We all know Santa lives at the North Pole, but what ELSE do you know about this cold, snowy region at the top of the earth? Here’s some trivia about the North Pole so you’ll be ready in case you ever run into Santa and he gives you a pop quiz.

How cold is it at the North Pole?
During winter, the temperature at the North Pole averages from about -45 to -15 degrees Fahrenheit (-43 to -26 degrees Celsius). During summer, the temperature climbs up to a cool 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).

If it’s noon in Tokyo, what time is it at the North Pole?
Good question. In most places on Earth, local time is determined by longitude and time of day is more-or-less synchronized to the position of the sun in the sky (for example, at midday the sun is roughly at its highest). But this method of determining time doesn’t work at the North Pole, where the sun rises and sets only once per year, and all lines of longitude (hence all time zones) converge. So there is no assigned time zone at the North Pole. (Is this why Santa can defy time and fly all around the world in a single night?)

Does the sun still rise in the east and set in the west at the North Pole?
When the sun is visible in the polar sky (during the summer months), it appears to move in a clockwise circle above the horizon. The sun rises only once and sets once every YEAR at the North Pole.

Other than Santa’s Village, what other buildings are there at the North Pole?
The South Pole has some permanent scientific outposts, but the North Pole has no permanent structures. That’s because it’s in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and is surrounded by water that is and sea ice that is always shifting.

What animals live at the North Pole?
Other than Santa’s reindeer, very few animals have ever been sighted near the North Pole. The few that have been spotted near the top of the earth include the ringed seal and Arctic foxes, as well as birds such as the Black-legged Kittiwake, the Snow Bunting, and the Northern Fulmar.

Is Santa’s North Pole the only North Pole?
In addition to the geographic North Pole, which is the northernmost point on Earth, there is also a Magnetic North Pole, as well as cities named North Pole in Alaska, New York, Idaho and Oklahoma.

Yes, Virginia, there really is a North Pole. And if Santa Claus is sending a letter to your child this year, you’ll want to be sure your envelope has one of these special marks. During the holidays, you can get a free postmark from North Pole, Alaska simply by sending your mail there and requesting the special pictorial postmark.

Many people think you need to pay a Santa letter service for this special touch, but it’s easy to do yourself. You can save money by using a Santa letter template to create your own printable Santa letter at home and then sending it to Alaska for the North Pole postmark. All you’ll need to pay is the cost of postage to and from the North Pole.

The official North Pole postmark from North Pole, AK is available every year from Thanksgiving to Christmas. There’s no additional fee for the postmark. You just need to be sure to put enough postage on your letter to get it to Alaska and back. And the service isn’t just for Santa letters – you can send any of your holiday cards and family Christmas letters here for a special touch of Christmas magic, too.

If you’d like to add a North Pole postmark to your child’s Santa letter, the process is simple. First you’ll need create your letter from Santa Claus. There are plenty of places to get great looking printable Santa letters online. Once you’ve got your letter, seal it in an envelope addressed to your child and affix regular first-class postage. Then place THAT envelope in a larger one and send it to this address:

North Pole Christmas Cancellation
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Drive
Anchorage, AK 99530-99998

The postal elves at the North Pole will open the outer envelope, stamp the inner envelope with the special North Pole, AK postmark, and send it through the regular mail service to the address on the inner envelope.

If you want to be sure not to disappoint your child, be sure to get your Santa letter in the mail by the end of the first week in December. That should ensure arrival in Anchorage no later than December 15. Letters that are received by this date should make it back to their final destination by Christmas with regular first-class postage. If you can’t get your letter to the North Pole by December 15, you’ll need to use Priority Mail on the inner envelope to make sure Santa’s letter doesn’t arrive after the holidays.

This year, don’t just spread goodwill toward men. With a few easy steps, you can also spread goodwill toward the earth and have a greener, more eco-friendly holiday. Here are some ideas.

If you’re planning to purchase a cut Christmas tree, consider getting a living tree instead. You can find live trees during the holidays at many nurseries. Then after Christmas, you can plant it in your tree or call a local school or the parks department to see if they’ll take it to replant.

For lighting the tree, be sure to decorate with LED Christmas tree lights that are now available at most retail stores. You can’t tell the difference in LED lights from traditional lights as far as looks go yet they are helping to conserve the earth’s energy by saving power.

You can also purchase LED light strings and lighted decorations for the outside of your home and your yard. Use an automatic timer to make sure your lights don’t go on before sunset and you don’t forget to turn them off.

To green your Christmas cards and letters, shop for recycled Christmas cards and use a Christmas letter template to create your own holidays at home on recycled paper that you can purchase from the local office store.

When it’s time to start your Christmas shopping, grab your reusable shopping bags along and leave the plastic ones at the store. Whenever possible, choose eco Christmas gifts by looking for locally made items or gifts made from recycled products or sustainable materials. If you’re buying toys or other electronics that require batteries, include rechargeable batteries and a charger to make it easy for your gift recipient to keep it charged in an eco-friendly way.

And remember that not every gift has to be purchased at the store. Some of the best gifts are homemade. Homemade gift baskets or gift jars make great gifts without contributing to landfill waste.

With these few simple steps, you can turn your white Christmas into a green one!

“Frosty the Snowman” is a popular song written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. It was written after the success of Autry’s recording of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the new song to Autry, who recorded “Frosty” in search of another seasonal hit. Like “Rudolph”, “Frosty” was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special. (Wikipedia)

Frosty the Snowman Lyrics
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.

Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around.

O, Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me.

Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.

Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day,
So he said, “Let’s run and
We’ll have some fun
Now before I melt away.”

Down to the village,
With a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all
Around the square saying,
Catch me if you can.

He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler “Stop!”

For Frosty the snow man
Had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye saying,
“Don’t you cry,
I’ll be back again some day.”

Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.