There are many unique little things that we do each year when we try to make Christmas special for our little ones. We don’t have as many opportunities as our children grow up so fast and we are lucky to have ten good years to create that special Christmas magic for them. Everyone has heard of writing letters to Santa Claus, but few think of making phone calls to Santa Claus. Why stop at a letter when your kids can call Santa on Christmas Eve to tell him they’ve been very good this year and ask what kind of cookies you should bake for him? This could lead to Santa dropping something special in that stocking on Christmas morning. Here are some of Santa’s tricks and secrets, letting you know how he always knows the perfect stocking stuffers to light up those little faces.

Does your child already have a favorite toy that can be expanded or added to? This is one of the things that Santa keeps in mind when he pulls down that chimney with all those toys. He knows, for example, that little Tommy has a Hot Wheels set that he loves and takes great care of. Lots of kids have these toys, so Santa carries a bunch of extra Hot Wheels cars that come in individual packages. Kids keep these and some kids have a whole collection of cool, hard-to-find classics. Just a little research lets Santa know exactly which Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars or trucks little Tommy has. If there’s one thing Barbie loves to do, it’s climb out of her angel’s stocking on Christmas morning and give her a big hug. In fact, Barbie loves this so much that just a few years ago, she was the most popular girl on the planet. (Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and trucks were number ones for little kids!)

Most of the time, if Barbie had a previous engagement on Christmas morning, such as under or on the tree, her clothes, furniture, and other accessories would show up there. There are many small toys that can be put in a stocking that can turn her living room into a miniature toy store and make Christmas morning the place to be. Among some of the early favorites are Jacks, and while I don’t understand the concept of Jacks, I have personally seen a little girl occupy herself for hours with one of these strange toys. Little kids love marbles and a small bag of these is perfect for the tip of a nice big stocking. I always try to remember that the more toys I can fit into a child’s stocking, the less room there is for those sweets that are full of sugar. Without a doubt, the most expensive Christmas gift you will ever pay for your Dentist’s bill. You will see enough of these during Halloween and Easter! Fruit, fruit and more fruit is always a great idea when it comes to stocking stuffers. I always get a slight hint of Christmas nostalgia every time I smell an orange, as Santa always puts a nice fat orange right on the tip of my stocking every year. To this day, I associate oranges with those special days from my childhood. Some fruits cannot be put in a sock and simply refuse to be “stuffed”, since the result is often “porridge”. On the other hand, some fruits are definitely up to the challenge, like oranges, pears, and apples. If you and Santa are going to shower your child with sugar, it might as well be from nature and mother’s kisses.