Front Door Santa

Front Door Santa goes a long way back. Back before I had kids. Before I was married. Back in those days, I babysat some pretty special kids. I’ve always liked to encourage those around me to stretch their creative muscles, so one night, near the holidays, I decided we needed to get crafty. So, we cut and taped and assembled until we had a giant Santa ready to grace the front door of their home. At the time, I thought I was showing them that, while construction paper is great for drawing on, it had the potential to do other things too—like making giant objects from it! I thought it would be a fun craft that would last until the Christmas decorations were put away, but instead of throwing it in the trash, their mom saved it. Every Christmas for years after, she would hang it on their front door.

That would be a pretty sweet story if it ended there: babysitter makes craft with kids that lasts throughout their childhood. But the story doesn’t end there!

A few years ago, a family I used to babysit for, wrapped up a bunch of craft supplies, wrote a sweet little note, and delivered everything we needed to make our family’s OWN Front Door Santa. I eagerly dove into the project with my kids, so touched that the family I babysat for years before wanted to help us create our own family memories.

Front Door Santa got lost for a while, with all our moving, but I found him again a few years ago, kind of smushed (as all Front Door Santas should become over time). We added some glue and tape and stuck him on the back door (but no matter his location, his name is still Front Door Santa!).

Front Door Santa has lived in different locations over the years, but no matter where we hang him, he always brings joy to our family! Every year when we start to pull Christmas decorations out of boxes, there are shouts of delight when we take a lid off of a box and Front Door Santa is staring back at us.

You don’t need a template to make Front Door Santa; you can grab a bunch of construction paper and some scissors and go for it! But if you want your own and would prefer a template, I’ve put one together for you.

Let your kids help; be okay with imperfect cuts and stray marker streaks. Don’t overthink it; a genuine article Front Door Santa is far from perfect but guarantees happy memories every year you pull his rumpled self out of a box.