A Little Santa Claus Trivia

A NASA Physicist was interviewed as part of a TV documentary on the history of Christmas traditions. In the interview he was questioned on the practicality of Santa visiting all the children of the world in one night. He had quite an interesting answer using scientific data to explain his claim.

If Santa started at 7:00 pm at the date line, which is mid Pacific Ocean, and traveled east he could maintain the 7:00 pm time zone as he traveled around the world. This would be taking advantage of the time difference going backward as he traveled in that direction. A simple example would be traveling from New York to Los Angeles gains the traveler 3 hours. Of course Santa is traveling much faster than a plane. He described Santa's speed as much faster than the Space Shuttle.

With traveling the world and still arriving at 7:00 pm at the original time zone, Santa would then continue again and be able to use the rest of the hours of the evening, which started at 7:00 pm, for delivery. The total amount of hours that Santa would have available to him, in one evening, would be 34.

Back to speed of travel. The NASA physicist indicated that given an average of two children per household around the world, we can assume that Santa would have to deliver to 1.8 billion children in those 34 hours. Given the amount of time and children, this would mean Santa would have to deliver to 7000 households per second. This figure did not take into account the "naughty" that were crossed off the drop off list or Santa's ratio of naughty to nice. The physicist said nothing about time for cookies. I guess the speed of travel accounts for Santa maintaining his weight.

The documentary also looked into the use of reindeer for travel. An interesting tidbit was found there as well. I think we all understood that the reindeer were males as they have male names. Interestingly enough, male reindeer lose their antlers yearly. During the winter months males do not have antlers. All the reindeer pictures show reindeer with antlers. Therefore, Santa clearly used women drivers! You go girls! Just supports that old saying....if you want something done right, send in a woman. This was not an intentional pitch for Hillary Clinton.

Happy Holidays!

Skating at The Lakes - Thousand Oaks

Holiday Ice Skating is open at The Lakes on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Daily hours are 11:30 am till 9:30 pm until December 6th, 2007.

Beginning December 7th, hours will be 10:00 am till 11:00 daily until January 6, 2008.

Happy Holidays!

Ventura County Holiday Lights Displays and Events

Ventura County has Holiday Events for the Whole Family. There are neighborhoods filled with lights, street and harbor festivals. Here are a few of the happenings:


This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

• Dec 2, 2007: Holiday Street Festival, Ventura. Downtown Ventura Holiday Street Festival with over 400 artisans, food vendors and entertainers, downtown Ventura. (805)654-7830 or 648-2075. 10 till 4 pm.
• Ventura County has two different holiday boat parades for the season.
• Dec 8, 2008: Channel Islands Parade of Lights beginning at 7 pm in the harbor, Oxnard. For further information (805)385-7545
• Dec 14 & 15, 2007: Ventura Harbor Parade of Lights (2 days). For further information, call (805)477-0470 or 648-2075.

For Holiday Lights, check out:

• Oxnard's Christmas Tree Lane. Located in the Oxnard Historical District, which runs on "F" and "G" Streets, from 5th to First Streets.
• Channel Islands Harbor Ride aboard the Channel Islands Harbor Water Taxi to view the bright lights and holiday decorations of the residents in Channel Islands Harbor. 805-385-7545
• Holiday Lights On The Water Tuesdays-Thursdays, 6 and 7:30pm. Channel Islands Harbor puts a creative spin on the traditional Christmas Tree Lane by offering it along the water’s edge. Residents and visitors are invited to come and experience one of the most unique light displays on the California coast throughout the month of December. Visitors can view these sparkling bright lights and holiday decorations from the water through the Channel Islands Harbor and Mandalay Bay aboard the Channel Islands Harbor Water Taxi. One-hour tour offered every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights at 6 and 7:30pm. $10. 985-5828, ext. 102.
• Island Packers Holiday Carrolling Cruise: Every Tuesday, Thursday in December, departing 6pm. Enjoy the harbor lights and the decorated boats, while group caroling is an option for those who want to sing with the onboard karaoke system aboard the 64’ Catamaran. Snacks, hot cocoa and cider. $20 adults, $17 seniors, $12 children. Departs from 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura Harbor. www.islandpackers.com. 642-1393.
• Sea Sleigh Rides: Through December 23, then December 26-30, departing 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Hop onboard the good ship Dreamer for a holiday sleigh ride – California style! Sail the waters of the Ventura Keys and Ventura Harbor, enjoy the sparkling Christmas lights adorning shoreline homes! Each cruise offers a full bar, sodas and seasonal concoctions such as “reindeer milk” and hot chocolate. $20 adults, $10 children 2-12. www.venturaboatrentals. 642-7753........only in California :-)

Other Events:

• North Pole Express: Wednesdays-Sundays, Dec. 7-23, 6 and 7:30pm. The Fillmore & Western Railway presents a fun new tradition for the whole family! Ride the train to the North Pole to pick up Santa. Sit back and relax with a carton of chocolate milk and a cookie while you listen to the story The Polar Express, plus sing-a-longs, so be ready to have a lot of fun! Kids encouraged to wear their pajamas and bring favorite stuffed animal. $22 adults, $12 youth 4-12, $6 infant-3. 524-2546.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Lights Displays in Los Angeles

OK....here we go. The holiday lights are up and ready to twinkle for the 2007 holiday season. This is a great way to have a wonderful night out with your loved ones. We are working on a Current list of holiday light displays for your convenience in the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas.

This posting with be updated as new information arrives.

• Candy Cane Lane (Lubao Ave. & Oxnard Street) in Woodland Hills.
• Wakefield Court off Copper Hill Drive in Saugus.
• St. Albans Rd. (go north past Huntington Dr. in San Marino. From Upper Hastings Ranch, take Michillinda South to Huntington drive and continue to St. Albans Road, turn right.
• Upper Hastings Ranch off Michillinda Blvd. in Pasadena. Each block of the area competes, creating displays with a common theme. Upper Hastings Ranch is bordered by Michillinda Avenue to the East, Sierra Madre Blvd. to the South and Riveria Drive to the West. From the 210 Freeway, take Michillinda Blvd. North to the lights.
• DWP Light Festival Walking Only Nights: Nov 21 through Nov 25 from 5 to 10 pm. No cars allowed on these nights. Parking is available at the LA Zoo or the south side of the festival route near the Merry-Go-Round and Los Feliz. Shuttles will help transport guests to the walking festival entrance. Nov 26 through Dec 30, the festival will be open to vehicular traffice one-way on Crystal Spring Drive and walkers will be able to experience the festival on the walking path. Vehicles enter from Los Feliz. Shuttles will be available on Nov 30, Dec 1,2,7,8,9, and then Dec 14-30. Shuttle riders can park at the LA Zoo. (213-485-8743).
• Santa Rosa Ave. trees from Woodbury Ave. to Altadena Dr. in Altadena. (Begins Dec 1, 2007). An 80 year tradition displays a grove of nearly 150 imported Italian Deodar cedars. Planted by John Woodbury in the 19th century, the trees were donated to the town in 1920. Since the '50s, the Christmas Tree Association has arranged the festive display every December. Exit Fair Oaks off the 124 Freeway and head north to Woodbury. Turn right on Woodbury and then left on Santa Rosa Avenue. Weeknights are recommended due to traffic along the route.
• Balian House on Mendocino in Altadena. This display includes 10,000 colored lights and numerous holiday depictions all over the front and side lawns of the 3 1/2 acre property. To reach the Balian house from Christmas Tree Lane, turn right on Altadena Drive and travel to Allen Avenue. Make a right turn on Allen and a left on Mendocino.
• Sleepy Hollow neighborhood off Pacific Coast Hwy (Anza & Calle Mayor area) in Torrance.
• Town Center Park (near South Coast Plaza) in Costa Mesa.
• The Crystal Cathedral has always been a popular spot during the holidays. It is made entirely of glass. From Nov 23 through Jan 5, 2008, they will be performing The Glory of Christmas. Today it draws visitors from around the world to witness its unique pageantry. Through the creative blend of Christmas carols, pageantry of live animals, flying angels and special effects, the nativity unfolds with colorful wonder.
• Marina Del Rey Boat Parade will be held Dec 8, 2007. There are nine public lots all within a few blocks of each other in the Marina loop. The fees are $.75 for every half hour; $6 maximum. Dress warm and bring binoculars.
  

More to come....