santa clause is coming to town! (check these out)

a few years ago i spilled the beans to mackenzie about santa and the easter bunny. we were actually on our way to an easter party at a friend's house and i was just fed up. 

let me explain...

mackenzie is THE world's nosiest human. i pulled my hair out for years trying to keep secrets and sneak around trying to play santa, the tooth fairy, and the easter bunny. even trying to go somewhere by myself is close to impossible because the child is afraid she will miss out on something or suspects something is up. i even made up a stupid lie one time about how parents are given a secret manual to read when their first baby is born. they have until it is time to leave the hospital to read the manual and memorize the phone numbers to the tooth fairy, santa, and the easter bunny. then, the manual is shredded. 

how freaking lame is that story?

so, one day, when she had pushed my buttons to the limit and i was just absolutely sick of all the sneaking and excuses, question after question, and doubt after doubt, i snapped and screamed, 

"i'm santa!"

i know, bad mom, but i promise you it was absolutely annoying!

then i threatened her life if she even considered ruining it for her brothers and sisters. they totally believe! especially phoenix and tyler. and as terrible as it sounds that i ruined santa for mackenzie, i really wanted her to believe.

this year, we have upped the believability factor by doing a few new things. we will keep santa alive and hopefully keep their behavior in line. here are a few things you can do with your children too.

portable north pole - this is a free site that lets you create a naughty or nice video for your child. you basically plug in your child's name, a couple of photos, and some other information and it creates a personalized video from santa to your child. we chose to create naughty child videos in an effort to encourage better behavior in phoenix and tyler.

but, for the record, they really have been awful this year! 

elf on the shelf - almost everyone has heard of this little guy. this is our first year trying this out but so far the kids are excited to have "jimmy" the elf come and visit us. the website allows you to register your elf as well as some other activities.

the santa video - this is another one that allows you to upload a photograph of your home and create a video that appears as if santa has really visited your home. great evidence for those kids who are borderline non-believers. 

be sure to check these out and add a little fun and "good behavior" to your holiday season. 


joni - sixcherriesontop (at) gmail (dot) com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram: mamacherry