Have you ever photographed what you thought was Holiday Gold only to discover a lump of coal after viewing it on your PC? A wise sage once defined INSANITY as Doing the same things you’ve always done, but EXPECTING DIFFERENT OUTCOMES.

Generally speaking, photographers disappointed with old holiday pictures, wanted to take better ones, but didn’t know how. By using these eight simple tips, you can leave this “Insanity” behind…

I. Avoiding Panic

Decide before the event, your preference for WHICH photography poses to use. Significant considerations are: who will be there, what is the environment, group combinations, and the lighting requirements (day or night).

II. Explosions Are Only Good On July 4th

Face the facts… sometimes family members don’t get along (yeah right… “sometimes”). Keep this in mind when taking family photography poses.

It is also OK to take smaller group pictures that are “safe,” than a larger group picture which may ignite. Often just having some distance between potential combatants works well, but that needs to be accounted for when deciding which family photography poses to use.

III. Take Gobs of Picture

Take more than one image of EACH POSE. Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. Although you can completely eliminate blinking in photos, too many photographers mistakenly rely on spotting problems by viewing the camera’s tiny LCD screen; which leads to…

IV. When to Check The LCD Screen

The digital camera’s LCD screen can solve or cause problems. The LCD screen should only be used to review general framing of the picture, verify that all faces can be seen, and check the histogram. DO NOT USE THE LCD SCREEN to determine picture sharpness/out of focus, high/low contrast areas, or whether any blinking occurred (click the above link for more info on eliminating blinking).

V. The Power Of Humor

Remember what this group finds funny. It could be anecdotes, phrases, names, and family foibles that are humorously appropriate for your group. Then use it JUST BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTO. It’s a fact that a natural grin looks three times better than “fake-photo-face.”

VI. The Big Bang

Each flash has a “flash range,” which defines the range of proper illumination your flash produces. Check your owner’s manual for how far away from your subjects you can be while still properly illuminating them.

VII. [spin]Plan “B”

If you need to be further away from your subjects than your flash allows, there are four things you can do (not counting “crying”):

1. Move to a brighter location
2. Use a tripod with a longer exposure times
3. Purchase an external flash unit
4. Increase the ISO

.

VIII. What’s The Best Angle?

When using a flash, avoid shooting directly into mirrors or reflective surfaces. If an alternate location is impractical, take the image in such a way that the flash is NOT PERPENDICULAR to the surface, but is at an angle (so the flash won’t be seen in the picture).

Don’t be surprised if your holiday pictures suddenly become sought after to make enlargements. When this happens, see how to both save money and insure that people don’t get “chopped off” when cropping is required.

There’s been no shortage of top Christmas toys this year. That’s neither here nor there. Popularity of toys certainly has nothing to do with Christmas alignment. Of the popular toys from years past, many have sold an enormous amount. Christmas toys didn’t really take off until these toys were sold because they set record-breaking numbers. No would dispute that these are the Christmas toys 2008 that have been so popular.

Bratz dolls are similar to Barbie Dolls, and they come out of Southern California- certainly they are top Christmas toys. Bratz dolls have extremely expressionistic features. there are also rumors that a Bratz film is being made. The man who created the toy line was sued by Mattel, successfully. Bratz may be popular, but not as popular as Mattel’s Barbies are. Barbie has been somewhat affected by Bratz. Some believe that this is only the beginning. Barbie’s golden years may be behind it. Bratz makes the majority of its sales around Christmastime. A lot of kids prefer Bratz because they say they are much “hipper.” However, Barbies are still quite popular - Barbie Princess Liana Doll is a toy everyone is talking about this season.

In terms of lineage, no toys can compete with Barbies as to who belongs in the group of top Christmas toys the most. No one will deny that the dolls were an instant success. Since then, billions of Barbie dolls have been sold around the world. Dolls were only the beginning, as movies were also created. Barbies have been able to inspire young girls to believe that they can be anything they want to be. Barbie is so named because the inventor’s daughter’s name was Barbara. Handler also gave her daughter the first doll ever made. It must be pretty nice to be named after a doll that’s hit sky-high numbers of over a billion in aggregate.

Everyone agrees that GI Joe would have to be one of the top best Christmas toys for boys that has ever existed. GI Joe has four varieties in which he can be found. It was GI Joe who inspired the first use of the phrase action figure. In older days, GI Joes were a foot high. Over time, the vehicles and accessories were added. Today, this is the form in which we know GI Joe. There have been many permutations of the G.I. Joe lineup like G.I. Jane, Navajo Code Talker, Cobra, Snake-Eyes, Stalker, Gung-Ho, Cobra Commander, Destroy/Destroyer, Storm Shadow, and more. Other spin-offs to the success of the G.I. Joes were released in later years, and they are still top Christmas toys. G.I. Joe originally launched with a World War II theme.

The top Christmas toys is an amazing list that will probably have you wondering if you purchase the aforementioned dolls for your children anytime soon.

HO HO HO, its time to wake up for another year, doesn’t time fly, it just seems like a few moments ago that Christmas 2007 was with us and here we are coming to the end of the summer and time to get the Elves busy , busy ,busy.

What’s going to be the top toys for this year I wonder? Well my elf spies have been doing some digging and it seems that this year is all about us keep fit or should I say Wii keeping fit HO HO HO get it?

UUUUmmm ok so the sense of humours not up to speed yet but I have just woken up.

Other top toys for 2008 are tipped to be good old Mr Potato head a favourite for generations, and the new Kid on the block Hannah Montana.

And of course you simply can’t hold back Elmo that old character from sesame street. Seems like there is an electronic version this year that talks and sings and plays games, sort of reminds me of a purple dinosaur I once knew , no what was his name……….Ah Barney of course.

Any way boys and girls, mums and dads. Get those christmas lists coming in , it’s never to early and we need to make sure we have enough of every bodies favourite toys, just let us know what yours will be.

HO HO HO! Hello Everybody Santa Claus Here.

A lot of people have been asking how I get around the world so quickly on christmas eve as I have so far to travel to reach all the boys and girls.

I have to travel very very fast and all the reindeer do a very good job pulling my sled full of all those toys, but do you know what? Some people just don’t beleive this is possible so with the help of all those technical bods at Norad we’ve come up with a way where you can track Santa as I rush round the world faster than you can see.

Just click on the Track Santa around the world link on Christmas eve or you can visit now and play some games while you are waiting

I’m sure you’ll get very excited as you watch me get closer and closer to your house but make sure your asleep before I arrive.

Happy Christmas Everybody

Santa Claus

HO HO HO! Hello Everybody Santa Claus Here,

This year my advisors have told me that although I’m getting on a bit it’s never to late to get in touch with new technology so I should get my very own Santa Claus Official Blog where I can keep in touch with everybody.

They also said that rather than asking all the boys and girls (and mums and dads) to send me a letter they should leave a message or their Christmas List on my blog instead. That way we’ll be able to save lots of trees and save money on postage as well.

This is where I need your help. As you know I’m pretty busy at this time of year preparing all the presents and making all the right toys go into to the right sacks, and making sure all the little elves are working as hard as they can, so I haven’t got time to tell everybody around the world where my blog is before Christmas.

So how would you all like to be my little helpers this year?.

All you need to do is tell all your family and friends about Santa Claus Official Blog or copy this message into an e-mail and send it to every one you know (especially if they live in another country) and ask them to do the same.

I’ve heard that this is the quickest way to spread the news around the world.

You’ll also find lots of interesting articles all about Christmas on my Blog, and of course a very special link where you can track Santa around the world this Christmas Eve as I deliver all my Christmas presents to all the good boys and girls in the different countries.

You or your children can also leave your Christmas present list online here as well.

Don’t forget to leave me a glass of sherry and a mince pie of course (and some carrots for the reindeers) as I’ll get very hungry and thirsty on my journey.

Happy Christmas Everybody

HO HO HO!

Santa Claus

Children love to write letters to Santa Claus. Usually parents lend a hand. How should a parent help a child write a letter to Santa Claus? Here are some tips that will make your child’s letter to Santa more than just a list of gifts he or she wants.

Dear Santa………
First of all, a letter to Santa should be a personal message from your child to Santa Claus, not to a parent or grandparent. The child’s own words should be used and his or her personality should shine through. Very young children ages 2 to 5 can draw or cut out pictures to show gifts they want for the holidays. The parent can write down words just as the child says them. Encourage your child to watch as you print and say the letters out loud. Talk about the sounds the letters make. Show the child how to leave a space between each word.

Kindergarten through Third Grades
For children in kindergarten through third grade, making a chart of words is a great idea. The child can think of words first, get help spelling them, illustrate them, and then write the letter by himself. The 5 and 6 year olds will need a bit of additional help. It helps to have a chart showing the form of a letter to Santa, for example, showing where to put the date, the greeting, the body of the letter, and the closing. Your child should tell Santa the good things they have done during the year, as well as what they wish for as gifts.

Grades 3 through 5
Children in grades 3 through 5 probably don’t believe in Santa Claus, but can be encouraged to write a letter anyway, “for fun”. Encourage your child to tell what good deeds he/she has done during the year and how he/she has helped others. Have the child put in a “Good wish for the world.” The child can also tell “Santa” their goals for the coming year. Parents can respond to these letters, giving advice and sending love to their children. Keep the letters to Santa Claus for posterity.

All children should send best wishes to everyone at the North Pole. The letters may be mailed to: Santa Claus, The North Pole, The Arctic, Earth.

Do you ever feel as though your children don’t understand the true meaning of Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza? Do your children write letters to Santa Claus that are laundry lists of expensive presents they want? Read the following story and consider helping your children learn the true meaning of the holidays.

Since 1997, Lori Fletcher, working in New York, hasn’t sent Christmas cards to her business clients.
Instead, she’s sending them notes saying what gifts she has purchased for poor children in the area.

Stories like this flood in from the Operation Santa Claus office (http://www.operationlettertosanta.com/Pages/story_1.htm) every Christmas where poor kids write in requesting just one simple gift. Some people take home over thirty letters from children and still feel that it isn’t enough.

Operation Santa Claus receives over 150,000 letters to Santa from children in need, most of them in the New York area. Post Office workers volunteers to sort the letters and track the gifts - this is an amazing story of generosity from people at every level in the city.

One kid included a picture of a Rolex watch he had cut out of a magazine advertisement, and advised, “I have been good almost every day.” One girl asked for “pencils for school,” and said it was important because she wanted to be a secretary when she grows up.

One boy wrote to Santa, “I love you and I will always believe in you.”

How can my family learn the true meaning of the holidays?

Of course your children will still write their letters to Santa Claus. But, think of the lessons in humility, love, and generosity your children would learn if every parent insists that each Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza the children in the family use money they earned doing chores or saved from their allowances to purchase gifts for needy children.

Even if the “gift” costs only fifty cents or is made by hand, the importance of helping others less fortunate will be learned and appreciated. You don’t know any needy families? Ask the school principal, your pastor or priest, or call a Mission in a low socioeconomic area and you will find plenty of them. To make the lesson more powerful, the givers should remain anonymous.

Learn the true meaning of the festive season this year!

It is fascinating to know how Santa Claus makes kids around the world very happy during Christmas. Every wish come true and smiles can be seen from their faces. This happiness may even last for a lifetime. But have you ever thought if Santa has other names? When and how he brings the gifts all over the world?

Every country calls Santa’s in a different name (Father Santa, Kris Kringle, Granfather Frost, etc) and he has unique ways in bringing gifts to the children. Below is the list of countries where Santa is giving away presents.

• Known as Santa Claus in Canada, Alaska and US while Kerstman in Netherlands, he loves to bring gifts on a sleigh ride with his reindeers and flies through the sky during Christmas Eve.

• In Germany, gifts are given during December by Knecht Ruprecht (on the 6th), Christkind, (on the 24th), Belsnickel and der Weihnachtsmann.

• La Befana (Old Witch) is flying on her broomstick to give candies to kids in Italy. This is done on the night before Epiphany.

• In France, Pere Noel places the gifts in the shoes that kids have left near a fireplace. This is observed every 6th of December.

• Children in Africa hung their stockings where Father Christmas would place their presents during Christmas Eve.

• Heiliger Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) give rewards to good children in Austria during December 6. While Christ Child brings gifts during December 24.

• It is quite different in Belgium because Pere Noel (St. Nicholas) visits the children twice. First is every December 4 so he’ll find out who have been good and bad among the children. Then good children would receive toys and candies while the bad ones will find twigs on their stockings on December 6.

• Santa Clause (Winter-grandfather, Tel-apo or Mikulas) in Hungary has similar practice as in Belgium which is done on the 6th of December.

• In Brazil, Papai Noel (Father Noel) who usually wears a silk clothe will bring the gifts for Christmas. However, Latvians believe that Father Christmas brings gifts for 12 starting on the eve of Christmas.

• Kids in Sweden will behave all year so that during Christmas, Santa would give them great presents such as toys and candies. They would hang stockings on their Christmas tree. During Christmas Eve Santa will come down the Chimney and put their presents on the stockings underneath the Christmas tree.

• St. Nicholas is very popular in Russia because of the miracles that he had performed. A feast is being celebrated every Dec 6. But later on, his identity changed into D’yed Moroz (Grandfather Frost). During January 1 D’yed Moroz (Grandfather Frost) arrives to bring gifts from a Sputnik-drawn sleigh.

• UK’s gift giving tradition started in the Victorian era. Santa is known as Father Christmas and children would write letters to him about the presents they want to receive. However, instead of sending the letter, they would burn them because they believe that Father Christmas would be able to determine their wishes through the smoke.

No matter how we call Santa in our country, there is one goal that he always would like to achieve which is to give joy to the kids all over the world and make them feel that the earth is a great place to live.

Is Santa Claus Real? This is a question that is on most children’s lips at some point in their childhood. What will you tell your child what they ask if Santa Claus is real?

Of course Santa was a real person. He was St Nicholas, the patron saint of giving. St Nicholas was born in 300 AD. He was a holy man, being brought up in a monastery after being orphaned at an early age. He remained within the monastery and rose to the position of bishop.

He obtained his reputation for giving because there are many tales of him giving gifts to the poor and needy and in particular children.

Over the years the European community have embraced to concept of St Nick and customised it to make it their own. Because of this Santa’s appearance sometimes changes, his cloak may be described as different colours but his ‘Giving’ nature remains the same.

It is sometimes considered that Christmas festivities which do not include the nativity misconstrued the meaning of Christmas. However, St Nicholas was a religious man and lived his life according to the holy scriptures of the time and it’s because of this that Santa and the Nativity hold parallels.

The birth of Jesus Christ itself depicts God giving mankind his only son, and the prospect of the gift of eternal life. Additionally the three wise men also came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

Although St Nicholas lived many years ago, he still lives on. He lives because he is a major part of Christmas and we all keep Santa alive, and he lives in us every year that we give one another a gift at Christmas time. So when your child asks you if Santa Claus is real, say - Yes.

Visit www.santaspostbag.co.uk for a free special Christmas message to send to your child from Santa, so that they know that the patron saint of giving - Father Christmas himself still lives.

Everyone knows Rudolf. He is Santa’s leading reindeer on account of his red nose that lights Santa’s way through the winter night sky every Christmas Eve.

However, there is no mention of Rudolf in Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem ”Twas the Night Before Christmas (‘also known as ‘A Visit From St Nicholas’) written in 1822. More clearly names all of Santa’s reindeer -

“Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!

On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!”

But Moore doesn’t make any reference to Rudolf.
Rudolf is a later addition to the festive season. The famous Christmas song ‘Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer’ was written by Robert L. May originally created as an advertising strategy for the Montgomery Ward Department Store in 1939.

The song depicts the heart-warming tale of the disfigured reindeer. Rudolf has the obvious deformity of a bright red nose. Because of his nose he is ridiculed and cast out from reindeer society.

“All of the other reindeer,

Used to laugh and call him names,

And they wouldn’t let poor Rudolf,

Join in any reindeer games.”

However, Rudolf’s luck changes when Santa sees Rudolf’s affliction as an asset and asks Rudolf - “Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

This simple but touching story line won the hearts of millions, so much so that Rudolf was added to the festive season as a special companion of Santa.

More Christmas info at www.santaspostbag.co.uk

As a parent with young children, I used to wonder how it would feel once my children grew up and stopped believing in Santa Claus. How would we stop the wonderful Christmas morning ritual of opening their Christmas stockings together? What would we do to replace that warm feeling of all sitting round with delightful gifts from Santa?

Well, my children are going to be 21, 19 and 16 this coming Christmas, and we still continue to enjoy the wonderful myth of Santa - though they stopped believing in him long ago.

Last year my suggestion that everyone was old enough to manage without their stockings from Santa was greeting by an uproar - in particular, from my eldest son who simply loves the magic of Christmas.

Although each of my children still get plenty of presents under the tree, the fun of choosing small and appropriate gifts for their stocking is one of the most enjoyable preparations for Christmas.

Each year I enjoy choosing them gifts such as gold-wrapped chocolate coins, crazy toys & stocking fillas, a book and/or magazine that they’ll enjoy reading, dried fruits (- such as apricots, or figs), useful stuff like fun rulers, erasers and pencils, character socks or underwear, as well as the obligatory silver coin and satsuma or orange for the bottom of the stocking.

In recent years I’ve added a DVD to the list too - buying these cheap from discount outlets has meant that it’s not so expensive - although for many people this is a luxury. I now budget about the same for the stocking as I do for their present itself - around £40-£50. In previous years, I’ve managed to fill their stockings for around £15 - in fact, they all say that their best year was the year that their stocking was full of nuts and dried fruits.

I have often started collecting stocking filler items as early as the summer - particularly when the children were young and finances were particularly stretched. In the July sales there’s often plenty of bargain & fun items that are ideal stocking fillers. Each year I wonder if our tatty stockings (they’re all long socks left over from my teenage years or from their grandfathers rugby days) will manage to hold these goodies bursting out of them. Every year I wonder how I’ll manage to find enough to fill one of these socks, but end up with more gifts and toys than there’s room for.

Whatever your children enjoy or like - with a little creativity you can ensure that their eyes will light up on Christmas morning as they sit on their beds and open their full-to-bursting Christmas stockings.

The belief of Father Christmas the giver of presents adds excitement for many children to the festive season. St Nick, the jolly, plump man dressed in a scarlet cloak and hat trimmed with white fur, who delivers presents in the dead on night on Christmas Eve. His reindeer fly him from roof to roof so he can drop down the chimney pots to stuff stockings with gifts ready for Christmas morning. No wonder parents want to hold their children’s faith in Santa Claus as long as possible. Here are some tips to plant hard evidence of the existence of Santa.

Mince pies and Sherry
Before your child goes to bed on Christmas Eve, let them prepare a snack For Santa. Leave a mince pie and a small glass of sherry out for him in the living room.

Before you go to bed, drink the sherry and eat mince pie. Make sure you leave a lot of crumbs on the plate.

Reindeer bells
Buy some bells and ever reveal hem to your child. An hour or so after bedtime nip outside, out of view of your child’s bedroom window and ring your bells to mimic the sound of bells on Santa’s reindeer collars.

Correspondence from Santa
Of course you can’t do this in your own handwriting because you will get caught out. At www.SantasPostbag.co.uk you can send a free personalised email to your child, adding details such as the child’s age, best friend and even the family pet adds credibility to the letter and the existence

Wish list letters to Santa
SantasPostbag.co.uk also enables you child to write a letter to Santa, listing toys they are hoping to find under their Christmas tree and your child receives a reply from Santa which rein-forces he existence of Santa.

Use these little tips to prolong your child’s magical belief in Father Christmas.

We all know Santa’s story by now. He was originally a bishop back in the day, and after he died he became known as Saint Nicholas, or Saint Nick for short. And even way back then, before Christmas became a major holiday, the anniversary of his death was a day to celebrate by giving out gifts. But most of us don’t know that Saint Nick actually had a bad rap for a while, and that is actually how he got all of the other names we know him by today.

During the time of great change in the Christian Church known as the Protestant Reformation, which occurred in the 1500s, the famous Martin Luther declared that all good Christians should stop celebrating saints. For the devout followers of Luther, that meant also stopping the celebration of Saint Nick, no matter how fun the gift giving had become.

But of course, not all Christians stopped celebrating Saint Nick, not even all of the Protestants. Instead of stopping the celebration, they crafted a plan to enjoy the Saint Nick holiday in secret. This is when Saint Nick became known in England as “Father Christmas”. In Germany, people referred to Santa as “Christmas Man”, and the Dutch created the name “Sinterklass.”

About this time, a large majority of Dutch settlers moved to New Amsterdam in America—what would later become New York—and brought their celebration of Sinterklass with him. Americans caught on to the idea, and tried to pronounce his name right. But instead, what came out was “Santa Claus.”

However, Santa Claus did not hit the big time until the author of “Sleepy Hollow,” Washington Irving, got wind of Santa Claus and promoted him the American press. This happened in the early 1800s, when Washington Irving wrote a story called the “A History of New York,” in which he went into great detail about a man called “Sinterklass.” This Saint Nick was fat and short, wore a funny costume, and would travel around on the Eve of Saint Nicolas on a horse.

The idea of jolly gift-giving man caught on in the American press. Another writer, the poet Clement Clark Moore, wrote a poem called “A Visit from St. Nicolas,” which is better known as, “The Night Before Christmas.” It was Moore who made Saint Nick a jolly old elf who flies around the night in a magical sleigh powered by eight flying reindeer. We all know the names of those reindeer, right? Well, Moore also included them in his poem.

Americans would get their best images of Santa Claus in the magazines of the late 1800s, when the cartoonist Thomas Nast put out his own visions of Saint Nick in Harper’s Weekly. For Nast, Santa was a bigger man with a big fat belly, who wore a red suit lined with fur and a big leather belt. Nast also started drawing images of Santa’s workshop in the North Pole, and Santa using a list to keep track of his kids who were naughty and nice.

Of course, these are all the images of Santa that we use today in the newspapers, in cartoons, and on TV. Or should we say, perhaps, images of Sinterklass?

Christmas is a worldwide phenomenon, and so is the holiday’s number one fan and symbol, Santa Claus. So it makes sense that because people all over the world celebrate Christmas differently, they also see Santa in different ways and have different traditions.

For instance, in France Christmas goes by the term Noel, and Santa goes by the name Pere Noel. Like the United States, the French who celebrate the holiday do so with a Christmas tree. Sometimes, the French decorate their trees in the traditional, which is with bright red ribbons and real candles, instead of the garland, electric lights, and fancy decorations used in the US. They also believe in decorating outside, especially the evergreen trees on their properties, which they cover with lights that they leave on all night long.

In Hungary, the Christmas tradition is a bit different than the French or American versions. In this Eastern European country, Santa Claus is called the “Winter Grandfather,” or Mikulas in their language. He comes not on Christmas Eve, but on December 6. It’s the job of children before this day to make sure that they are clean and that they have cleaned their rooms. For these good children, Winter Grandfather leaves candies and toys for them in freshly cleaned shoes or boots. For those children who don’t clean? They get a golden birch, which means they deserve a spanking! In Hungary it’s not Santa Claus (or Winter Grandfather), but Baby Jesus and the angels who brings presents and the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. To give him time to set them up, families usually go visit a relative’s house or go to the movies.

In Germany, the holidays are all about the decorations. They love putting electric candles in their lights, and covering their homes with all sorts of lights and colors. The German specialty decoration is the Adventskranz, which is actually a leaf wreath with four candles in it. And like many American homes, Germans like to decorate inside with a manger scene, the famous depiction of the stable, with Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, animals, and the Three Wise Men. Father Christmas brings children from Germany presents on Christmas Eve, while St. Nicholas brings small gifts on December 6.

Kids should consider moving to Latvia along the Baltic Sea for Christmas time. There, Father Christmas brings presents for all of the 12 days of Christmas, with the first day of gift giving coming on Christmas Eve. Latvia also claims to be the home of the first ever Christmas tree, documented in the year 1510. Then again, you might want to check the menu before visiting this country. The traditional meal on Christmas is brown peas with bacon sauce, sausage, cabbage, and small pies.

Here’s a meal that sounds delectable and Christmas will still be a blast—it’s in New Zealand. Since Christmas arrives in the middle of summer for New Zealand children, their Christmas dinners usually include foods on the BBQ, like ham, shrimp and fish. Many towns enjoy Christmas parades throughout the holiday season. Similar to children in America, families open Christmas presents from Santa Claus on Christmas Day. However, some people love Christmas so much, they also celebrate this Santa-driven holiday in the middle of July, when it is cold enough for a proper English Christmas dinner.

Wherever you are on the map, you can obviously enjoy Christmas in one way or another. And don’t worry. With his reindeer-powered sleigh, Santa will find you no matter where in the world you are living.

To many, the appearance of Santa in malls and in stores means that Christmas is coming. Children anticipate the coming of the season and Santa is a symbol of their very childhood happiness. Sure, Santa isn’t the reason the holiday exists. Nevertheless, he is still an integral part of the celebrations, especially in the United States.

There are a few reasons why you could need Santa costumes. Perhaps you are a store or mall who is looking to hire a Santa Claus or two to help attract more customers, or to simply make the kids happy. Maybe you are throwing a party and want Santa to make an appearance. Or perhaps you are holding a holiday costume party and need the Santa costumes for some of your guests.

Each of these cases may require different Santa costumes. For example, if a child wants to dress up as Santa, then the costume will be smaller and have less fabric. If a female wants to dress up as ìSantaî it will be made differently than costumes designed for men.

Finding Santa Costumes

There are a few places you can typically find Santa costumes. Around Christmas, you may be able to find some in department stores with the Christmas decorations. You can definitely rent them but since it is a high demand season for Santa costumes, you may need to reserve it well in advance. If you get a job as a mall or department store Santa, the establishment may have Santa costumes for you to choose form.

Making Santa Costumes

Of course, you can always make your Santa costumes. This works especially well if you need to make some modifications to the typical costume. For example, if you are going to a costume party, you may want to create a costume that has considerably less fabric. Also, it may be harder to find Santa costumes for children or women so this is a great alternative to finding them in the stores.

Getting into Character

Once you find your costume, you will need to get into character. Think about what Santa is and isn’t. He’s nice, jolly, and filled with joy. He isn’t mean or cranky. If you are going to be interacting with children, it is especially important to remember this.

Are you thinking of dressing up as Santa Claus this wintertime? Maybe you have been invited to be Santa for the local school Christmas fair, or maybe you’re off to a fancy dress party. Maybe you just want to do something special for your children this Christmas time by dressing up as Father Christmas and sneaking into their bedrooms this Christmas Eve, to deliberately be seen and to deliver them a special gift. Don’t get caught though, because they’ll never believe in Santa Claus again.

When buying your Santa costume there are some things that you need to consider to pass yourself off as an authentic Santa Claus.

Santa is rather a plump fellow with a ‘little round belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly’ - ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. Father Christmas isn’t a heavy drinker, he doesn’t have a beer belly. Obviously he is plump because he eats all those mince pies on Christmas Eve. Anyway, my point is that unless you also over do it on the mince pies, you’re going to have to make yourself plump. The easiest way to do this is to sew tape ties on to the top of a cushion, so that you can wear it around your waist like an apron. You may need to give your new belly a bit of manual assistance to wobble like jelly when you laugh. When buying or renting your costume, make sure that you buy a size that will accommodate your new figure.

Santa is also known for his rosy cheeks ‘His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry’ - ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. Of course being out in the night air so long on Christmas Eve, it’s no wonder that his cheeks are rosy. Make your cheeks and nose rosy by applying some pink blusher. Make a pink circle on each cheek and a smaller one on the tip of your nose. Don’t worry if you feel a little foolish, it will look great when you have the full costume on.

Santa’s boots are very individual, you can’t get away with just wearing black wellingtons. Santa rides on a sleigh, he doesn’t wear boots to keep his feet dry, he wears them to keep warm. Your boots need to appear to be fur lined and they need to have a fleecy turnover at the top of the boot.

Finally, you need to perfect your “Ho, Ho, Ho.” It needs to be in a low pitch and needs to sound happy. Santa’s trademark “Ho, Ho, Ho” isn’t just Santa’s chuckle for when he finds something amusing, but he also uses it when he makes a mistake. So if he leaves sooty foot prints on the carpet “Ho, Ho, Ho,.” If he knocks your Christmas tree over “Ho, Ho, Ho” and with cold numb fingers, Santa is often clumsy.

If you are dressing up as Christmas time, please make sure that you abide by this advice and do not blemish Santa’s reputation, but do have a splendid time. Laugh lots, and hover around the mince pies!

Many people from around the world dress in Santa suits each year but fewer people know how the tradition started. St. Nicolas was a Catholic Bishop around 300 AD who spent a large sum of his money and time giving gifts to children. Dressed in his red robe with a long white beard and red hat, he later became a saint.

But when the Reformation happened, and the Protestants split from the Catholic Church, they still continued the concept of St. Nicholas as being a Christmas figure and his Christmas costume stayed the same for the most part. But not long after that point each country began developed their own Christmastime gift-givers, putting them in similar Santa suits, although they varied in color (and some of which were even dressed in black).

For example, in England St. Nick became Father Christmas. But instead of the Santa suits of St. Nick of the Catholic Church, sprigs of holly, ivy and mistletoe adorned his outfit. In France, the Protestants called him Pere Noel while the Germans called him Weihnachtsmann, which means Christmas man. To the Dutch, he was known as Sinterklaas. As immigrants came to America many people from the mixed nationalities mispronounced his name and Sinterklaas became Santa Claus.

But even countries that didn’t have a connection to Christianity began to have their own ‘wintertime’ customs. For example, when Russia became a communist state, and outlawed Christianity, Santa’s name was changed to Grandfather Frost. Pictures of him in any Santa suits showed him dressed in blue rather than the traditional red garb.

But no matter the names for the figure or the colors of their Santa suits, the ‘St. Nicks’ of the world have always had two things in common: they all have long, white beards and they all carry gifts for children.

One of Santa’s favorite traditions around Christmas time—and surely a favorite tradition of men everywhere during Christmas —is that of mistletoe. When a man catches his wife or special someone under the mistletoe, he gets to plant a kiss on her. Of course, with all other Christmas traditions, this wonderful habit is almost as old as the snow that falls around Christmas time.

It actually all started with an ancient myth from the Nordic people of Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Hundreds of years ago, the goddess Frigga had a son named Balder who was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe. Frigga was so sad that her son died, that she cried and cried, but instead of tears, white berries poured down her cheeks. These were no ordinary white berries, and they actually worked to bring Balder back to life by stripping the poison from the mistletoe. That made Frigga so happy that she blessed all mistletoe, and anyone walking underneath it was given a free kiss.

Of course, the Nordic folks were not the only ancient people who used and believed in the magical powers of mistletoe. The ancient Druids of the United Kingdom were big fans of the evergreen plant, and would distribute it to all the people in their villages. They would hang the plant over the front door of their homes, because they believed that the plant would protect them from evil spirits, goblins, and even thunder and lightening. Druids also believed that mistletoe stood for peace, so if Druid warriors ever met underneath a patch of mistletoe in the forest, they could not fight. They would call a truce and meet somewhere else to fight.

Put all of these traditions and beliefs together—and then mix in the traditions of Christmas and Santa Claus—and you have what would become today’s modern tradition surrounding mistletoe and kisses.

It was not that simple for guys and gals and the magical mistletoe in the 1700s. Back then, kissing was a very serious thing to do with a girl. There was no spin the bottle or truth or dare. If you kissed a girl under the mistletoe, you meant business. Basically, a kiss under the mistletoe meant you were prepared to marry her. On the flip side, if a girl stood under mistletoe at Christmas time and no man kissed her, that meant she would stay unmarried for the entire next year. But the lucky man who would be brave and kiss her could expect a lasting friendship, a deep romance, and happiness with the lucky woman.

We cannot know for sure if this is how good old Saint Nick got proposed to Mrs. Claus, but we can be sure that the jolly old man hangs a piece of mistletoe in his home in the North Pole. Come to think of it, he probably also hangs a bunch of mistletoe in the reindeer barn, the toy factory, and anywhere else Mrs. Claus might find herself!

Watch as Santa Claus pops out of the chimney pot. But don’t get him stuck because if he catches you he won’t bring you any Christmas presents.

To make a popup Santa you will need - 2 loo-roll tubes. One needs to be slightly bigger than the other, so that one can easily slide up and down inside the other tube.

The larger tube is the chimney pot. Cover this tube in paper or paint to look like a chimney pot.

The smaller tube is Father Christmas. Stick on paper or paint this tube to look like Santa Claus. Give him a long white beard and a bright red coat.

Stick on a strip of red paper around the top of the tube so that the paper over hangs the tube. Scrunch the top edge of the paper to form Santa’s hat. Stick a cotton wool ball on the top to finish it off. The glue helps to keep the scrunched up edge nicely in place.

Cut out two thin strips of card. Stick them on the side of Santa to make his arms. The turn over you make to stick on the arms acts as a hinge later. Santa’s arms will pop out of the chimney as Santa appears.

When Santa is complete and the glue or paint is dry, cover Santa in sticky clear book protector or clear selotape. This reduces friction as Santa slips up and down inside the chimney.

Put Santa inside the chimney. Put your fingers up inside the chimney to mover Santa up and down so that he appears to POP out of the chimney.

Popup Santa is great for ‘doing’ the actions to the song ‘When Santa got stuck up the chimney’

When Santa got stuck up the chimney,
He began to shout,
“You girls and boys won’t get any toys,
If you don’t pull me out!
My beard is black,
There’s soot in my sack,
My nose is tickling too”
When Santa go stuck up the chimney,
Achoo Achoo Achoo!

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When I first heard Audrey Hepburn sing “These are a few of my favorite things” in the evergreen movie “ My fair Lady”, I never thought I’d have an occasion to present my own list some day. But you know what they say, “Every dog ahs his day”, and I got mine too. This Christmas, my dear owner in my eyes, is no less beautiful than Audrey. Hepburn herself, has asked me for a list of 10 things that I want. And God! I can’t wait to get started.

• The first and foremost thing I want is to have my own bean bag, in front of the television. With my own Bean Bag, I can be a part of the prime time audience.

• I also want to have my own car and a driver, so that I can go for long drives as and when I want. Oh what fun would it be, to just hop on to the back seat of a convertible, have the wind blowing in my face and to have no one pushing me to the extreme corner of the car seat. I can’t wait to lie back and say to myself, “Now that’s the way to live!!!

• One thing I always dream of is to have a cupboard full of dog bones, in all flavors - chicken, pork, mutton, egg and even fish!!! I can chew on it all day and treat my palate to my heart’s leisure. That’s called getting a real taste of life!!!!

• Another thing that has always been a secret passion for me is to have cat in my captivity. But something tells me, this wish of mine will remain a wish considering my owner goes “Oh chooo chweet” every time she sees a cat at her window still, sitting majestically - much to my rising blood pressure !!!

• One thing I have always dreamt doing is to fly first class. After all, my owner has always made me feel that I deserve the best!!! I would love to lie back in the comfy cozy chairs I see in the television ads, be served chicken/mutton soup, with chop lambs and a jug of my favorite milk that I can keep lapping up while admiring the clouds and the sky outside. I would love to be on cloud nine literally, this X’mas.

• I also want a nice big bed all to myself. Even though I have been provided a decent bed and I am practically the master of the whole house (at least my owner tells me so), I still would love to have a master bed, where I can sleep without having to worry about stretching too much. Sometimes, I feel I don’t manage to catch the other dogs and cats in my dreams, because I don’t have that much of space to run while dreaming.

• I also desperately need a mobile phone. You might not believe me, but I do have quite a few local friends. They are cool dudes and it’s nice to meet them when I go for my walks. But there are times when I’m getting bored in the house. No cat or mouse in the house to hold my attention and no maids or squirrels to bark at. That’s when you feel like just calling up your friends.

• I would love to have my own personal shrink. There are so many things I want him to analyze for me, especially my dreams. I want to know why I only dream to cats and dogs and chasing them unsuccessfully all over town. I wonder if I have any karmic debts to settle with them or is it just my ID, my ego or the super ego that is causing me so much of heartburn.

• You might find this funny but I would also love to have a skateboard for myself. You know how it is. Sometimes you just feel so tired. I do want to go out for a walk, but I somehow don’t have the energy to walk. At such to just step on to the skateboard and look around. Now that would be a real smooth walk, don’t you think????

• And last, but not the least, I would like to have my own ATM card. There are times when you feel like indulging in something particular, but my owner does not understand exactly what I want. That’s when I feel my ATM card would be very useful. I can just go and withdraw money and head straight for the nearest dog store and buy whatever goodies I feel like eating. With time I might even cajole my owner to get me my own credit card. I have seen how easy it becomes when you have one. Then I can got o the jazziest dog store and have a blast.

Come to think of it, my list can go on and on, but I have been told to stop at 10 things for now. I can’t wait for December and the jingle bells ringing. With my wish list all set for my very own Santa Clause, I have already started my countdown. I am going to be the happiest dog this Christmas with all my wishes set to be fulfilled. And all those who love my kind and me, please come forward and join me in chorus to say “Amen” to that. Soon, I shall call all of you from my mobile and thank you all personally for all your good wishes. Merry X’mas!

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