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Seeweekly news
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2005-12-02 |
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Phone Calls From Santa - New Santa Claus Tradition |
Santa Claus is as popular as ever, though short lines waiting to see Santa at the mall might tell otherwise. Nationally, shopping center statistics show that Santa's lap isn't the Christmas tradition it once was. Santa visits have dropped a whopping 41% since 2001, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Where have all of the Santa believers gone?
Santa certainly hasn't gone out of style - he's gone online. Parents and children searching for Santa online have made Santa the 6th most popular search in December according to About.com and Google Zeitgeist. With the continually rising popularity of the Internet, parents and kids have found that there are more convenient and more believable options for Santa Claus online.
New Santa traditions are formed with services provided by websites such as SantaSpeaking.com who offers live personalized phone calls from Santa. SantaSpeaking is owned by two entrepreneurs/parents Brandon Lobaugh and Anne Gaskell. "To skeptics, the thought of going online to find Santa can sound 'high tech' and impersonal - but the live phone call from Santa in reality is more believable and more in keeping with Santa Claus legend because they are highly personalized by the parents ... Santa knows all. The response from both kids and parents has been phenomenal," says Brandon.
The parents, friends or relatives of a Santa Believer, personalize the phone calls when they order online. Now Santa actually knows if you are naughty or nice, down to the details. "We have parents asking Santa to mention so-called "naughty" details such as not picking up toys or arguing with siblings - in hopes that Santa might get the children to listen, and it's working. The children all want to know if they've made the nice list," says Anne. "The parents get as much excitement, if not more, than the child when they see and hear the excitement in their child's voice. Parents write us all season long telling of the joy that Santa brought the night he called."
In lieu of the traditional photo with Santa, SantaSpeaking.com offers a keepsake recording of the live phone call from Santa on CD and MP3, as well as personalized letters from Santa, a Santa Tracker that broadcasts Santa's departure from the North Pole and also pre-recorded phone messages from Santa's sleigh phone. |
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