What is a Santa key?

A red book called

Not everyone grows up in a house with a chimney. At Christmastime, this can present a very real problem: Santa will arrive, presents in tow, land softly on the rooftop with his reindeer…and then what? With no chimney to go down, how would he get inside the house?

Parents of inquisitive children, rejoice: the Santa key allows Santa to deliver presents to your house, even if you don’t have a chimney.

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Just hang it on the front door Christmas Eve, and the big man in the red suit will quietly sneak inside, deposit his gifts and leave the key somewhere easy for you to find, so you can hang it up again next year. (Also: The key is magic and only works for Santa, so no need to worry about security risks.)

If you’re interested in making a Santa key part of your holiday tradition, here are a few ways to make it extra special for your kids:

  • Let your kids tell Santa about it
    To make sure Santa knows where to look for the Santa key, have your kids write him a letter with instructions. They can include what they want for Christmas and how good they’ve been this year, too. (A thank-you note from Santa after he uses the key would only take the magic to the next level.) Find some great (free!) printable Santa letter templates here.
  • Put the key in an Advent calendar
    An Advent or countdown calendar is a great way to build anticipation and excitement before Christmas. Put your Santa Key behind one of the doors of your Advent calendar—Christmas Eve would be a great choice—as a reminder Christmas (and Santa!) will be here soon.
  • Make hanging the key a special event
    This isn’t just any key—this is Santa’s magic key. Make a big deal out of hanging it up. Gather the whole family around, play Christmas music, drink cocoa and eat cookies while you make sure Santa has a way to leave presents for everyone who’s been good that year.

However you decide to use it, a Santa Key is a great way to make a magical memory this holiday season. Not to mention a salve for the worries of chimney-less children everywhere.

An old house key with a random brand name stamped into its side won’t feel all that magical. So we suggest doing a little extra work to find a key that feels fit for use by the jolly old elf himself. 🎅🏼

 

You can usually find old, bronze skeleton keys at antique or thrift stores. Don’t have any of those? Try an online retailer, or even your local craft store; many will have inexpensive skeleton keys in their scrapbooking or jewelry-making departments. While you’re there, get some pretty ribbon—we love red or green velvet for this purpose—to hang it up with!

 

Create even more Christmas memories with these ideas: