A SPECIAL REPORT: SANTA CLAUS

CYBER SANTA: It was only a matter of time before the old fat man of Christmas hauled his sleigh onto the information superhighway. With the right computer hardware, Santa Claus now can be reached via e-mail at a number of addresses. Try sending St. Nick a note at santa@north.pole.org or santa@northpole.net. . . . He also maintains a presence on the World Wide Web. Try connecting to https://northpole.net for facts about elves and reindeer.

DEAR SANTA: For those tots who still put pen to paper, the post office will process mail addressed simply to Santa. For a postmarked reply, though, send a note and self-addressed stamped envelope to North Pole, Alaska, 99709-9998. . . . Thousands of “Dear Santa” letters arrive each year at the Van Nuys Post Office, where workers sort the needy from the greedy and forward some letters to service groups.

SANTA RULES: Francis McRedmond is the name on the birth certificate, but for the past three years the 56-year-old retired nurse has gone simply by Santa Claus. Being a Santa at Topanga Plaza is “fantastic,” but he never guarantees a certain toy. “I always tell them I can’t promise,” he said. . . . And, yes, the beard is real, so no pulling.

MRS. CLAUS: Making dinner reservations always gets tough this time of year for Kimberlee Claus of Agoura Hills. When she married nine years ago, Mrs. Claus suggested with no success that her husband take her name, Baron. “I almost didn’t marry the man,” she said. . . . But she’s gotten used to it and now corrects those who laugh. “It’s not ha, ha, ha,” she said. “It’s ho, ho, ho.”

THE SANTA FILE: In addition to his duties as Father Christmas, St. Nicholas is also the protector of sailors and patron saint of moneylenders, miners, thieves and lawyers. . . . Slipping gifts down the chimney derives from the historic St. Nicholas tossing moneybags into windows to provide young women dowries.