Well, make sure the flue is open and the chimney doesn't have any tenants. My aunt had a very unpleasant experience with a chimney full of baby raccoons one year. I don't like to share a house with raccoons but I don't think the little ones deserve that sort of bad end.

Once that's done--marshmallows on sticks. You can't go wrong with marshmallows on sticks. We don't have much use for fires here but we always liked hanging out in front of them at my aunt's in Iowa.