Ten Tips for Making Your Child Believe in Santa Claus

While finding out the truth about Santa, the Easter Bunny, and other childhood heroes is an inevitable part of growing up, there are ways to make the magic last just a little bit longer. Until you're ready to have a talk with the kids, or until they find out on their own, here are a few tips for making your child believe in Santa Claus.

Label Christmas gifts from Santa, S. Claus, Kris Kringle, etc. You should decide early on whether every gift is from Santa or only special ones. In our family, the major gifts or the things the kids want the most come from Santa. The rest come from Mommy and Daddy. Once you've decided on how you want to label the "From" section on your gift tags, stick with it from year to year.

Leave traces of Santa. Once the kids are in bed and the gifts are under the tree, be sure to leave a few traces of Santa behind. Don't settle for leaving cookie crumbs and an empty milk glass on the table. Get creative and have fun with it. Leave a bit of torn red velvet near the fireplace, a large jingle bell on the front lawn, or sooty boot prints on the hearth. Try doing one of these things each year - any more than that and the kids might get suspicious.

Avoid sitcoms and other adult shows and movies. Television can be a danger zone this time of year. Sitcoms often feature scenarios of adults trying to hide the truth about Santa or other plots that may raise suspicions from your child. While funny for us adults, they can raise some pretty serious questions from kids who still believe.

Choose one Santa that is "real" and explain to your kids that the rest are Santa's helpers. Giving the kids a logical explanation for all the department store Santa's will make things more believable than chocking it all up to Christmas magic. For instance, for our kids the Santa they see in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is the real one. Our kids know that the department store Santa works for the real one and will deliver their Christmas wish list to the big guy himself.

Watch shows and movies that promote belief in Santa. Miracle on 34^th Street, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and Polar Express are all excellent choices.

Prepare your answers ahead of time. When the kids ask why the presents from Santa are wrapped in the same paper that Mommy and Daddy used will you be ready? Try to think from a kid's point of view and anticipate questions such as these. Having an answer ready will keep you from panicking and spilling the beans. If you're child does ask a question like this, sometimes just playing it off will work. The kids probably won't make a big deal out of something if you don't. By the way, the answer to the wrapping paper question? Sometimes Santa gives his extra paper to the stores so that everyone can use some of it.

Create traditions that make Santa more real. Leave cookies and milk on the table. Whip up a treat for the reindeer and leave it on the lawn. Track Santa's journey online at NORAD tracks Santa (this will also help with the, "how does Santa go around the world in one night" question). Write letters to Santa; or, better yet, use an e-mail service where your kids will get an e-mail back.

Have a friend or family member call the kids and pretend to be Santa. Every year my father calls the kids and uses his best Santa voice to talk to them from the North Pole. He's very believable and the kids get a kick out of it every time.

Watch what you say in front of the kids. During the holidays it's easy to get caught up in conversations about gift giving and finances without realizing that little ears may be listening. Always be aware of what you say in front of the kids during this time of year.Finally, don't stress over it. Eventually the kids are going to find out anyway, but if you stress over every question or try to constantly make them believe, they'll probably find out the truth sooner rather than later. Just have fun, remember what it was like to be a kid, and try believing in a little Christmas magic yourself.