Last year, thousands of children woke up on Christmas morning to an extra sparkle of holiday magic: a real, incontrovertible snapshot of Santa's visit, captured by a smart home security camera. This year, it could be your family's turn.

Imagine the scene. It's the big day, sometime around 6:05 AM. Your family gathers around the tree. Your kids clutch their first gifts eagerly. You clutch your first coffee, blearily.

"Hold on, children," you say, with a twinkle in your eye and a nod to one of the sleek Alarm.com cameras that guard your home. "There's something else to open this year: the Alarm.com app."

Excited? So are we.

How to Set Up Alarm.com's Santa Security

To catch Santa in your home, you'll need the latest version of the Alarm.com app, and a compatible Alarm.com home security camera.*

1: Open your Alarm.com app. Select a live video feed from a compatible Alarm.com security camera in your home.

2: Tap the Santa icon in the video feed to get a still image from your security camera.

3: Choose a Santa from the menu to add to your snapshot. You'll see full-color images of the real Santa for a daytime snapshot, and black and white options for the night. You can resize and move Santa if you need to.

4: Delight your family. When your children wake you up at 5:30 am on Christmas morning, show them your snapshot.

5: Share the magic! Share your Santa snapshots with family and friends by email, text, and social media (hashtag: #SantaSecurity).

Look out for this year's best Santa-snaps on our Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Don't have Santa Security? Set up a Santa Alert instead.

A genuine Santa Alert from your smart home security system is another way to show your kids that Santa visited. All you need is your Alarm.com app, your web dashboard, and a single contact sensor.

Click here for a step-by-step guide.

Want more tips for a smarter, safer holiday? Click here.

*To tell if a video camera is compatible with Santa Security, open your Alarm.com app and look for a Santa icon in the top right corner of the camera's live video feed. All compatible cameras will show this icon.

Santa Security is available until December 29th. For more information, contact your Alarm.com service provider.