In 2013, we moved to a house that had a real fireplace. My kids asked how Santa would come down the chimney without burning his butt. I made a “Magic Santa Key” to set their minds at ease. How does it work, you ask? Simple. You hang the key on the doorknob and he uses the door. It’s that simple. When we moved to a different house that had a gas fireplace with no chimney we used the key there, too. I’m sure this is common sense, but don’t use your actual house key. Yikes. We found a fun set at TJMaxx for under $5 and used one of them for this. Here’s how I made it:
You’ll need a key, obviously, and the more unique, the better. Santa doesn’t want a boring key. You’ll also need glitter. Good colors for the holidays would be the typical red, green, white, gold, or silver, but you can use whatever you like and even match your decor if you wish. For glue I used spray glue, so I can’t promise regular Elmer’s is easy to work with for this project. It may leave clumps of glitter and make your key look weird and chunky with less detail. Lastly, you need a can of clear spray paint so the glitter doesn’t chip off.
Time to craft! In a well-ventilated area, set your key on top of cardboard, piece of wood, or anything you don’t care about ruining. Spray one side with spray glue, add glitter, and let dry completely so it’s not tacky. When it’s dry, turn over and spray the opposite side with glue and add glitter and let dry completely again. If you missed a spot or want another layer of glitter just repeat the simple steps until the key is covered. Top with the clear coat of spray paint (I used gloss, by the way). When it’s completely dried, flip and spray the other side and let dry. This will hold the glitter down and make it smooth and shiny. Done! Now you have a key for Santa!
We hung the key on the tree until Christmas Eve, then tied a handmade tag with the kids’ names on it to the outside doorknob so Santa knew it was for him. Then Santa placed it next to the milk and cookie plate for the kids to save his butt and use again the next year. Whether you have a real fireplace, a gas one, or your kids are just worried Santa can’t get through a locked door, this cute craft will let them fall asleep counting sugarplums on Christmas Eve instead of their worries.
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