It’s amazing how ‘Are we there yet’ changes during the holidays, becoming a universal ‘Is he here yet?’ Santa Claus tracking is alive and well, and if you haven’t joined in the Great Man Hunt, it’s high time you did!
Search for Santa Game
Starting at Thanksgiving, play ‘Search for Santa’ with your kids. Purchase a special, stuffed Santa to be used for the game. Each day while children are at school, daycare or down for a nap, hide Santa in a new place. Reward the finder with a prize, but remember that everyone who plays is a winner. Make prizes small; the point of the game is not to win big, but to establish Christmas memories and have fun.
Where’s Santo?
For older children, take a tip from Waldo. Finding that elusive man in his now-famous books is a bit tricky. Make a pictorial seek-and-find with combined copyright free clipart, family photos and the old Elf himself. Increase the level of difficulty for older kids and make it a bit easier for the youngsters. This activity takes time and planning (I’d start putting it together in early October), but the point is memories and traditions made.
Military Santa Claus Tracking
It seems everyone wants to know where our Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is these days, and that includes the folks at the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Take advantage of the military’s high-tech NORAD Santa Claus tracking at http://www.noradsanta.org/. Santa Claus tracking begins on December 1 each year, and concludes on Christmas Day as our favorite Christmas character heads around the world and then back home after a long night of work.
Santa through the Year
Remember that special stuffed Santa? There’s no reason he can’t make an occasional appearance in your household, even though Christmas has come and gone. Pull him out on Valentine’s Day to present a box of chocolates, on vacation in sunglasses to hold the sunscreen or on Halloween dressed as … well, you decide. Remember, first finder gets a prize, so have one ready!
Santa Claus tracking is a wonderful Christmas tradition. It adds excitement to the season, and can generate hours of fun for the whole family. And it keeps us living in ho-ho-hope that we might just catch the old elf red-handed! Who knows … It could happen.
– Deborah Dyess
