Sites add sparkle to the holidays

Site-seeing with Jan Perry

The requests for holiday sites have begun rolling in. I've had e-mails from teachers, baby-sitters, parents, grandparents and even one great-grandmother asking for sites they can share with children. Here are a few of the best.

http://www.realchristmastrees.org. For Sarah Black o f Delhi Township, here is the official site for the National Christmas Tree Association. Not only does it tell the history of decorating trees, there are descriptions of various types of evergreens, care tips for live trees, lesson plans for teachers, games for kids and a listing of sales sites throughout the country. One note: to get a full listing of available pages, click on any of the main heads then scroll to the bottom and click on ''Sitemap.''

http://www.holidays.net/christmas. This site has a bi t of everything - music, art, fun and festivities. Don't miss 11-year-old Zoe's animated ''present-tation'' or their version of why we hang stockings on our fireplaces. (Note: don't scroll too fast past the stockings. One of them holds a surprise.)

http://www.northpole4kids.com. Billed as the official sit e of Santa Claus, this one gives you everything except the taste of candy canes on your tongue. Watch and hear Santa (via streaming video) as he reads letters and answers questions. Lots of sites let you e-mail the big guy, but this one lets you write to Mrs. Claus, the elves, Rudolph and even Ebenezer Scrooge. Also included are scans of ''wish lists'' from children throughout the world, including one for 6-year-old Allison from Cincinnati.

http://www.virtualchristmas.com. Here you're invited to ''Believe in the Magic.'' You can play holiday games, print out the words to some of your favorite Christmas songs and even write an essay about what the season means to you (if you're under 13, that is.)

http://www.claus.com. At or near the top of everyone's ''nice'' list, Claus.com is a proven winner. Especially fun this year is the Magnetic Kinetic Toy Hulla-Ballu Machine. Visit the Toyshop to see it in action.

http://www.northpole.com. Shhhh! Visit Santa's Secret Village and have all kinds of holiday fun. Don't forget to visit Santa in his den. While you're there, if your mouse is stirring in the right spot, you might discover some hidden stories. This is a wonderful site to share with smaller children.

http://www.bridgeholiday.com. Speaking of sharing, this si te has been set up by the Bridge Agency, a Cincinnati-based marketing company which specializes in Web site design. Last year the site generated more than $2,000 for the Wellness Community. This year's recipient will be Cincinnati's Work Resource Center. A free 10-second sign-in adds your $5 donation to the total.

Jan Perry is a freelance writer. Send questions or suggestions to her at SiteSeer2K@aol.com.