Guest post written by Keith Johnston

Even though I am making a salary now as a college graduate, a big part of that is going towards paying off student loans, so I don't have a whole lot of money to celebrate the holidays this year like I consider how a salaried adult should. Lucky for me though, my parents' house is just a few hours' drive away so I don't have to spend much money on getting home for the holidays.

So I'm trying to come up with ways to save on the holidays this year. I've been looking online to come up with some ideas for stuff to make my family for presents. When I was doing that last night, I saw some stuff about clear wireless internet prices and after looking through it, I think I've decided to change my internet service at my apartment to it.

Well, I found all kinds of homemade gift ideas, but it was tough finding ones that I thought my family would actually like. I think IÕm going to make a bird house for my parents to put in their garden, as for my sister, IÕm still not sure what to make her.

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas/Sinterklaas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or simply "Santa", is a legendary figure who, in many Western cultures, brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24[1] or on his Feast Day, December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day).[2] The legend may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas. A nearly identical story is attributed by Greek and Byzantine folklore to Basil of Caesarea. Basil's feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in Greece.

While Saint Nicholas was originally portrayed wearing bishop's robes, today Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.[3][4][5] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, and films. In the United Kingdom and Europe, he is often depicted in a manner identical to the American Santa Claus, but he is commonly called Father Christmas.

One legend[which?] associated with Santa Claus says that he lives in the far north, in a land of perpetual snow. The American version of Santa Claus says that he lives at his house on the North Pole, while Father Christmas is often said[by whom?] to reside in the mountains of Korvatunturi in Lapland Province, Finland. Santa Claus lives with his wife Mrs. Claus, a countless number of magical elves, and eight or nine flying reindeer. Another legend[which?] of Santa Claus says that he makes a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior ("naughty" or "nice") and that he delivers presents, including toys, candy, and other gifts to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh.[6][7]