Trends for Dec. 23, 2002

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Dec. 23, 2002 | 8:19 a.m.

On the road again

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down the information superhighway ...

Don't bother braving the very busy shopping malls two days before Christmas to sneak a peek at the jolly one in action. Instead log onto the Internet, where there is a virtual sleigh-load of websites on which to track the big guy's Tuesday-night, toy-toting trek around the globe.

One of the sites, Claus.com, not only lets viewers follow Santa and his reindeer, but also keep a running total of how many cookies St. Nick scarfs during his rounds. Youngsters can also hedge his or her bets on how many presents he or she will get, based on a personal rating from the Naughty or Nice-O-Meter.

There's even a role for parents to play: As though Mom and Dad won't have shelled out enough cash on gifts by Wednesday, for a $4.95 fee he or she can arrange to have Santa call (via his "Sleigh Phone") their home four times on Tuesday and give Junior a status report on Santa's ETA at Junior's house. A portion of the fee will be donated to the nonprofit Starlight Children's Foundation for seriously ill children and their families.

All dialed up

Santa is also arranging house calls (so to speak) at TheSantaCard.com.

For a $5 fee (what's a nickel these days, anyway?) parents, grandparents and other relatives can see to it that Santa calls a favorite youngster at a specified time and phone number.

With some information obtained during the set-up process, including the child's name and age, Santa will personalize the recorded phone conversation to suit the little one, who will get a chance to tell Santa what he or she wants for Christmas, and also wish others a happy holiday.

Once the child has hung up with Santa, parents can call back and listen to a recording of the conversation, and forward the call to five friends and/or family members in the United States, Canada and Mexico to enjoy.

The Santa Card phone call can also be scheduled by calling (888) 488-8222.

Cost-cutting measures

Of course, you could save a few bucks and track Santa free of charge, via the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which has for years followed Santa on Christmas Eve.

A link to NORAD's tracking site can be found at Home4Christmas.com, a website loaded with all sorts of Christmas cheer, games and trivia.

In need of a Christmas joke to tell? Try this one: "Why does Santa Claus have three gardens? So he can "Ho, Ho, Ho."

Wondering which famous folks will celebrate Christmas birthdays? The list includes "Margaritaville" singer Jimmy Buffett (born in 1946); screen star Sissy Spacek (1949); and Eurythmics songstress Annie Lennox (1954).

Besides following Santa's journey on the website, little ones can send Mad Libs-style letters to the North Pole (an updated weather report for the area is also available), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and even The Grinch, as well as print holiday scenes for the coloring and gift tags for the giving.