While Christmas would certainly be a lot more simple with a Santa Dalek, I don’t know that I’d consider it “saving” the holiday when they’ve exterminated everyone.

Link Via Geeks Are Sexy

(Video Link)

While that headline could be used for an article about modern-day Scrooges, I meant it quite literally. This fat kitty hates being dressed as Santa and its reactions are quite funny.

Via BuzzFeed

Is Santa an elitist grouch who doesn't "do poor countries"? That's the swipe that UNICEF's new Christmas seems to say!

A new UNICEF-Sweden commercial is taking a swipe at Santa Claus. In the video [...], Santa begins by laughing at his desk while he examines toys. Then he picks up a box filled with UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) medical supplies — malaria tablets, rehydration bags, polio vaccines — destined for an impoverished country. Santa scoffs: "All this stuff goes to poor kids, like in Africa?" Santa then looks at a gift card the United Nations relief organization sends to people when someone makes a donation in their name. "What am I supposed to say when I give this out? 'Here's a picture of the gift you never got?' Come on. I don't do poor countries."

Link

Santa Fett was created by Cory Mcburnett, who is also the creator of Steampunk Fett.

Link Via Geeks Are Sexy

Link

Image: Sir EDW/Flickr

Protecting Santa is a tough job, so Santa's Defense Forces need heavy-duty weapons like this candy cane small arm that is standard issue on the North Pole:

The core of the system is the Candy Cane Carbine (C3), a modular candy cane small arm that can be tailored to a variety of applications. For more serious threats to Santa, especially those hardened against small arms fire, there is the weapon of last resort, the Mark 12 Tenenbaum Launcher.

Link - via Laughing Squid

These adorable brownie bites wear little Santa hats made of strawberries! You’ll find instructions for making your own at daisy’s world. Link -via Buzzfeed

Baby Santa Jacket – $34.95

Are you looking for a festive and fun way to keep your favorite bundle of joy warm this holiday season? You need the Baby Santa Jacket from the NeatoShop. This adorable zippered coat is made from super soft, wide-wale corduroy with satin lining and faux fur trim.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Clothing & Accessories and Christmas cheer.

Link

]]> http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/24/baby-santa-jacket/feed/ 0 http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/18/santas-glove-oven-mitt/ http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/18/santas-glove-oven-mitt/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:46:49 +0000 Tiffany http://www.neatorama.com/?p=56157

Santa’s Glove Oven Mitt – $13.95

What kind of oven mitt does Santa Claus use to bake delicious holiday meals and cookies? We are pretty sure the big guy uses a Santa’s Glove Oven Mitt from the NeatoShop. This festive neoprene oven mitt is perfectly shaped to look like one of Santa’s mittens.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Kitchen Stuff.

Link

NeatoShop artist and our pal Michael Renouf of Non-Stick Plans made this Christmas greetings that I just have to share with all of you. (And yes, Michael is from the UK, where "Happy Christmas" is used instead of "Merry Christmas" here in the United States - but I trust that the sentiment is the same)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In many ways though, the creation of this holiday magic is even more amazing than the actual displays. Here’s the details that go into transforming a park from a Halloween harvest theme to a Christmas wonderland.

Image via Armidillo444 [Flickr]

The Christmas Tree:

Every year since its opening, Disneyland features a sixty foot tall Christmas tree that towers over Main Street. Up until 2008, live trees were driven in all the way from Mount Shasta, but since then the park has opted to go green and use an artificial pine that was specially designed by Disney’s Imagineering team. The tree is 65 feet tall, as 5 feet of it sits underground for support. It has over 1,200 branches with a total of 280,000 pine needles which are decorated with 2000 ornaments and 75,000 lights. The electrical cable needed to light all of the lights weighs an astonishing 5,000 pounds.

During the majority of the year, the tree is kept in a warehouse away from the park, but in October, they transport all six pieces of it to the park in the middle of the night. The tree is then put together in the back area of the park, the lights are applied and technicians test the light show. Once they are sure it’s ready to go, they take it apart into two sections. In early November, the 12 ton tree is then moved into place in Main Street using 15 cast members and two cranes.

The tree isn’t the only decorative touch in Main Street though. Throughout Disneyland, the park uses more than 1.5 miles of garland and over 2,000 feet of this is used on Main Street alone. Main Street also features 812 bows, which require 1.4 miles worth of ribbon to create.

Image via Andy Castro [Flickr]

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle:

The iconic castle is redone for wintertime, with a fresh layer of artificial snow and 50,000 lights, including hanging icicles that light up during the nighttime shows. The castle is the central part of a three-part show that takes place every night. The first part of the show occurs at twilight when the sound of wind blowing enters the air followed by a child wishing for snow. A motherly voice is heard to respond, “in order for your wishes to come true, you must believe.” Just then, snow machines blast out icy flurries and the castle lights up with its snow glistening.

Later on, the fireworks show starts and the child is again heard wishing for snow. Then the lights on the castle get even brighter as the snow begins falling again. The fireworks then kick off and just as they approach the grand finale and White Christmas starts to play, the icicles light up and then snow falls in Main Street, New Orlean’s Square and the Small World mall.

Image via Andy Castro [Flickr]

It’s A Small World:

We’ve already talked about how The Haunted Mansion is changed to a Nightmare Before Christmas theme throughout Halloween, but that’s not the only ride to be altered during Christmas time. It’s A Small World is also redone to reflect the holiday spirit. Instead of singing the classic song that provides the ride with its namesake, the children throughout the world sing ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Deck the Halls.’ The exterior of the ride is covered in 300,000 Christmas lights and the large clock in the center is decked out with a Santa hat. After dark the façade features a multi-media presentation projection every fifteen minutes.

Big Thunder Ranch is also modified for the holidays, as it provides Santa and his reindeer a relaxing place to stay just before he rushes around the world to deliver toys.

Image via Wikipedia user Lyght

The Parade:

Every year, the park also features “A Christmas Fantasy parade.” While certain aspects of the parade change every year, it always starts with a music box float featuring a ballerina, which is followed by toy soldiers playing snare drums and trumpets. The Winter Wonderland part of the parade features Tigger, Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh riding and pulling sleighs while Mickey and Minnie skate on an ice rink float. Clarabelle Cow, Goofy and Max all work together to bake gingerbread cookies. Cinderella and the other princesses and their respective princes dance together on a ballroom float. Next, toys of all kinds walk and roll by, led by Chip and Dale, members of Toy Story and Pinocchio. At the very end of the parade, Santa rides by in his sled, wishing Merry Christmas to all the good girls and boys.

Image via Armadillo444 [Flickr]

Are you planning to visit any theme parks during the holiday season? If so, which one(s)? Do any of our Orlando-favoring readers fill us in on the details of the Magic Kingdom’s Christmas celebrations?

Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2, About.com, WDW Info, West Ways Magazine

Disneyland fans! See more Neatorama Facts:

Neatorama Facts: Haunted Mansion

Neatorama Facts: Sleeping Beauty Castle

Neatorama Facts: Pirates of the Caribbean

Neatorama Facts: The Jungle Cruise

Neatorama Facts: Space Mountain

Neatorama Facts: The Enchanted Tiki Room

Cartoonist Mark Anderson constructed the Robot Santa from the TV show Futurama out of Lego bricks! See lots more pictures at Andertoons. Link -Thanks, Mark!

Imagine the horror of the little children of Santa Catarina, Brzil when a giant Santa Claus went up in flames!

At 50 feet, this is probably the largest Santa you have ever seen. It’s a pity it got burnt down at the end. A lot of people traveled far to get a picture with it but it went up in flames covering the surrounding area in thick black smoke. This happened in Brazil on December 2, 2009 and it is assumed to be because of some mechanical error although some people speculate foul play. The pictures do make you feel sad about all the efforts going up in flames.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by rappin.

Photo submitted by Z.  (Sketchy Santas)

Sketchy Santas is a site devoted to reader-submitted pictures of that bastion of the season: sitting on Santa’s lap.  It’s a time when children are either enchanted with the prospect of meeting the magic man who will bring them whatever toys they desire… or it’s nightmare time.

Link.  Previously on Neatorama: Scared of Santa.

Just the other day, the American Medical Association released a study showing Santa’s body mass index to be “dangerously high’’ at 30 percent, which makes him obese, which puts him at high risk for a heart attack, which means he should not be flying at high altitudes.

Not only that, but Lou Dobbs on his radio show recently suggested that Santa, because he lives in the North Pole, is not a US citizen and therefore should not be allowed to fly over our country, much less land on rooftops. He’s asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to look into the matter. [...]

This just in: At the opening of the Copenhagen climate talks yesterday, a special session was called to discuss a newly discovered greenhouse gas. “It seems that reindeer droppings from the long flight give
off methane, adding to the monumental climate gas problem,’’said one noted scientist. A committee is studying whether to charge Santa a new carbon emissions tax, which will, of course, be passed along to consumers.

Speaking of reindeer, PETA is protesting the lengthy work hours of the reindeer, whose journey spans many time zones. The animal rights group is also looking into reports that Rudolph was targeted for bullying by the others not because of his red nose but because he is gay.

Meanwhile, Dasher has denied rumors that he tested positive for anabolic steroids, but he has refused to take a lie detector test.

More Santa shenanigans at the very funny Santa, NO! Tumblr blog (may be NSFW, you’ve been warned)

Popular in Alpine villages centuries ago, Krampus scared kids straight—his long red tongue upped the fear factor—and taught them that evil bows before good. He served Santa’s forerunner, kindly St. Nicholas, who had “the power to send Krampus back to hell,” says Austrian ethnologist Ulrike Kammerhofer-Aggermann. [...]

But by the 1800s, church leaders had marginalized Krampus. Now he’s enjoying a mini-revival, mainly for the fun of it. The Austrian state of Salzburg alone has 180 Krampus clubs, more than half set up since 1990, says Josef Moser, Jr., chairman of Austria’s Krampus Museum. Revelers roam streets in Krampus garb, rattle bells, and roar. “It feels good!” says Moser.

Link

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 female supply teacher told pupils at Blackshaw Lane Primary in Royton, Oldham, that it was parents, not Santa, who left their gifts on Christmas Day.

Several parents complained to the head teacher, who has since accepted an apology from the teacher concerned.

But head Angela McCormick has since told the agency she does not want the teacher to work there again.

Link
- Thanks Phil!

Last year, we posted Amy Rawson‘s Cthulhu Santa needle felted figurine. This year, she has done it again (in collaboration with Brian East). It’s now being auctioned off on eBay: Link – Thanks dzastrus!

Do you have a Christmas wish for Santa? Tell him what to do and see if you can stump him with something that’s not on his list. Link