So the tree is up and the lights are twinkling.

This weekend sees our festive season truly begin as Santa visits our village then we visit Santa on a train and we end the weekend with a traditional festive family knees up. Our children’s introduction to this particular family tradition!

Today has also seen us begin a Christmas tradition of our own. One that we will continue to do through the magical Christmases to follow.

And the tradition is … to watch a personalised message from Santa, direct from the Portable North Pole!

You can get one too!

Portable North Pole is back for its fifth year, offering a FREE, fun and fully personalized experience for Santa fans young and old, all across the globe.

With Portable North Pole, kids and adults alike can experience the magic of Santa and his village at the touch of a button via their personal computers or mobile devices. To celebrate Christmas, and birthdays, users can send their loved ones personalized video messages from Santa himself, featuring personal photos and other customized details.

This year, Portable North Pole has pledged to donate five percent of all personalized product sales to participating Children’s Hospital foundations in the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada and France, as part of the PNP Children’s Hospital program.

The never-before-seen 2012 videos include brand new scenes from Santa’s village, funny new elf clips and more. The basic PNP video is completely free to stream for an unlimited number of times during the holidays. And for a small fee, users can create an extended five-minute premium version, which includes exclusive clips of Santa riding on his sleigh, a personalized Christmas Carol sung by the elves and more.

“The Portable North Pole console has streamed over 60 million fully-personalized videos since it was launched in 2008,” said Alexandre Bérard, president of UGroupMedia and designer of Portable North Pole. “Users just have to answer a few questions, provide photos, and Santa Claus will prepare a unique free video message for each of their loved ones.”

New for 2012, Portable North Pole is offering an extra special treat for kids: a personalized phone call from Santa himself! Another new and unique gift option is an augmented reality interactive letter, sealed with a little sprinkling of magic by the elves to prove that it was sent directly from Santa’s post office! The full-color letter includes a premium video and a facial scan feature, which Santa uses to check if the child is on his nice list.

Also new for 2012, Portable North Pole is excited to introduce its updated iPNP mobile and tablet app, which includes the premium video, interactive advent calendar and phone calls from Santa. In December 2011, the Portable North Pole app was among the top 10 paid downloads on the Apple Store in the UK.

Santa’s e-shop on the Portable North Pole website is also stocked with a range of new personalized gifts, from letters, coloring books and place mats, to books, puzzles and official “Santa’s Nice List” certificates.

To be honest I am not sure what I really think about dear old Father Christmas being so hi tech but Esther and William loved seeing Santa on the telly and were staring in awe as he found their house through his periscope. William wanted to cuddle Father Christmas there and then. They loved Santa using their name and it was nice to know that he knew how to pronounce Esther. Not everybody does.

Esther and William loved the reindeer and the sleigh ride best. I don’t think any of us particularly liked the elves!!

I have to say that the videos were very easy to create and took less than 10 minutes from starting to answer questions to receiving the email with a link to the completed film. I only wish I could have made a collective film for all my children. I think it might have been even more believable for them then. They have all had the same experiences this year and they all live in the same house! Would have been nice for their message to have been a collective one.

I did have a feeling of wonder though as I filled in all the details and Santa himself is adorable. What a great way to remind children that Father Christmas is always watching.

Esther and William are just starting to believe and this has really helped them on their way.

It has been a perfect way to launch our festivities.

I was able to make the two videos for free for the purpose of this review but next year I will definitely be spending the £2.99 per child to make this a continuing Christmas tradition. I don’t think we will go as far as phone calls and face scanners though. But is is nice to see Santa and hear him say your name and importantly prove the he knows not only where you live but where you will be spending Christmas that year! I think that is a nice touch. I was never at home for Christmas as a child and I always worried about Father Christmas finding me, this could have gone some way to easing those fears.

I love Christmas and I think this is a fun way to get into the spirit and have some fun.

After all …

If you fancy spreading a little festive cheer this year to the young or even young at heart in your life you can visit the Portable North Pole and create something Christmassy for them. I can even help you do it by offering a 10% discount from any of your purchases. Just use the code BLOG10BK.

Merry Christmas!!