Traditions that need to die a fiery death

[Moxie]

Leaving cookies for Santa. I have no cookies in the house. I do however have 64 kinds of fudge and candy. And my kids are like "But Moooooooooom, cookies for Santa!" I'm not making cookies today!

[Anne in CA]

LOL, I don't see why Santa wouldn't want fudge. I, for one, always want fudge. 

[AnnE-girl]

I still need to make gingerbread men with ds and cut out sugar cookies with dd today. I'm still trying to convince my kids that brandy to warm Santa up would be better than hot cocoa that will be cold by the time he gets to our house. My dad started the brandy for Santa tradition when I was a kid. I've decided he was very smart.

[HomeAgain]

Santa gets truffles here usually.  He's tired of cookies after all the other houses.  And eggnog, no milk. :lol: This year he's getting fudge and a warm cup of gluwein.

 

I just remembered we have to make reindeer food tonight, too.  Oops.

[AK_Mom4]

Brandy for Santa is an excellent idea!

 

And I have it on excellent authority that Santa likes a break from the traditional cookie on occasion.  Fudge sounds lovely. 

 

One year we left out smoked salmon and ritz crackers because the cookies gotten eaten earlier that day.  Santa was MOST pleased (as was Mr. Cat, apparently....)

[brehon]

I remember my dad once told my brother and I that Santa might prefer a ham and cheese sandwich with a beer after all the milk and cookies.

 

I'll never forget my brother's look of puzzlement.

[maize]

My kids are planning to leave cookie dough for Santa. They remember mom snitching the dough last time they made snickerdoodles...

Edited December 23, 2016 by maize

[redsquirrel]

my dh insists that Santa really wants a beer. The kids also left out carrot sticks and hummus for the reindeer.

 

And I promise you that Santa very much likes fudge. He sometimes even takes some home for Mrs Claus...but only if it is very good. You can tell if a little extra is missing from the pan.

[mom2samlibby]

We did cheesecake for Santa one year.  We didn't have cookies.  Santa ate every bite of that up and said it was the best ever.  ;)  My daughter still talks about leaving cheesecake for Santa that one year.  

 

I'd leave fudge this year.  Tell them Santa will love it!

[Janeway]

Leaving cookies for Santa. I have no cookies in the house. I do however have 64 kinds of fudge and candy. And my kids are like "But Moooooooooom, cookies for Santa!" I'm not making cookies today!

I would so rather have the fudge and candy. 

[madteaparty]

I don't get the cookie thing at all this time of year, cookie exchanges, cookie this, cookie that. It's just cookies. Not special. I don't want any as I'm saving my calories for real desert. Not everyone is a baker. I'm going to stick to my core competencies and not hoist my mediocre cookies onto the world.

Wow, I guess I needed to get that out. Thanks OP for the opportunity.

I would tell your kids Santa has had it up to here with the cookies and he'd so much rather some chocolate...

Edited December 23, 2016 by madteaparty

[Luckymama]

Santa appreciates variety :D

[OneStepAtATime]

I once left Santa a large carrot and a bowl of mayonnaise.  It seemed like a good idea at the time...

[mathnerd]

Granola bar for santa and carrots for the reindeer in our house. Mrs Claus serves those to them all the time anyway.

[Night Elf]

When I was growing up, I never left cookies because I felt he got so many from all the other kids. I wanted to stand out and be different and get better toys. I remember leaving carrots, a peanut butter sandwich, and crackers. I didn't start the food tradition with my own children.

[itsheresomewhere]

Last year, Santa very much enjoyed the small piece of prime rib and roll that was left. He thanked the kids for the protein snack instead of the usual cookies.

[purpleowl]

DD#2 (just turned 5), when asked by a restaurant server recently whether we would be leaving milk and cookies out for Santa:

 

(spoilered in case little people are reading over shoulders)

 

 

"Welllllllllll, Mommy is Santa. And Mommy doesn't really like to drink milk. So no, I don't think we'll be leaving milk out for Santa."

 

[luuknam]

In NL, kids don't leave snacks for Sinterklaas*. They sometimes leave something for his horse though - an apple or a carrot. I do remember thinking though, as I handed my kids carrots, that I hoped my mom would wash them really well before using them, after taking them out of their stinky boots.

 

*ETA: and this is probably why Santa Claus is so much rounder than Sinterklaas.

Edited December 23, 2016 by luuknam

[Butter]

We've never left cookies and milk for Santa.  My mom doesn't like milk (I never have either) so that's probably why we didn't leave milk.  Cookies, well, we usually didn't have any laying around.  Growing up and now with my kids whatever we feel like is left for Santa.  One year it was baby carrots.

[Caclcoca]

Santa does get cookies from us, but we leave him a bottle of Coca Cola.  The kind in the glass bottle made in Mexico with real sugar instead of corn syrup.  Santa loves those but rarely drinks one.

[SparklyUnicorn]

tell them the truth is, Santa prefers booze

 

 

[rebcoola]

I never meant to start the food thing but the kids heard about it from friends and wanted to do it.  We already do a Jesus birthday cake so I convinced them that Santa would like that just fine.

[Guest]

Don't forget carrots for the reindeer

Santa always got a shot of brandy instead of a cookie at our house. And a note from the ds. And he wrote a letter back.

[Arctic Bunny]

At our house Santa has always enjoyed a nice cold beer. He's been known to take the warm one and put it back in the fridge and help himself to a cold one. He also loves chocolate!

[displace]

I know, DH is sitting there, promising cookies for Santa to DD. I said, no, you don't know if we'll have cookies for Santa. Really? As if he's going to make that happen? Don't oblige me to something else after all the bajillion things I've already done. 🙄

Edited December 23, 2016 by displace

[DawnM]

This was not a tradition when I was growing up and we have never done it.

[catz]

Santa likes whatever you have as a snack!  He's not picky at all!  Fudge is WAY better than most cookies IMO anyway. 

[gaillardia]

I would just like to share this: my dear mother used to make bourbon balls at Christmas time when I was 6-10 years old. She'd store them in a tin above the exhaust fan above the stove. Her dad loved them, so they were part of his Christmas present.

 

Guess who really enjoyed eating them? 

 

And could climb on top of the counter and reach the tin?

[trulycrabby]

Fudge is a cookie, right? :)

 

I don't think Santa is too picky. We left a beer and kettle chips for him one year, and both were gone in the morning.

[Desert Strawberry]

We leave Santa whatever is handy. One year we left lasagna, one year a club sandwich, one year M&Ms and wine, sometimes cookies. Santa might be getting a pasty this year. 

[Valley Girl]

my dh insists that Santa really wants a beer.

 

I'm quite certain that's true. I remember being told that as a kid as well.

[CadenceSophia]

My brother and I used to leave a pile of the tiny nubs that are inside a peanut when you split it in half. We were always convinced that that was the best part of the peanut. Never seemed odd as a kid but now it really does.

[Guest]

My brother and I used to leave a pile of the tiny nubs that are inside a peanut when you split it in half. We were always convinced that that was the best part of the peanut. Never seemed odd as a kid but now it really does.

Umm, you win. Super odd!

[G5052]

Mine are older and well beyond Santa, but more than once, Santa got slice-and-bake cookies from a roll bought at the grocery store with a few sprinkles on top. I'm not a cookie person, and probably shouldn't be anyway because I've been a pre-diabetic "on notice" for over fifteen years now.

 

This year DD baked two batches of cookies, and we bought two pies at the grocery store. Mr. and Mrs. Santa approve!

Edited December 24, 2016 by G5052

[Tanaqui]

We used to put out pretzels. On a Texas-shaped dish. Because that's what my father liked. (Can you guess where he was born?)

 

(And it amused us, because our father had the whole hair and beard thing down. Little children would run after him calling for "Santa" in several different languages!)

[Spryte]

I would totally skip the cookies if possible. Alas, it's not. I will be baking cookies after guests leave tomorrow. Aaagh!

 

I am going to try to convince DD that bakery Christmas cookies are adequate but I feel defeat on its way.

 

We leave carrots for the reindeer, and cheese for Santa Mouse.

 

And this year, thanks to an unfortunate glitter explosion - we have reindeer food to scatter on the lawn.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Let the kids make the cookies! DD12 has made most of the baked goods in this house for the past few years.

[Guest]

My dh handed out glasses of wine to adults accompanying their kids on trick-or-treat this year.

 

For some reason we had more visitors than usual.  :0)

 

[BarbecueMom]

Santa will probably get two fingers of Jack while trying to assemble a balance bike and stuff it in a bag. We'll leave Die Hard on for him to watch too.

 

We are out of cookies and I really don't want to make more. The stuff is out... just don't wanna.

 

And this year, thanks to an unfortunate glitter explosion - we have reindeer food to scatter on the lawn.

I'm trying to think of a *fortunate* glitter explosion and coming up with zilch.

[theelfqueen]

My kid is convinced that Santa needs goat cheese (thanks Autobiography of Santa Claus) and Mexican Coke (thanks DH).

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[gaillardia]

My brother and I used to leave a pile of the tiny nubs that are inside a peanut when you split it in half. We were always convinced that that was the best part of the peanut. Never seemed odd as a kid but now it really does.

You know that little thing looks like a Santa Claus, right? 

[Seeking Squirrels]

My kids insist on leaving out cookies, milk, an apple or orange, carrots, and "reindeer food" made from oats, sprinkles, and glitter. Oldest makes a sign so santa knows the carrots and oat mix are for the reindeer.

[*Lulu*]

I always envisioned and shot for a laid back Christmas Eve.

 

Then, when our oldest was 2 or 3, DH told him Santa liked freshly baked cookies best.

 

Did I mention our oldest is autistic?

 

So I spent the next decade baking fresh cookies on Christmas Eve. Usually after working 2-3 services at our church. Over the years I have been able to morph it into something more manageable (having all the kids in on the secret helps). Now we make cookie dough on the 23rd and carry it with us to the church where the kids bake and share with the staff and volunteers who spend up to 7 hours on the 24th making multiple services happen.

[shawthorne44]

I'm quite certain that's true. I remember being told that as a kid as well.

 

Oh, yes.  He gets a good stout around here.