Santa's Calling You - Christmas 2021 UK

Great British Entrepreneur Awards Finalist

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 12:51:53 GMT

Great British Entrepreneur Awards - Finalist

Chief Elf heading to Awards Event and our cost of living prices for 2022!

Started in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Chief Elf came up with a plan to allow children all over the world to still be able to see Santa Claus at Christmas and as we approach the opening of our booking system for our third year (Pop it in your calendar - Tuesday 1st November 2022) it is with jingle bells and our greatest delight to announce that Chief Elf ( James Bartlett ) has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards - Creative Entrepeneur of the Year!

The prestigious awards evening will be taking place on Monday 21st November 2022 in London, where we will find out if our Chief has made it to be the winner!

Whatever the outcome, Chief Elf and all the team here at Santa's Calling You are just proud to be able to spread the magic of Christmas all over the world and bring joy to so many children's faces once again this year!

Without your continued support Santa would have packed up his computer and headed back to Grotto only experiences, but we know here at Santa's Calling You how different and more personalised our experience is.

James Bartlett has said: "This year more than ever our company slogan 'It is not what is under the tree that matters, but what's around it that counts' is even more prominent in our minds as the cost-of-living crisis hits Britain. Therefore, I want to make sure that we can allow all children who want to speak to Santa an opportunity to do this at an affordable cost. That is why I have reduced the cost of video calls this year without compromising our service and in addition I will be looking to pay 'Santa's Helpers' a higher wage than previous years."

You can pre-book a video call with Santa now to guarantee your experience, with our main booking system allowing you to pick your chosen date and time from Tuesday 1st November 2022.

N.B. For those who have already pre-booked at last year's prices we are happy to offer you a refund on the additional amount paid or alternatively if you are happy give the additional cost paid to charity.

Price reductions for 2022 will be as follows:

Santa Claus Video Call (Standard) was £24.99 - now £19.99 (saving of £5.00)

Santa Claus Video Call (Week/Weekend before Christmas) was £35.99 - now £24.99 (saving of £11.00)

Santa Claus Video Call (Christmas Eve) was £39.99 - now £34.99 (saving of £5.00)

In addition, our Elf and Mrs Claus video calls are also having a reduction in cost to allow those children who find speaking to Santa a little daunting a more relaxed video call experience.

Prices as follows:

Elf/Mrs Claus Video Call (Standard) was £19.99 - now £14.99 (saving £5.00)

Elf/Mrs Claus Video Call (Week/Weekend before Christmas) was £24.99 - now £19.99 (saving of £5.00)

Elf/Mrs Claus Video Call (Christmas Eve) was £29.99 - now £24.99 (saving of £5.00)

We do hope you are able to experience the joy of a live video call with Santa this year, however we do advise booking early as with the last two years being a sell-out and us now reducing our pricing for this year, we know it will be sold out quicker than previous years.

Keep your eyes peeled to find out if our Chief Elf becomes the winner and don't forget you can pre-book now by clicking here!

Grotto Video is Best

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 11:11:28 GMT

Grotto Video is Best

The Grotto is Open! But here’s why it’s still better to book your video call with Santa

As we get closer to Christmas 2021, there’s a bit of a 2020 feel about it – the shops are open, and we can see our family and friends, but Covid hasn’t gone anywhere, and now there’s a new variant to worry about too. Even if Omicron turns out to be as mild as early signs (hopefully) suggest, infection control means that you and your family would be obliged to isolate for 10 days – and that could really take the shine off Christmas, not to mention whoever is the main Christmas prepper having major stress about last minute presents and food shopping.

Although we could catch Covid – or any other nasty winter bug going around – anywhere, standing in the kind of queue you’re likely to find waiting to see Santa Claus in a Grotto* would be a prime place for infection; lots of young and school-age children, all excited about telling Santa their Christmas wishes.

We know it’s disappointing not to be able to talk to Santa Claus, but we’re still very much here and building on our success over the lockdown Christmas of 2020. Santa’s even better with Zoom than he was before, and he, Mrs Claus and the Elves are waiting to talk to children and their families via a live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole in the run up to the big day.

Santa has set up his grotto over Zoom again this year (by the power of Santa-magic, he can be in several places at once!), and it’s as Christmassy as any shop grotto he’s ever been in. He first set up in a grotto in a department store 140 years ago, in Liverpool – and the Christmas Fairyland is still going strong today! Read its story here, and make a firm date for visiting next year.

In 1877, a man called David Lewis was on a Parisian trip to visit the world’s first department store, the famous Bon Marche. Translating as ‘good buy’, the shop had been first opened at the beginning of the 19 ^th century, and by 1865 was proudly known as the world’s first department store. The interior courts, complete with skylights, were designed by Alexander-Gustavo Eiffel – who was to have a rather more famous tower to his name in due course. Lewis took the idea back to Liverpool, especially taking inspiration from the store’s exhibition area, and its 1879 Christmas-themed exhibition.

Christmas Fairyland was an instant hit. It covered a massive 10,000 square feet, and people travelled from all over the country. The popularity of the grotto led to other shops attempting to copy the idea. Inevitably, Santa Claus got even busier as the idea gradually spread across the world towards the end of the 19 ^th century. Blackler’s of Liverpool competed with a giant Father Christmas, now in the Museum of Liverpool.

The Lewis Grotto still delivers Christmas magic today, and has had a variety of themes over the years, including Santa on the Moon, Alice in Wonderland in Liverpool, and famous children’s stories. A couple of additions from the now-defunct Blacker’s display (which ran from 1957 to 1988) have also crept in – a couple of polar bears that guard the entrance!

Ready for your video call from Santa

Ideas for your own grotto at home for your call to Santa

You might not be able to run to a couple of polar bears or even a giant Santa, but how about making your own grotto at home in preparation for your live video call with Santa Claus direct from the North Pole? The important things about the best grottos are:

· Plenty of decorations

· Presents

· Santa Claus

All of which you’ll be able to recreate at home for your live video call.

First, get the whole family involved decorating the room you’ll be receiving your call in – and really decorate it! Leave no inch un-Christmassed with tinsel, paper chains, and lights! If you wanted to get crafting with some family activities, check out last year’s blog post on Christmas crafts for the whole family to make. Don’t forget to decorate yourselves – Santa wants to see those Christmas jumpers !

Kids love small gifts when visiting Santa live at a grotto, so exchanging small presents on video call with Santa day makes it all the more special. Sweets, books and craft materials are all good ideas, and in keeping with live grotto gifts.

And we at Santa’s Calling You will provide Santa Claus – don’t miss our add-ons, including a letter from Santa Claus , a Secret Santa box , and our wonderful Santa’s Calling You exclusive book .

Merry Christmas!

*PS: Don’t worry about Santa – he’s immune, along with Mrs Claus, the Elves, and all the Reindeer.

Santa's Calling You - The Secret Santa Box

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:43:03 GMT

Santa's Calling You - The Secret Santa Box

The perfect addition to your Video Call with Santa

At Santa’s Calling You , we haven’t rested on our laurels over 2021 – instead, we’ve thought of all the new ways we could bring you the best possible Santa’s Calling You experience to enhance your live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole. One treat the whole family can enjoy is our new Secret Santa Box, available as an add-on to your video call with Santa . Packed full with items for the whole family to enjoy together, the Secret Santa Box enhances our message that ‘it is not what is under the Christmas Tree that matters, but what is around it that counts’.

Handpicked by our Chief Elf, they won’t tell us exactly what’s in there (they made lots of dreadful puns about ‘Elf and Safety’, and ‘that would be bad for your ‘Elf’) as that’s Top Secret, but they did say that in addition to family activities, there is a lovely keepsake gift in there for you to treasure for future Christmases.

But when did Secret Santa gifting start? And where? Well, it wasn’t a jolly man dressed in red with a long white beard. The original Secret Santa was a man called Larry Dean Stewart, and he would gift money to people he met on the street each December.

Larry was born on 1 ^st April 1948 in Kansas, and earned his fortune in long-distance phone services, and the burgeoning cable industry. But he hadn’t always been so lucky to be wealthy and comfortable. In 1979, he was nursing a cup of coffee in a restaurant, trying to forget the fact that he had just been made redundant for the second time just before the Christmas holidays. He looked around him, and realised he wasn’t alone, taking particular note of the waitress taking orders in a very thin jacket in the freezing cold who would have been on minimum wage. He made a resolution there and then to just walk the streets donating money to those who needed it every December, and over a period of 26 years, he donated around $1.3 million to grateful recipients. He didn’t restrict his generosity to Christmas, either – shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, he donated $25,000 in hundred dollar bills to the shocked residents of New York.

Sadly, Larry died in 2007, but he has left quite a legacy – and not just in every office Secret Santa around the world. His identity only became known in the year before he died, and he even founded the Society of Secret Santas.

Secret Santa is known by a variety of names around the world – in Ireland, he’s Kris Kindle (from ‘Christkindl’), and in the UK, Kris Kringle. Other English speakers will probably recognise him from either of those two names, as will Austrians. However, in Germany, you’re more likely to make the acquaintance of Wichteln, which comes from the word meaning goblin, or elf. Secret Santa is also alive and well and going by the name of Julklapp in Scandinavia, where he knocks on doors and runs away, leaving a gift behind.

There are annual Secret Santa exchanges on social media too, with Secret Santa groups on Reddit (which now has upward of 85,000 participants!), Twitter, and Facebook, connecting strangers from all over the world to swap gifts. Indian Twitter’s Secret Santa was started by Darshan Parekh from Mumbai – it has now expanded to include New Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru. Users have to fill in a form with their name and contact details, together with a short wish list. Each city has a co-ordination who assigns gift recipients to help it run smoothly. Even Bill Gates has got in on the act, once gifting a Minecraft Edition X-Box One to a Reddit user called Aerrix.

When it comes to it, the most important thing about a Secret Santa gift is that it’s given anonymously. The enjoyment is often in the surprise, especially if – as with most office Secret Santa exchanges – there is a strict low budget, and an expectation of a ‘joke’ present which is to be enjoyed at the Christmas party and not far beyond.

The best thing about being a Secret Santa is that all the fun really is in the giving – especially when it’s a thoughtful gift which doesn’t break the bank either.

So get your Secret Santa box ordered at the same time as booking your live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole, and why not add a Letter from Santa Claus to invite the children to the call as well? Then all you need to do is get those Christmas jumpers ready, decorate your room so that Santa Claus can see you getting into the Christmas spirit, and you’re ready for your call!

Santa’s Calling You – Our Exclusive Book

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:15:52 GMT

Santa's Calling You - Our Exclusive Book!

If you’ve been following our story since last Christmas when none of us could meet up, then you’ll know that Santa has been even busier than usual over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Keen to make sure that children didn’t miss out on seeing him even when the grottos were closed, Santa Claus learned – like the rest of us! – how to use Zoom, and make sure everyone could have a live video call with Santa Claus direct from the North Pole!

It wasn’t easy; he didn’t know how at first he would still be able to meet all the children around the world that he is used to seeing in the run up to Christmas every year, how he would check their names on his nice list, or how he could deliver the true message of Christmas. But with a little help from his North Pole friends he managed, and Christmas was saved!

Santa decided to write an exclusive book about his experiences, so together with James Bartlett (who put Santa’s thoughts into words), and Yogesh Mahajan (who has drawn Santa, the Elves, and the North Pole so beautifully), we present Santa’s Calling You – the book that will be read aloud during our story time add-on, and which can be purchased separately as part of your live video call with Santa call package.

In addition to being a delightful Christmas tale about how Santa just won’t give up, it will also help younger children to make sense of what has been a confusing time for adults, let alone anyone else. You will also be entertained by references to the great toilet roll shortage, and the inability to get a haircut!

Learn:

· Who had the idea in the first place – was it Santa, or someone else?

· How Santa Claus set up his Zoom calls (and who was looking through the window!)

· How Santa keeps track of his Nice List

· And our Santa’s Calling You Christmas message: ‘It’s not what is under the tree that matters, but what’s around it that counts’

Christmas Children's Story Book - Santa's Calling You

Santa is so excited about being able to talk to whole families over Zoom at the same time that he has decided to carry on – he’s quite a whizz with new technology! So in addition to visiting grottos this year – or instead of, if you’d prefer to stay as Covid-safe as possible – he’s carrying on talking to as many people as he can before the big day, supervising the Elves as they put their finishing touches on presents, and checking names off on his Nice List. As Santa is magic, he can be everywhere at once – how else do you think he gets around the whole world in one night?

He really enjoyed writing a book with James’s help, so Santa would love to read it out to children as part of the story-time add on for a live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole. He’s excited to share how he adapted to make a Covid Christmas as good as possible, and he’s keen to hear what children have been doing too, and how well they’ve been getting on with learning at home and keeping busy.

Visit our live video call with Santa Claus booking page now to get Christmas off to a festive start with your family, and don’t forget to add the story-time add on to have Santa Claus read you his own book about last year’s Covid Christmas, and how he didn’t let the spirit of Christmas fail. Why not add a letter from Santa Claus to invite your little ones to the call, and add in a Secret Santa box to involve the whole family in the magic of a live video call with Santa Claus?

If very young children are a bit in awe of the big man, they can also speak to Mrs Claus, or one of Santa’s Elves – they can tell children all about life at the North Pole, and what the reindeer do all day. And don’t worry – they’ll pass any messages on to Santa Claus!

Let us have some details about the children on the call when you book, and Santa Claus will know all about them when they speak – and be able to confirm that they are on the Nice List!

At Santa’s Calling You , we’ll still be here long after Covid has faded into memory to make sure that the whole family can enjoy seeing Santa all together – just as it should be at this and every Christmas.

Tips and Tricks for the perfect Zoom call with Santa

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:36:10 GMT

Tips and Tricks for the perfect Zoom call with Santa

How to set up the perfect family Zoom call with Santa

Hands up if you have been on a Zoom call at any time in the past 18 months with the classic “business on the top, party on the bottom” look of a shirt and tie and your pyjama trousers. We have all become experts at finding the perfect angle to hide our messy floors, chipped paint work, and double chins – not to mention the fact that we’ve got the TV on silent out of the eye-line of the boss and where it won’t cause a reflection in our screens.

We’ve also been using Zoom for fun. Drinks nights with friends, quizzes, virtual dinner parties, and even choirs. Although we’re on target to have a near-normal Christmas this year, cases of Covid-19 are still quite high. Even if you are fully vaccinated, a dose of Covid is not the ideal way to spend Christmas, especially if the whole family catches it – not only would it be pretty miserable, you wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the last minute Christmassy things we all missed last year.

One thing you’re probably still planning on doing is getting the bulk of your Christmas shopping online. Although Santa is well and truly back in his shopping centre grottos across the country, the magic of Christmas means he can be absolutely everywhere at once and you can still have a video call with Santa Claus live from the North Pole at any time in the run up to the big day.

A call from Santa is a great way for the whole family to kick Christmas off in style, avoid the shopping crowds – never much fun even without Covid! – and avoid the any bugs that might be looking to give you and your family an unexpected and unwanted present.

Unlike work calls, there’s no need to be wearing a suit and tie for a Zoom call with Santa Claus. However, Christmas jumpers, reindeer horns, fairy lights and tinsel garlands will all make him very happy. He isn’t worried whether you’ve done the dusting or not, although you might want to take the opportunity to get your home ready for Christmas and get the tree and decorations up in preparation for your call.

Here are a few extra tips and tricks to help make your Zoom call to Santa Instagram-worthy:

Set the Scene

Think about the area that will be visible on your call. Are you all going to sit on the sofa together? Or around the dining table? What is visible in the background? How can you decorate this for Christmas? Think about whether you want to put the tree up and whether you want to go for a colour theme, or an inviting jumble of treasured tree ornaments. If you don’t want your home in the background, find a festive or wintry scene to use as the background to your call.

Your Screen Name

For the purposes of your call, you might want to change your screen name to something festive, or that includes the whole family. A profile picture including all of you is a nice touch.

Beauty Filter

What do you mean, “what’s the beauty filter”? This fantastic Zoom setting has been the saviour for many an early morning meeting over the past 18 months. It can blur and enhance and generally flatter, making you look awake and rested. If you’ve used the beauty filter on your phone for selfies, then you’ll know just what a lifesaver this can be!

Dress Up!

Find your brightest and boldest Christmas jumpers , Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and go for it – it’s Christmas. Nothing is too much. Santa will be delighted to see you getting into the Christmas spirit, and if you choose to have a recording of your call, it will be wonderful in future years to have that memory of you all looking so festive.

Zoom Call with Santa Claus

All you need to do now is book your convenient date and time, and we’ll do the rest, getting in touch with Santa and updating his diary. Visit our bookings page , and don’t forget any added extras, such as recording your call, extended time, or booking a story with Santa at a later date. Santa would also like details about the youngsters on the call, just to jog his memory. You’re also welcome to book a call with Mrs Claus (very popular with younger children), or order a Personalised Letter from Santa, a Secret Santa Box, or even buy our exclusive Santa’s Calling You book to read over the festive period.

Santa’s looking forward to calling you!

Christmas Dinner Traditions

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:52:18 GMT

Christmas Dinner Traditions

One thing we all have at Christmas are family traditions around what we have for dinner. For many of us, that means a turkey – often one we’re just about able to fit in the oven. And don’t forget the sprouts, complete with family traditions about putting them on to boil on Halloween!

We’ve already been warned that some of our Christmas favourites might not be available this year, and that some traditional staples might be in short supply. This means we might have to make do with substitutes, or even think up completely new menus for a special meal on the big day.

One thing we can be sure of is that Christmas is going to happen on the 25 ^th December, ready or not, so planning your Christmas menu – and a few alternatives – now is a smart move. Here are a few alternative festive treats from around Europe to add to your table:

Portugal

The Portuguese go mad for cakes and pastries at Christmas. Particularly Christmassy are sonhos, which are a kind of deep-fried doughnut with plenty of sugar and cinnamon to spice them up. As well as being made from traditional doughnut ingredients such as flour and eggs, you are just as likely to find a variety made from flour and boiled, mashed pumpkin. A more popular Portuguese Christmas treat still is King cake (bolo rei), which has a little more in common with our traditional Christmas cakes. A dry cake, it’s made from a soft dough with nuts and candied fruits for sweetness. But there’s a trick – inside each bolo rei is a broad bean. Find that, and it’s your turn to buy the next round of cakes.

Czech Republic

Something savoury more your style? Travel to Prague in the run up to Christmas where you’ll see fish farmers selling live carp from water-filled tanks. The traditional Christmas meal for Czech families is fried carp with potato salad, a tradition dating back to at least the 19th century. Although perhaps your family meal might end up being just potato salad when you consider it’s also traditional to purchase your carp still alive, then have it swimming around at home in the bath tub until your Christmas Eve meal. If you are hardy enough to butcher your own carp for Christmas dinner, don’t forget to save a scale to carry around in your purse or wallet all year for good luck.

Germany

Germany is the home of the Christmas market, and a trip through a Berlin festive market at this time of year will bring you to several stalls serving glühwein and pfannkuchen – in other words, mulled wine and jam-filled doughnuts. Pfannkuchen are actually referred to as “Berlin pancakes”, or even just as a pancake (meaning John F Kennedy actually informed the people of Berlin in June 1963 “I am a doughnut”!). Berliners are sold all year round, but they have a particular role to play at New Year’s Eve parties; for every eight doughnuts that are filled with jam, you add one filled in with mustard to play a culinary trick on an unlucky guest!

Russia

Russian salad was born from necessity during the Soviet era when anything other than the basics in terms of party food was hard to get hold of. Rich mayonnaise is mixed with ham, eggs, potatoes, and any vegetables available (usually peas and carrots, often tinned), and it’s both filling and tasty – either on its own, or served with meat. The staple New Year film in Russia is “Irony of Fate”, a 1975 Soviety-era romantic comedy also known as ‘Enjoy your Bath!’, and based on the 1971 play ‘Once on New Year’s Eve’, and Russian – also known as Olivier or Stolichniy – salad features heavily. The film is so popular it has outlasted the Cold War era, and every New Year’s Eve millions tune in all over Russia and former Soviet states to watch. The premise plays on the fact that in the Brezhnev-era USSR, all apartments looked the same, even down to having the same front door key, and having the same addresses in multiple cities across the country. When a drunken young man is put on a flight from Moscow to Leningrad by mistake one New Year’s Eve, you can imagine what happens…

Whether you’re sticking to the traditional Sunday-Roast-Plus, or whether you’re adding in a Berliner and giving up the bathtub to a temporary pet carp this Christmas, be sure to get the season off to a festive start with a live video call direct from the North Pole with Santa Claus. Santa might be back in grottos this year, but by the power of Santa Magic, he’s also on Zoom, and ready to call you whenever you like as a family in the run up to Christmas. Get those Christmas jumpers on, make a mug of hot chocolate, and book your video call with Santa from Santa’s Calling You today.

A Letter from Santa Claus

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:21:38 GMT

A Letter from Santa Claus

In addition to spending the pandemic getting to grips with technology, Santa has been honing his letter writing skills. This year, through Santa’s Calling You , he is offering a personalised letter from Santa service – can you imagine how thrilled the kids will be to receive a letter from the big man himself prior to Christmas Eve?

We at Santa’s Calling You have permission from Santa to use the North Pole stamp of approval, so ordering a personalised letter from Santa Claus to invite the family to a video call for festive fun is an amazing way to start Christmas.

Your letter will also include Magic Reindeer food for the children to sprinkle outside so that they can find your house on Christmas Eve (don’t worry, if the reindeer aren’t hungry, birds like it too!).

But how and why did we start writing letters to Santa Claus? Here’s a bit of history.

The first letter to Santa in the UK would seem to date from 1895. A young girl in Lincolnshire asked Santa for a paint set, and the letter still forms part of the archives of a local Lincolnshire newspaper, the Grantham Journal. Apparently, she got her box of paints.

The story behind the letter is a sad one. The girl’s father had died of smallpox, and the family were in extreme poverty. The little girl and her brother decided to write to “Father Christmas, The North Pole, the GPO” – the letter read “We should like to have something to play with as we have nothing”. Whether a kindly postmaster decided to have a whip-round to get gifts for the children or whether the letter was indeed passed on to Santa, Christmas was just a little bit happier than it might otherwise have been.

Within a decade, the Post Office was receiving thousands of letters to Santa Claus every single year, and they needed a department dedicated to them – initially the ‘returned mail’ office at Mount Pleasant in London (meaning that sadly, they weren’t always answered) – and by the 1920s they were struggling to cope with the volume. Also, until 1913, it was technically illegal to reply to a letter to Santa Claus (especially letters address to Santa under some of his other names, as there are quite a few people with surnames like Christmas, Kringle, and Nicholas, and undoing someone else’s post was – and is – against the law!). Plenty of postmasters did break the law and allow staff to answer them, and then from just before the First World War, a permanent exception to the rule was made. Even so, letters have to be addressed explicitly to “Santa Claus” to avoid the risk of reading someone else’s private letters.

It would be another 40 years before the the Post Office would be able to find a better solution – prompted by the French!

By 1962, the French government was having a similar problem. However, letters to Santa Claus are serious business, so a new law was made. Every letter addressed to “La Père Noël” had to be replied to with a postcard from Santa Claus. The Postmaster General in the UK was rather caught on the hop; at that year’s Christmas press conference, he was asked if this process could be adopted here in the UK. Not to be outdone by his French counterparts, he hinted that yes indeed, this was possible.

So from Christmas 1963, reply cards were sent out with the simple message “be good; be fast asleep”, complete with a ‘Reindeerland’ postmark.

However, some early letters were from Santa, as parents used them as a useful ‘behave, or else’ tool in the run up to Christmas. The poet Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, wrote letters to her children every Christmas, detailing particular actions over the course of the year. One example to her son Charley in 1851 reads “I am sorry I sometimes hear you are not so kind to your little brother as I wish you were”. Other writers took the charade one step further – for 25 years, J.R.R. Tolkien stepped out of creating Middle Earth and would leave his children (presumably well into young adulthood!) detailed updates on life in the North Pole, complete with snow elves, red gnomes, and Santa’s assistant in chief, the North Polar Bear.

Post Offices also presented a ‘magic solution’ for getting letters to Santa before they put a reply system in place. In a stroke of creativity, they suggested to children that their letters to Santa were put on the fire, so that they would go ‘up in smoke’ straight up the chimney, directly to Santa on Christmas Eve as he was coming down! Scottish children would also help matters along by putting their heads up the chimney and shouting their Christmas requests.

To save yourself having to shout up the chimney, book your live video call direct from the North Pole now, and simply add a letter from Santa as an add-on. Don’t forget to look at our other extras – our Secret Santa Box and Santa’s Calling You Story Time Book - and add these too for an extra magical Christmas 2021.

The History of a Victorian Christmas

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 14:06:29 GMT

A Victorian Christmas

“God bless us every one”, said Tiny Tim.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and you wouldn’t be far from the truth – or at least the fact that the Victorians invented Christmas as we would recognise it today.

It’s almost impossible to believe that at the start of the 19 ^th century, Christmas was just an event on the church calendar, and barely celebrated by ordinary families. However, Victorians were nothing if not innovators and inventors, and by the end of the century many of their achievements led to us celebrating a Christmas we’d recognise.

Carols were nothing new – there are recognisable ‘Christmas carols’ dating back nearly a thousand years – but the first proper collection of Christmas carols dates from 1833, with many settings of old words to new tunes.

The young Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert were extremely family focused, and the drawing of the royal family in the Illustrated London News in 1848 that depicted them celebrating Christmas around a decorated tree fired up the new middle class to copy them. Decorated trees at Christmas were a tradition in Albert’s native Germany, and within a few years the new middle classes all wanted trees with candles and homemade decorations. Small gifts were hung on the tree, but this is also when larger gifts found their natural home underneath.

Christmas cards are also a Victorian invention. In 1843, a man called Henry Cole asked an artist to design a festive scene suitable for turning into a card he could send to his friends. Showing people around the dinner table and with a Christmas message, the cards were too expensive at one shilling each for most ordinary people to afford, so commercial cards were not an instant hit. Once again the royal family took the lead, and Queen Victoria encouraged her children to make their own, something which caught on across the country. Victorian industry meant that printing soon caught up with demand, and improvements in colour printing technology meant that the price of commercial Christmas cards dropped enough to make them affordable for everyone. By 1880m 11.5 million Christmas cards were produced and sent, giving lie to the suggestion that the commercialisation of Christmas is a modern development!

Victorian Christmas traditions didn’t end with decorated trees and Christmas cards; if you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember that the go-to brand of Christmas crackers in your childhood was Tom Smith. Smith was actually a British confectioner, and the cracker appeared out of his ingenious new idea for selling sweets in 1848. Recently returned from Paris, he was inspired by the sugared almonds he’d seen wrapped up in coloured paper. He had the idea of adding a snapper to the wrapped up sweets, which popped when the package was pulled apart. Sweets were joined by – and then replaced by – paper hats and small gifts as the century progressed, and Christmas crackers still remain a popular part of our Christmas celebrations.

It wasn’t just trees that underwent more elaborate decoration at home over the Christmas period – that’s when we started decorating our houses in earnest as well. The mediaeval Christmas celebrations had involved elaborate decoration with evergreens; although this continued, the Victorians had more elegant tastes. Cassell’s Family Magazine in 1881 had elaborate instructions for the lady of the house on how to “bring about a general feeling of enjoyment” through tasteful decoration at Christmas.

Other aspects of the more elaborate, pre-Industrial Revolution mediaeval Christmas celebrations that were resurrected including what we eat. The Christmas Feast predated the Victorian period by several centuries, but our traditional Christmas dinner has its roots here. Mince pies stopped containing meat, and the fruit pies we know today became very popular among the middle and upper classes. Roast turkey gained in popularity too, being the perfect size for most families to enjoy for Christmas dinner.

And what about Santa? Well, at the beginning of the 19 ^th century, he looks more like the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol, younger, often with garlands of holly on his head, and presiding over a generous feast. However, the Victorian focus on the family meant that this was the century he changed his appearance. The German-born American illustrator Thomas Nast can be credited with securing his classic look, and this was also the century where Santa Claus and Father Christmas – once two separate figures – merged and became interchangeable. Santa became generous and cheerful, and dedicated to giving children a good Christmas.

Santa is no different today, of course, and isn’t afraid to keep up with the times. Book now to secure your live video call with Santa Claus this Christmas, direct from the North Pole!

The History of the Christmas Jumper

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:59:53 GMT

The History of the Christmas Jumper

Christmas jumpers are one of the best things about the run up to the big day. As the weather turns colder, nothing is better for keeping us warm and feeling festive. There’s even a Christmas Jumper Day (Friday 10 ^th December in 2021) for charity, so there’s no excuse not to wrap up and get the Santa hat on as well.

But when did we start wearing Christmas jumpers? The term used to mean the lovingly hand-knitted (if hideous) items our grannies used to make for us every year, and we definitely didn’t want to wear those with the same enthusiasm as we do today.

The history of Traditional Christmas jumpers can be traced back to 19 ^th century Scandinavia, where thick, warm, brightly coloured jumpers were ideal for staving off the chill of winter. Closely related to the Fair Isle geometric patterns worn by fishermen (reputedly to assist in the identification of sailors lost at sea), these Scandinavian sweaters were rapidly adopted by skiers. Popular patterns included suggestions of the Scandinavian landscapes, and particularly some of the shapes and colours we think of with traditional Christmas jumpers today. They even became symbols of an affluent, jet-set lifestyle for tourists returning from skiing holidays!

When the first breakfast television programmes launched on BBC and ITV in the early 1980s, we welcomed the presenters into our homes almost as one of the family. As we munched through tea and toast, they brought us the news and weather, and even “the only rat ever to join a sinking ship”, the beloved Roland Rat, who garnered an army of ratfans and is credited with saving ITV’s breakfast venture.

They were also part of our lives at Christmas – Gyles Brandreth was known for some particularly garish examples. The Christmas style icon owned 38 at the time of a Telegraph interview in 2014, and has probably added a few more by now.

The profoundly annoying and entertaining in equal measure host of Wacaday, Timmy Mallett, was also known for some particularly striking ensembles during December. Evening presenters with comfortable and familiar shows were also guilty, with the essential for Christmas Val Doonican popularising festive winter wear for men.

With the 1990s came Cool Britannia, and the Christmas jumper with Santa, Christmas trees, or Rudolph became naff, and the stuff of unwanted knitwear from elderly relatives once again. The likes of Noel Edmonds still ploughed on, with his “Noel’s Christmas Presents” show, a staple of Christmas Day from 1989 to 1999 on the BBC. The baton was picked up in several popular 1980s and 1990s Christmas films, however – the Griswolds hark back to the geometric Scandinavian patterns in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The same goes for Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) in Home Alone in 1990. 1990s Christmas jumpers seem notable by their Scandinavian chic on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, we don’t get a return to the truly fantastic and over the top designs until Colin Firth’s Christmas jumper in the first Bridget Jones film in 2001.

If you wanted an indication of just how much the popularity of the Christmas jumper has soared in the past decade, just look at George at Asda’s sales figures; in 2012, they produced two designs, and sold 2,500 jumpers. Just four years later, they were producing 50 different styles, with sales of over half a million.

It’s thought that around one in five people will put on a festive jumper on Christmas Day, and for some, the more over the top the better, including fairy lights, baubles, and other 3D elements. It’s likely that the future will see jumpers with fibre optics controlled by phone apps, which will really kick the festive season off in style!

You don’t have to wait until Christmas Day to wear your jumper, however. There’s nothing more appropriate to wear for a live video call with Santa Claus from the North Pole, and Santa loves to see the whole family entering into the festive spirit and getting ready to celebrate Christmas together.

Booking is open to arrange a time for Santa to call you, so grab your timeslot now to avoid disappointment. Don’t forget, if the little ones are nervous about speaking to the big man, Mrs Claus or one of Santa’s Elves can call instead, and will be more than happy to pass on any special requests for Christmas. All we need at Santa’s Calling You are a few details such as names and ages, and we’ll do the rest. If you’d like a lasting reminder of your special call from Santa Claus, we can send you a recording via email within seven days for you to keep for a small extra charge. We have a few new add-ons this year to make Christmas even more special, so don’t forget to check them out on the bookings page .

Although Santa is back face to face this year, a Zoom call with Santa Claus is the perfect way to have a cosy family start to the festive season.

Christmas Stories, A Letter from the North Pole and a Secret Santa Surprise!

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 15:17:55 GMT

Christmas Stories, a Letter from the North Pole and a Secret Santa Surprise!

We all love a good story at Christmas. Whether you prefer a good ghostly tale like A Christmas Carol, or if you’re more inclined to burying yourself in cheese and tinsel from the Hallmark Channel from mid-November onwards, festive tales form a central part of all our Christmas preparations. Dickens and Christmas seem almost inseparable, and where would we be without the Grinch, Buddy the Elf, and The Snowman? Christmas stories can make our festive preparations and celebrations just that bit more special.

Here at Santa’s Calling You , we’ve spent the past year working with Santa Claus on a Christmas story for children of all ages to enjoy. Written by James Bartlett and illustrated by Yogesh Mahajan, this new Christmas story tells the tale of the year that changed the world, and how the true meaning of Christmas was – and is – still intact. This book is read during the Story Time add-on to calls, and it will be delivered to your door in time for Christmas for you to enjoy as a family in future years. It’s the perfect way to help little ones process the past two years and reassure them that Christmas will always be Christmas. Having your call recorded means you can relive Santa’s story again and again.

Another Christmas tradition we personally can’t do without is writing a letter to Santa Claus. Back in the 1970s, this writer would dutifully post a letter to Santa Claus at the North Pole every 1st December (always helped by Mum or Dad) and would always get a response – and in one memorable year, by second post on Christmas Eve! We are delighted to bring you our very own Personalised Letter from Santa this year. Santa has been thinking hard about how he can make this an even better Christmas for children and would like to write to little ones who book a live video call with Santa Claus, direct from the North Pole. The letter will arrive through the post and will include Magic Reindeer Food (which is environmentally friendly) for you to sprinkle either outside the door or in the garden so that Santa can find your home on Christmas Eve (if you’re in a flat, outside the front door or on the windowsill will do – Santa will be able to find you!). All you need to do is give Santa all the details for the child or children he is writing to, and we will do the rest.

One other new tradition Santa suggests for this year is the Santa’s Calling You Secret Santa Family Box , which enhances our motto of “it is not what is under the Christmas Tree that matters but what is around it that counts!” Assembled by our Chief Elf, this handpicked box is packed full of items to enjoy together as a family. We can’t tell you what’s in it or we’ll end up on the naughty list with no presents, but we can tell you there’s a lovely keepsake gift in there too for you to enjoy in Christmases future! Christmas should be all about making memories, so the family time our Secret Santa box encourages will be extra valuable, especially this year. Every child loves a good surprise and what better than a box full of surprises for all the family to enjoy together!

All three items are additional extras to our popular Zoom Call with Santa Claus , live from the North Pole, but we’re sure you’ll agree, they work beautifully together to make an extra special Christmas, something we’re all excited for this year. Get those Christmas jumpers on, get the tree up, make some hot chocolate, and wait for Santa to call you.

Although we’re not quite out of the pandemic yet, there’s every indication that life will be a lot easier this Christmas, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get into the festive spirit early and make sure that your Christmas plans and traditions are in place. Booking a live video call with Santa Claus direct from the North Pole helps you avoid the crowds in shopping centres, and gives you that extra special time with Santa on your own, just you and your family.

Don’t forget, calls with Santa, Mrs Claus, or even one of Santa’s Elves are available right up to and including Christmas Eve (please note that the week before Christmas and Christmas Eve itself cost extra, as they’re all super busy then!), so it’s never too late – or too early! – to get your Christmas spirit on.

Book now to avoid disappointment – this is going to be a bumper Christmas!

Santa Claus is coming to Zoom!

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 09:42:26 GMT

Santa Claus is coming to Zoom!

Although life is a bit easier than it was this time last year and we can see our loved ones face to face once again, Santa Claus is aware that not everybody is ready to join the crowds of Christmas shoppers just yet to come and see him in person. Just as he did last year, Santa Claus is taking bookings to speak to you online so that you can have a Zoom call with Santa whenever you like in the run up to Christmas – best of all, the whole family can join in and make a real party out of it!

Just like last year, Santa is aware that younger children might be a bit overwhelmed speaking to him, so the kindly Mrs Claus is also on hand to talk to the little ones. Santa’s Elves are also waiting to give the lowdown on the behind the scenes preparations for Christmas at the North Pole, and chat to you about all the best Christmas craft activities you can get up to at home.

With cases of Covid-19 inevitably rising as we get into the winter months, a Zoom call with Santa rather than queueing to see him in a crowded grotto is the best way to make sure the whole family stay well over the Christmas season.

If you didn’t call Santa with us last Christmas, it really is very simple to prepare for a virtual visit from Santa – just make a booking on the website with your chosen date and time, and Santa will call you, live from the North Pole! Santa is very interested in knowing all about you, so don’t forget to complete his form with some details such as everybody’s names, what you’d like for Christmas, and what’s your favourite thing about the festive season. Make a day of it – get those Christmas jumpers out, make a mug of hot chocolate, and binge watch all your favourite Christmas films together as a family after the call. Why not get the decorations up, book early, and take a selfie with the family to use as this year’s Christmas card. We all deserve to make Christmas last a bit longer this year.

Santa spent ages learning how to keep in touch with everyone over Zoom over the past two years and he thinks it’s a brilliant way not just to talk to as many children as possible before Christmas Eve, but to say hello to the rest of the family too. Santa would like to reassure grown-ups that he is DBS checked (as are Mrs Claus and the Elves). Santa and the whole North Pole gang have also undergone extensive training in how to give you the very best festive experience during your call, as they’re huge fans of continuing professional development even though they’ve been in the job nearly as long as there’s been Christmas!

All you need is a device capable of running Zoom – a phone, tablet, PC or laptop – and a good, stable internet connection, either over wi-fi, or if you have a generous data package this will also work well. Your call is password protected, meaning that only you and Santa can access that link. We record all of the calls for two good reasons – everyone’s security, and so that you can request a copy of the video for an extra fee to relive the experience before the big day.

As you can imagine, Santa’s got a tale or two to tell, so if you want to book a Christmas reading with him he is an excellent storyteller. Even the Elves want to get in on the act – get crafting first and show them all your best Christmas creations!

Although Santa, Mrs Claus, and the Elves only speak English, you can book a call live from the North Pole wherever you are in the world. We will make sure that you are called at your booking time in your time zone, as Santa is keen to speak to as many children as he can all over the world this Christmas.

Don't be a pudding, you'd be absolutely crackers to miss the opportunity to have a live video call with Santa Claus this Christmas. It's the best way to make sure that everybody dodges Covid-19 out and about in the Christmas shopping crowds and makes the most the festive, fun, family Christmas, free of sniffles and sneezes.

Santa’s Calling You promise you the best live from the North Pole experience, and hope that we can be part of bringing you a real Winter Wonderland, and the best Christmas ever. Get ready as Santa Claus is coming to Zoom!

How to video call Santa Claus this Christmas

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 11:28:44 GMT

How to Video Call Santa Claus this Christmas

It’s been a really strange year for everyone, and it’s not letting up yet. Although vaccines are now on the horizon and we’re looking at being able to meet our families more or less as normal at Easter, Christmas 2020 is going to be a quiet one for everyone. Although we can see our families for a short time, you might feel it’s safer to wait for a few months, and you might feel like you want to avoid the shops altogether. One thing that is sadly out for this year is queueing to see Santa Claus live in his grotto.

However, all is not lost. There is a perfectly safe, Covid-compliant way to see Santa Claus this year, and best of all, you can take part as a family. At Santa’s Calling You , we’ve teamed up with the big man to bring you live video calls with Santa Claus in the run up to Christmas, allowing you to have a private family call straight from the North Pole that is totally Tier and Lockdown proof!

How to Video Call Santa Claus this Christmas Video

How can I call Santa?

It’s easy. Just book a live video call through our website. It’s a unique and alternative Santa’s grotto experience which Covid isn’t going to spoil for anyone. We know that the idea of speaking to Santa can be a bit scary for very small children, so if they’d feel more comfortable talking to kindly Mrs Claus or to Elf Twinkle Toes instead, then they’d be happy to give any messages to Santa Claus for you.

You will need to download the Zoom app to your computer, laptop, tablet, or phone to allow you to call Santa Claus.

If you’ve been using other platforms for work and FaceTime for friends and family chats, you might want to familiarise yourself with Zoom a bit first before your call. You can schedule calls with your contacts in advance, and even set a festive background for yourself!

Santa can also read the children a bedtime story – an ideal add on in the few days before Christmas!

What is the best way to speak to Santa?

Obviously, a live video call from the North Pole through Santa’s Calling You ! Have a look on our booking page and fix a time that’s convenient for the whole family where you can all sit down together and enjoy talking to Santa about how he prepares for Christmas, and why he can visit everyone in the world in one night.

You might want to make a special day of it, with plenty of Christmas-themed activities for the whole family beforehand. Why not do some Christmas baking with the children , or make some decorations ? You could also look down our list of Christmas films to watch as a family and have a movie night after you’ve spoken to Santa.

How does a Zoom call with Santa work?

You can find full information on how to set up your Zoom call with Santa in the FAQ section on our website, but here’s quick rundown:

• First of all, you’ll need a device capable of making or receiving video calls and running a programme called Zoom, which you can download from the relevant app store for your device, or to a computer from www.zoom.us . It’s free, and easy to use, but it’s worth familiarising yourself with it a bit first just to make sure you get the most out of your call with Santa, so call a friend or family member also running Zoom as a test run if you haven’t used it before!

• All calls are 100% live and our Santas, Mrs. Claus and Elves are all fully DBS checked and highly trained to live up to the very best North Pole standards. We record all calls for security purposes and delete them after seven days – you are able to purchase a copy of your call should you want to watch it through again in future. We do ask that we are able to see an adult of 18 or over at all times on screen with the children.

• Bookings are open NOW until Christmas Eve! Your call will be between eight and ten minutes long and you are able to add extra time or even a story to your call should you wish to do so. We recommend that no more than three children are on the call, but if you have a bigger family you might want to add an extra five minutes or so to make sure that everybody gets a chance to speak to Santa! We can even add in an extra household – just mention this in the information box when booking so that we can add an extra device to the video call link.

• Our Santas, Mrs. Claus and Elves only speak English, but we do offer a worldwide service even though we’re based in the UK. With the magic of green screen technology, all calls will appear to be coming straight from the North Pole!

• A live video call from us has several advantages over waiting in line to see Santa in a grotto, especially this year where restrictions and lockdowns are likely to impact hugely on whether it’s possible to see Santa at all. The information you provide us with beforehand makes it a truly personal experience for the whole family, and there’s no chance of it being cancelled. Who knows, a live video call with Santa might even become a new family tradition!

Can Santa call me today?

Yes he can! Just put your details through on the booking form , make a mug of hot chocolate, put on your Christmas jumpers and Santa hats, and wait for our call!

Merry Christmas!

How not to Let COVID Ruin Christmas

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 11:04:00 GMT

How Not To Let Covid Ruin Christmas

It's fair to say that 2020 hasn't exactly been a vintage year. It's been confusing and difficult, and there has been precious little fun to be had. It's no wonder that social media currently seems to be awash with people putting their Christmas decorations early and trying to get some festive spirit going. However, COVID-19 hasn't gone away, and this isn't going to be a normal Christmas. Even though the government has relaxed household mixing rules for the period around Christmas Day, we're still going to have to stick to social distancing, wearing masks, and staying away from most of our friends and family for just a little longer.

We're still going to have to do most of our socialising online for a few months yet, and we could make some really bad jokes about how it's all ending in tiers. However, we are - if you'll allow us just one pun - making sure there are no more Christmas tiers for children this year by making sure they can speak to Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all the Elves via live video calls (but more on that later).

As we emerge from lockdown and into Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three this December, Christmas 2020 is going to need a bit of extra planning, but there are lots of ways you can make it a festive season like no other, and one you'll remember for all the right reasons. Plus, we promise they don't all involve Zoom!

How will COVID-19 affect Christmas 2020?

A lot of the things we are used to in the run up to Christmas simply won't happen this year, or at least not in the same way they usually do, however we should not let it ruin Christmas.

Lots of Christmas markets won't open, and there won't be many staged pantomimes. Seeing Santa live in the usual way is also going to be something we'll have to miss out on this year. Even small things like fewer festive coffees and shopping exhibitions will mark out Christmas 2020 as a potential damp squib, no matter what Boris Johnson tells us!

Here are some tips to feel more like Buddy the Elf than the Grinch.

Keep old traditions and make new ones

Whether you usually make the house look like Santa's Grotto at the North Pole, or just put a tasteful small tree on the sideboard, get those decorations up and switch on the fairy lights. Most cultures and religions have traditions involving lights and warmth at this time of year, so snuggle under a blanket and enjoy the twinkly glow! Although we're not recommending eating your bodyweight in mince pies and Quality Street every day this month, make your favourite festive foods or even try some new ones.

Get that Christmas shopping done!

It's likely that a lot of us will be too concerned about maintaining social distancing to do much of our shopping on the high street this year. Unfortunately, a lot of small businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic and need our money in their tills more than ever. Check whether they have a web presence and an online shop where you can order presents and have them sent directly to their recipients. If you want to give the wrapping the personal touch, take advantage of the Post Office's new parcel collect service.

Decorate Outside!

Since it's safer to socialise outdoors this festive period, why not decorate your front or back garden and have warming mugs of mulled wine or cider or hot chocolate outside with guests? Put small night light candles in jam jars and enjoy the festive glow of candlelight outside. This is an excellent way to meet up with people safely where you are allowed to within the rules of the Three Tier system, and a pretty good new tradition to start for future Christmas celebrations!

Build a blanket fort

On a cold winter day, there's nothing better than huddling down as a family with drinks and snacks and indulging yourself in some festive films. Check out our recommendations in our blog all about the best Christmas films to watch with the kids. If you're curious about how we did Christmas in the 1970s and 1980s, YouTube has a wealth of trailers for programmes from Christmases past!

Visit Santa Online

Santa isn't seeing children face to face this Christmas as the current restrictions mean it wouldn't be safe to do so. He realises how disappointing this is, so he has taught himself how to use Zoom so that he can speak to as many children as possible between now and Christmas Day. He's looking forward to seeing the whole family together and will even read a story to children if asked.

Because this year - with lockdown lessons and other disruptions - has been so unsettling, Santa knows that speaking to him might be too scary for the very small, so would like to let you know that Mrs. Claus or Elf Twinkle Toes are happy to speak to you instead and pass any messages onto him.

One thing is for certain - COVID-19 means that you'll never forget this Christmas. You might not be able to see grandparents or other family members, and you might not be able to take part in some of your familiar Christmas traditions. One thing is for certain; you won't forget 2020, so it's the ideal opportunity to take stock of your familiar Christmas traditions and to build new ones that you can carry on in years to come.

Make your own Christmas decorations

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 12:00:02 GMT

Make your own Christmas Decorations

If it's December, then it must be time to get the Christmas tree up!

Whether you're tired of the same old ornaments or just want to do something different for Christmas this year - and let's face it, 2020 is all about doing things differently - this could be the year when you make your own.

Christmas ornaments can be as complex or as simple as you like, and they're also a great family activity if you want to get the kids involved too and make it a joint DIY Christmas activity.

So instead of getting the Christmas ornaments out of the loft and dusting them off, have a look at our ideas below for what you can make by yourself. These are all easy to make requiring a little skill and perfect for a DIY Christmas.

First Things First

Raid the local pound shop for craft materials, and plain plastic baubles. If you're feeling really ambitious, a quick trip to a craft store for a hot glue gun might be useful for more ambitious DIY Christmas ornaments, but otherwise a good craft or PVA glue will be all you'll need.

Felt Ornaments

The best thing about felt is that you don't need to hem it. It doesn't fray, and it's brilliant for cutting out shapes and gluing then together to make familiar Christmas shapes or characters (as anyone old enough to remember Fuzzy Felt will know!). Felt ornaments are great for garlands or for hanging from the tree.

Card templates for stars, baubles, Christmas trees and snowmen are all easy to work with and add detail to with sequins, ribbon, or braid. you could even get creative with a needle and thread and embroider shapes and patterns on them.

Velvet Gift Bag Ornaments

If you have small presents that need an extra special wrapper, these are gorgeous, and very easy to make. They're also equally good stuffed with scraps of material from your other crafting efforts. Draw around a saucer on the wrong side of your material with dressmaker's chalk and cut out carefully. Again, velvet doesn't fray very easily, but you may choose to hem the edge, or cover it with braid or ribbon. Wrap your present, bauble, or craft scraps, and tie the top with a Christmas ribbon. Glue small sparkly beads or paste jewels onto the outside of the bag for an extra festive look.

Decoupage Baubles

Here's a good way to make those dull plastic decorations into DIY Christmas ornaments to be proud of. This will only work on a smooth surface, so discard any baubles that are glittery or otherwise uneven. Tear up small pieces of colourful tissue paper and glue them to the ornament with PVA glue. Continue until the bauble is completely covered, and make sure there's a good extra layer of glue on the outside to seal the paper down. Note that these will take days to dry properly, so either hang them on the tree to dry (well out of the reach of the cat or other small hands!), or in the airing cupboard or above a radiator.

Pom Poms

If you're an avid knitter, you've probably got the end of several brightly coloured balls of wall laying around that you can't quite bear to throw away. Pom poms on their own make stylish and fun DIY Christmas tree ornaments, or you can make snowmen or Christmas puddings. Pink wool will be great for an elf face (glue on small pieces of felt for features, and glue in a piece of card covered in bright felt for a hat), and you could even make a pom pom wreath instead of using greenery. You can buy pom pom makers from most craft shops, but it's easy to make your own card templates at home, especially if you want to make lots of different sizes.

Christmas List Ornaments

These are an excellent craft activity for younger children to join in with - especially if they're in the habit of thinking that Santa will 'know' what they want for Christmas and they happen not to mention it to you! Save as many cardboard toilet roll holders as you think you might need Christmas lists (grownups are not exempt!) and paint them in bright, Christmassy colours. Put them aside to dry and get writing your Christmas lists on a long strip of paper narrower than the width of the toilet roll holder. Glue the top edge of the list to the cardboard holder and wrap the paper carefully around until you can pull it down to read...well, like toilet paper! Thread a ribbon through each holder and tie a Christmas gift tag to each one with the list-writer's name on it. Hang them up along the mantelpiece, or on the tree.

After Crafting

After you've finished your crafting sessions, you'll be feeling well and truly in the Christmas spirit. Why not make yourselves a mug of hot chocolate (or mulled wine for the grownups!) and sit and watch a Christmas film, or better still, book yourselves a live video call with Santa Claus .

Santa knows that he won't be able to see children in his Grotto this year, so he has spent the past few months learning how to use Zoom so that he can call children all the way from the North Pole. He knows that some children might have been worried that Christmas would be cancelled this year, so he is really looking forward to speaking to as many of them as he can to reassure them that he is on his way on Christmas Eve as usual, and that nobody needs to worry about him being safe as he has plenty of masks and hand sanitiser.

He also knows that this year has been confusing and frightening for very young children, and that they may be scared to talk to him directly. The very kind Mrs. Claus is looking forward to speaking to the youngest children if they would prefer, as is Elf Twinkle Toes, who is looking forward to telling them all about the last minute preparations for Christmas at the North Pole ( and to running a craft session herself! ).

Book now and turn a Covid Christmas into a happy handmade Christmas!

The very best Christmas films to watch with kids

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 11:50:42 GMT

The Very Best Christmas Films to Watch with Kids

If there is one thing a Covid Christmas 2020 guarantees, it is that we will be spending more time sitting in front of the TV together as a family. This means you will never get a better opportunity to watch some of the best Christmas films ever made with the whole family all together. In fact, why not start right now and make sure you work through these great Christmas movies for kids?

Frozen

No list of Christmas or indeed movies for children would be complete without it. The tale of Elsa, Anna, and friendly snowman Olaf that dreams of seeing Summer makes this a must see, and very probably a sing along. Not strictly a Christmas film as such, it does have a reindeer! The faultless vocal talents of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel make this a joy to listen to as well as watch.

Elf

If you haven't seen Elf, is it even Christmas? Will Ferrell's cotton-headed ninny-muggins Buddy is the baby who accidentally crawled into Santa's sack and ends up being raised at the North Pole by Papa Elf. In the best Christmas tradition, it is Buddy's job to make sure his natural father Walter makes it from the naughty list to the nice list, and to prove to everyone that Santa Claus is real.

Jingle all the way

In an unlikely comedy outing for Arnold Schwarzenegger, he excels as Howard Langston, the workaholic mattress salesman who is never quite there for his family. In a film inspired by the sell out toy crazes of the 1990s, the film tells the story of the ever more outrageous rivalry between Howard and another father, Myron, for the last Turbo-Man doll in town. The film has a strong and heart-warming message about giving at Christmas.

Disney's A Christmas Carol

Out of all the many versions of Dickens' classic available, this version from 2009 is an excellent holiday season choice to introduce children to the story. Filmed using motion capture techniques, Jim Carrey plays a multitude of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts! The film was criticised at the time for its dark themes as a Disney product, but is now established as one of the best recent versions of A Christmas Carol.

Home Alone

It does not seem possible that Home Alone is now 30 years old, and yet it seems to always have been part of Christmas. Kevin is accidentally left at home alone in Chicago when his family accidentally oversleep and rush to the airport for a Christmas trip to Paris. Befriending his neighbour, Old Man Marley, Kevin manages to reunite him with his son and granddaughter, as well as getting the better of Harry and Marv, two criminals who try to break into his house.

The Santa Clause

Spoiler alert: although this film technically deals with the death of Santa Claus, it also happily explains exactly why Santa will go on forever (and gives a useful get out for explaining away any instances of multiple Santas at any point!). Toy salesman Scott Calvin accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall off his roof and inherits the red suit under what is known as the Santa Clause. Over the coming year, he gradually morphs into...Santa!

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Another retelling of the Charles Dickens classic, but with a characteristic Muppet twist! This is one Christmas story which never gets old, and certainly not when the familiar characters are adapted to fit their Muppet characteristics. With Michael Caine playing Scrooge, and Statler and Waldorf playing Jacob and Robert Marley, not to mention Fozziwig's rubber chicken factory, this is one Christmas film you cannot miss and that the kids will love.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas

Christmas movie? Halloween movie? We have no idea, but a good spooky story is a great addition to a family Christmas film night. Jack Skellington is bored with the usual holiday routine at Halloween Town and tries to take over the traditions of the different holiday at Christmas Town. However, the spooky 'Christmas' gifts from Halloween Town scare their recipients, and it is up to Santa to save Christmas.

The Polar Express

Another stop-motion masterpiece, this is the tale of a young boy who does not believe in Santa. As he struggles to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, a steam engine pulls on his street. This is the Polar Express, which takes him all the way to the North Pole. It's a train full of adventure, and when the boy returns home he finds a present in his stocking the following morning containing the train's bell, which can only be heard by those who 'truly believe'.

Scrooged

Definitely not one for the younger kids, but if you wanted a special film night with the teenagers after the little ones have gone to bed, this - the third retelling of "A Christmas Carol" in our list! - is the best Christmas movie to get them to stay put and spend some family time. Bill Murray's workaholic television executive is charged with putting on a Christmas Eve extravaganza, and his encounters with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future give him a wakeup call he will not forget.

Watching Christmas movies for kids together is not the only whole family activity this Christmas. You might not be able to visit Santa in Santa's grotto live this year, but like the rest of the world, he has got to grips with Zoom and is using it to speak to as many kids as he can between now and the big day. He will even read the kids Christmas stories at bedtime!

If you want to book a live video call with Santa , visit our booking page and make an appointment to speak to the big man. Santa does realise that it might be a bit overwhelming to speak to him directly this year, as everything has been very confusing and disruptive, so he has asked the kind Mrs. Claus and Elf Twinkle Toes if they would be happy to speak to children too, and to pass messages onto him.

It is a new family Christmas tradition that we hope you will love!

Nominate a Child for Heart's Little Lockdown Legends

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:00:02 GMT

Nominate a Child for Heart's Little Lockdown Legends

The search is on to find 5 Little Lockdown Legends!

Do you know a little person that has gone above and beyond for their friends, family or community this year? Perhaps they were making facemasks for their classmates or even delivering food parcels for neighbours? If this sounds like someone you know then Heart FM want to hear about it and they may be able to get a very special video call from Santa Claus !

Santa is going to be social distancing this year to keep everyone safe, so it's going to be tricky to see him up close like we are used to…. but don’t worry Ed and Gemma have been in touch with their elf friends ' Santa's Calling You ' in the North Pole and we have a plan to make sure you can still see him this year!

We have given Heart FM access to Father Christmas himself via video call and have the opportunity for 5 amazing kids to speak with him live from the North Pole just before Christmas.

You can check he got your letter, ask him anything you want and just have a catch up about everything that’s happened this year! He has asked us to find the most special children from the West Midlands who have gone above and beyond this year!

So if you know a special 'Little Lockdown Legend' head over to Heart FM's website where you can find out more and nominate a child .

How to accessorise your home at Christmas

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 19:38:52 GMT

How to accessorise your home at Christmas

This year has not been much fun for anyone. Not only are we currently in Lockdown 2 when we should be getting excited about Christmas and all the fun it usually brings, many of us are worrying about our jobs, and how we're going to afford the festive season at all. The good news is, it is possible to accessorise your home with beautiful Christmas decorations that you can make yourself or buy very cheaply. This means you can still make a magical display without worrying that you have overspent on something you only put up for a few weeks a year. It is a great way to keep the kids occupied when the schools break up and will help them realise that Christmas is happening after all.

A Covid Christmas means that we might not be able to see our friends and families indoors at home, and if we meet outside, we will have to observe social distancing legislation to keep each other safe. However, bringing some of the magic of Christmas to others by having the background of a cosy and festive home when Christmas video calling means that you can still spread a little festive cheer to others without being in the same room. You can even Zoom Santa this year, so even if you cannot see the big man face to face, a virtual Santa visit is possible.

Plants and Flowers

Not a lot is in bloom in midwinter, but it is an excellent time of year to find evergreens with rich red berries, and even sprigs of mistletoe. Go for a walk as a family and collect holly, twigs, and anything else that looks decorative. If you have got a lavender plant, a few sprigs twisted into greenery for a wreath shape can smell as well as look stunning. If you want a little colour, add cheap dried flowers, or even small baubles to brighten displays. Fake snow or eco-friendly glitter can make a display sparkle if you want it to catch the light.

Christmas Fragrance

Smells like cinnamon and cloves go together with Christmas, and it is easy to give your home a festive fragrance with these spices. Take a few oranges and a jar of cloves and press the cloves stem side down into the oranges until just the head is visible. Continue until the orange is well covered. Display in a fruit bowl with a few sticks of cinnamon. If you make your clove oranges in the week before Christmas, they should last you into the New Year.

Tree Decorations

Dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks can also make stylish and fragrant tree decorations. Thread them on twine for a rustic look. If you are missing sparkle, paint glue around the rind of each orange slice and roll them in a little eco-friendly glitter to catch the light. If you are handy with a needle and thread, scraps of felt in Christmassy colours can be stitched into embroidered baubles or star shapes.

Paper Chains

Those of us who are old enough to remember Christmas in the 1970s will have a lasting fondness for paper chains. We would have sat making them early in December and been excited to see them strung all over the house in the run up to Christmas. Sugar paper in bright colours is great for making paper chains - cut the paper into strips about five inches long and one inch wide and arm yourself with a good paper glue. The best thing of all, is these are fully recyclable when the Christmas decorations come down in January.

Christmas Stockings

Got a lot of brightly coloured socks that have lost their pair in the wash? For some reason, it always seems difficult to throw these away, so here is a great use for them which the kids can help with.

You can either make a Christmas stocking garland with a sock for each member of the family, or, if you've got 24, you can make a sock advent calendar (we've already looked at how to make another advent calendar ). Decorate any dull socks with Christmas shapes cut from felt, or with Christmas ribbon until they look suitably festive. Stuff with small presents, messages, or sweets, and enjoy.

Decorate Yourselves!

If you are not wearing Christmas jumpers, is it even really Christmas at all? You need Santa hats and reindeer antlers to go with those of course, so either pick them up cheaply in your local pound shop or get crafting and make them yourselves.

One thing we would usually do at this time of year is take the children to meet Santa in Santa's grotto. However, the need to remain socially distanced this year means that seeing Santa live is not possible. All is not lost as Santa has got to grips with technology and is a whizz with Zoom, as we all are now. So that children know that it's still Christmas and that he is still thinking about them, he would like to speak to as many of them as he can and hear all about their plans for Christmas and how they're helping the grown ups decorate the house for Christmas.

To arrange a live video call with Santa , just book a time when all the family can see Santa together, and in a 10 minute video call you can let him know what you'd like for Christmas, and get the inside gossip on important things like how reindeer fly, and what they like to eat on Christmas Eve.

You can even think about a special display you might want in the background - perhaps make some Christmas angels with wooden clothes pegs and paper doilies, or make them cloth dresses and wings to make them a bit more permanent.

This will definitely be a very different Christmas, but there is no reason for it not to be a great Christmas. Get crafting and get creative and bring some Christmas magic into your home with some stylish homemade accessories and a call to Santa at the North Pole.

Meet the Elf you won't want to leave on the shelf!

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:42:06 GMT

Meet the Elf you won't want to leave on the shelf!

If you've been following our blog and having a look around who you can call instead of Santa at the North Pole this year, you'll be familiar with Elf Twinkle Toes, who is currently hard at work making toys for Christmas as well as producing some Christmas Craft Step by Step Guides . Elf Twinkle Toes is far too busy to be sitting on a shelf this year (she says that's a job for junior elves!), but she has let us know about some fantastic and kindly elves and elf-related merchandise you can buy at our friends Elf for Christmas .

But first, the history. Why do we have elves around at Christmas?

Why do we associate Elves with Christmas?

Elves are present in all Northern European folklore, and are either good elves, or bad gnomes. Usually described as tiny creatures, elves are immortal and can do magic. Elves are very kind, but they can be full of mischief!

Hundreds of years ago, the job of an elf was to protect our homes against evil forces. In addition, if you were nice, they would be good to you, and if you weren't...well, you're seeing the origins of the naughty and nice list right here! Although thank goodness they no longer have the habit of sitting on your head when you sleep to give you bad dreams. In Old English, the word for 'elf' is also part of the words for both hiccup and nightmare, both of which they were said to cause.

Elves liked to have a bowl of porridge left on the doorstep at night to keep them well-fed and happy, which is probably where we get the tradition of leaving a snack for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Elves started to creep into Christmas in the mid-19th century, traditionally helping Santa with making and delivering presents to children, with Scandinavian writers responsible for elves getting the good press they deserve at long last.

Modern Christmas elves help Santa to bring Christmas to life, and in addition to their job designing and making toys and games for children, they look after the reindeer and keep Santa's sleigh in tip top flying condition. They also have a tendency to make appearances in homes in the run up to Christmas (often on shelves, funnily enough!) where they make sure that children are well-behaved and report back to the man himself so that he can keep his list up to date.

When do Elves arrive for Christmas?

An elf will traditionally appear in your house on 1st December, having travelled all the way from the North Pole. Don't worry if you don't see them immediately as they might be hiding in a cupboard or drawer, getting to know you and your house. They will certainly put in an appearance before Christmas Day.

The elves that come from our friends at Elf for Christmas have lovely festive clothes, with striped jumpers and tights, and have all the magic of Christmas. They are perfect for building lasting Christmas memories with your little ones and come complete with a Christmas Elf Magical Reward Kit Box to help you make the festive season full of fun.

Your elf will also come complete with a welcome letter, a behaviour chart, a sheet of stickers, report cards, and Nice List certificates, not to mention Beware of the Elf signs and a Thank You postcard. There are also two blank letters to Santa, ready to post to the North Pole, and a Goodbye Letter for when it's time for your elf to go back to Santa and help get ready for next year (they may decide to put in an appearance once or twice over the course of the year, though, because they're magic!).

Don't forget, once your elf is on display, you are officially under elf surveillance, and Santa Claus will get to find out whether you are good or not!

It's up to the grown-ups to help the elf about their work - or mischief! - and they can even help to suggest Christmas activities that you can get up to in advance of the big day as a family.

What Christmas activities might my elf suggest?

Your elf would always suggest that speaking to Santa Claus in the run up to Christmas is an important part of preparing for the big day. However, due to Covid safety measures, one thing you might be missing this year is a visit to Santa's Grotto to see him live. The restrictions we are currently having to live under with a Covid Christmas mean that visiting Santa face to face is not possible.

However, Santa has had a great idea, and like everyone else this year he is making sure he can speak to as many children as possible over Zoom, with live Santa video calls . He realises that this year has been overwhelming and confusing for everybody, and he knows that some younger children might prefer to speak to kindly Mrs. Claus instead, or even to Elf Twinkle Toes, who is hard at work helping Santa put the finishing touches to Christmas. They are all really looking forward to speaking to as many children in the run up to Christmas and reassuring them that Christmas isn't going anywhere!

For Christmas 2020, children of all ages will love a call with Santa and the opportunity to talk to the big man with the whole family all together. Just book a live video call with Santa and start a new Christmas tradition. Why not book storytime with Santa as an extra bedtime treat to follow your call?

Our friends at Elf for Christmas have a wonderful Christmas storybook called The Christmas Muddle, which Santa Claus will be reading live on Facebook on 3rd December. We are also delighted to be using their book Elf's First Adventure during our private video calls for Story-Time. It is the perfect Christmas tale of an elf's adventures as he looks for a family that will give him a loving home for the holidays, and a must-buy addition to your Christmas elf that your children will love. It is fair to say that Elf for Christmas is one Elf you can meet that you won't want to leave on the shelf!

Top 4 easy make and bake items with children this winter

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 10:07:10 GMT

Top 4 Easy Make and Bake Items with Children this Winter

Christmas this year is going to be a little different. A Covid Christmas is going to mean some changes in how we celebrate the festive season this year, especially as seeing our friends and family is likely to be over Christmas video calling instead of meeting them face to face.

However, one thing we still can do is bake tasty treats to eat that have all the traditional tastes of Christmas. You may have spent the first lockdown baking banana bread with the kids, meaning that they are already veterans of the kitchen. These festive makes and bakes are simple to create and will be easy for little ones to help with, or even for older children to make themselves. These four easy recipes are perfect for making together and it is a fun activity that kids will love.

Marshmallow Snowmen

If you are planning to make cotton wool snowball tree decorations , then having some marshmallow snowmen as a sweet treat after you have been crafting is essential. These are a perfect start and super easy as there is no actual baking involved! It does not even matter if they are not quite perfect as they will be just as delicious.

You need: white marshmallows, ready to roll white fondant icing, icing made from icing sugar, black writing icing and various small sweets (strawberry laces, mini candy canes, chocolate chips, orange tic tacs etc.) for decoration, lolly or cake pop sticks for assembly.

Method: Thread two marshmallows onto a lolly stick, fat sides together. Thread a third on sideways, so that the top of the marshmallow forms the snowman's face. Knead your icing and shape it into a base for your snowman. Twist your strawberry laces together to make a nice bright scarf for your snowman and tie it around his neck. Use your writing icing to give him eyes and stick an orange tic tac on his face for a carrot nose and chocolate chips on his body for buttons with your icing. Ready in minutes, and a sweet gluten free treat too.

Festive Rocky Road

An ideal way to use up spare or broken biscuits, Rocky Road is always popular as a sweet treat. Make a batch for the whole family to enjoy when you video call Santa. Personal visits will not be possible this year, so live Santa video call s are a wonderful way to see everyone at Santa's grotto live at the North Pole after all.

You need: 100g butter, 250g biscuits (shortbread or chocolate are best), 75g mixed chopped nuts, 100g mixed dried fruit (glacé cherries and candied ginger optional), 75g marshmallows, 400g milk or plain chocolate, 140g golden syrup.

Method: Butter a square tin or square mould and break your biscuits into small pieces. Mix the nuts through the biscuits, and then the mixed fruit, cutting up any larger pieces. Cut up the marshmallows and add. Melt 3/4 of the chocolate, golden syrup, and butter together in a pan over a low heat and pour this over the biscuit mixture and mix. Pour the mixture into your greased tin, and level the top. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top until the surface is almost level. Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Gingerbread People

One of the best smells of Christmas is baking gingerbread, and no Christmas bake would be complete without a set of gingerbread people. If little ones are too small to get involved in the mixing and rolling, they are certainly able to help decorate with shop-bought icing and sweets!

You need: 175g muscovado sugar, 85g golden syrup, 100g butter, 350g plain flour, 1tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tbsp ground ginger, 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1 egg (beaten), shop bought writing icing and small sweets for decoration.

Method: melt the sugar, butter and syrup in a saucepan and let it bubble for a couple of minutes. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Mix flour, bicarb, and spices in a large bowl, then add the syrup mixture and egg, and stir together. Once it takes on a dough texture, start kneading until the mixture is smooth. Wrap it in cling film and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Roll out the dough to about the thickness of a pound coin and use a cutter to cut out people shapes. Keep re-rolling the dough until it is all used up. Put the gingerbread biscuits on baking trays lined with parchment and bake at gas mark 6 for 12 minutes. Leave them to cool, then have fun decorating with icing and sweets!

Christmas Cupcakes

No list of bakes would be complete without cupcakes, and this easy to make recipe is perfect for kids to express their creativity as well as help to make a simple recipe.

You need: For the cakes 280g self-raising flour, 175g golden caster sugar, 175g unsalted butter (softened), 150g pot natural yoghurt (preferably fat-free), 1tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs, For the frosting 85g unsalted butter, 1tsp vanilla extract, 200g icing sugar, For decoration food colouring (optional), sweets, sprinkles, milk and white chocolate buttons.

Method: Heat your oven to gas mark 5, and line a bun tin with cake cases. Mix all your cake ingredients together with a mixer until smooth and spoon the mix into the cases. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and leave on a wire tray to cool for half an hour. For your cupcake frosting, beat the icing sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy. Divide into portions and colour some for decoration - green or red are lovely for Santa, Christmas tree, or holly decorations with a piping bag. Decorate further with sweets and sprinkles.

Of course, a special occasion to eat your Christmas treats is essential, so book a live video call with Santa Claus today for the whole family to enjoy. Christmas 2020 might be different to what we are used to but being able to Zoom Santa will definitely be a highlight of your celebrations together. Don't forget to leave some treats out for Santa on Christmas Eve we are sure he would love to see the items you have made and baked this winter!

Christmas Crafts to make the most of Lockdowns

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 09:45:18 GMT

Christmas Crafts to Make the Most of Lockdowns

The run up to Christmas 2020 is going to be very different to any we have ever experienced before. We are unlikely to be able to see our friends and family face to face, and Christmas video calling is likely to be the closest we get to seeing many of our loved ones this December.

As we will be spending at least the whole of November in lockdown in England, and with significant restrictions in the rest of the UK, this could be the opportunity to make Christmas - quite literally. It is the perfect opportunity to sit down with the kids and try some new craft skills to make handmade cards and gifts instead.

However, bear in mind that different does not necessarily mean bad. Christmas might look different, but it is still going to be Christmas, so find new ways to celebrate. Here are a few ideas for you to make the most of a lockdown Christmas and make beautiful gifts and decorations.

Make a Christmas ornament

A pretty decoration for your Christmas tree or to send to friends and family is a lovely way to start Christmas, and something that can be made ahead of the big day. This can be as simple as gluing cotton wall balls to a circle of card to make a snowball, or for older children, making a felt wreath. For this, make a circle out of wire for your wreath shape, and using two different shades of green felt (or green and red if you like a contrast), tie strips all around your wreath shape until there's plenty of fabric to fluff out like leaves. To make it more Christmassy, glue small ornaments to the felt, or leave it plain for a more rustic look. Fix a wide ribbon so that you can hang it on your front door.

Make an Advent calendar of Christmas things to do

This can be a wonderful way to build memories together that will last a lifetime. You can even make your own advent calendar that will last for years and that you can get out for future Christmases. Get a piece of fabric with a pretty Christmas pattern - this should be about the size of two A4 sheets of paper, or at least large enough to sew 24 (or 25 if you like an extra bonus on Christmas Day!) pockets. Cut pieces of fabric - felt is best, as it does not require extra hemming - to make your pockets. These do not all need to be the same size - that is up to you - but they should be big enough to put a slip of paper and a small gift. Embroider a number from one to 24 (or 25) on each pocket, and stitch them to your Christmas material. Again, you can sew these on in neat rows, or make them more higgledy piggledy so that it is more fun finding the right day.

Write a different Christmas activity for each day onto a slip of paper and put one into each pocket with a Christmas cracker-type toy or a wrapped sweet (the perfect excuse to break out the Quality Street!). Activities can include things like baking mince pies or watching a Christmas film together.

One special activity could be a virtual visit to Santa . Seeing the big man face to face this year won't be possible, but in true 2020 fashion, Santa has got to grips with the internet, and is looking forward to talking to children through live Santa video calls straight from the North Pole.

Being able to Zoom Santa means that children do not have to miss out on visiting Santa (or Father Christmas, if you prefer) after all, Covid Christmas or no Covid Christmas. After the disruptions and anxieties of the year, children might find talking to Santa too daunting, even with the grown-ups there to support them. If this is the case, talking to the kindly and sensitive Mrs. Claus, or to one of Santa's helpful Elves instead might feel less scary.

Make your own Christmas cards

Even if you do not usually send Christmas cards, this is the perfect year to write a short note and send it to friends and family as a festive greeting.

Even more personal is to make your own. The only limitation is what will fit in an envelope! You can make them as simple or as complex and fancy as you choose, and they are an ideal craft activity for the children. Break out the glue sticks and the glitter, and experiment with making your own Christmas-shaped paint stamps with potatoes. Christmas-themed templates for the children to draw around and colour or paint in will look very pretty. If you are short on things to make stamps or templates with, then little fingertips dipped in paint can make pretty patterns and pictures.

Send a 'make-along' kit to a friend

If the kids cannot visit with friends or family this year, they can at least be doing the same thing at the same time over Zoom.

Put together two identical craft kits, or dry ingredients for a recipe, and send one to a friend. Then make a Zoom date, and craft or bake together online. This can be a particularly good activity for friends or relatives who would normally be a big part of the Christmas holidays, such as grandparents or other older relatives.

Christmas Crafts are a great way to fill the time with children during lockdowns. If you are stuck for other ideas, visit Santa's grotto live online and ask one of the North Pole residents for ideas on things you can do to make a memorable and fun Covid Christmas for everyone. Just book a call to chat to Santa about anything from which presents you would like in your stocking this year to how reindeer fly. The ability to call Santa will mean so much to children at this time, and help to reassure them that although things are different this year, everything that matters is still there for them, and Christmas is going to happen come what may.

Preparing for a virtual visit to Santa

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 09:07:10 GMT

Preparing for a Virtual Visit to Santa

Unless you have been lucky enough to spend the year on a remote island with no contact with the outside world, you will know that celebrating Christmas 2020 will have to be managed a little differently. Whether we are in full lockdown or not, a COVID Christmas means that a lot of our usual festive celebrating is going to have to be done via video rather than in person. The year has been disruptive and upsetting enough for adults, but for children it has been particularly confusing, and establishing some familiarity and fun back into their lives at Christmas is much needed for everyone.

For many children, a highlight of their year is visiting Santa Claus, where they can tell him what they want for Christmas and make sure they're not on his naughty list - and if they are, have plenty of time to do their chores and tidy their rooms to make sure they're on the nice list instead!

It could be that your child has already expressed worry about being able to see Santa, or whether Christmas is even going to happen this year.

The good news is, not only is Christmas going to happen, but they can also still see Santa in true 2020 fashion - and that is over Zoom .

How does a virtual visit to Santa work?

If you've been making Zoom calls over lockdown for work and to keep in touch with friends and relatives as a family, you already have all the basic equipment you need for a live video call with Santa Claus. The children will already be familiar with video calls to friends and family too, so it will not seem too unusual that that is how they are going to see Santa this year.

All you need to do is book a convenient time , and your child can speak directly to Santa, Mrs. Claus, or even to one of the Elves. Some younger children can find talking to the big man himself daunting, so an elf's view on getting ready for Christmas can feel much less scary.

Live Santa video calls last approximately 8 to 10 minutes, and the magic of green screen technology means that we are in Santa's grotto live from the North Pole, right here in the UK. All grotto characters are experienced performers and are fully DBS-checked. Although you can speak to Santa from anywhere in the world, please note that our Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Elves only speak English.

What do I need to do?

It is easy - just choose a convenient time to Zoom Santa, and book in. Let us know some information about your child in advance so that Santa can make the call really special for them by knowing so much about them. You will need to be present with your child on the call.

Calls start at only £19.99 for approximately 8 to 10 minutes of one to one time with Santa, Mrs. Claus, or one of Santa's Elves. You can book in a call at any time from mid-November to Christmas Eve (please note that prices increase in the week before Christmas to £24.99, and to £29.99 on Christmas Eve itself).

What does my child need to do?

It's very exciting for a young child to have the opportunity to call Santa, so they might want to plan in advance what they want to say, particularly if there's something special they'd like Santa to bring them for Christmas. It is easy to become tongue-tied when you are faced with Santa and he asks you a question about Christmas presents!

Your child might also have special questions they want to ask Santa, Mrs. Claus, or the Elves. It is easy to forget these in the excitement of a virtual call, so they might want to write them down before they video Santa. Santa can tell your children all about how reindeer really fly and might even let you into some secrets about how he manages to visit the whole world in one night!

If this is your child's first visit to Santa, you might want to establish some background around who he is first, and how he visits children to leave them presents on Christmas Eve when they are asleep by coming down their chimney, or using his magic key to get into their homes if their house doesn't have one. A year is an awfully long time in the life of a child, and 2020 has been very strange for them so Santa might seem a distant memory. It is a very welcome opportunity to put some magic and certainty back into their lives.

This is also a great time to get some Christmas spirit going and dig out the Christmas jumpers and Santa hats - Christmas video calling is not the same without it!

Is it possible to have a recording of the call for the future?

Yes, it is - a truly magical Christmas is all about making special memories and we know how important it is to capture the magic when your kids still believe in Father Christmas. We can supply this for you for a small extra charge.

Whether it's an exciting call to start the day or a bedtime treat in the week before Christmas, a virtual visit to Santa is a great start to Christmas, and having a record of it to watch in future years is a bonus.

Other extras you might like to add to the call is to have one of the North Pole residents - Santa, Mrs. Claus, or one of the Elves - read your children a Christmas story. Suitable for children who can sit and listen to a story for 5 to 10 minutes, this is a perfect addition to your call and can really help to build the Christmas magic before the big day.

Start preparing now, a virtual visit to Santa is a great way to make 2020 a special Christmas after all, and a great way to build some new Christmas traditions that we might even want to keep in future years!

Santa's grotto experience - Christmas 2020 in the UK

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 17:53:23 GMT

Santa's Grotto Experience - Christmas 2020 in the UK

When lockdown started in March, it was hard to believe that we would be looking at a COVID Christmas. Social distancing rules and other government guidelines mean that we are unlikely to be able to see our families in big groups this year, and many of the usual Christmas experiences are going to be very different. Even Santa Claus is having to stay at the North Pole until Christmas Eve, although he is still hard at work with the elves making toys and games.

However, like everyone else, Santa has got to grips with Zoom this year . This means that instead of visiting Santa at a toy shop or Christmas grotto, you can call Santa instead. A live video call with Santa Claus, or Mrs. Claus, or even one of his elves (or all three!) will mean that the Christmas experience is still as full of festive magic for children as it should be.

Can I see Santa Claus this year?

Santa Claus - also known as Father Christmas - is obeying the government advice about not making any unnecessary journeys, so he will be staying at the North Pole and working hard on making Christmas presents throughout November and December. He hopes to be back to normal in 2021, but in the meantime plans to speak to as many children as possible through live Santa video calls between now and the 24th December. Rather than having to take a journey into town, find somewhere to park in the town centre, and spend the whole day queueing to meet Santa, the adults can book a time to Zoom Santa instead, and see Santa's Grotto live.

Christmas video calling is going to be a feature of 2020, so it's great to know that you can still make a visit to Santa and enjoy the magical run-up to Christmas - it will just have to be online instead.

Is Santa Claus going to be able to visit this year?

Since Santa visits down the chimney (or brings his magic key in case you don’t have one), there's no danger of him catching COVID or giving it to anyone else when he makes his rounds on 24th December. Therefore, he will be visiting as usual on Christmas Eve, and will do everything he can to make sure that although this might be an unusual Christmas, it will still be a magical Christmas for you.

If you usually leave a drink and a snack for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer, there is no reason why you cannot do this in 2020 as usual.

How will Santa Claus know what I want for Christmas if I can't go and see him?

For 2020, we will all have to do things a little bit differently. It's a shame you can't visit and meet Santa in his grotto this year, but you can video Santa instead, and tell him what you would like to find in your stocking on Christmas morning. His elves - and Mrs. Claus - are taking bookings to video call people too, so if you'd like to hear an elf's view on what it's like getting ready for Christmas, and ask them to make you something special, then this is your opportunity!

Just as when you visit Santa in his grotto in other years, you can tell Santa everything you would like for Christmas, and he can also make sure that you're not on the naughty list.

How do I book a video call with Santa Claus from the UK?

Booking your call could not be easier. This is the perfect way to visit Santa as a family safely, and from the comfort of your own home. You can choose the perfect time for you, and Santa will be free to speak - he is very clever at time-management or else he couldn't visit the whole world in one night!

Of course, you may wish to speak to Mrs. Claus instead (or as well as Santa!) to get her famous recipe for mince pies, or to learn all about a day in the life of one of the North Pole elves.

Calls are, happily, completely lockdown-proof, and guaranteed to bring a little magic to the Christmas experience for 2020. As we are unlikely to be able to enjoy a normal social or outdoor Christmas experience in the UK, this is the ideal opportunity to start a new tradition. Simply click through to our "Check Availability" page and book a timeslot to speak to someone at the Grotto. Please note that the price is a little higher in the week before Christmas and on 24th December as Santa will be a bit busier at these times.

I am not in the UK - can I still speak to Santa?

Santa offers a worldwide service, so even if you are not in the UK you can still speak to Santa, Mrs. Claus, or one of the elves. Just book a time to speak to someone at Santa HQ, and we will do the rest. Please note that Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the elves only speak English.

Everyone should have the chance to speak to Santa at Christmas. COVID should not get in the way of that.

In terms of the children speaking to Santa, 2020 could end up being a year to remember for good reasons. They will get a personalised experience, with information you give to Santa about them in advance (also excellent for convincing them that Santa knows all about them and which 'list' they should be on!)

Not only is there no queuing, this can be a family experience with all of you involved. Santa and his team are all fully DBS checked and should you wish to purchase a copy of the video call with Santa you can have a memento of how you celebrated Christmas 2020 for years to come.

COVID -19 might have cancelled a lot of things this year, but it won't cancel Christmas, and it is still possible to put some magic into the season.