These festive robots were built from RoboBuilder kits and synchronized to some classic holiday tunes. OK, just pretend that those little squeaks and servo motor noises are jingle bells. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Anchorage-based agency spokeswoman Pamela Moody said dealing with the tighter restrictions is not feasible in Alaska.

“It’s always been a good program, but we’re in different times and concerned for the privacy of the information,” she said.

Moody stressed that kids around the world can still send letters to Santa Claus. The Postal Service still runs the giant Operation Santa Program in which children around the world can have their letters to Santa answered, and the restrictions do not affect private organizations running their own letter efforts.

But what will change are the generically addressed letters to “Santa Claus, North Pole” that for years have been forwarded to volunteers in the Alaska town. That program will stop, unless changes are made before Christmas.

North Pole residents are upset over the changes, and also unhappy that North Pole cancellations will now be stamped in Anchorage instead of Fairbanks, which is only 15 miles from North Pole. Link -via Consumerist

(image credit: AP/Sam Harrel)

Less is more with this Christmas nativity set by artist Oliver Fabel, available in German and in English. Link -via Swiss Miss

Who needs a present when you have an awesome box wrapped in paper to hide in? That’s certainly how this cute kitty thinks. I wish my life were so easily filled.

Link Via Giggle Sugar

Link Via Cute Overload

The critters out in the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney, Australia got a special treat for Christmas this year. I know it starts with an ad, but the video is totally worth the wait.

Link Via Zooborns

The day after Christmas a number of years ago, I was driving down a country road in Texas. And it was a bitter cold, cold morning. And walking ahead of me on the gravel road was a little bare-footed boy with non-descript ragged overalls and a makeshift sleeved sweater tied around his little ears. I stopped and picked him up. Looked like he was about 12 years old and his little feet were blue with the cold. He was carrying an orange.

Read the rest at NPR. Link (via Metafilter)

And here’s the rest:

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This has to be one of the most serene/patient feline I have ever seen. Dressed in ridonkulous costumes this cat gets its picture taken for a calendar in Japan and wishes you all a Merry Christmas. What a thoughtful kitty.

via – Tokyo Mango

Looking for the perfect ornament to truly express yourself this Christmas? You may still have time to grab one of these 54 seriously weird ornaments. You gotta love the sexy snowmen.

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Lego Santa CrabBot by Andrew Colunga. His Flickr gallery is full of terrific Lego creations.

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PS: Of course, we know Santa really has a whole herd of reindeer.

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• You’ll never hear him referenced by name in the movie, but the script for IAWL says the head angel (not Clarence’s boss Joseph, but his superior) is named Franklin. Why Franklin? Well, originally, the head angel was going to be Benjamin Franklin. He was going to be shown up in heaven, tinkering away at one of his many inventions.

• The movie started as The Greatest Gift, a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern. RKO Pictures bought the rights to the story and started to rewrite some of it, but it was going nowhere fast. Ideas including Uncle Billy committing suicide and a “Good George” battling “Bad George”. Frank Capra loved the story, though, and used his own cash to buy the story from RKO. Although a few of the RKO scenes were kept, including the scene at the dance, Capra and his writers (including Dorothy Parker, who was never credited) rescued It’s a Wonderful Life and made it the classic it is today

• When you see the boys sledding near the beginning of the movie, there’s a lot going on here. First of all, all of them are wearing caps with skull and crossbones. That’s because they all belong to a secret club (boys only, I’m sure). And among the boys there are Ernie and Sam Wainwright. Ernie isn’t ever referenced in the movie, but you know it’s Sam because he gives his “hee haw” sign. Also, if you look close, you’ll see that they are trespassing on old man Potter’s territory. In an earlier version of the script, Potter let his attack dogs loose (”Smithers, release the hounds.”) on the boys, and when they started running, Harry fell through the ice.

• Donna Reed grew up just outside of Denison, Iowa (not too far from Des Moines) and won a bet with Lionel Barrymore, the actor who played Mr. Potter, when he bet her that she couldn’t milk a cow. Apparently she was also an accomplished baker – her rolls won a coveted blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair when she was just 13.

• Sure, the movie looks like it takes place in a snowy December setting. But it was actually filmed during a heat wave in California (that gym with the swimming pool under the floor is Beverly Hills High School). It got so unbearable that Frank Capra actually gave everyone a day off to recover from a hard, hot day of shooting.

• The FBI kept a file on Frank Capra because they felt that It’s a Wonderful Life was nothing more than Communist propaganda. Comments included the observation that the Mr. Potter character was obviously an attempt to discredit bankers.

• Zuzu’s name comes from ZuZu gingersnaps. Jimmy Stewart cleverly calls her a little ginger snap near the end of the movie, alluding to the origins of her name. Also, there used to be an all-girl band called Zuzu’s Petals – the lead singer of the band, Laurie Lindeen, is married to former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg.

• Since Sesame Street first introduced our favorite Muppet odd couple, there has been speculation that they were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver from It’s a Wonderful Life. Not true, says longtime Muppet writer and puppeteer Jerry Juhl. It’s just a coincidence.

• And, finally, a bit of thievery from my mental_floss post on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – The Capra family must have Christmas in their genes. The assistant director of Christmas Vacation, Frank Capra III, is the grandson of the legendary Frank Capra, who directed It’s a Wonderful Life. The part where Clark “fixes” the newel post by sawing it off with a chainsaw is an homage to It’s a Wonderful Life – the newel post at the Bailey’s house was also loose. Also, Russ is watching It’s a Wonderful Life on TV when his grandparents arrive.

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This one to the left is the Frontgate 33" Summit Wreath, which unfortunately doesn’t come with the deer head, though at $199 apiece you’d think it would.

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It’s less than a week to go to Christmas, so it’s time to trot out last year’s fruitcake (hey, it’s still good! Fruitcakes last forever) and this Neatorama’s post: World’s Most Unusual Christmas Trees.

Are you ready for Christmas? What are you doing this year that’s different from last year?

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Firebox.com is paying 20 of its male forklift truck drivers and warehouse assistants to wrap presents as quickly as possible, using ugly brown duct tape and very little care.

And the $9 service, cheekily called CrapWrap, has attracted more than 500 customers since it launched last week.

Whether it’s a book, DVD or something trickier such as a kitchen utensil, the team guarantees to make a mess of it.

I still don’t know any man who would pay $9 rather than having the pros (or Mom) wrap a gift for him. Link -Thanks, Bill!

Looking for a slightly weird, very crafty and kinda cute present? Enroll someone you love in the Button Ring of the Month Club. Best of all, the rings are somewhat customized to your personal preferences. Only $55 for a 6 month membership full of accessories galore!

“Around the 1st of each month, for the next 6 consecutive months, you’ll receive a vintage button ring packaged inside an adorable little paper box–ready for gift giving or keeping for yourself!

Your likes & dislikes will be considered as I am crafting up your fabulous jewelry. If you have certain color combos you adore, let me know. Or, if you are daring & desire to be completely surprised, I can do that too!!”

Link Via Craftzine