Santa is often seen as the jolly old man who brings gifts to children around the world, but families celebrate Santa in a variety of ways.
To explore these Santa traditions, we polled our Fargo Mom writers to learn how their families embrace the Christmas spirit.
So, whether you’re looking to add a new twist to your own Santa celebrations or just curious about how others bring Santa to life, read on to discover many festive ideas!
Santa Traditions
Stockings
“We only do one Santa present and stockings. It’s nothing extravagant. I heard once that Santa shouldn’t bring the big gifts because kids might say, “Santa brought me an iPad!” and another kid might get socks from Santa. That really shifted my perspective.” – Khylie
We save any special or meaningful gifts for those that come from family and limit what comes from Santa. We encourage them to ask Santa for two things, just in case one of the items they want doesn’t work out. This gives us flexibility to choose what Santa inevitably brings them. We feel it also keeps the focus of the joy of giving and receiving gifts within familial relationships.” – Caitlin
Santa & Giving
“We try to limit what Santa brings to around 2-3 smaller items, plus stockings (usually just goodies in there). Also, we like to find individuals to get gifts for to have the kids act as “Santa,” (you can find Giving Tree tags from local churches, the YMCA, and Matthew’s Voice Project). We try to emphasize the meaning of Santa (e.g. selfless giving) when we talk about the concept.” – Kathy
We Don’t Do Santa
“When my toddler daughter inquired about Santa, I felt the urge to be honest. Before thinking too much, I shared that Santa is not a real person. She wasn’t affected much by this honesty, and it didn’t seem to phase her. She hadn’t grown up with much talk about Santa and didn’t have any investment into thinking he was real. With this approach, each gift our children now receive they know exactly who gave it to them. Upon receiving each gift, they can learn to properly thank the right people for their kindness and generosity. Whether it’s a gift from the grandparents or aunts and uncles, they know who gave them each gift. We try to encourage appreciation by acknowledging and thanking each person individually who gave them gifts.” – Amanda
St. Nick’s Day
“Both sets of grandparents still love celebrating his visit. Thankfully, our children are still young, so they haven’t started asking too many questions yet! My in-laws enjoy doing small stocking gifts from Santa, while my parents love giving larger Santa gifts. I really appreciate that our children get to experience both sides of the Santa tradition. We’ve also started celebrating St. Nick’s Day, where we put out shoes and hope St. Nick leaves oranges and chocolates on his feast day. It’s a fun way to add another layer of magic to the season.” – Ashlee
No matter your Santa tradition, the magic of the season is all about creating joyful memories and unique experiences with your loved ones. Whether it’s small surprises in stockings, letters to Santa, or special holiday rituals, these traditions bring warmth, to our holiday celebrations.
How do you celebrate Santa with your family? Let us know in the comments below!
