It’s Christmas Eve!! Families around the world are gearing up for a visit from Papai Noel, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or as we call him here in America, Santa Claus. It's a long-held tradition to leave Santa a plate of cookies and a glass of milk as a thank you (or perhaps a bribe?) for leaving gifts, which is a lot of fun in and of itself. If, however, you’re planning to leave out treats for Santa but would like to try something different than the classic milk-and-cookies spread, think about trying some of the ideas below:
This microwave fudge from Spoon University is not only tasty but only requires two ingredients, leaving plenty of room for creativity with whatever mix-ins you might want to add. (Do be aware that it requires about three hours of refrigeration, though, so plan accordingly):
These chocolate candy cane cupcakes with marshmallow fluff frosting featured on Woman’s World are a cute, tasty, and a great way to utilize all those candy canes that end up in the house during the holiday season:
For these adorable Christmas tree brownies from One Little Project you can either use a made-from-scratch recipe or go the simpler route of a boxes brownie mix— the icing and sprinkles are the important (and fun!) part:
If you’d like to give Santa a cool treat, consider leaving something like these no-bake lemon raspberry cheesecake parfaits from Cravings of a Lunatic in the fridge (just make sure to have your kids leave Santa a note to let him know it’s in there):
If you want a sweet and salty option, think about something like this Santa Crunch Popcorn from Two Sisters:
These Christmas tree mini quiches featured on Happy Kitchen Rocks (using Romanesco broccoli as the “trees”) are a savory option that couldn’t be more adorable:
Lots of families also enjoy leaving out some carrots for Rudolph and the other reindeer. If you want to take a creative spin on the carrot theme, try out these baked carrot chips from A Spicy Perspective:
Or if you want something on the sweeter side, something like these orange carrot cookies from Boys Ahoy:
If you'd rather go a healthier route, you might consider leaving out some apples and / or oranges for Santa (with a note that the orange peels can be snacks for the reindeer). And if your little ones wake up Christmas morning and see a bite Santa took out of an apple, they're sure to be thrilled...
If you'd rather not do edible treats but still want to leave something special for Santa, consider a Christmas word search that Jolly Old St. Nick can fill out as he takes a quick break from all the gift distribution work (bonus points if you can find a red, green, or metallic pen for him to use!). Then when your little ones come investigate in the morning, watch their eyes light up when they see all the words Santa circled! You can print out a pre-made word search from The Spruce Crafts here or you can even make your own at the PuzzleMaker section of Discovery Education.
A big part of the fun of Christmas is looking forward to the arrival of Jolly Old St. Nick, and putting your head together with your children to come up with some creative ideas for treats is a great way to celebrate the excitement and anticipation of it all. So do a littlest brainstorming, break out the mixing bowls, and get ready for a very Merry Christmas!