What do you leave for Santa and his reindeer?

[DisneyBabies]

As DS and I were having our snuggle time last night we got to talking about leaving cookies for Santa and carrots for the deer. DS asked me if everyone leaves Santa the same thing or if some people give him different things to eat. I told him I didn't know, but that we could look it up on the computer in the morning. Well, I tried looking it up, but I can't find any information on what other people leave for Santa. Soooooo . . . . since you guys seem to know everything else, I thought I would ask you.

What do you leave for Santa and why? Or do you know about the traditions from other cultures or countries?

Thanks so much for your help in satisfying my DS's curiosity.

[stitchaholic]

we give santa homemade cookies and egg nog,and the reindeer magic oatmeal

[kakn7294]

We leave Santa an assortment of cookies and a mug of chocolate milk. For the reindeer, we leave carrots and a bowl of oats (Quaker oatmeal but the kids don't know the difference!).

[SurferStitch]

When I was younger, it was the traditional milk and cookies. Then, one year my Dad suggested we leave Santa beer and peanuts. He said that Santa must get tired of all those cookies and warm milk, and a cold beer would taste good.

So, from that year on, it was beer and peanuts (beer was kept in the fridge with a note on the fridge door).

Gee, wonder why Dad suggested that.......;) Guess it's just our German heritage!

[BeccaO]

This is a great post! We always leave homemade cookies and a glass of milk and some carrots for the reindeer. When we get up in the morning we always find the cookies and milk gone and the carrots have been chewed on and left on the plate!!! ;)

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

At our house Santa get a plate of chicken wings and a Guiness!

Before I met DH, DD and I always left the traditional milk and cookies for Santa. The first Christmas that DH and I were dating he told DD that if he was Santa he would like wings and beer, so wings and beer it has been ever since!

The Reindeer get carrots, in a bowl outside the back door!

[tinklover]

we leave cookies and coffee for santa so he can have an eye opener to continue the flight around the world. We leave a bowl of carrots outside for teh reindeer and we also sprinkle oatmeal and glitter on the lawn and on the roof.
why the glitter you ask? well it is so the reindeer can see the oats in the darkness the glitter shines with the outside lights:D

[Ian]

We go traditional ... cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

[Zippy 1]

We generally do cookies and milk or juice for santa. For the reindeer it is carrots and hay outside. Amazingly those reindeer eat all the hay by morning.(it helps that we have mule deer around us)

[Beast_fanatic]

When I was growing up, we always left cookies for Santa, but I don't remember leaving milk. I think Santa usually had coffee at our place. Santa would also sometimes help himself to a slice of pie (even though it wasn't "left" for him).

And, I don't recall ever leaving anything for the reindeer. :shrug:

As far as other countries traditions, according to Sigrid and Julenissen at the Norway pavilion, they leave him a bowl of porridge and a mug of ale.

[joanna71985]

We leave cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.

[merlinmagic4]

Cookies and milk for Santa (sometimes Gatorade, too) and we leave carrots and water for the reindeer :)

[Jasper]

We always did traditional milk and cookies for Santa with the milk being left in the fridge so it didn't get warm waiting for him. For some reason though we always left a bowl of beer and some hay outside the back door for the reindeer.

The reindeer tradition actually goes back to at least my Great Grandparents on my mother's side of the family who were first generation Americans from Germany. Unfortunately, no one in the family knows why the tradition of beer for the reindeer.

And, before anyone gets bent out of shape about us getting the neighborhood dogs or cats drunk, the total amount of beer put out in the bowl was less than half a bottle and was poured out on the ground as soon as the little ones were off to sleep. Besides, until not that long ago most of the family still lived on the farm and some of those barn cats and dogs that might come to drink the beer could have used a little something to help liven up their personalities!:D:D:D

[teambricker04]

We leave cookies and milk for Santa, carrots and a big bowl of water for the reindeer. Santa always leaves a thank you note... so thoughtful of him, I know. Some times we do cheese, sausage, and crackers as well... a guy gets hungry.

Also, Santa doesn't wrap presents at our house. He also is very thoughtful and removes all toys from the packaging since we have little (impatient) children. I guess he has been "going green" before it was popular! (Note, because my grandparents grew up during the depression they never knew Santa was suppose to wrap! A family tradition ever since)

What a guy.

[Jasper]

Also, Santa doesn't wrap presents at our house. He also is very thoughtful and removes all toys from the packaging since we have little (impatient) children. I guess he has been "going green" before it was popular! (Note, because my grandparents grew up during the depression they never knew Santa was suppose to wrap! A family tradition ever since)

What a guy.

I always laugh when I read things like this. When my wife and I first started dating she thought I came from some kind of wealthy family simply because of the part of town I lived in. (Little did she know that my father and uncle built our house so we had more house than his pay should have allowed.) Anyway, going back as far as I know my family has always used the Sunday comics to wrap both birthday and Christmas presents. The only time you splurged on store bought paper was for a wedding.

A few days after that first Christmas I could tell she wanted to ask me something but didn't know how to. Finally she asked if my family were having financial problems because we couldn't afford wrapping paper!!:):) We still laugh about this when anyone looks at our presents under the tree and remarks about how nice it is that we are going green!

[Jimenyfan]

We always leave the tradional milk and cookies, my brothers family would leave a ham and cheese sandwich and a beer.

[disneydeb]

We are the traditional family, cookies and milk for Santa - carrots for reindeer. In fact grandson and I are baking cookies tomorrow for Santa.
Santa does not wrap presents, but we wrap presents we give one another.

Happy Christmas to all!
deb

[PirateLover]

We leave Tastykake Holiday Cookies and some milk. Never left carrots for the reindeer. One year my cousins left him a stick of gum and a pepsi. He took both :santa:
Santa never wrapped at our house either. Presents from my parents were wrapped, Santa's were not.

[Stich8818]

Santa at our house gets a nice cup of coffee( He does have a long night)..maybe some pie or cake.

[Georgesgirl1]

This is a cute post!

Santa always got cookies and milk at our house, and carrots for the reindeer.

Santa's presents were never wrapped at our house either. I think it made it more fun that way because when you walked in the living room you automatically saw some of your gifts!

Another tradition from my childhood-when I was little I used to ask Santa to sign my letter to Santa, so I could compare the signatures each year (and make sure the signature didn't look like my mom's or dad's!)

DH and his family always left a piece of cheese for "Santa Mouse" (there is a book by that name about a mouse who is Santa's helper), and Santa Mouse would leave them a small gift also!

[stitchaholic]

i love the idea that santa does not wrap the presents,next year santa will be writing the children about the north pole going green project! thanks guys!;)

[handmaidenofprincesses]

My niece got a phone call from Santa this year which resulted in her leaving the reindeer a bowl of Fruity Pebbles!