Christmas at the North Pole

Christmas at the North Pole

Imagine your home all decorated and ready for Christmas. In the front yard soft Christmas music is playing from a hidden source. A red and white striped pole in the front yard with a darling sign on it that reads “Welcome to the North Pole” stirs excitement in young hearts.

Well dressed young guests are greeted and escorted inside where there is an aroma of cookies baking that fills the rooms. Young guests are shown to the kitchen where they find Mrs. Claus busy baking gingerbread cookies. Mrs. Clause wears holly in her hair, a warm smile and several layers of eyelet peeking out from below her long Christmas red skirt. She warmly greets the young guests and asks them to join her with the cookie baking. She provides each young guest with a gingerbread man already cut out laid out on wax paper rectangles for convenience. He just needs some red hot buttons and raison eyes. Each child decorates 2 or 3 and Mrs. Claus happily bakes them.

After helping with the cookies the children are guided to a table where they make jingle bell necklaces. Bowls in the center of the table hold various sizes of jingle bells. There are precut lengths of the very thin satin ribbon in red, green and gold. After adding a few bells to their ribbon each child helped with tying their necklaces. Everyone will have to jump a few times to make sure their bells ring just right.

It is time to gather round in a circle in the living area with the lit Christmas tree and fire and to enjoy an old fashioned Christmas story from a vintage children’s holiday book. An old story that these children have not heard before captures their attention.

When the story comes to a close 2 elves arrive that look very childlike with sparkling, glittery cheeks. The elves welcome the children to the North Pole and tell them about the work they do for Santa. They put elf sparkles (body glitter) onto each of the children’s cheeks and share their secret recipe for reindeer feed. The children get to make their own batch to take home to leave for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve. Reindeer feed is mostly oats with a bit of colored sugar. The children are helped to bag up their reindeer feed and it is saved in a safe place for later after it has been tied with a red and green plaid ribbon.

Mrs. Claus and the elves help the children to create gingerbread houses, a Claus family tradition. The houses are made with the ½ pint milk cartons, frosting, graham crackers, gum drops, peppermint candies and M&M’s. Each child assembles their own. Once they are finished they are placed in crisp cellophane wrap that is gathered up top and tied with a bow.

Just about now there is a very distinct sound of reindeer bells outside the window. The elves must be off to care for the reindeer and they excuse them selves.

Now is a good time for Christmas tea. Almond Sunset is a nice choice. A dainty little bowl of crushed candy canes will make a delicious substitute for sugar. A bowl of white sugar with flecks of red and green sugar is also tempting. Egg nog is among the offerings at this table. Warm and freshly frosted gingerbread men appear on the table. Child size tea cups with red licorice bows tied to the handles are at each place. The tea cup with a snowflake on the bottom will be the first cup to be filled.

After tea the children are ushered outside to the candy cane tree. When they pick their candy cane it has a clue attached that will help find the way to their Christmas favor bag. Once the bags have all been hunted up the horse and carriage arrive and the children take turns riding down the way and back. A lovely ending to a delightful party.

Merry Christmas from Once Upon a Time, http://www.princessparty.com/!

Teri Sutton
Once Upon a Time
http://www.princessparty.com/
email: dressup@cdsnet.net