All of our locations will be open tomorrow!  We look forward to seeing you!

The rest of our locations open the day after Thanksgiving.  Check santaphotos.com to see our open hours!

Need more copies of your Santa photos?  Just call or email us at 206.783.5227 or operations@arthurandassociates.com and we’ll be glad to help!

Until next year!  Ho ho ho!!!

• Baked ham
• Turkey and stuffing
• Mashed potatoes and gravy
• Sweet potatoes
• Green bean casserole
• Winter squash soup
• Waldorf salad
• Cranberry salad
• Parker house rolls
• Divinity
• Red velvet cake
• Pumpkin pie

What will YOU be serving??

Who doesn’t love hanging mistletoe? Although most mistletoe is parasitic, and, therefore, harmful to the trees on which it grows, the Celts thought it had magical powers for healing wounds and increasing fertility, so they placed it throughout their homes for good luck and to ward off evil spirits.

In ancient Britain, mistletoe was considered so sacred that it could only be cut with a golden sickle. Today, Americans decorate door frames with this plant in hopes of catching a smooch from a sweetheart while standing under its leaves. This tradition is credited to Frigga, the Scandinavian goddess of love and beauty, and is said to date back to the eighth century.

Who has recorded “Everybody’s Doing the Jingle Bell Rock?”

Released in 1957, “Jingle Bell Rock” has been a favorite of recording artists for nearly 50 years. Who has recorded this tune?

• 1957 Bobby Helms
• 1961 Chet Atkins
• 1961 Eddy Arnold
• 1961 Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker
• 1962 Bobby Vee
• 1963 The Platters
• 1964 Brenda Lee
• 1968 Herb Alpert
• 1969 Johnny Mathis
• 1970 Bobby Sherman
• 1971 Lynn Anderson
• 1984 Elmo & Patsy
• 1990 Wild Rose
• 1992 Neil Diamond
• 1992 Glen Campbell
• 1993 Vince Gill
• 1994 John Anderson
• 1995 Dion
• 1996 Flash Cadillac
• 1999 George Strait
• 1999 Amy Grant
• 2000 Billy Gilman
• 2000 Ricky Van Shelton
• 2003 Hilary Duff

Some people love the holidays so much that they set out to break world records with their holiday cheer. For example:

The largest Christmas stocking measures 35 feet 41/2 inches long and 16 feet 5 inches wide. Created by J. Terry Osborne and friends from King William County, Virginia, it was filled with gifts to be distributed to needy children.

Jean-Guy Laquerre of Boucherville, Quebec, Canada, is an avid Father Christmas collector, with more than 13,000 items collected since 1988. The collecting bug bit when his aunt died and left him a 12-inch-high antique papier-mâché Santa Claus from the 1920s. Since then, he has added objects such as music boxes, yo-yos, photos, candle holders, and pens.

So much of Christmas decorating involves natural greenery and holiday flowers. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, it is easy to incorporate these elements into your decor. All it takes to keep live and cut botanicals fresh during the holidays is tender, loving care.It is a myth that poinsettias are poisonous, but they do have a bitter taste.

To care for poinsettias, keep the soil moist, not wet. After the holidays, transfer the plant into a larger pot, trim the branches back once the bracts or leaves fade, and feed it every three weeks with fertilizer. As the weather warms to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, place the plant outdoors and continue trimming its branches. In October, expose the plant to 14 hours of darkness daily to force the leaves to color.

Holiday greenery such as holly, ivy, and evergreen branches will remain beautiful longer by adding a commercial floral preservative to the water. Spritz arrangements with water daily and monitor their temperature. The cooler the room, the longer the greenery stays fresh. Leaves dipped in household floor wax can last up to six weeks. This also works for decorative fruit such as grapes and pears. It gives them a shine and can keep them from spoiling for at least three weeks.

Christmas trees need water daily. Adding a commercial preservative to the water will extend the life of the tree. For a live tree, place the burlap-wrapped root-ball in a tub, and water it daily. After Christmas, dig a hole twice as large as the root-ball, carefully remove the burlap, then place the tree into the hole.

Ranging in color from red to yellow, kalanchoes and other succulent plants are excellent holiday bloomers. Though the plants can withstand relatively dry conditions, keep the soil moist. After the holidays, treat kalanchoes like poinsettias, trimming the branches and feeding regularly. In the fall, allow the plant to dry out between waterings and expose it to at least 12 hours of darkness to encourage flowering.

To force bulbs like paperwhites, narcissus, amaryllis, and irises, plant them in October with the pointed end up in a shallow container on a layer of pebbles. Fill with sandy potting soil or with more pebbles. Water at planting time and regularly when growth begins. Place the bulbs in warm sunlight, and fertilize just before and during blooming. When flowers begin to die, reduce watering until the leaves have withered. Plant the bulbs, or place them in a cool, dark, dry place until next year.

Enjoy!!!

Dear Santa,

My name is Natalie and it starts with an ‘N’.

Reindeers run.  Thank you.

That’s it.

Please bring Tinkerbell lip stuff and a Hello Kitty music box.

love, Natalie

Christmas gifts are bestowed by different gift givers in various countries. These include Père Noël in France, St. Nicholas or Sinter Klaas in Holland, Father Christmas in England, the Three Kings in parts of Latin America and Spain, and Santa Claus in the United States. In Germany, children are visited by Christkind.

Babouschka, a grandmotherly figure, brings presents in Russia, while in Sweden, Jultomten, a gnome who rides a sleigh, does the honors. Syrian children receive gifts from a camel of one of the Three Wise Men, reportedly the smallest one in the caravan. And in Italy, a kindly old witch named La Befana leaves gifts for children.