(Surf's Up, published in The Telegram on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004)
Christmas Day may be only hours away, but let's face it: there's always one last thing to look after.
Today, a special toast to the holidays … and a buffet of ideas of how to keep the young (and not necessarily young) ones busy in the days to come.
* NORAD Tracks Santa
It may surprise some children, but Santa is actually older than the Internet. Why, NORAD has been tracking Santa Claus' progress for 50 years now. That said, this website has taken on a life of its own, and for good reason: find out why millions log on every Christmas Eve.
* Christmas Craft Ideas For Kids
www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmas_crafts.htm
Reindeer antlers have become a preferred bit of headwear with our little guy. Look here for easy instructions on making a set for each family member ― not to mention mice made from felt and candy canes.
* Homemade Ornaments
www.childfun.com/christmas/home.shtml
Here's a project for a rainy morning over the days ahead: augment the ornaments on the tree with some inexpensive and fun decorations. This is a handy list, although I'll warn you in advance about the cluster of advertising surrounding the text.
* Science Toys
If your kids are too old for felt, glitter and buggy eyes, this site may not only be useful, but possibly life-altering. Here, you'll find step-by-step instructions on making a handmade radio, for instance, or creating your own 3-D pictures.
* Christmas sheets
www.night.net/christmas/f-colorsheets.html-ssi
Have some crayons lying around the house? Gather them up, fire up the printer, and knock out some of these drawings to keep little hands busy with some festive projects for a half hour or so.
* Kids Games
This is not a Christmas site, per se, but a terrific resource to have on hand when the kids are climbing the walls and you're close to pulling your hair out.
* Christmas Crossword
www.surfnetkids.com/games/holiday-cw.htm
One of my favourite Christmas pastimes? A quiet hour (actually, I'd settle for 20 minutes) alone with my double-acrostic puzzles. This one is fun, too … an online crossword you can solve right on the screen. Suitable for elementary-school age kids and up.
* A Victorian Christmas
Sure, the Victorians were more than a little repressed, but let's remember that a great many of our fondest Christmas traditions were established in the golden era of the 19th century, when Christmas cards were a novelty, A Christmas Carol was composed and good, old-fashioned children's toys were being invented.
* Christmas Tree History
www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html
Every other week, I guest on the CBC's trivia Crosstalk feature on Radio Noon. Last Friday, a caller wondered about why and how long we've been taking trees into our houses. I set out to find out more detail, and here's one that outlines chronologically the history of ol' tannenbaum.
* Gingerbread Heaven
www.creativeladiesministry.com/gingerbread.html
Gingerbread has been part of Christmas for centuries; in fact, ginger was used to preserve and flavour foods for many centuries before Christ's birth. For me, gingerbread is one of the quintessential tastes and smells of the season, and this site collects cookie recipes, folklore, how-to guides and more.
* Holidays on the Net
www.holidays.net/dates2005.htm
Christmas is but one major date on the holiday calendar. Find out what else is in store at this reference site.
Not for the kiddies
* JibJab Santa
movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/jibjabsanta.html
JibJab became a hot commodity on the Web this year, with the instantly likable This Land Is Your Land parody featuring George W. Bush and John Kerry trading insults about liberal wieners, right-wing nutjubs and the like. Well, JibJab is back with a new animated cartoon, starring Santa Claus. The premise? Imagine if the ordinary pressures of everyday life applied in the North Pole. It's not a barnburner, but it is worth a laugh. And, please … remember this one's for grownups.
Coming up
I've been making a habit of ending each year with a recap of some of the best sites I've mentioned in Surf's Up in the last 12 months. So, get your scissors ready; if you clip only one column this year, next week's is the one to keep.
John Gushue is a news writer for CBC.ca in St. John's. E-mail: surf at thetelegram.com. Web: johngushue.typepad.com.
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