Our Famous Three (and a half) Great Christmas Sites
At this festive time of year, EB and TC like to do festive things, like reminding everyone that Christmas is coming. It seems each year, Christmas comes and goes so quickly. So, before Christmas has come and gone, we’d like to (hopefully) add to your Christmas joy by sharing some unique and fun Christmas websites. You’ll want to bookmark one or more of these sites if you have kids or grandkids, or if you’re like us, kids at heart.
These sites are not listed in any particular order – so the first one listed is not necessarily the best and so forth and so on.
Without boring you to tears, I am going to get started now.
If you have kids or grandkids, or if you still believe in Santa Claus, as I do, then you’ll want to visit this site on Christmas Eve.
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is for EB to quit flogging me.
Your fan,
TC
OK seriously – this is from the NORAD site by the official NORAD people, who you don’t want to mess with because they have their fingers on the buttons that launch nukes. Don’t write and criticize them.
For over 60 years “…NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa…”
We would write an intro for this site, but since the developer of the site is so verbose, we’re just going to let him entertain you.
“About WhyChristmas?com WhyChristmas?com is one of the largest Christmas information sites on the web and answers your Christmas questions! It was launched in November 2000 by me, James Cooper a Christmas loving web designer from the UK
I’d always loved Christmas (yes, I’m a very big kid!) and had wondered about the ‘whys’ of Christmas; such as why do we have Santa/Father Christmas, why we have Christmas Trees and send Christmas Cards to each other?!
The site was originally created for some friends who were teachers in a local school. Knowing that I was a web designer, they came to me complaining that they couldn’t find a site that was child friendly and “wasn’t trying to sell the kids something”! So with the help of ‘Bruce the Spruce’ (the site’s Christmas Tree logo!) I made a little site for them to use with their classes.
The site has always had a ‘no ads’ policy (although I’ve had plenty of offers!). As the site has become more and more popular the hosting costs have also increased! If you really like the site, you can help to keep the site online.
As a Christian, the most important part of Christmas to me is the Christmas Story, when we remember and celebrate that Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
I’m also an all round ‘Christmas Nut’ listening to Christmas Carols and songs throughout the year! And to really get me into the Christmas spirit, I have to watch ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’! Through researching and creating the site, I’ve also become a Christmasologist…”
It’s a fun site for adults and kids – get on your sleigh and hitch up your reindeer and…
Head on over to WhyChristmas?com.
I love it! Another verbose developer! I’m on a roll – and so are you. Here to tell you all about Northpole.com is the developer himself…
“About Northpole.com
Northpole.com celebrates the holidays with dozens of activities for children and families. A child-safe, award-winning holiday site, northpole.com promotes a traditional look at Santa’s Secret Village at the North Pole, but with high-tech, creative features to keep children and adults entertained—all for free.
The northpole.com site premiered in 1996 and has been delighting children ever since. Its creators wanted to provide a family-oriented, traditional Christmas site for children and their families to enjoy, and showcase it as a site steeped in both tradition and technology. As a result, visitors enjoy animation using Adobe Flash, JavaScript, Webmail, and conversation simulators using artificial intelligence—all on Web pages richly illustrated with hundreds of original, detailed, hand-drawn artwork.
The site opens with a panoramic view of Santa’s Secret Village?, the fanciful home of Santa, his elves, and reindeer. Visitors click on different ‘buildings’ to enter, leading to a variety of activities or stories. Buildings include Santa’s Mailroom, Santa’s Workshop, Gift Shop, Craft Cottage, Elf Clubhouse, Santa’s Reindeer Barn, Santa’s Den, Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, North pole Weather Station, Elf Pal Academy, and Toy Shop.
Letters to Santa arrive by the thousands each day during the holiday season and are processed in Santa’s Mailroom. There, children have a quick, secure, and certain means to write Santa AND get a free, keepsake-quality reply letter within days. In Santa’s Workshop, children can read short creative stories about elves and toys. In the Reindeer Barn, the stories are about Raymond the playful reindeer. All stories on northpole.com are original, and many offer a gentle and upbeat lesson for children. Personalized, original stories await children in Santa’s Den and are created by the child (or parent) answering a few short questions, such as the child’s first name, hometown, and a favorite activity. These answers are woven into the story to personalize it for the child, and pages can be printed out as a keepsake or gift.
After discovering that teachers were using the site in classrooms to teach computer skills, reading, and writing, site creators added the Elf Pal Academy, offering mind-challenging games, puzzles, mazes, math riddles, an interactive coloring book, even Santa’s favorite Rubik’s cube. A favorite is the Good Deeds Calendar that children can print and record their good behavior for Santa.
Need a special recipe for the holidays? Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen has thousands! Also, at northpole.com there’s ElfChat?, animated holiday postcards, and an ‘elf-run’ weather station that gives updated North Pole weather reports.
While December brings the largest numbers of visitors, the site receives millions of visits year-round. What began as a venture into Internet technology has grown into a truly happy holiday tradition for many families all over the world. Whether it’s tradition wrapped in technology, or technology wrapped in tradition, a visit to northpole.com is a holiday gift…”
Let’s put on our coats, hats, boots, and scarves and head to the Northpole, shall we?
Eightball & Thundercloud’s Christmas Graphics
It is with bittersweet emotions that we mention the site that started it all. From our rise to the top as the biggest stationery site on the web and one of the top 500 websites in the world to the demise of stationery with the introduction of Windows 7 to our current incarnation – geared to helping people all over the world with their Windows computers. In our 25 years working on the Internet, we’ve seen the web grow and change so much – and not always for the good.
There’s a lot of innocence and naiveté in our first collaborative effort. Looking back, it looks so simple and out-of-date. And whenever we revisit our first Web site, it brings tears and smiles. You’ll notice the midi (music) that used to play in the background does not play in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or other modern browsers. However, you’ll see that it downloads the small music file in the background. They are all beautiful Christmas midis.
Looking back is bittersweet. It hardly seems like it’s been 25 years since we built our first Web site.
Hop in Darcy and TC’s time machine, and let’s go back to where it all began.
From our family to yours, have a Very Merry Christmas Darcy, TC and family.
Many Blessings to you in the coming new year,
Michael and Patricia P
We wish you and those you love a very Merry Christmas and good health and happiness in 2023.
You guys are fantastic.
I have seen 92 Christmases so far (and will see a lot more). They don’t seem to make years the way they used to – Christmases are getting MUCH closer together, however they also still bring family and friends together too – wonderful.
As my own generation pass on they get replaced with younger folk, and that keeps me young being part of their families.
I suppose I will have to “go with the flow” now and be so careful in my greeting to you
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the summer solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2023, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make New Zealand great, (not to imply that New Zealand is necessarily greater than any other country), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.
– DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTABILITY –
(By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of
the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)
thank you for all your tips and explanations through the year. I wish you both a wonderful christmas season and healthy happy new year.
Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year, Mary!
I have received your newsletters for many years now, and benefited tremendously from the articles. I wish you both all the very best for Xmas and 2023. I also am 92 years old.
Garth Livick
Blenheim
New Zealand
And a very Merry Christmas to you, Garth!
Looks like the 92 year old group has taken over with wishes and suggestions. I, too, am 92 and a long-time reader of your delightful columns. Wishing you a joyous Christmas and coming year. May you show love to one another and give grace when needed.
Hi Vivian… our best wishes to you for a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year! Thanks for your long-time support and for your nice comments!
Wishing you both a very Merry Christmas…. and a Happy New Year! Thanks for keeping us up-to-date with all the electronics… I do not have a smart-phone and feel way off … Just reading your stuff is very informative… all too much for me… Keep well…
A very Merry Christmas to our wonderful Tech People TC and EB(Darcy). What would we do without you. I’m not 92 but pushing it. Ha. Praying health to you both and your families. TC your stories are wonderful, and I look forward to them. Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.