The Santa Claus House

We went to North Pole, Alaska to visit the Santa Claus House. North Pole is only about 20 miles south of Fairbanks. It is not THE north pole, it is just a town in Alaska named North Pole. When we got off the highway in town, the first thing I noticed was that the street lamps all were red and white like candy canes. Then I noticed that the pole that held up the McDonalds sign was candy cane striped. While we were trying to find the Santa Claus House, which is on St. Nicholas Drive, we noticed that all of the street names in town were Christmas related.

Before we got there, Avery had told us that he was going to sit on Santa' s lap because this would be the last time he would ever get to. We all asked why it would be the last time and he told us that it was because teenagers didnt do stuff like that and since he would be turning 13 in two days, this would be his last chance. That was an ongoing theme throughout the entire Fairbanks trip, he kept saying "This is going to be the last time I ____________ as a kid." or "Next time I do this I'll be a teenager."

At the Santa Claus House, every spare piece of wall was covered with letters that kids have written to Santa. The whole store was filled with Christmas stuff and if you get a gift from us, then it probably came from here.
Big sign outside pointing the way. They also had the biggest Santa Statue, but I didnt get a picture of that. At the Boy Scouts Christmas party tonight, they were singing Christmas carols and one of them was the 12 days of Christmas. As they sung the song, complete with motions for each day (where's the camera when you need it?), I wondered to myself...why 12? On the Santa Claus House website, they provide an answer...

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” refers to the twelve days between the birth of Christ and the Epiphany. The song is very likely a transformation of a song from the early 1600’s called “A New Dial,” also known as “In Those Twelve Days.” The original song’s verses each begin with a question: “What are they which are by…”

- One God alone who sits on his throne.

- Two testaments, the old and the new.

- Three persons in the Trinity, which make God in unity.

- Four Sweet Evangelists there are, Christ’s birth, life, death which do declare.

- Five senses, like five kings, maintain in every man a several reign.

- Six days to labor is not wrong, for God himself did not work so long.

- Seven liberal arts hath God sent down with divine skill man’s soul to crown.

- Eight Beatitudes are there given, use them right and go to heaven.

- Nine Muses, like the heaven’s nine spheres, with sacred tunes entice our ears.

- Ten statutes God to Moses gave which, kept or broke, do spill or save.

- Eleven thousand virgins did partake and suffered death for Jesus’ sake.

- Twelve are attending on God’s son; twelve make our creed. The Dial’s done.

Outside the Santa Clause House was this HUGE carved Turkey. At the Ice Museum earlier that day, they had told us that they connect two pieces of ice together by using an iron to melt a layer of ice and them sticking the two pieces together, which instantly refreezes what was melted by the iron. I would assume that the same ice carver from the Ice Museum at Chena also carved this because the two businesses work closely with each other in the tourism industry. Each business advertised heavily for the other.
Heeeeeyaaaaawwwww, turkey!