Set the stage for Santa with drapery

With Christmas just around the corner, many parents are hard at work thinking about how they will arrange all of the presents they plan to give their children – and where the ones Santa brings will go as well. Every family has a different tradition surrounding this holiday, so you have a plethora of options as to how you will prepare for the man in the red suit.

But this time of year is also great for starting a new family tradition. Particularly if you have very small kids, they will love growing up with a special way of celebrating Christmas. Best of all, it's these yearly traditions that tend to live on beyond the years of Santa coming, and might even make it to your grandchildren's house one day.

For instance, it can be harder to set the stage for Christmas morning in a living room without a fireplace. Since all of the stories say that Santa brings children toys by sliding down the chimney, your tots might be wondering how Mr. Claus is going to make it into your house. Luckily, the magic of Santa allows him to break many of the laws of physics, so he shouldn't have much trouble getting inside.

Once he makes it in, though, how is he going to know where to place the presents? You and your little ones can make it a Christmas Eve tradition to set up some curtains for Santa before heading to bed. These should be made of thicker fabric – consider using a velvet blackout drape – and can even be pulled back with a gold tie back.

You can construct your curtains so that they surround your tree, and make area where the presents go even more exciting.  Plus, this simple DIY project is easy for kids. Setting the stage for Santa might be the perfect tradition to start with your family this year.