THE festive season can put pressure on families to splash out on pricey experiences.
But you can help bring the magic of Father Christmas alive this year with plenty of freebies if you know where to look.
Here are just a few options . . .
STORY TIME: Santa will be telling tales from Lapland every day until Christmas, through the fun-packed free Elfcast Stories podcast.
Each story lasts about ten minutes and is a great way to get children excited for the arrival of the big man.
There are already 18 entertaining tales for families to choose from, including ones about elf and reindeer escpades.
SANTA SAYS HI: You can create a personalised video for free for your child at portablenorthpole.com/en/santa-video.
Select the free trial and Saint Nick will say your child’s name and age and feature a photo of them in the short video.
Just be aware he also drops a mention for the paid-for phone service, though you can probably brush it off.
PICTURE PERFECT: Download the app Catch Santa Claus In My House for free and you can create images of him in your home, which will surely leave your kids gobsmacked.
Again, there are in-app purchases to scale up photos if you want to make them a bit fancier but it’s not necessary.
TRACK THE JOURNEY: As Santa sets off to start his deliveries on Christmas Eve, you can track his journey on the website Noradsanta.org.
Or download the free Norad Tracks Santa Claus app.
Then watch as he travels around the globe with his sleigh giving out presents at high speed to all those good children.
CATCH A SIGHTING: Rotary clubs often organise Father Christmas to tour the streets of the local town.
Check in with your local info sites to make sure you don’t miss a visit.
GIVE the season a nod with this red scalloped dress, reduced from £27.99 to £15 at H&M.
SAVE: £12.99
TUCK in to this Kinder Santa for a sweet treat this Christmas – £1.25 from B&M.
INDULGE in one of these Baileys chocolate melt-in-the- middle sponge puddings, £3.50, new in at Sainsbury’s.
PREP your skin for make-up with the Laura Mercier illuminating primer, £21.50, at Boots.
Or try the Prep and Perfect illuminating primer, £4.50 from Primark.
SAVE: £17
MAKE yourself a hearty dinner with this cast-iron casserole dish, down from £35 to £26.25 at Argos.
SAVE: £8.75
NOTE down your favourite seasonal meals and bakes in this recipe book, £4.50 from Flying Tiger.
GET three presents for the price of two at Hobbycraft on selected lines, including craft kits and paint by numbers.
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!
