North Pole

Rescue aircraft, taking advantage of a break in a severe Arctic snowstorm, managed to land at the North Pole where eight explorers had been briefly stranded. The team, led by Robert Swan of Britain, reached the roof of the world after a 600-mile, 56-day journey. The rescue planes flew the explorers to their base at Eureka on Ellesmere Island on their way home. Because of poor weather conditions, the three Twin Otter aircraft had been unable to pick up the group as scheduled, and all of the team members suffered frostbite on their feet and faces.

Prince Harry is heading south - way down south. To the South Pole, in fact. And he's walking a good part of the way. The prince will join the Walking With the Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge in November and December, he said at a news conference Friday. The 208-mile journey will be undertaken by three teams: U.S., Britain and the Commonwealth. The trek grew from humble beginnings, with four founders only three years ago, Harry said. This time around, teams will be "racing each other to the bottom of the world," the royal serviceman said,  "though we're not allowed to officially call it a race, But I think we all know what will happen.

Santa Claus House ([800] 588-4078) http://www.santaclaushouse.com , at 101 St. Nicholas Drive, is the primary attraction in North Pole, Alaska. Here, kids can chat with Santa and help feed his reindeer while parents shop for holiday-themed items. It's also one of two local businesses that create customized letters from Santa, with prices starting at $9.95. The other vendor is Santa's Letters and Gifts ([907] 488-8118, http://www.santaslettersandgifts.com ). Santa's Mailbag will answer letters free of charge, although donations are welcome.

"Don't worry if it's expensive," I overheard my 8-year-old tell her 5-year-old sister the other night. "Santa makes all this stuff at the North Pole. Mom and Dad don't have to buy it. " My daughters were seated at the dining table, cutting pictures out of a stack of toy catalogs. They had been busy for half an hour, clipping and pasting. They had informed my wife and me they planned to mail a scrapbook presentation to Santa this year. In the post-literate era, why waste time using words when you can send a picture?

Of all the Earth's inhospitable places, the North Pole surely is among the worst. Still, it remains an irresistible attraction for adventurers 75 years after Robert E. Peary first reached this strange ill-defined spot where at ice-level the only way to know you are there is that every direction is south. A number of expeditions have reached the pole since Peary's team in 1909, assisted only by dog sled. People have flown over it in airplanes and dirigibles.

It was a little past noon on Saturday when the United Airlines Boeing 747 lined up on a runway at LAX. On board: more than 100 foster children and two dozen disabled adults eagerly awaiting their trip on Flight Santa 16. The Fantasy Flight, as the event is called, is a mock trip to the North Pole arranged each year by United Airlines employees. The 16th annual event was funded through candy, book and bake sales by the airline and its partners, as well as donations. "About 3,500 children over those years have been blessed with the love and joy of this season," said Jack Paluska, the station operation control manager at LAX. "The end of the year is a pretty big deal for us," he said.

He pulled a 265-pound sled on skis. He braved polar bears and temperatures of 40 below zero. And after 52 days, Borge Ousland became the first person to reach the North Pole alone and unaided. The 31-year-old Norwegian adventurer sent a pre-coded message--"Expedition ended, want pickup"--via satellite Friday, indicating his 620-mile journey was completed. Others have gone to the North Pole alone, but always with the help of dog sleds or supplies brought in from the outside.

The first all-woman expedition to the North Pole has been abandoned after 12 days because of severe weather, and a Canadian member of the team is being treated for frostbite, it was reported today. Norwegian radio said extreme cold and difficult ice conditions forced the expedition's four French and two Canadian members to abandon their 660-mile trek on skis to the Pole and they have been evacuated.

Russian helicopters plucked a team of stranded scientists from deep within the Arctic Circle on Saturday after their floating research station was all but crushed beneath a wall of ice, officials said. Emergency teams flew 450 miles from Spitsbergen, Norway -- a four-hour trip -- to reach the Severny Polyus-32 meteorological station, where the 12 researchers and two dogs had huddled for three days in temperatures of 38 below zero.

In Arlington National Cemetery, above the grave of explorer Robert E. Peary, stands a white granite globe with the inscription Inveniam Viam Aut Facium. "I shall find a way or make one." Perhaps. The imposing gravestone remains less a monument to a great discovery than a monument to a great myth or, more precisely, our need to believe in great myths. And great men.

Cruceros Australis offers Christmas expedition cruises that are far from the North Pole but just as icy and remote. The company's all-inclusive trip along the southern Patagonia coast will be filled with glaciers, penguins and of course a visit from Santa. And, as an added inducement, kids sail free . The deal: The four-day sailing starts in Ushaia, Argentina, and ends in Punta Arenas, Chile, though you can do the reverse itinerary, too. It begins by sailing through the Straits of Magellan and on to Almirantazgo Sound and Alberto de Agostini National Park, the Pia Fjord and what's called Glacier Alley.

Irvine Railroad's 16th Annual Christmas Train The historic Irvine Regional Park's festive holiday train chugs along for its five final days before the holiday. Families depart the brightly-lit train station en route to the North Pole, where kids can share their wish lists with St. Nick and pose for photos. Irvine Park Railroad, 1 Irvine Park Rd., Orange. Mon.-Fri. 4-8 p.m. Train tickets $10 Children 2 and younger free. Activity tickets $4 each. Book of 15 Activity Tickets $50.(714) 997-3968.

SERIES Saturday Night Live: Katy Perry hosts with musical guest Robyn (11:29 p.m. NBC). SPECIALS Republican debate: GOP presidential candidates discuss issues in Des Moines; moderated by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos (6 p.m. ABC). Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The reindeer with the incandescent nose guides Santa's sleigh through a bad storm on Christmas Eve in this holiday classic based on the song by Johnny Marks (8 p.m. CBS). The American Giving Awards: Bob Costas hosts this new special, which honors the United States' most deserving charities.

The historic Irvine Regional Park's festive holiday train will depart from the brightly lighted train station and drop off passengers at the North Pole for the Irvine Park Railroad's 16th Annual Christmas Train. Kids will have an opportunity to share their wish lists with St. Nick and pose for photos. Irvine Park Railroad, 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange. 5-8 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Through Dec. 23. Train tickets $10, children 2 and younger free. Activity tickets $4 each. Book of 15 activity tickets $50. (714)

NEPAL Presentation Caryl Sherpa discusses her book "I Taste Fire, Earth, Rain," a story of love, cultural exploration and the revelation that in the Himalayas, anything is possible. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. EUROPE Slide show Mort Loveman will present "From Russia With Love. " When, where: 1 p.m. Wednesday at Roxbury Park Community Center, 471 S. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills.

Santa Claus House ([800] 588-4078) http://www.santaclaushouse.com , at 101 St. Nicholas Drive, is the primary attraction in North Pole, Alaska. Here, kids can chat with Santa and help feed his reindeer while parents shop for holiday-themed items. It's also one of two local businesses that create customized letters from Santa, with prices starting at $9.95. The other vendor is Santa's Letters and Gifts ([907] 488-8118, http://www.santaslettersandgifts.com ). Santa's Mailbag will answer letters free of charge, although donations are welcome.

Off Donner! Off Blitzen! Uh, oh. Christmas deliveries figure to be slower this year, pointed out S. Moore of Long Beach. Moore read that Santa has laid off most of his reindeer and, in this uncertain economy, he's apparently put off making repairs on his sleigh (see accompanying). Unclear on the concept: Myrna and Jim Cambianica of Ojai saw an ad for a residence that only a real estate agent would call a condo (see accompanying).

Along the Richardson Highway in the Alaskan interior, "towns" — and that's being generous — often spring up for a single purpose: to provide food, water and, of course, fuel to passing motorists. Mosquito Junction was once such a wayside. But that was before the handful of residents decided to incorporate and name their frigid outpost North Pole. Now the streetlights and fire hydrants are striped like candy canes. Santa Claus, naturally, is in residence year-round at the holiday-themed gift shop bearing his name.

WILLIAMS, ARIZ. The Polar Express When, where: Nov. 12-Jan. 8, Williams Train Depot Highlights: The high-desert train takes a special after-dark trip to the North Pole to visit Santa and his reindeer. Riders enjoy tales and treats along the way, and each child receives a gift. Cost: $29; $19 for children age 2 to 15; Christmas Eve tickets cost twice as much Info: (888) 848-3511, http://www.thetrain.com PASCO, WASH.