Ho ho ho -- Father Christmas' brand in England

From today's Guardian (U.K.) ... a happy little Christmas story that delves into branding issues. It's about a Father Christmas (Santa Claus) in Lapland theme park in the Midlands district in the north of England that "promis[es] 'a magical encounter' with the bearded man himself, amid a winter wonderland of elves, reindeer, huskies, real snow and a dancing spectacular on ice" without going all the way to Lapland, the part of Europe closest to the North Pole.

That's what the kiddies are promised. What they get, according to The Guardian, is "several marquees in a muddy field normally used for car boot sales, which overlooks the M54 [superhighway]."

A translation: In England, car boot sales are like what we call flea markets in the U.S.

Ho ho ho.

Read The Guardian's account. If it doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will. Well, maybe this will ... it's Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues, the English/Irish punk band, singing "Fairytale of New York>"

Ho ho ho again.

Not laughing was the proprietor of another Lapland theme park in Kent, closer to London than the two in the Midlands:

Mike Battle, who runs Lapland UK, a theme park in Kent that is separate from both the New Forest and West Midlands versions, claimed that his idea had been copied. Lapland UK, a £3m development near Tunbridge Wells, was launched last year, claiming it offered the magic of Father Christmas's Arctic home without the environmental (or financial) cost of a four-hour flight to Finland. For £55 a ticket, Lapland UK includes home-cooked food, ice skating and an assurance Father Christmas's promises won't be broken - Santa is informed about stocking requests via an online questionnaire for parents.

"I was keen to create a brand that was seen as a safe pair of hands for children's dreams," he said. "Some of these other people have thought: 'That's a very good idea'. And they've copied me."