Saturday, December 25, 2010

Faces of Santa


Top 25 Santa Claus faces around the world
North Pole's angel?
Joshua "Spanky" Tucker, 24, dressed as Santa Claus, rides down the Strip in Las Vegas on Dec. 24.
Santa rides the rails
Visitors ride along with a man dressed as Santa Claus on the roller coaster at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. on Dec. 24
He never forgets
An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume performs by standing on its hind legs before gifts were given to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya, Thailand on Dec. 24.
Comforting Claus
Thomas Shuman, 3, hugs Santa, played by Rex Meyers, during a Christmas party for the Northwest College Child Care Center in Powell, Wyo., on Dec. 10, 2010.
Wet 'n' wild
As part of the "Aqua Christmas 2010" show, a trainer wearing a Santa Claus outfit is pushed out of the water by a dolphin performing tricks at the Shinagawa Aqua Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on Dec. 17.
Season's meeting
Students in Berlin, Germany earning a little extra money as Santa Clauses are briefed during a meeting by older, experienced Santas on Nov. 27, before they head out to Christmas parties and people's homes.
Special delivery
Postmen deliver cheer while riding on their motorbikes during an event to begin their Christmas season service at the Central Post Office in Seoul, South Korea.
Sporty Santa
A man dons his Santa outfit and holds a flare as he wakeboards at a water ski set on a small lake in Hamburg, Germany on Dec. 5, 2010.
St. Nicks in knickers
About 100 runners participate in the charity Great Santa Claus Jogging to benefit a local pediatric clinic on Dec. 12, 2010. The run is about 1.2 miles through the streets of Budapest, Hungary.
Hitting the slopes
Skiers and snowboarders dress up and head down the slope on Dec. 5. 2010 as part of the 11th annual Santa Sunday at Sunday River in Newry, Maine. Participants get a free lift ticket if they dress as Santa and donate $10 or more to the Bethel Rotary Club's annual toy drive.
Getting merry
Revelers celebrate on Dec. 11 during the annual New York City Santacon, a mass gathering of people dressed as Santa who take to the streets in cities across the country before Christmas.
Santa's fly ride
Santa flies into Carmel Valley, Calif., via helicopter on Dec. 11, 2010
Scared of Santa?
Four-month-old Tavist Lohden, left, lets out a cry as he his held by Santa Claus, portrayed by Bob Campbell, at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Dallas on Dec. 11, 2010.
Santas get swift
Ready, set, go! Thousands run the 5 kilometer 2010 Santa Dash through the streets of Liverpool, England, on Dec. 5, 2010.
Swimming with the fishes
A South Korean diver swims with fish as children watch during a Christmas event at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 11, 2010. Christmas is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in the country.
Friends, how many of us have them?
Men dressed as Father Frost, left, the central figure in Russia's new year festival, and Julenissen – Norway’s Santa Claus, take part in Christmas festivities in Moscow on Dec. 7, 2010.
Ho, ho, row!
After rowing their way through the Donau river in southern Germany, these eight Santas brought presents to the children of the city's orphanage on Dec. 5, 2010.
He's a little runaway
Carrying a hefty sack, Santa trudges through the snow over train tracks in Germany on Dec. 14, 2010.
Is this real?
Takiyah Stewart does the classic tug on Santa's beard during his pre-Christmas visit to the nonprofit Girls Incorporated in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Swarming the city
Hundreds of Santas descend on London's Trafalgar Square, startling commuters and tourists with a tide of seasonal cheer on Dec. 11, 2010, as part of the annual Santacon celebration.
Tree hunting
Santa Claus walks through a Christmas tree farm on Dec. 12, 2010 in Mellensee near Berlin, Germany.
Santas on stilts
Thousands staged a parade in downtown Porto, Portugal on an attempt to break the Guinness World Record of most people dressed as Santa Claus .
Dude, where's my sleigh?
Donald Boyce does a "shaka" as he shares a wave with a surfer while riding in an outrigger canoe off Waikiki beach in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 11, 2010.
Scientific Santa
Scientist Jens Vindum, dressed as Santa Claus, watches as two reindeer graze on the living roof of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco on Nov. 23, 2010. The reindeer will be part of a holiday exhibit at the academy called "Tis the Season for Science" that runs through Jan. 2.
March madness
Volunteers of America's Sidewalk Santas kick off the holiday season walking through Manhattan during the 108th Annual Parade of Santas in New York on Nov. 26, 2010.
Santa gets sacked
John Toomey, dressed as Santa Claus, laughs while waiting for customers at Lefty O'Douls on Dec. 10, 2010 in San Francisco, California. He worked every holiday season at Macy's in San Francisco for the past 20 years, was fired after he told a innapropriate joke. He ended up appearing on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."