Visiting Santa Was Never Like This Before

Santa’s been spending so much time online these days it’s a wonder he has any time to get the presents together.

He will be at https://www.christmas97.com/chat.html from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. today, Tuesday and Thursday. The chat room will open at 3:30, so you have to get your lists in order (as well as a log-in and password).

Santa will also be on America Online at 5 p.m. today (keyword: AOL Live). He knows if you’ve been bad or good and can’t be fooled by clever screen names, so you may as well come clean up front.

The Caroling Company, an a cappella group, is joining Santa for a Live Audio event from 4 to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Kids can listen in at https://www.compuserve.com/cir or https://www.audionet.com/shows/stein

HOLIDAYS IN CYBERSPACE

* Festival of Lights: Hanukkah starts Tuesday at sundown, and Virtual Jerusalem’s Chanukah 1997 Megasite (https://www.virtualjerusalem.com) is one of the most comprehensive sites for the holiday. It has a menorah guide, with an explanation of what the menorah symbolizes, updated pictures of Hanukkah celebrations in Israel and safety tips for kids; Dreidels ‘n’ Latkes, which has traditions and recipes; a kid’s club; songs; and the story of Hanukkah.

It’s Not Your Father’s Hanukah is sort of an alternative Hanukkah site, with the heroines of Hanukkah, ‘Twas the Night Before Hanukah, 15 ways to spell Hanukkah (some of which you’ve already seen here) and more traditional stuff. Head to https://www.caryn.com/holiday-chan.html

Chanukah on the Net (https://www.holidays.net/chanukah/) has stories, games, spinning dreidels, how the Hanukkah menorah is different from the Shabbat menorah, goodies, music and blessings. Basic holiday concepts and laws are at https://www.torah.org/chanukah.html

* Ho, Ho, Ho: Hoping for a white Christmas? It’s not likely if you’re going to be here, but travelers should be aware that the National Climatic Data Center’s region-by-region maps and tables showing the probabilities for snow. Stormfax is at https://www.stormfax.com/whtexmas.htm

Queen Elizabeth’s annual Christmas Day broadcast will be Webcast at 7 a.m. for us, on Christmas Day at https://www.itn.co.uk. If you miss it, the message will be available at the official site of the British monarchy (https://

www.royal.gov.uk/). Our head of state has a Christmas at the White House section at the White House Web site, with White House recipes and decorations info. Go to https://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/First_Lady/html/holidays.html

Want to know how Christmas is celebrated in other countries? Head to https://www.cvc.org/christmas/index.htm. You can also find out how to say “merry Christmas” in more than 80 languages, and read a copy of the “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial.

At All Santa, All the Time (https://www.santaclaus.com/), there’s a St. Nick FAQ, recipes, stories, links, charities and a list of Santa’s favorite books. And Christmas in Cyberspace (https://www.mofile.fi/santa/) has facts and interpretations of Christmas and Santa Claus, other traditions and a Santa quiz.

* What’s the News: Kwanzaa, which starts Friday, is our newest winter holiday (it was founded in 1966 by Cal State Long Beach black-studies professor Ron Maulana Karenga).

Kwanzaa.com (https://www.kwanzaa.com) has info about the symbols and celebration of Kwanzaa, as well as the meaning of the name Kwanzaa. The Kwanzaa Information Center answers the question, “What is Kwanzaa?” and has sights and sounds of the holiday and chats. The International Kwanzaa Exchange (https://www.tike.com) has info and suggestions for teaching and promoting the principles and celebration of Kwanzaa and tells how people across the nation are celebrating.

The Online Kwanzaa Resource Guide (https://www.itskwanzaatime.com) is the place to go for a deeper understanding of the holiday.

Maya Angelou’s Black Family Pledge is often recited during Karamu--the feast on the last night of Kwanzaa, Dec. 31--and can be found at https://festivals.com/kwanzaa/index.htm

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