Christmas is here!  Even though it happens every year at exactly the same time, these words still send thrills of

happiness through me.  This year is more exciting than ever as I'm living smack dab next door to the man in the big red suit.  Is that a look of doubt on your face?  It's true! I moved next door to Santa Claus and I've got the pictures to prove it, along with friends who will confirm that yes, this mama was crazy enough to pack up her family and belongings in order to head out to North Pole, Alaska, just one day before winter hit with a passion.  Technically it was just flurries, but I came from Grants Pass, Oregon, where light flurries are cause for residents to rush out into the streets screaming with arms flailing while vehicles head straight for ditches and schools shut down faster than Santa's reindeer can fly.

Now that I have visited those reindeer, I can tell you why they fly so fast.  They conserve energy by doing absolutely

nothing for the eleven months previous to December.  I drive by Santa's house almost every day and each time, the

reindeer are sitting there on their lazy duffs, giant antlers blending in with the tree branches.  I try to talk to them but

they just slowly turn their heads towards me and snicker. 

So what's life like here during Christmas in North Pole?  Well, I'll tell you.  It's cold.  It's the kind of cold that mocks mittens and overcoats, marching into your bones without so much as a how-do-ya do. This type of cold shrivels nose hairs and makes every bit of dental work in your mouth feel like an ice block as liquid nitrogen pours from your mouth.  At first it made me cry, but I quickly learned that once that thermometer hits negative 20, tears freeze. 

Despite the intense cold, I still pay an occasional visit to Santa's house.  It seems he's always got a line of kids

waiting to see him, so instead of giving him my wish list, I usually snap a few photos of reindeer,cute little children, and Christmas in Ice before leaving. Besides, I'm not so sure I want to meet him face to face. For a man who still gets around by sleigh, he may not think much of someone who pulls up in an old, beat up Dodge Ram pick-up with no back window, crash bars in front, and

brakes that may or may not bring me to a complete stop before I reach

the sleigh parked out front?  I have no wish for coal in my stocking or even worse, having to pay what must be outrageous costs to repair such a famous historical vehicle. 

When the visit to Santa House is over, it's a quick hop next door to Strange Brew Coffee, where Corey or another of

the wonderful gals will whip you up a peppermint hot chocolate, a toasty vanilla breve, or the current special

appropriately named the "Gingerbread Man." You'll need the extra warmth if you're going to cruise the ice-covered

streets and take in the scenery, which is a very cold but worthwhile venture. Candy canes and wreaths can be seen on almost every major street. The shopping plaza hosts a holiday bazarre where you can buy anything from bone-handled knives to beaded hair clips. The round-a-bouts are filled with festively decorated trees, and the

workers at the post office wear candy cane hats and perpetual smiles,

despite lines that curve and twist so far that only the bravest souls dare walk inside within two weeks of Christmas. A fully decorated truck from the North Pole Fire Department cruises the streets every evening during the holidays, playing carols every day until Christmas.

Holiday meals here in North Pole are not very different from those in the lower 48, with a few minor differences, such as the possibility of not having one.  With the cost of groceries still sky rocketing here in Alaska, my plans for dinner must be drastically modified.  Right now we can afford one turkey leg, half an apple, and five mushrooms.  Even Little Debbie snacks are becoming a treasure at $2.79 per box (they put a large orange sticker over the stamped on price that says $2.79 IN ALASKA, as

if to mock us Little Debbie addicts) and the milk to accompany them can be $10.00 per gallon.  At this rate we might have to hint at an invitation from the elves to dinner, although we do have a large hunk of moose in the freezer.  I haven't been brave enough to cook it yet.  For some odd reason my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which claims to be America's #1 cookbook since 1930, doesn't contain a single recipe for moose.  Should it be ground into moose burgers?  Braised with five

mushrooms?  Are moose related to reindeer and if so, what will happen

if one of Santa's reindeer catches me with moose breath? 

So maybe there are a few setbacks to living in such a secluded part of the world, but not only are the benefits worth it, Christmas is here! That's in itself is exciting enough.  What else does a person need to be happy?  My children will give me hugs-n-kisses, the warm smell of cinnamon and apple pie will fill our home, and the frozen world

outside will be white and sparkling with Alaskan snow.  On top of that I've been a pretty good girl and have, at minimum, a candy cane coming to my stocking this year.  We always welcome visitors here in North Pole, especially other females as the men far outnumber us.  So if

you're passing by the area, stop by for a cup of hot cocoa and I promise we'll top it off with marshmallows and put in a good word for you with Santa and all the little elves that help make Christmas such a wonderful time of the year!

From here in North Pole, Alaska, here's wishing you and yours a very special Christmas and a wonderful New Year!