Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Saint Louis, MO

Main Street in Historic St. Charles is transformed every December into a traditional Christmas wonderland full of characters from different countries and times. Visiting Main Street around Christmas time has become a cherished tradition in our family and there are pictures of my siblings and I at the same spots where we now take pictures of our own children.  The celebration has grown since we were children and is now one of the most popular holiday attractions in the St. Louis area.

Last Saturday, I took my children to visit Santa in the new heated tent at Santa's Outpost at 603 North Main. My daughter had avoided every costumed St. Nick at the mall and other stores so I was shocked when she climbed up on the victorian Santa's lap. He wears a simple red velvet costume and sports a real beard so I think she was less intimidated because this Santa looks more like a real person instead of a character which is what she needed to feel safe enough to climb on his lap. I paid for the outpost picture which includes permission to take personal photos as well. My pictures and the digital photo which was quickly printed for me after the kids' visit turned out much better than I had anticipated. The kids entertained themselves with free crafts while we waited.

Once the picture was taken, we walked down the brick sidewalk meeting other Santas from various countries and time periods. We met a Frontier Santa in buckskin, Father Christmas and Scandanavian Santa who carried a stuffed goat and spoke in a comical accent. The kids were even more amazed by the other living history characters handing out their own "trading cards" on the street (each character has its own card and the kids love collecting them into a deck). Their favorites were the Sugarplum Fairy and the Christmas Angel. I had to tear my little boys away from stroking the angel's feathered wings in amazement. My older son's favorite character was Tiny Tim and the rest of the Cratchet family. He also booed at the in character Ebeneezer Scrooge.



At 2 pm, the Santas and other characters paraded down Main Street with the Lewis and Clark Drum and Fife Corp. Some characters were also pulled in horse drawn wagons which was very exciting to my younger kids who love horses.

After the parade, we ducked into one of the many shops that were selling hot chocolate and sat on a bench warming up with our drinks. The kids flipped through the character cards they had collected and were ready to go by the time we were finished drinking our cocoa. They were all tired and ready for a nap after walking up and down Main Street which was a perfect end to our day.

The Christmas Tradition's Web site lists special events, details and photos of the celebration. The revelry continues until December 27th.