I love the Cookies and Milk candle from Goose Creek this holiday season. Goose Creek mixes the smells of cookie dough, warm chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, and finishes this delightful candle with a hint of vanilla and sweet sugar (yum)! I also adore this candle because of the holiday label with Santa Claus reaching for his cookies and milk on the Christmas plate.
My three girls are well past the age of believing in Santa Claus, but this candle makes me nostalgic for a time—not so long ago—when they did believe. My oldest daughter, Savannah, made a Christmas plate at school with Santa’s name on it. It was a special plate to leave a Christmas treat for Santa while he was delivering their presents. Each year we would leave cookies and milk on the plate, and somewhere in the middle of the night, my husband would sneak into the kitchen and take a big bite out of the cookie and drink the milk that the girls had left. On Christmas morning, the girls would wake up and be giddy with excitement because Santa had actually stopped to take a bite off their cookies and drink a glass of milk. I still keep Santa’s cookie plate in my cabinet, and every time I see it, I smile. That little plate is a reminder of the precious innocence of childhood.
I did a little research to see if other children around the world left gifts for Santa Claus’s arrival to their homes, and some of the gifts were surprising!
1. In Argentina the children set their shoes outside the door in hopes that Santa Claus will fill them with presents.
2. In Australia the custom is to leave a cold beer (I hope that Australia is Santa’s last stop—it’s never good to drink and drive)!
3. In Chile children will leave a cake called Easter bread that is similar to sponge cake. They flavor it with honey, ginger, and fruit.
4. Children in Denmark leave Santa a bowl of rice pudding.
5. The children of France leave Santa Claus (Pere Noel) a plate of biscuits.
6. Germany’s children will leave Santa little notes, and their treats to him will be their personal favorites.
7. When Santa visits the children in Ireland, he will be treated to a mince pie and a Guinness!
8. In the United Kingdom, Santa will be greeted with a mince pie that contains either meat or dried fruit.
Whatever treat is left for Santa, it is heartwarming to discover the traditions of children around the world and to realize these special traditions unite the world on Christmas Eve. *AOL.com