Welcome to Mountain Valley View Farm and its unique collection of mini-shops within our farm.  Our assortment within our farm includes:

TABLE OF MINI-SHOPS CONTENTS

 FOOD & BEVERAGE ITEMS

1. Local Family Farm of Veggies,  Fruit, and Berries
2. Organic Egg Farm
3. Future WSDA Grade A Goat,  Sheep, and Yak Dairy
4. Artisan Cheese Shop
5. Ice Cream, Gelato, and Frozen Treat Shoppe
6. Artisan Bakery & Pastry Shop
7. Comfort Food Kitchen
8. Homemade Soup Shop
9. Deli & Panini Shop
10. Pizza & Flatbread Shop
11. Jams & Jelly Shop
12. Huckleberry Shop
13. Honey Shop
14. Take & Bake Shop
15. International Food Shop
16. Nut & Spice Shop
17. Vegetarian & Vegan Shop
18. Juice & Beverage Shop
19. Tea & Tasting Room
20. Coffee & Coffee Bean Shop
21. Wine & Micro Brew Shop
22. Catering Service
23. Farm Food Delivery Service

 NON-FOOD & BEVERAGE ITEMS

1. Gift Basket and Floral Shop – Custom Made & Shipped Worldwide
2. Plant Nursery and Greenhouse
3. Arts & Crafts Studio.
4.  Soap & Cosmetic Shop – Handcrafted
5. Candle Shop – Handcrafted
6. Jewelry Shop – Handcrafted
7. Potpourri & Fragrance Shop
8. Personalized Poem & Greeting Card Shop
9. Books & Cookbooks by Karen Jean Matsko Hood – Local Author & Poet & Children’s Author
10. CookingwithKaren.com Cooking Lessons
11. Visiting Artist Gallery and Custom Frame Shop
12. Getaway Studio Classroom
13. Getaway Studio Bed & Breakfast
14. Pet & Farm Animal Food Shop
15. Petting Farm and Nature Learning School
16. Gift & floral Shipping and Delivery Service

Mountain Valley View Farm is a small eco-friendly, self-sustaining, organic, family farm located in Greenacres of the Spokane Valley near the Idaho border of Washington State.  We invite you to shop from our collection of farm mini-shops listed below:

OUR LOCAL FAMILY FARM of VEGGIES, FRUITS, and BERRIES
Our farm raises  vegetables, fruit, berries, grapes, herbs, cut flowers, and wildflowers using organic and eco-friendly farming methods.  We are also working to and organic hydroponics to our farm growing system.

OUR ORGANIC EGG FARM
Our licensed WSDA egg farm provides organic farm-fresh cage-free organic chicken, duck, goose, guinea, quail, pheasant, peafowl, and turkey eggs raised on our farm.  We can also special order emu, ostrich, and rhea eggs with advance notice.

OUR FUTURE WSDA LICENSED GRADE A GOAT, SHEEP, & YAK DAIRY
Our farm dairy will soon provide fresh and pasteurized goat, sheep, yak, and cow milk, cream, butter, along with small hand crafted batch artisan cheese, yogurt, ice cream, gelato, and other delicious dairy products.  We will not sell any of our own dairy products until our WSDA Grade A Dairy License is complete.

OUR ARTISAN CHEESE SHOP
Our cheese shop provides artisan and gourmet cheeses from our own farm, and local area farms, plus, we provide artisan cheese from worldwide sources.  We also offer wonderful products made with cheeses, yogurts, tofu, and vegan cheese found in our local cheese shop.

OUR  ICE CREAM, GELATO, & FROZEN TREAT SHOPPE
Our ice cream shop provides delicious homemade Ice Cream, Gelato, Soft-Serve, Ice Milk, Sherbet, Sorbet, Frozen Yogurt, Vegan Frozen Treats, Shaved Ice, Fruit Pops, Fudgesicles, Milk Shakes, Malts, Granitas, Ice Cream Floats, Sodas, Slushies, and Smoothies and other frozen treats and desserts.

OUR ARTISAN BAKERY & PASTRY SHOP
Our small bakery produces artisan breads, rolls, sourdough breads, pretzels, muffins, bagels, pies, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, pastries, cream puffs, puff pastries, sour cream twists, donuts, cupcakes, cobblers, huckleberry desserts, cookies, desserts, sticky buns, caramel rolls, poteca, poppy seed rolls, international breads such as teff and naan, and other delicious international baked goods, as well as gluten free baked goods.

OUR COMFORT FOOD KITCHEN
Our WSDA licensed kitchen makes homemade casseroles, soups, sauces, dips, pesto, hummus, dehydrated foods, beverages, syrups, honey, and candies.  We also make delicious homemade jarred foods such as pickles, vinegars, sauerkraut, and salad dressings, and sauces.

OUR HOMEMADE SOUP SHOP
Our soup shop sells delicious homemade artisan and nutritional soups, chowders, bisques, and chili of all kinds that are quickly frozen to take home and enjoy when you want to have some healthy comfort meal.

OUR DELI & PANINI SHOP
Our deli provides fresh salads, pastas, crepes, wraps, cheeses, mustards, pesto, humus, tapenade, dips, spreads, tapas, fresh sandwiches, panini, gyros, sausages, salami.  You can order your requested special deli order in advance to pick up for your office, picnic, or special event and arrange in advance for pick up.  We also have limited delivery service available, for 55 cents per mile, with a minimum 24 hour advance notice, on a limited basis.

OUR PIZZA & FLATBREAD SHOP
We sell artisan pizza and flatbread on a rotational basis.  We are constantly trying new ingredient combinations for our artisan pizza and flatbread, for your enjoyment.

OUR JAMS & JELLY SHOP
Our jams and jelly shop makes delicious homemade jarred foods such as jams, jellies, preserves,  butters, marmalades, compotes, and curds.  We make all our jams and jellies the old fashioned way, in small batches and never add any artificial chemicals, color, or preservatives.

OUR HUCKLEBERRY SHOP
Our huckleberry shop provides handmade huckleberry products like jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, syrups, ice cream toppings, sauces, salad dressing, pie filling, candies, fudge, and everything huckleberry.  We also provide huckleberry breads, muffins, cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and desserts, on a rotation basis.

OUR HONEY SHOP
Our honey shop sells local honey from local farms, as well as our own honey from Mountain Valley view Farm honeybees.  We love to cook and bake with honey and its delicious health benefits.

OUR TAKE AND BAKE SHOP
Our take and bake shop provides tasty frozen homemade comfort food meals, vegetarian, vegan, and international that are homemade and quickly frozen.  All you need to do is take home and keep in your freezer until you are ready to use for a great home-style comfort dinner for your family and friends.

OUR INTERNATIONAL FOOD SHOP
Our kitchen makes all the traditional ethnic foods of our family heritage that have been made from our family and grandparents.  Try our foods from the old and new countries and regions  of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, Britain, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Korea, India, Ethiopia, Africa, Native American, and African American recipes.

OUR NUT & SPICE SHOP
Our nut and spice ship provides our customers with all the fresh and unique spices and nut combinations for their health and enjoyment to take home.  Enjoy our homemade treats or take them home to make your own.

OUR VEGETARIAN & VEGAN SHOP
Our vegetation and vegan shop makes fresh vegetarian and vegan soups, sandwiches, Panini, pizzas, casseroles, and main dishes.  We have 4 vegetarians in our family and have been cooking and testing vegetarian recipes for many years.

OUR JUICE & BEVERAGE SHOP
Our juice bar serves new fresh ingredients fruits, vegetable, and herbal drinks to add to our menu.  We are creating new health and energy drinks, along with traditional blended drinks.

OUR TEA & TASTING ROOM
Our tea shop provides all kinds of delicious and healthful teas and herbal infusions for your drinking pleasure.  Try our hot or iced tea or hot green, black, white, yellow tea, and herbal teas to drink.  Take your favorites to make at home.  Teas are healthful, delicious, and no calorie drinks, served hot or cold and full of intioxidants.

OUR COFFEE & COFFEE BEAN SHOP
Our coffee shop provides delicious fresh roasted coffees for your tasting and enjoyment.  We sell fresh roasted coffee, plus you can buy your own favorite Mountain Valley View Farm blend of fresh roasted beans to take home or give as a gift.

OUR FUTURE WINE & MICRO-BREW SHOP
We are in the process of obtaining our Washington State liquor license to sell wine and micro-brews to accompany our menu.  In the future, we have dreams of making our own small batches of wine and micro-beers, but we will never sell anything until fully licensed.

OUR CATERING SERVICE
Our Mountain Valley View Farm catering service will arrange to cater our menu foods items for your special occasion, holiday, birthday, wedding, or office event, with advance notice and planning.  Please call us if you need us to provide your special event.

OUR FARM FOOD LOCAL DELIVERY SERVICE
We try to please our customers, so we have a limited local delivery service to deliver our farm foods for 55 cents per mile, from one of our locations below, with a minimum of 24 hours advance notice.  Call to check on delivery availability.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY VIEW FARM NON FOOD ITEMS:

OUR GIFT BASKET & FLORAL SHOP – CUSTOM MADE & SHIPPED WORLDWIDE:
We will design your custom gift basket to fit your request.  We can take any of our items and custom-make a gift basket for you year ’round gift giving.  We also offer seasonal live plants, herbs, container gardens, terrariums, cut flowers, and wildflowers on a seasonal basis.

PLANT NURSERY & GREENHOUSE
Our farm plant nursery, greenhouse, and hydroponic gardens sell live house plants, trees, shrubs, vines, air plants, bromeliads, annuals, perennials, seeds, orchids, bulbs, herbs, wildflowers, cut flowers, and gift baskets.

OUR ARTS AND CRAFTS STUDIO
Our small farm arts  and crafts studio makes arts, crafts, fiber yarn products spun from our farm animals, ornaments, jewelry, cookbooks, farm books, greeting cards, soaps, candles, clothing, t-shirts, scarves, aprons, and potpourri. All are hand-crafted in small batches, right here, on our local family farm.

OUR SOAP & COSMETIC SHOP (Handcrafted)
Our soap and cosmetic ship makes handcrafted artisan soap from our goat and sheep milk in a variety of soap shapes and forms.  We also make other products using only the freshest ingredients available.  As always, we never add any artificial chemicals, preservative, or colors.

OUR CANDLE SHOP (Handcrafted)
Our candle shop makes handcrafted artisan candles from wax, beeswax, and soy in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and natural fragrances.  We can custom-make your special order candles.

OUR JEWELRY SHOP (Handcrafted)
Our jewelry shop makes handcrafted artisan jewelry from local area products, plus unique glass beads and stones collected from all over the world.

OUR POTPOURRI & FRAGRANCE SHOP
Our farm makes and blends our own potpourri, wreaths, sachets, and fragrance gifts, using fragrances made from natural ingredients.

OUR PERSONALIZED POEM & GREETING CARD SHOP
Our farm owner and author writes and designs greeting cards and personalized poems for that special or sentimental gift you want to send.

OUR BOOKS & COOKBOOKS by Karen Jean Matsko Hood – Local Author & Poet
Our farm owner and author, Karen Jean Matsko Hood, has published books, cookbooks, poetry, and children’s books.  We offer these for sale, autographed and personalized for your gift giving.  NOTE:  She needs a minimum of 24 hours notice to complete your unique notes.

OUR Cookingwithkaren.com COOKING LESSONS
Our farm owner and cookbook author, Karen Jean Matsko Hood, who happens to be the owner and operator of Mountain Valley View Farm and provides cooling lessons and demonstrations on an occasional basis.
Have fun and schedule some classes with Cookingwithkaren.com.

OUR VISITING ARTIST GALLERY & CUSTOM FRAME SHOP
Our small local art gallery and frame shop welcomes local artists and are happy to display and feature artists on a rotational basis.  You can purchase the artist’s work of your choice through our shop and we even provide custom framing for your choice, if desired!  We also ship custom art framed or unframed for your convenience.

OUR GETAWAY STUDIO CLASSROOM
Our Getaway Studio classroom provides cooking classes, food, wine and cheese tasting classes, farm workshops, seminars, writing workshops for authors, and nature classes, by advance appointment only.

OUR GETAWAY STUDIO BED AND BREAKFAST
Our Getaway Studio Bed and Breakfast provides one single room king sized bed and breakfast unit, by advance appointment only.

OUR PET AND FARM ANIMALS FOOD SHOP
Our pet food shop makes small batch custom treats for your dogs, pets, and farm animals.  We sell only pet foods that we are licensed to make.

OUR PETTING FARM AND NATURE LEARNING SCHOOL:
We have over 300 farm animals to come and visit and learn about at our Learning School, by advance appointment only.  Our farm is also a wildlife sanctuary so you will be able to see many birds and local, protected wildlife on our farm.  All classes must be pre-arranged by advance appointment only.

ABOUT OUR GIFT & FLORAL SHIPPING AND DELIVERY SERVICE:
We ship our products, gifts, and personalized gift baskets worldwide.  We can also arrange local delivery for a standard 55 cent mileage fee, with a minimum 24 hour notice, from our farm address to yours, as a convenience to our customers! You can shop or re-order products at our farm store online at :

www.mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com www.mountainvalleyviewfarmstore.com or call us at (509)928-1800.

Come and visit us at the farm by advance  appointment only (509) 928-1800. However, you can also visit us year ‘round at the downtown booth at the Spokane Public Market every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00pm anytime during those hours!

We look forward to seeing you there soon!

You can also find us at the local seasonal farmer’s markets and the local fairs.

Mountain Valley View Farm is selling out fast on all of our delicious, farm fresh organic eggs! Come see us this week at the Spokane Public Market, where you can purchase chicken eggs for just $5.00/dozen. We have over 60 different types of chicken that lay an amazing variety of brown, white, speckled, and colored eggs, including rare Aracauna eggs that have blue and turquoise shells. We also have 12 breeds of duck and 13 breeds of goose that lay eggs for us, and we are planning to add emus, guineas, and turkeys to our flock soon. All of our birds are free range, hormone and antibiotic free, and fed a fresh grain feed that contains no soy or animal bi-products so that you can always be sure you are getting the best quality organic eggs. Come see us at the market!

Spokane Public Market
32 W. 2nd Ave
Spokane, WA 99210
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thurs – Sat

Benefits of Organic Eggs

Organic eggs are extremely nutritious and contain significantly higher ratios of Vitamins A and E, Omega 3, and beta carotene than commercially produced eggs. They are also lower in cholesterol and saturated fat, making them an excellent choice for anyone concerned about their health. Furthermore, trace chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers have been detected in commercial eggs, and many of these chickens are given growth hormones and antibiotics to make them produce more. Chickens at Mountain Valley View Farm are fed an all-natural grain and allowed to roam and forage for food to supplement their diet. We do not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers on our farm, nor do we give our animals growth hormones or antibiotics, so you can be assured that our eggs will not have the toxins so common to commercially produced eggs. You will also love the taste of our eggs, as studies have shown that organic eggs from hens that eat a varied diet have a noticeably stronger and more pleasing flavor than commercial eggs.

Benefits of Duck & Goose Eggs

Duck eggs are significantly larger than chicken eggs, and goose eggs are larger still. One goose egg, when cooked, will be roughly equivalent to four chicken eggs, and both duck and goose eggs also have more yolk than the average chicken egg. Thicker shells lend themselves toward a longer shelf life (at least 6 weeks in the refrigerator), and goose eggshells are so thick that they are perfect for the delicate art of carving and embossing beautiful designs directly onto the shell. Both duck eggs and goose eggs are slightly higher in protein content, as well as containing greater concentrations of other nutrients like iron, potassium, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D.

Duck and goose eggs have their own unique flavors as well. Duck eggs have a noticeably stronger flavor than chicken eggs, and although not everyone may care for this taste when eaten plain, nearly everyone agrees that duck eggs are unparalleled when used for baking. Their richness produces moister, fluffier baked goods–absolutely incredible cakes and cookies. Goose eggs taste similar to chicken eggs, but seem a bit drier. They are also thicker than chicken eggs and have a custard-like yolk. They are also wonderful in cooking and are best in sweet confections and omelets.

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Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
Your Source for Northwest Farm Fresh Foods Shipped Worldwide
4301 South Chapman Road
Greenacres, Washington 99016-8732 USA
Phone (509) 928-1800 | Fax (509) 922-9949
Email: sales@mountainvalleyviewfarm.com

Website: www.mountainvalleyviewfarm.com
Online Store: www.mountainvalleyviewfarmstore.com
Blog with us at www.mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com

Mountain Valley View Farm Hours:

Monday – Saturday
8:00 a.m. – Noon; 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Closed Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Other farm hours by advance appointment only.
Please call (509) 928-1800 to schedule an appointment.

Getaway Studio Dining Room
& Bed and Breakfast
Phone (509) 928-8900

Directions to Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.

From I-90 East or West

Take the Sullivan Exit (291B) – South for about 3 miles
Turn left on Saltese (east), and continue for .5 mile
Turn right on South Chapman Road (south), and proceed .9 mile
The farm will be on the left-hand side of the road – 4301 South Chapman Road

Christmas Day has finally come and gone and there is only a few days left until this year is officially over. There is no rule that says you are only allowed to watch Christmas films on Christmas day and as the New Year grown closer you can still enjoy a few Christmas themed films. Take the movie Home Alone. Although the film is set on Christmas Day, the plot of the story is not based entirely on Christmas, making the film a great New Years film and all year round movie.

Creating the bingo cards

Print a copy of the bingo card below for everyone who wishes to play movie bingo, or simply draw 5×5 grids on pieces of paper. The word “BINGO” is not important for the game to run smoothly but it adds more fun to the game. Remember, if you hand draw each bingo card, you need to make sure everyone has the same information on their card.

Once you have your blank bingo cards you need to decide which film you are going to be watching. We will use Home Alone for an example. You need to write in each square something that will happen during the film. For example, in the first square you could write “Christmas Tree”. Each person would then mark this square off when they saw a Christmas tree in the movie. Some squares need to be obvious ones and some need to be hard and only be possible if you were paying attention during the movie.

Things to consider

Depending on the age group of your family will depend on how hard the clue will be. If you have a young family then simple clues such as “Christmas Tree” and “Snow” are ideal, if your family is older then make the game more challenging and make sure you add clues that you know may only happen at the end, or even make the bingo cards completely off the top of your head so you are unsure when the game will end.

Fair play

To make sure the game is fair for everyone who is participating, you need to make sure that someone has seen the film before hand to make sure when answers will appear; this makes sure that no one can cheat. Everyone also needs to have identical cards.

So, what are you waiting for?

If the game is done properly, although you yourself may enjoy a game of online bingo, you will be able to bring a game of bingo into the home that is not only family safe but also fun at the same time. So, what are you waiting for? Print your blank bingo cards off today and start playing a game of movie bingo.

About the Author

The following article was contributed by the site Love to Play Bingo, an online bingo comparison site that compares UK bingo sites.

Blessings this holiday season,

Mistylynn

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Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
Your Source for Northwest Farm Fresh Foods Shipped Worldwide
4301 South Chapman Road
Greenacres, Washington 99016-8732 USA
Phone (509) 928-1800 | Fax (509) 922-9949
Email: sales@mountainvalleyviewfarm.com

Website: www.mountainvalleyviewfarm.com
Online Store: www.mountainvalleyviewfarmstore.com
Blog with us at www.mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com

Mountain Valley View Farm Hours:

Monday – Saturday
8:00 a.m. – Noon; 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Closed Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Other farm hours by advance appointment only.
Please call (509) 928-1800 to schedule an appointment.

Getaway Studio Dining Room
& Bed and Breakfast
Phone (509) 928-8900

Directions to Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
From I-90 East or West
Take the Sullivan Exit (291B) – South for about 3 miles
Turn left on Saltese (east), and continue straight for .5 mile
Turn right on South Chapman Road (south), and proceed .9 mile
The farm will be on the left-hand side of the road – 4301 South Chapman Road

It is also worth mentioning that the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has a brand new show this year featuring exciting 3D scenes. The Rockettes Magical Journey from November 11 to January 2. Tickets are on sale right now, but due to Ticketmaster experiencing difficulties they are asking people that are interested in tickets to call their number at 1-866-858=0007.

Are you looking for new Christmas music this year? Everyone’s familiar with the tried and true carols and holiday songs, but if you’re like me you start getting a little tired of even your favorite tunes by the time Christmas Day rolls around. There’s no escaping Christmas music at this time of year–every store, restaurant, and radio station plays a nonstop blitz of carols starting as soon as Thanksgiving dinner has been cleared off the table. But never fear, there’s a cure for that musical tedium! Why not search out original holiday songs by independent artists and make a compilation CD for yourself? Great new Christmas music that you have never heard before, and aren’t likely to hear being played over the sound system of every mall and grocery store. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

• Feel Alive (It’s Christmas Day) by Joe and the Jungle–This original song by the indie rock band combines cozy warm lyrics, heartfelt strings, and a blend of voices harmonizing to create an atmosphere of peaceful Christmas spirit.
• The All-Purpose Carol by The Chenille Sisters–A sparkling country music feel and a dose of good-natured humor liven up this song that combines several holiday traditions and carols into one.
• This Christmas by Peter Mayer–A heartfelt pop tune that urges us to think about the true nature of giving and how we display love at this time of year. Very poignant.
• Doin’ That Holiday Thing by Johnny Pierre–Fun-spirited, lively, and fast-paced with a homey country twang in Johnny’s deep voice.
• Daddy Don’t Take the Christmas Tree Down by John Dameron–A Christmas song for all ages featuring a cheerful children’s chorus and a bright, happy tune that will get your blood pumping and your toes tapping.
• The Ghost of Christmas Past by David Kurtz–This instrumental solo acoustic guitar piece is lovely and yearning, evoking the spirit of the holidays while remaining completely original.
• I Poked You on Facebook (Merry Christmas) by Clinton Yorke–Tongue-in-cheek witticism and pop-techno rhythms craft a clever song for the Facebook generation.
• Horn Jubilee by KevOZ–If you like Manheim Steamroller, you will love this bouncy instrumental holiday song. (Also try A Very Merry Christmas from the same album.)
• Fiesta ChaCha by Lounge Magic–A sprightly, old-fashioned feel with a Spanish flavor. This is unique, fun, and joyous–just right for the Christmas season.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of original Christmas music available in every possible style and genre. Not every song will appeal to all people, but it gives a good sampling of the possibilities. Some of it is silly, some of it is heartfelt, some is more traditional, but all of it can help stave off the boredom of the same old carols and songs. Now go out there and find some new tunes for Christmas!

Tip #1: Make sure your decorations aren’t outdated. Do you still have the same lights that your parents were using in 1952? Modern lights are much safer than their older counterparts. They don’t put off as much heat for one, which lowers the chance that a little one in your house might burn their fingers. Also, old wiring is more prone to shorts, which could lead to a house fire. Newer lights, especially LED lights, are better for your budget too since they use less electricity.

New, shatter-proof ornaments might be something for you to consider as well, especially those with small children in the home. Nothing quite ruins the holiday spirit like a trip to the E.R. to remove glass from little Johnny’s foot.

Tip #2: Keep an updated fire extinguisher handy and make sure everyone in the house knows how to operate it. From turkeys going up in smoke, candles burning to the new wood burning kit that some well-meaning relative just HAD to get for your kid, there are plenty of opportunities for an accidental fire. Another good idea is to post the P.A.S.S. (Point. Aim. Squeeze. Spray) method in an easy to spot space, since it’s easy to lose your head in an emergency.

Tip #3: After the presents are opened, the screams of joy are shrieked and the six cups of coffee are downed by Mom and Dad, remember to pick up all the wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, bits of tape, and the ten million annoying little plastic bits that have been wrestled off the packaging, all of which pose a choking hazard to small children and pets alike. What looks inedible to you is shiny and tempting to them.

Holiday safety is a simple affair with a little vigilance on your part. Here’s to a happy and safe Christmas this year!

About the Author

This article was written by Phill from the Fire Safety Store.

Ded Moroz

Ded Moroz translates pretty much directly as ‘Grandfather Frost’ and you’ll find him doing his rounds in many of the former Russian states of Eastern Europe. He’s a lover of a jolly red costume and also has a large white beard, just like Santa but it is his history that’s interesting. He was once an evil sorcerer who has now reformed and gives gifts to children as a way of making up for all his evil deeds, which included kidnapping little ones and demanding presents as ransom.

Now however, he typically delivers his gifts over New Year’s, though it isn’t unusual for him to turn up at parties and hand out gifts in person. He also has a side kick to help him, his granddaughter who is referred to as ‘The Snow Maiden’.

La Benafa

La Benafa hails from Italy and while her modus operandi is very much in line with that of the Santa Claus we know, her appearance is quite different. For a start she’s a woman, and although her back story is variable, the most common version suggests that she offered shelter and food to the three wise kings as they travelled to see the infant Jesus.

Her appearance is actually more in line with that of a traditional Halloween witch, flying around with a bag of presents on a broomstick. She also enters houses via the chimney as a way of delivery and is more than happy to leave a lump of coal for a child that’s been naughty. Interestingly she is thought to be heck of a housekeeper and demonstrates this by sweeping the hearths as she leaves the way she came in.

Yule Lads

These guys are a group of thirteen tricky gnome-like little creatures that have taken on the gift giving duties in Iceland. There mischievous ways have led to them having some more negative incarnations throughout their history though now they tend to be seen as spirited and playful types, each with a preferred, often bizarre, speciality. For example the Yule Lad known as Stekkjastaur is said to hassle sheep while wandering about on wooden legs.

They do also give presents to kids, helped out by a yuletide cat, a grizzly creature who deals with the extra naughty. The Yule lads leave small gifts in the shoes of good children, whereas those less well behaved awake to find their footwear filled with potatoes.

These are just three of the weird and wonderful variations to Santa that as we speak are gearing up to their busiest time of the year… which means if you happen to be in Iceland, be good, unless you want a shoe full of root vegetable.

David James researches and writes about the weird and quirky for novelty Christmas gifts retailer Find Me A Gift.