Culturegeeks

I always thought Pike’s Peak was home to Santas (or at least the ex-biker ones), but it seems that Alameda, California is where the fat man makes his summer home. Check out the lovely postcards from Santa’s Village (The Ice Cream Bunny may appear as well…you wish!), then pop over to The Nut Tree for some eats. Yum.

(Just after I put this post up I looked out the window and there is a freaking blizzard in NYC.  No big news, really, but Margi and I have been missing the snow, and we have had none of it this winter. Thank you, balmy Santa spirit!)

Because nothing says Christmas like Sea Lion Show or Dondi the Elephant, we are going out with friends tonight to Santa’s Enchanted Forest! Carnies! Obnoxious teenagers! Fried food! Tilt-a-Whirl! and how could we pass up Wayne Francis: Puppeteer and Ventriliquist?

SANTA ROCKS!!

The most excellent Maine company LibraryThing has hit upon a fabulous holiday idea: Secret Santa for bibliophiles:

“The idea is simple. Pay $25. You play Santa to a random LibraryThing member, and buy them up $20 worth of books, based on their library or a short description. Someone else does the same to you. LibraryThing orders the books and pays the shipping, so no addresses are exchanged.”

This idea is fantastic on several levels. For recipients, the element of (educated) surprise is pretty intriguing. Your Santa will choose books for you based on what’s already in your library and what you tell them about your literary preferences. Even if you don’t want to participate financially, you can still help Santa choose books for other people. And you can make a gift out of participation — you pay the fee and your friend/boss/cousin gets the books. Registrations are due by noon tomorrow, though, so get your Santa hats on while there’s still time…