Track Santa As He Travels the World

Find out where Santa and his reindeer are now.

Santa and his elves have been hard at work all year, and now he's with his reindeer to bring gifts to children around the globe. But if you're particularly eager to find out if he's heading down your street, you're in luck. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be tracking Santa's location all day and night.  The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special "Santa hotline." Instead of reaching Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations, according to a description on the NORAD Tracks Santa Facebook page, which has more than one million "likes." In addition to keeping tabs …

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TELL US: Does 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' Condone Bullying?

Does the lovable children's holiday classic send the wrong message? Tell us your thoughts.

In October, Patch asked readers how they felt about one parent's view that "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" condoned bullying. Specifically, blogger DadCamp wrote that the show sends the wrong message to children because of its "continuous teasing and bullying" It's not the first time a parent has spoken out against a classic children's program with such a claim. Last December, news spread that author and special ed professor George Giuliani said that "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was also a program laden with the theme of bullying, considering how much Rudolph was an outsider due to his glowing red nose. Giuliani, as such, wrote a book titled "No More Bullies at the North Pole," which re-tells the story of Rudolph. What do you …

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Betty Smith

8:10 am on Tuesday, December 11, 2012

I do see your point.   more ›

Santa Leaves North Pole; Lands Sleigh in the 'Boro[VIDEO]

Dozens of boys and girls got a chance to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

A special visitor came from far away to visit the children of Attleboro. He had a broad face, rosey cheeks and a little round belly. Who was the visitor? It was Santa Claus! That's right. Santa took a break from working with his elves to visit Attleboro and help Mayor Kevin Dumas light the Christmas tree at Capron Park and find out what Attleboro children wanted for Christmas.  One by one children old and young took their turn on Santa's lap. Counting down from five the crowd cheered after Santa and Dumas flipped the switch on the Attleboro Christmas tree. While Santa's elves were much too busy making toys and filling holiday wishes, other helpers in the community provided a helping hand including Ed Liston of Liston Landscaping who took …

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Kendelle Aronson

9:06 pm on Monday, December 5, 2011

I would love to see the parade return next year, bigger and better. One reason I dislike the parade as it has existed is that they only stop traffic on one side of the street. I have marched with Girl Scouts in this parade for the last 4 years (obviously not this year) and I have a concern for the safety of our girls with traffic moving on the other side of the street. NA has a HUGE Santa parade …   more ›

Why I Hate the Holidays...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas–Earlier Every Year

Here's hoping Santa stays ho-ho-home until Thanksgiving ends in 2011.

Overall, when it comes to the Christmas season, I am one of those guys who really enjoys and even looks forward to spending time with my family (and my wife's too), especially now with a young daughter who is just starting to understand who Santa Claus is (although she's not quite ready to sit on his lap yet)! But one thing I truly cannot understand is why stores continue to feel the need to shove the joy of the season down our throats earlier and earlier every year. Do we really need to see Santa in the malls before we've had time to stuff our faces with turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving? Truth be told, I do not spend a lot of time in malls, especially since the advent of eBay and Amazon, among other sites. Why fight the crowds when I …

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