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How to spy on Santa this Christmas
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Take a minute to read about five fun and innovative ways to keep the magic of Santa alive this holiday season. - photo by Sage Singleton
Sage Singleton
FamilyShare
Published: Dec 12, 2016, 1:09 PM
Each year, people go to extravagant lengths to make Christmas as wonderful and magical as possible. But apart from the parties, decorations and gifts, part of the splendor of this holiday is seeing the excitement on childrens faces as they write to Santa and wonder if theyve made the naughty or nice list. The month of December brings so much joy and magic in our lives, and hopefully last the whole year long. You can help by keeping the magic of Santa alive with these 5 ideas:

Create sleigh tracks in the snow

On Christmas Eve, children listen for the thump of hoofs on the rooftop, signaling the arrival of Santa in his sleigh. This Christmas Eve, after the kiddos have fallen asleep, drag a two-by-four (or other plank of wood) in parallel lines across the yard leaving sleigh marks in the snow. On Christmas morning, let your children see Santas trailliving proof that he was there last night!

Sprinkle glitter on the ground

We all know that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer leads Santa's sleigh of reindeer through the starry sky each Christmas Eve. Before the kids wake up on Christmas morning, sprinkle red glitter around the yardmaking a clear trail where Rudolph and the other reindeer parked the sleigh before jumping to the next house to deliver more toys. You can also leave out a pile of carrots out for the reindeer that get "eaten" by Christmas morning.

Catch Santa on camera

After all, seeing is believing, right? Install an indoor camera near the Christmas tree so you can spy on Santa as he delivers presents this year. Simply catch a glimpse of his red suit and boots, or perhaps a video snippet of his gloved hand filling up the stockings. Kids will love watching the video feed that shows Santa in their own home.

Leave Santa a spare key

Perhaps you live in an apartment or a home without a chimney. Dont worry, Santa can still get in and leave presents for good boys and girls. Before you tuck the kids into bed on Christmas Eve, have them place a spare key under the front porch mat so Santa can let himself in. Then, on Christmas morning, have the kids check under the mat and theyll notice its gone! Strategically place the key near the tree to convince the young ones he used the key to drop of gifts (after eating some cookies and milk, of course!).

Receive a letter signed by Mr. Claus

Each year, more than 1 million Americans send letters to Mr. Claus. This year, have Santa write a letter back to your kids clarifying a gift request or to let them know their letter was received. Kids will love opening a letter addressed to them and signed by Santa.

These added touches will help make this holiday more magical. Even more than all the presents, you'll love seeing the joy in your child's face when they wake up to discover that Santa really did visit this year.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.