Sitting by a fireplace is one of the cosiest and more comforting experiences imaginable. But wood-burning fireplaces are also expensive, environmentally unsound, and increasingly rare in Canadian homes.
So, where does that leave Santa?
As we all know, Santa visits homes by going down the chimney and through the fireplace. “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, / In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there,” as the classic poem goes. But most homes don’t have wood-burning fireplaces anymore, and gas fireplaces, while also quite luxurious, don’t need a chimney or a flue to function.
If you’re a parent of young kids and don’t have a fireplace or chimney, don’t despair: there are a lot of ways around the fireplace issue this holiday season.
Hang your stockings somewhere creative
You absolutely don’t need a mantle for stockings. With the help of a simple s-shaped hook, you can easily hang them from a bookcase, a coatrack, a shelf, a garland, a stairwell, a window, or a bedpost, to name just a few options. If you’re feeling extra crafty, you can hang them from a winter-y branch. And if you’re feeling really light on time, you can just stick an adhesive hook to the wall.
Get a fake fireplace
The easiest way out of any problem: just fake it.
There are a ton of ideas online for craft opportunities kids will enjoy. Why not build a fireplace out of construction paper, cardboard, or wrapping paper?
Want more craft ideas? Check out this gallery! Story continues below.
Christmas Crafts For Kids
Depending on your level of craftiness and/or time, you can also buy a fireplace cutout (at a variety of price points!) as well as a bunch of logs to accompany it.
Buy (or make) a Santa key
There’s a longstanding tradition of leaving a “special key” for Santa to use to get into a house when the chimney’s not an option. The children’s book “Santa’s Magic Key” explains the idea, and is helpfully sold with the key itself.
If you don’t want to buy the book, you can read a variety of “Santa key” poems online, and make your own key (with or without your kids’ help).
Turn on Netflix
Bless “Fireplace for Your Home,” the fireplace video that crackles and burns for hours. Truly, bless it.
You can also find a variety of options on YouTube, including a ten-hour fireplace and the dear, departed Lil’ Bub sitting peacefully in front of a roaring fire.
Say you’ll leave the door or window unlocked
Pretty simple! It can be a good opportunity to talk to your kids about how important it is to always lock the doors and windows — but on this one night, we make an exception. (And then lock up after they go to bed, naturally.)
Lie about magic
If all else fails, just tell your kids that you don’t know how he does it, but Santa gets in the house because, after all, he’s magic. Magic always finds a way.
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