Yes, you have to start thinking about holiday cards already. Save yourself the grief of making this crazy season even more hectic by getting it done before Thanksgiving. If you plan on this, you will at least get your cards out before the end of the year =) Well, for 3 lucky readers, you will win one of 3 holiday packages for professional pictures and cards at the Picture People, our favorite photo studio service. One Grand Prize winner will receive the Debut Collection, which includes: 5 mix and max sheets, 1 Classic (includes 12×16 frame, mat and portrait sheet) and 1 Quartet (includes 14×14 frame, mat and portrait sheet). The full retail value is $267 but the special collection price is $216. The grand prize winner will receive a Gift Certificate for $216. Two Runner Up winners will receive a set of postcards, which includes 25 4×7 exclusive postcards and envelopes. Two Runner Up Winner will receive Gift Certificate for $59.95.
To ENTER, tell us in comments what you tell your tots about Santa Claus, or if they are still too young, tell us what you intend on telling them. I tell my tots that I am Santa Claus!! Three winners will be chosen through a random drawing, the first name that comes up will receive the Grand Prize and the other 2 will receive the runner up prizes. This contest will end on Sunday Nov. 9th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. Good luck!!
Thank you PICTURE PEOPLE for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway.
Good question, Kelly! I felt so decieved about the Santa thing as a kid, I vowed to be upfront with my kid, but now that I’m a mom, I feel differently. I’d hate for her to be that kid in class that ruins it for everybody else. I don’t want her to miss out on all the excitement like making cookies for Santa and trying to stay up late to get a glimpse of Rudolph.
We do the whole traditional Santa thing, but boy, they sure come up with more questions than I remember asking. Thank goodness there are movies to help us with some imaginative answers!!
I always make sure we leave out the wrapping supplies on Christmas Eve for Santa after the girls asked why he used the same paper as we do…I tell them it’s so Santa can cut costs by using the supplies at each house!
Our daughter is only 2 but what we tell her and our nieces & nephew is that St Nic comes every year and gives gifts to little kids because he’s so happy that it’s Jesus b-day. It has nothing to do with if their good or bad but trying to remember why we celebrate Christmas is the end.
I believed in Santa as a child and will tell my daughter about Santa too even though she is only 2 now. However, I don’t want Santa to overshadow what I believe is the real meaning of Christmas – Jesus’ birth! I always enjoyed baking cookies with my mom to leave for Santa and could remember being in awe when I saw bites out of my cookies on Christmas morning. I can also remember taking food to a family and presents for the children on Christmas Eve from “Santa” one year and my mother sobbing because of the conditions that they lived in and can remember that she told me the presents we took them were going to probably be the only ones they got for Christmas. I think through telling my daughter about Santa I can show her that the holiday season is about spending time with family and giving.
My girls believe in Santa, I have special wrapping paper hidden in my closet for thr gifts from Santa
We love Santa Claus in my house. My younger son (2) is recognizing Santa everytime he sees a picture of him. Hopefully my 14 year old won’t be mean and tell him there is no Santa.
A good friend of our is the Mall Santa. My daughter is one and right now she doesn’t know the difference when he is in his Santa suit than in his regular clothes. Eventually we will tell her that the real Santa has a lot of helpers that go around checking on all children to see if they have been good or bad and what they want for Christmas.
Wow, what an awesome giveaway! I was just discussing Christmas Card pics with my husband the other day.
I plan on telling my 2 year old that there is a Santa. However, if she isn’t fooled or comes out and asks me when she is older, I will say that Santa is more like the spirit of giving that is within everybody.
hematopoiesis at hotmail dot com
I also felt sort of gypped as a kid when I found out about Santa, so I try not to emphasize the whole thing. The kids get gifts from both “mom and dad” and “santa,” so it works for us. We leave out cookies and milk and take the kids to get their picture taken with him, but I don’t make a huge deal about it and talk about it every chance i get. However, I do tend to threaten the Santa visit when the kids are being naughty 😉 Always seems to work like a charm!
My little ones (three aged 3 and under) are too young to care about Santa. If they ask about him and how he gets all the presents under the tree I’ll probably answer with the good old fashioned stories. However I don’t intend on promoting him to make Santa bigger than Jesus’s birthday. I also like the idea of letting kids ‘play santa’ by doing something good for someone else anonymously (sp?)
My kids believe in Santa Claus. They like seeing Santa at the mall and the excitement of Christmas stockings. I know that eventually they will start asking the hard questions. Then I wil tell them that I have been playing Santa and that the spirit of giving is in all of us. Thanks for the giveaway!
My baby boy is too young to know about Santa, but I plan to tell him that everyone who gives him a Christmas gift can be Santa. Thanks for the giveaway
Our girls are 3 and 5, and we’ve raised them to believe that Christmas is about the birth of Christ. We’ve taught them that while Santa isn’t real, he’s a fun idea which symbolizes the idea of giving and the spirit of Christmas. We also like to tell them about the history behind St Nick.
Thanks for the entry!
RebekahC
I plan on telling my son that daddy is santa claus.
I don’t have any tots; however when my kids were little we let them believe in Santa Claus – we told them that he was magical. Of course in our house Santa was magical and a blessing too.
I always try to tell my kids the truth. The trick to the Santa thing is that I really did not have to explain anything to them when they were tots. I just waited till they asked questions – then they were just the right age for the entire truth of it; Santa lives in our hearts much like Jesus.
We stick to the traditional thought of santa. My daughter isnt yet old enough to ask alot of questions but she understand you got to be good for santa to come by and that he has soooo much to do he get very hungry so we bake fresh cookies and leave him a big glass of milk. on christmas eve she get a gift from mommy and dad and christmas day is all santa…
Santa comes and brings one special present for each child..the rest they know come from Mom and dad…sorta hard to explain but they know Santa doesn’t bring electronics, or such and brings something special from the workshop- they know Santa is in their minds and imagination. We celebrate the leaving of snacks for Santa and all, but we also wake up and have birthday cake for Jesus, we try to do the best we can and hopefully not confusing them..out older ones who are grown think we did a good job, but its so hard to say these days
I nevr has the chance to believe in santa so I made sure my children had all the wonderful traditions I never had. It is magical every year and now that their older I still write from santa on the tags.
i’ve always told my kids that Santa Clause is a generous man that ives presents to good little boys and girls that deserve them not that want them…
My little girl is only 4 months old, but we plan on telling her that there is a Santa Claus, and I haven’t really put any more thought into it — as to how I’ll explain similar wrapping paper, etc. I think we’ll just let her believe until she stops on her own and figures things out. Christmas was always so magical for me as a child when I was still believing in Santa! I know it’s about the birth of Jesus’ but there’s something so intriguing about a jolly old man riding a sleigh to your house and dropping off presents!
My little guy is only 9 weeks old, but I am planning on dressing him up this Christmas with a little Santa hat. I’d love to have some professional Christmas photos of him!
I have 2 sons who know the historical story of St. Nicholas but have never believed in Santa. I have never tried to persuade them to believe only to be called a liar later. I stress the story of Jesus.
My daughter is 4 and she completely believes in Santa, there is just some crazy wonder in her eyes when he’s mentioned. The Santa act is going to be kept up for even longer because my 12 week old I’m sure is going to believe too. I love all the whimsy and wonder in believing in Santa Claus.
I’d love to win this giveaway, I dont have any professional pictures of my children together yet and I absolutely love the Picture People, but they are too pricey for me to afford this year. I hope I win!
My children still believe. 18 m/o and 4 years. I am glad they get to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas just as I did when I was a kid.
my son who is almost 16 found out about Santa at an early age when he caught me leaving gifts under the tree when he was about 5…my daughter on the other hand, still believes in him somewhat, but more so I tell her Santa Claus is about the spirit of giving, and that anyone can be a Santa Claus if they are giving a gift during the holidays…it is the thought that counts and the spirit of the season. Some people, like myself, like to give rather than receive-because I love to see the happiness, joy and excitement in other’s faces when they receive a gift. My daughter knows the symbol of a fat, jolly Santa in a red suit is for the spirit of giving, and she still likes to go and see Santa and his elves during our city’s holiday festivities.
micaela6955 at msn dot com
My husband took pictures of me with Santa at a Christmas Party for work. When our boys saw them, they said, “AWWW! Mom, you know Santa?!?!?” My husband told them I have known Santa for a long time. For a very long time all I had to do is pick up the phone and ‘talk to Santa’, to make them straighten up. They are 10 and 7 now, and I kind of think they know there is no Santa, but we dont really talk about it.
My kids believed in Santa Claus an we told them that sometimes santa is so busy that moms an dads have to help him out,thats why some kids get more than others,an they played like they believed until they were almost teens,they never heard from me that there wasnt one,an as long as they wanted to have that dream ,I sure wasnt gonna spoil it for them,they are grown now an still want me to play santa for them when they are home,an espically with the grandkids,too funny,thanks
I NOT SURE IF I SHOULD TELL MY 8 YR OLD ABOUT SANTA CUZ HE WANTS SO MUCH I TOLD HIM SANTA ON A BUDGET THIS YEAR HE HAS SO MANY KIDS AND WERE IN A RECESSION IT NOT HELP WHEN THE RICH KIDS IN SCHOOL SAYING SANTA IS GETTING ME A WII FOR X-MAS THO BUT I WORRIED IF I TELL HIM HE WILL TELL HIS LITTLE SISTERS?
We tell them the first Santa was Saint Nicholas, a kind and generous person who gave food and clothing and presents to people all year round, but especially during the Christmas season. When St. Nicholas died, Santa Claus took his place. The many Santas we see in public are all helpers.
At the right age we take them out for an ice cream treat and let them know we are going to bring them in on an amazing adventure. We tell them many people became Santa when Saint Nicholas died. Some day, we say, if you have children, you will have a chance to be Santa and make people happy with the love and gifts you give them.
It takes a minute, then they ask….Did you get to be Santa when we were born….and we tell them how wonderful “our” turn has been.
I always try to tell the truth.
My 4 year old daughter’s favorite movie is the Nightmare before Christmas, so she looks at holidays the same as it is presented in the movie…that every holiday has it’s own little town who is responsible for taking charge of each holiday. I don’t necessarily tell her it’s real, I just say, the story goes that on Christmas Eve Santa brings presents….etc…She’s come up with a lot of questions about it but never acted that she doubted Santa was real. Now that she’s about to the school age I’m guessing this year or next will probably be her last year of believing in Santa since she’ll probably hear from other kids that he’s not real. But for now I enjoy the innocence of it all and when she figures it out I’ll be honest and tell her it’s still fun to pretend. 🙂
I wasn’t taught to believe in Santa Claus. My kids don’t anymore. One is 11 and one is 8. The eight year old was 6 or 7 and someone asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her. She told them that Santa isn’t real but she pretends for mommy. LOL
My daughter thinks Santa is watching and she does her best to be extra good. When she says her prayers now- she says God Bless Santa at the end. It is very cute, If someone goes to time out at her preschool, she says they might not get any presents and if daddy doesn’t act right- she reminds him about Santa’s list. “You just have to be nice daddy, to everyone- ok?”
I love the holidays but will not deceive my son about Santa. Since he is a fictitious character, that is how I present him to my son…like a character in a book. That way he doesn’t ruin Santa for other kids but will not feel lied to in the future. He is aware that all holiday gifts come from his parents, family and friends.