Christmas In Alaska- The North Pole
North Pole
Imagine telling family and friends that you spent the festive holidays in North Pole, and then getting to explain where you really were to their surprised faces when they thought you were singing Jingle Bells on sea ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
While the name was originally intended to attract businesses to the town – “Made in North Pole” has a ring to it – it has since become the theme around which the city builds and grows upon. With an endearing motto “Where the spirit of Christmas lives year round“, there aren’t just 12 days of Christmas in North Pole – the city is blessed with 365.
If saying you were in North Pole isn’t enough to get your bells a-ringin’, maybe the city’s streets will: Dash through the snow on St Nicholas Drive, ride a one-horse open sleigh past Snowman Lane, and jingle all the way down Mistletoe Lane! Hey!
Santa Claus House
Everyone knows that Santa Claus is real, so surely the man has a house to live in, together with his elves and reindeers of course.
In North Pole, Alaska, Santa lives on 101 St Nicholas Drive, in a white house with red trimmings that is open all year round. The modest home (more of a retail/gift store, really) is filled with every sort of unique Christmas trinkets and ornaments that visitors can purchase, bringing home a piece of the Christmas spirit with them.
Arrange for Santa to send a letter to your family and loved ones, or write them a postcard yourself – either way, they’ll be over the moon when they see the trademark “Santa’s Official Mail” seal and a genuine North Pole postmark in the letterbox.
And for just USD9.95, I have since become the proud owner of a plot of land in North Pole. All one square inch of it. Yes, that’s right, a “toehold in the far north” as they say, and I even have a genuine deed to show for it.
Fancy that – now I have a place to call my own in North Pole! Guess I’ll be home for Christmas, then. You can count on me.
Meet Santa Claus Himself
Just outside of Santa Claus’ home, a 42-feet tall, larger-than-life man stands towering above visitors, resplendent in his signature red coat and trousers, and sporting that unmistakable white beard.
Weighing a whopping 900 pounds, he’s the largest, permanent Santa Claus in the world and if that doesn’t bring you joy, I don’t know what else will.
But if a large Santa scares the jingle bells out of you, you can also choose to meet regular ol’ Santa inside his home, where kids – and even some adults – take turns to sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.
I should warn you though: If you’re hoping for a gift from the jolly man this Christmas, don’t forget that he knows if you’ve been bad or good so… be good, for goodness sake!
Candy Cane Streets
Stroll down Santa Claus Lane in North Pole, Alaska, and you will notice something wonderful: Candy canes lining the street!
Who would have thought that wrapping street lamps in red and white stripes could magically transform a place into a bona fide Christmas-land?
And it’s not just street lamps that had the candy cane makeover. A fire hydrant, a bus stop, a street sign… even McDonald’s mounted their Golden Arches on top of a tall pole decked out in candy cane stripes.
Riverbend Log Cabins
Christmas isn’t complete without a log cabin, a fireplace and a Christmas tree. And in North Pole, Alaska, the Riverbend Log Cabins have exactly all you need.
Located along the Chena River, the double-storeyed, self-contained cabins are owned by Debi and Bruce, whose idea to build a separate living space for their son eventually became a business venture and my holiday home over Christmas.
The attention to detail is impeccable – from the welcome basket of Christmas goodies (think cinnamon chocolates and peppermint tea) to the Christmas-themed decorations (a decorative tree above the fireplace, and even a cute reindeer night-light in the bathroom!) – it’s impossible not to feel the Yuletide spirit through Debi’s and Bruce’s hospitality.
They’ll even get an open fire going for you along the river if you ask! What better way to spend Christmas than to have chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and Jack Frost nippin’ at your nose?
hristmas may still be months away, but there’s no reason why you can’t plan for the holidays already. Nobody says you can’t treat yourself to a little Christmas cheer any time during the year.
Especially in the little city of North Pole in Alaska – where the spirit of Christmas lives year round.