Christmas in Sunset Cove

As Santa discovered the first time he visited it, Sunset Cove celebrates Christmas very differently. Firstly, remember that there are on average 364 days of sun per year and average temperatures in December here are 78 degrees. So it is (as the newsman says) hot hot hot - but Christmas Day is the exception because that's the one day in the year there is no sun - but snow!

For some strange reason, Sunset Cove is situated on the Antarctic northern archipelago which means there is a strong gust of ice cool wind every 25th December - and you are guaranteed snow! About 5 feet of snow falls on Christmas Day morning. The Sunset Cove people are not used to snow and it turns their world upside down as they adapt to snow on this fantastic day -, as we will see below…

Not many homes in Sunset Cove have chimneys so Santa must get into houses to deliver presents through letterboxes, satellite dish receivers, up drain pipes, through open windows, the back door, the front door, sometimes even through the keyhole. The most popular presents in Sunset Cove he delivers are sun tan lotion, moisturizer, toothbrushes, sunbeds, surfboards - reflecting the love of the town for the sun, shiny teeth and the beach.

The people of the town have an annual snowman competition - they must build the biggest and best-looking snowman out of all the tonnes of snow. The winner gets a gigantic hamper full of a year's supply of sun tan lotion. The competition is presided over by Frosty the Snowman - who has a strange tendency to award the prize to whoever makes the best looking snowwoman…

12 VIEWS OF CHRISTMAS
Santa has found out what Christmas means to some of the most famous citizens of Sunset Cove - here are their accounts (described by themselves) of what Christmas means to them…

GILES: "I love Christmas. For me it is a magic and wonderful time that I celebrate with my Mum and Grampa. I love the music, giving presents to those I love. I'll try to give Octavia something nice this year - I may make something for her. Christmas in Sunset Cove is a bit weird and celebrated differently. This year I want a book on Shakespeare and a computer".

JET: "No way Santa - get out of my face! Okay… I'll answer your question. Christmas is actually a conspiracy by global companies to make everybody buy presents. Santa himself is really the Chief Executive of SNOWBIZ TOYS Limited, a north pole based organisation that hires elves on very bad wages to make millions of toys in terrible working conditions. I say no way to Christmas. And that Frosty guy gives me the creeps…"