Gadling

Last night was Tuttle Park's annual holiday party. Every year this small recreation center of Columbus Parks and Recreation treats kids from surrounding neighborhoods to craft projects, food treats, games and Santa. Our Bolivian friends and Japanese friends were there, as were assorted other folks who I recognized from other years.

When Santa arrived about an hour into the party with not the loudest or jolliest Ho! Ho! Ho! in the world, the outfit did it's magic and kids clamored to get in line to tell him what he or she wants. My son said seeing Santa was the best part of the party. This is only one holiday happening Santa has to attend--never mind Christmas Eve where he has a whole lot of globe-hopping to do.

If Santa really did make the rounds on Christmas Eve, heading down chimneys and through doorways around the world to deliver gifts, according to a study by a group of Swedish engineers, he should live in Kyrgyzstan to minimize a time crunch.

These engineers have calculated the distances between various places in the world where the bulk of the world's population live and came up with the location of the best place for Santa's workshop. Kyrgyzstan is it. That's much harder to pronounce and spell than the North Pole is, however, so I don't expect this will stick any time soon. What a clever study, though. It might give Kyrgyzstan a tourist boost if they figured out a Santa theme park or something. There's a Santa Claus, Indiana that capitalizes on Santa Claus. Why can't there be a Santa Claus, Kyrgyzstan? I can see the CD title. Caroling with Kris Kringle in Kyrgyzstan. [via Jaunted]

On the Lonely Planet Web page on Kyrgyzstan the country is described as: "No whistles and bells, just friendly faces and some mighty big mountains." If Santa moved here that would change. There would be whistles and bells--sleigh bells and whistles each time he rounds up his reingeer to head out. Can't you just see the building in the photo fixed up like Santa's workshop? Slap a few giant candy canes in front, and you've got the beginning of a whole new look.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Stories, Kyrgyzstan