Santa and fun but also has educational and making-them-think elements)

 

If you have some other good ideas, please share them here as we all need help and creativity for our kids at Christmas!

So many Santas in one Burwood place!

Dec 18, 2011 |

 We  drove down Burwood Highway in Burwood (suburb of Melbourne, Victoria) last night expecting to see some great Christmas lights. And maybe a few Santas.

We could see the lights from a distance so easily found 378 Burwood Highway (not too far from Middleborough Rd). Each Christmas, this Burwood house has various lights up high on a garage roof and the roof of the house. I quite liked the Santa sleigh and reindeer light display on one roof.

Santa reindeer in lights on roof

From the sign out the front, we realised we had missed seeing Santa himself by about an hour šŸ™  However, there were other Christmas elves wandering around inside and a couple of fairies even did a dance routine a bit later!

Inside their yard, there are not as many lights, decorations and Santa sleighs as we expected BUT there were  so many Santas on display! Along one wall were man-sized Santas (and a couple of other characters in Christmas garb). Along the second area was an incredible display of Santas – on trains, in parachutes, sitting, standing, with presents or without, with sleighs and reindeer (didn’t notice any with boomers unfortunately) and even some in snow globes for the white Christmas feel. You could spend ages there looking at each one in detail…

Santa's elf with some Aussie kidsThe elves are happy to pose for photos with people, and with the huge throne in a corner, I assume photos with Santa are also welcomed when he visits.

If you’re in Melbourne, I’d definitely say visit Burwood for a Santa display like no other! 4 Santas for this spot šŸ™‚

Find out about other Victorian Christmas lights

Final Santa letter orders for 2011

Dec 17, 2011 |

One week until Santa arrives which means there is little time left to get a personalised letter from Santa this year.

Unlike on Christmas Eve, Santa relies on Australia Post to deliver his letters so final delivery times vary depending on where you live so the Posties have time to get your letter to you. Here are the deadlines…Love Santa personalised letter sample

Melbourne                                             midnight Tuesday 20 December

Victoria and other capital cities      midnight Monday 19 December

other states                                            midnight Sunday 18 December

However, the sooner you order the better chance it will arrive before Santa – the Posties do get very very busy this week! And it’s good to let the kids use the activity ideas included with each letter, too.

 

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Banner for 'how to make a personalised gift set' eBook showing some gift set ideas

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Please note that Love Santa letters need to be ordered before December 18Ā to be delivered before Christmas!

Order nowĀ to be sure of delivery before Christmas. Keep an eye on ourĀ blogĀ forĀ final ordering daysĀ as we get close to Christmas Eve.

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