Anticipating Santa, Part 4

She was five years old and didn’t believe in Santa. What, I ask you, has this world become when a five year old in America cannot believe in Santa Claus?

But according to Jeff Westover, founder of My Merry Christmas.com, it was this non-belief in Santa that has led to a virtual empire of associated Christmas websites (including this one).

Back in 1991 Westover married a woman with a five year old child. In today’s world where blended families are common Westover found himself challenged to keep his beloved tradition of Santa Claus alive because his intended and her child had never had the Santa tradition in their holiday celebration.

“She opened her presents on Christmas Eve,” Westover recalled. “Can you imagine my horror at that? But she was insistent. It was a terrible parental challenge to deal with right off the bat. She didn’t believe in Santa and I had to make that happen.”

To make a long story short, Westover got some help from a higher source: the North Pole. Back then, the Internet wasn’t a reality. He had to do it the old way. But somehow he got the help he needed — with direct contact from Santa himself.

Santa, it seems, does a lot of mailing. He usually sends letters but is known to send packages containing all manner of goodies specifically to serve the needs of just one particular person, if necessary.

He will use his computer, like many of us do these days, but he actually has more methods of contact that almost anyone else in the world. He uses fax machines, telephones, cell phones, short wave radios, Morse code and even the good old fashioned method of smoke signals. Santa is big on communication. But his preferred method — like to due to the promise of guaranteed delivery through sleet and snow — is through the post office.

“It took one special elf and Santa at the North Pole himself to convince my eldest daughter about Santa Claus,” Westover triumphantly reports. “I couldn’t do it alone. That singular effort led to sharing what we know about Santa and the North Pole with the world. We use to send out our Santa updates by fax, but that was very expensive. Then we discovered the Internet. That made it cheaper and easier to reach millions.”

For as much as we love the Internet, Westover says that nothing does it for his kids (he has seven!) than actually getting something in the mail from the North Pole. “Oh yes,” he recalls, “that first Christmas my daughter’s first gift from the North Pole was a map of the world. She got it a couple of days before Christmas and she was instructed by her elf to hang it on the wall and use it to track Santa.”

She did, and the rest, as they say, is history.

‘Best Christmas Ever’ Planned for Liverpool

As the 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations come to a festive conclusion, the city has revealed its plans for the “biggest and best” Christmas to date.

City council leader Warren Bradley said that the holiday programme as been designed to attract thousands of new shoppers to the north-west city.

“Liverpool is staging its biggest and best ever Christmas programme to reflect the dramatic improvements the city has undergone, and also to bring our Capital of Culture year to a fitting festive climax with a special atmosphere,” he said.

Last week saw the city switch on its Christmas lights, a display which includes the new Liverpool One shopping complex for the first time.

More than 50 different acts are scheduled to take part in the Christmas festivities this year, including real reindeer, street theatre performers, choirs and brass bands.

The Liverpool One shopping centre plans to extend its opening hours until 21:00 GMT from Monday to Friday beginning November 24th.

For those who are keen to have a bit of retail therapy during the hectic holiday season, Red Letter Days offer a number of shopping experiences where you can find some exciting Christmas gifts.