Soon it will be Christmas Day!!! Santa and his reindeer will be on their way to your home soon to visit. It is imperative that you have the milk and cookies ready for Santa, carrots for the reindeer but even more importantly, ensure Santa, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen have an enjoyable and safe visit!
Here are some tips to help you prepare both the outside and inside of your home. Plus a little bit of helpful tips on how to clean up soot!
OUTSIDE PREPARATION
Check your shingles and ensure all tiles are safe and secure, so those hooves don’t slip or trip when prancing around!
Make sure you repair any cracks or roof damages to ensure a smooth sleigh take-off and landing!
Trim overhanging branches and remove any big ones that have fallen on your roof. The reindeer have a big job ahead of them (Australia is one of the first countries they visit)!
Check the bricks surrounding the opening of your chimney to see if any are loose. You wouldn’t want one of those bricks following Santa down and knocking him on the head!
Make sure any Christmas decorations, such as lights or inflatable Santa’s are not blocking your roof runway. Be careful we wouldn't want Santa falling off the roof!
INSIDE PREPARATION
Clean your chimney if you have one. Not only does Santa not appreciate being covered in ash and soot, but your house won’t either. There is nothing worse than waking up on Christmas morning to a cleaning frenzy!
Leave the chimney damper open. We don’t even want to think about what would happen if this remains closed on Christmas (Think “Headline News: Santa Gets Stuck on Christmas”)!
Protect your furniture from ashes and soot by either moving it away from your fireplace or covering it with some tarpaulin or old blankets & towels!
Make sure there are no tripping hazards on or around the floor!
Pick up toys, shoes, and other small items off the floor!
Tape down any Christmas light cords that are loose on the ground!
Use command hooks or strings such as twine, thread, ribbon or clear fishing line to hang your stockings!
Stockings can also be hung anyplace sturdy enough to hold a couple of kilos: deck railings, bed posts, the back of kitchen chairs, etc.
LEAVING OUT TREATS SANTA AND HIS REINDEER:
Leave some carrots or apples for the reindeer
Have a glass of milk (or milk alternative) out for Santa included with cookies!!
After Santa’s visit:
INDOORS:
If you see soot on your floors from Santa’s feet, then you can clean your carpet and floors easily with some baking soda/cornstarch.
There are usually crumbs leftover from Santa’s cookies, this will be a fun thing to show the kids before you vacuum these up!
OUTDOORS:
Give your roof a quick look over and make sure there isn’t too much reindeer poop that will fall into your gutters and clog them. If there is (carefully) sweep the pellets off the roof and onto your garden where it will make brilliant fertilizer!