How To Keep Holiday and Santa Traditions Alive

Dec. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- In today’s fast-paced world of instant access through social media and technology, parents are working harder than ever to keep Santa Claus real for their children. From recruiting friends and family members to dress up like Santa to climbing on rooftops, a recent survey indicates that moms and dads are going to great lengths to carry on special holiday traditions.

What are parents doing to keep Santa real? Based on a recent survey of moms across the US, tactics range from the usual to the extreme; special gift wrap and hiding places to driving hours for a hard-to-find gift on a wish list to Santa.

In a survey of over 700 moms by MomTV.com (http://www.momtv.com), where moms discover and share videos, and Your Santa Story (http://www.yoursantastory.com), a customized video featuring Santa, mothers share their secrets about the magic of Santa Claus in their families.

·      89% of moms think preserving the magic of the holidays is important for their children;

·      Moms report that the most common age for children to start asking questions is from 8 to 10 years old (68%);

·      More than 43% of moms keep Santa real by professing their own belief and never admitting otherwise;

·      24% of moms tell their children that Santa does not visit houses where children do not believe as a way to prolong the belief in the jolly gift giver;

·      Nearly 93% of moms say the family leaves cookies and milk out for Santa and leave crumbs and an empty glass for their children to find in the morning, while another 63% leave reindeer food or leave hoof prints in the house or outside as evidence of Santa’s overnight visit.

According to the survey, children stop believing in the Easter Bunny first, followed by the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. Because 72% of moms indicate that children are losing their belief in Santa at an earlier age than ever, either from someone at school (20%) or they ask questions (18%), moms will not only say they believe, but will resort to drastic measures to prolong their children’s belief in Santa.

“Moms rely on Santa to create lasting memories and meaningful traditions,” says mom engagement expert Maria Bailey, who is also the mother of four children and founder of MomTV.com (http://www.momtv.com) . “With most of us feeling like our children are growing up too fast, moms and dads are working harder than ever to keep special holiday traditions- and Santa - going,” Bailey adds.

To keep traditions in place as long as possible, particularly for moms who are challenged with doubters, Bailey suggests a few fun and unique ideas that are a mix of old traditions and new technology.

·      Track Santa online on sites such as NoradSanta.org to build excitement for the big arrival of Santa Claus;

·      Create a customized video message from Santa Claus at YourSantaStory.com (http://www.yoursantastory.com), which allows parents to customize a video for the family that includes special accomplishments and achievements and the location of one last, special gift disclosed by Santa in the DVD;

·      Write a letter to Santa: 64% of moms say their children write special notes to Santa. These notes can be priceless mementos that moms can keep for years later.

Overall, moms enjoy the Santa tradition, with 93% responding that it “makes (them) happy”. Moms agree with the sentiment of a fellow mom, “There has to be magic in something and Santa is it for our household…we enjoy keeping the tradition alive.”

*BSM Media conducted a survey of moms across the US, with 730 responses in the results.

About Maria Bailey
Maria T. Bailey is a busy mother of four children as well as CEO of BSM Media, a full service firm specializing in marketing with moms. Maria reaches over 8 million moms a month through social media, in print, online and through her popular weekly show, Mom Talk Radio (the #1-downloaded parenting podcast on iTunes). Maria is the founder of http://MomTV.com and http://SheStreamsTV.com, co-founder of http://BlueSuitMom.com and the author of several books. Her latest is Power Moms: The New Rules for Engaging Mom Influencers Who Drive Brand Choice (Wyatt-MacKenzie, 2011).

About Your Santa Story

We are real! We’re a tiny team of determined Moms and Dads just like you that LOVE Christmas. We call our little company “Your Santa Story” for a reason – because it’s your story, not ours. Every family is different and therefore every family deserves their own story. For a list of what we believe, see http://yoursantastory.com/12things