I'm in the midst of building our new home. Cross your fingers for a February completion date. I'm building it without a fireplace. You really don't need it where we live. We used the last one in our previous home, two times in six years. My question is this...how do you explain Santa's entry in the home without a fireplace?

This one caused a lot of confusion when I was a kid. My parents reasoned that the big guy wouldn't make it down a fireplace chimney either, so they stuck to their story and said he came down the furnace chimney. Once magic enters the picture then there's not much difference between a narrow steel pipe and an 8x12" tiled flue.

Please don't tell me you have a direct-vent furnace.

The problem was solved in the Disney movie The Santa Clause, just as bridgman described.

We have always used Santa's Magic Key.

I'm going to go with heater vents and a screwdriver, personally. But only if they ask.

My folks left the front door unlocked for him.

Same here, we never had a fireplace in south Florida.

So, Duckman... what was your address again?

Jim, good to hear from you again. Sorry, but you'll simply have to call the architect back and get the fireplace added. You might think that this will be rather expensive, but the alternative if Santa can't get in would be that you'd have to buy the presents yourself.

What does the Santa Claus Book Of Lore say about skylights ?

JohnK does make a good point though -- the cost of a fireplace compared to the cost of years of Christmas presents makes the fireplace an easy choice.

Maybe a purely decorative fireplace with a secret passage / doggy door ? The kids would never know the difference

They are dangerous for the reindeer.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

The reindeer? Sounds pretty tasty to me.

When I was a kid we never even locked our doors in our small town. Especially at Christmas. If you locked your doors you wouldn't get the meat pies and fruitcakes delivered to your fridge during the day.

I think most people lock them now. It is still very safe but there has been a small invasion of drugs and thus an increase of the resulting minor brake ins. Sadly Santa might have to use more magic than he used to.

Are you sure it's not Santa DOING the break-ins?

Santa: mmm, meat pies ...

Speaking of kids and Christmas ... Mom is Santa!