Never Too Early to Get on Santa's Nice List

As Christmas draws near each year, I always start reminding my kids that they need to be on their best behavior to make it on Santa's Nice List and get good gifts from old Saint Nick.

But Santa doesn't just pay attention to the last few weeks of the year, so even though it's 100 degrees outside right now and the kids are running around in shorts and tank tops, rather than the cold weather attire they'll be wearing at Christmas, it's really never too early to start reminding your kids to behave.

Some smart folks have made it easier for parents to use Santa as a behavior modifier all year long. I like Santa's Official North Pole Mail, which offers Santa postcards during the summer so you can keep your children on their toes, and Package from Santa, which offers a free Nice List checklist, that can be used all year long.

Of course, when the big day arrives, a  printable Santa's Nice List certificate beside your child's stocking or a Santa's Nice List ornament for the tree are both great forms of reinforcement, especially if you hang the certificate in your child's room so it serves as a reminder all year long. After all, Santa knows all year long when you've been bad or good, so you better be good for goodness sake.