Christmas Help - Riverside,CA

My dad would rent a tank of helium, and fill the living room up with TONS of balloons.(couldn't see the ceiling through them, and a forest of string hanging down) :D :D :D SOOO much fun for us when we woke up! We would go out and play with them while we waited for him to wake up so we could open presents. He was smart... and would hide change in some of them (or rolled up dollar bills) so we would pop them for the money. (Then there were less for him to take care of. lol) We would tie balloons to packages to see how many it would take to get it to float, or tie a BUNCH together and push it out the door to watch it float away (now we realize that this probably wasn't the *best* for the environment... but it sure was fun!) I'm not sure if this would work with 2 babys though... choking hazard and all... unless you could set up a "safe zone" for them...

Just because your kids know that Santa as 1 person/iconic character isn't real its no reason to not keep the spirit alive. Each year my family does the 12 days of christmas for a family. We took treats/small gifts to the family each night leading up to christmas for 12 nights. We ding dong ditched the gift each night. It could be a family having financial trouble, emotional trouble (one had just lost their dad a few months prior), health problems or someone who does something for everyone else and needed a turn. Be santa and be magic for someone else. Such an amazing feeling! And Merry Christmas!

My mom used to let us stuff each other's stockings. It was fun as a teenage to see what the other one got and have that secret until the next day. :)
Driving around to see the lights, going to a nativity scene, buying for a christmas angel from the tree at the mall.

Give back.
Donate time to a homeless shelter or hospice.
Go caroling at a rest home, hospice, hospital, or around your neighborhood. Take some homemade cookies.
Ask your church if there is anything you can do for them.
Buy a few gifts for a women's shelter (mom's and children's clothes, diapers and wipes, etc - many times they leave with the clothes on their backs only!).

Last year we were able to buy gifts and some groceries for a family in our church that truly was destitute. I had the girls dress in santa hats and deliver the goods. They loved it and my 15 yo said it was the "best Christmas ever"
We also went to Chicago and saw A Christmas Carol with my parents and sister and her family.
My 21 yo and 15 yo love to help me do the stockings for the younger ones. And when my hubby was deployed my daughter filled a stocking for me.

Rent all the movies that are Christmas related and have a movie marathon day.
Have a cookie making party and have the kids invite friends and bake cookies all day.
Have a cookie exchange with neighbors. If you invite 10 people they all bring 12 dozen of the same cookie. 1 dozen for each guest to take home and a dozen for the hostess and a dozen to eat at the party.

wow, no way to top the answer posted by Red!! What an awesome Dad!!

How about adopting a family in need? Or make cookies & deliver them to the neighbors? Our neighbors generously share the bounty of their gardens with us .....& we deliver plates of fresh-baked goods at Christmas. It's our small way of saying "thanks"! Have fun.....