I know I slammed Elf on the Shelf but that doesn't mean we're opposed to magic at Christmas around here. Here are three easy and free ways to pop some magic into your days this week. 1. Christmas, CSI Every Christmas at our house, Santa manages to leave boot prints by the fireplace, and sometimes there are even reindeer prints in the snow out back, along with a half-eaten carrot or two. My sons know that I can't possibly be Santa (or the Easter Bunny, who trails in grass and leaves bunny prints) because their parents never track dirt in the house. But there are other ways if dirt's not your thing: You can leave a note from Santa using window markers on the front window, or bathroom mirror. 2. Make a magical colouring book with this year's pictures If you have electronic copies of your photos with Santa, Santa can leave the kids colouring pages of their actual personal Santa visit, with a note. Here are the step-by-step instructions over at Instructables.com. 3. Take one or two presents out of the pile now. Create a scavenger hunt. Take a gift out of the stack now and create a 10- or 15-clue personalized scavenger hunt. If you have it ready to go, you just need someone to  distract the kids for 15 minutes to set it up (or set it up Christmas Eve.) When the present lull hits, let the kids go on a merry chase. If you have a house full of adults, let them join the fun by coming up with the clues. 4. (Almost-free) Plant round peppermint swirl candy in the snow and ...on Christmas Day, show the kids that they have magically grown into candy canes. 5. Find the lights Here's a twist on a revellion tradition: Wake up the kids. Fill your car with hot chocolate in travel mugs and play carols, and go for a winter's night drive to an area where the houses are beautifully decorated. Come home to some treats. I suggest the night before Christmas Eve, just to keep things manageable. What are your magical family traditions? (Photo by David Carroll, via Wikimedia Commons)