Christmas Platters

You'll end up using your Christmas platters for a number of reasons. You may use festive Mariposa Christmas platters to set out appetizers for guests if you're hosting a holiday party. You can pile your Christmas platter high with bon bons or other Christmas confections if you're hosting Christmas dinner. However, my favorite use for the Christmas platter has got to be setting out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. This is one of my favorite traditions of Christmas, and it can be one of yours, too.

Making the Most of Holiday Rituals

Family rituals are not necessarily pre-ordained or handed down. Family rituals can be created. As children, we accept the rituals and traditions that our parents hand down to us without questioning them. When we grow up and have children of our own, however, we realize that traditions have to start somewhere. As parents, it's up to us to create them.

Kids can't get enough of traditions and small rituals, especially when it comes to the holidays. In fact, they can be downright militant about how a tradition should properly unfold. Kids love a sense of order, and traditions help create that.

Setting out cookies and cocoa for Santa and carrots for his reindeer can be as big or as small a deal as you want it to be. Personally, I figure kids are already so beside themselves with anticipation over Santa's arrival, why not make the most of it? I strongly suggest you use the same plate for setting out the cookies every year. You may even want to use the platter for this purpose and this purpose only. It will give the event more of the playful solemnity that makes holiday rituals so much fun.