Santa Does Windows

December 16, 2013 - Phillip Hartlip, a patient at Randall Children's Hospital, shares a moment with Santa. Santa and his elves made the windows of the Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel extra bright Monday morning.

Santa does windows: Cleaning crew dresses up for children at hospital (Portland, Oregon) - Jolly Old St. Nick and his elves checked two things off their "nice" list Monday. They brought big smiles to the faces of sick children and they also spotlessly washed the windows at a Portland hospital. A very special cleaning crew scaled the outside of Randall Children's Hospital dressed as Santa Claus and two of his elves.

The merry band of window washers then rappelled down the north Portland building as groups of children gathered on each floor to watch and wave. "They're giggling, jumping up and down, smiling, a lot of laughter. It's really great," said Jason Kirk, also known as the window-washing Santa Claus. One boy said Santa was just getting a jumpstart on all his regular Christmas duties, which always includes washing windows. "Yeah, he cleans windows," said 6-year-old Klever, a patient at the hospital. "Yeah, he did it to my house … when I was asleep." Back in April, Kirk played the part of Superman when a window washing crew dressed as superheroes for the boys and girls at Randall Children's Hospital.

Folks at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel watch as Santa Claus and his elves made the windows extra bright Monday morning. The window washers, employed by Millennium Building Services, have been washing the hospital's windows for 22 years. Santa (Jason Kirk) was accompanied by some of his elves (Dustin Atkins and Andrew Nava).

Window washing Santa drops in for visit at Randall Children's Hospital: A window washing Santa Claus and two of his elves brightened some hearts -- and windows -- at the Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in North Portland on Monday morning. Phillip Hartlip, 9, a patient from Camas, Wash., was among the children and families inside the hospital to share the special moment with Santa and helpers, who ditched the reindeer for the day and opted instead for a rope and harness. After the windows were shined up, Phillip chatted about the experience with local television and radio crews. The window washers, employed by Millennium Building Services, have been washing the hospital's windows for 22 years. Santa (Jason Kirk) was accompanied elves (Dustin Atkins and Andrew Nava).

Window Cleaning Santas

A window cleaner dressed as Santa Claus works at a shopping mall in Tokyo on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012.

Window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and a reindeer work at a shopping mall in Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Click to enlarge.

Tokyo window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus prepare to work during a hotel Christmas event. Click to enlarge.

Junji Tsuda, right, and Akihiro Kondo, window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer react before cleaning a window at a shopping mall in Tokyo. 2010. Click to enlarge.

Jason Dobinson, the owner of Sunshine Coast-based business All-Tech Industrial Abseilers, said working 14 floors up was nothing new for him and his staff, who spent a lot of time dangling from some of the Gold Coast's highest buildings. The Santa suits were "all about the kids", he said. "It's just our way of saying merry Christmas."

And finally - a WFP Santa.

Window Cleaning Santas

Abseiling part of Santa's job: That Santa gets about, doesn't he? One minute he's zipping around the world delivering presents, the next he's cleaning windows on a Coast high-rise - all four of him. The jolly old bloke and a few of his mates were suspended high above the streets of Caloundra as they did some cleaning and maintenance work on the Centrepoint building in time for Christmas.

Jason Dobinson, the owner of Sunshine Coast-based business All-Tech Industrial Abseilers, said working 14 floors up was nothing new for him and his staff, who spent a lot of time dangling from some of the Gold Coast's highest buildings. The Santa suits were "all about the kids", he said. "It's just our way of saying merry Christmas."

And just for the record boys and girls - no, Santa and his helpers do not get scared up so high because they have magical powers (and very strong ropes). And, yes, the view is spectacular but sometimes they see things through the windows that maybe they should not. Thankfully, Santa is very good at keeping secrets.

Previous Tokyo window cleaning Santas..

And finally - an Ionic WFP Santa.

Christmas Miracle For Window Cleaner

Day in Pictures, Dec 23 2010: JAPAN - Junji Tsuda, right, and Akihiro Kondo, window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer react before cleaning a window at a shopping mall in Tokyo. Click to enlarge.
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Christmas Miracle for Window Cleaner: Man survives crash that sheered off top of his truck - Kenton Miller knew something had gone horribly wrong as he hurtled down the country road, unable to slow or stop his truck. He just didn’t know exactly what. The 66-year-old owner of a window-washing business saw a single headlight approaching as he neared the intersection of 21 and L roads on the evening of Dec. 14. Then, as he passed the headlight, there was a loud collision.

Miller was temporarily blinded. The steering wheel jammed into his pelvis and pinned his legs, preventing him from pressing on the brake. His westbound 1993 GMC blew through the intersection and sped ahead for a third of a mile before plunging into a cornfield and sinking into the mud. Dazed and struggling to gather his thoughts, a picture of what happened began to come into focus when he looked up. “There’s no roof over my head. I can see the stars in the sky,” he said. He turned in his seat to look behind him. The cab of his truck was gone.

A tractor pulling a piece of farm machinery known as a creaser was headed eastbound on L Road, one of its arms extending into the westbound lanes about four feet above the ground. With no lights or reflectors on the creaser, Miller had no clue what was barreling toward him. The creaser’s arm sheared off the top of Miller’s truck, popping it open like a tuna can. How the creaser didn’t decapitate Miller is a mystery to just about everyone who has seen what’s left of the truck. Miller can only think of one explanation. “I don’t have an answer for that except that God protected me,” he said. Miller’s wife, Joan, and daughter, Megan, part of a deeply spiritual family, agree. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, miracles are for the olden days,’” Joan Miller said. “God is still a miracle-working God.”

There definitely was a miracle following Kenton Miller that night. The man who spotted debris in the road, waded through the cornstalks to check on him and called 911? It took emergency crews about an hour to extract Miller from his truck. He spent a few hours at St. Mary’s Hospital that night but, as part of his faith, refused pain-relieving drugs. The accident badly skinned his left shin, bruised his left knee and left him with two black eyes and scrapes in several places. Miller returned to work Thursday, just nine days after an accident that, by all accounts, should easily have killed him. The man driving the tractor, 32-year-old Ward Studt of Grand Junction, fled the scene and ditched the creaser at a farm two miles away, according to the Colorado State Patrol. He called the State Patrol the next day to turn himself in.

Public records show Studt has been cited or arrested in Mesa County 14 times since 1998, with most of the offenses relating to speeding and seat-belt infractions. For the Dec. 14 accident, he was ticketed for failing to notify police of an accident, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, failing to provide proof of insurance and failing to equip an implement of husbandry with lamps. Reached by phone Thursday, Studt acknowledged he “didn’t do the right thing” by leaving the scene. But he said he panicked because he thought he had killed the man in the truck. He claimed he returned and saw help had arrived.

The remains of Miller’s truck now sit in the field of a next-door neighbor. Corn husks are jammed into the grill. A cob of corn sits in the passenger seat. Miller said he’ll salvage the tires and try to sell what he can as scrap metal. After the accident, Miller’s family removed his belongings from the truck. But Miller knew something had been left behind. As the sun faded behind Colorado National Monument, he reached through the driver’s side door toward the dashboard and pulled it out: a crisp $20 bill. Cash he carries around, just in case he needs it. Consider it the latest miracle in a line that began 10 nights ago.

Window Cleaning Santas & Window Display & Staging

Is it time to call the window cleaner? Why Selfridges is king of the window display. The window displays at Selfridges have become as much of a ‘must-see’ attraction of London as the London Eye, Big Ben or even Trafalgar Square. Since the flagship store on Oxford Street first opened its doors on the 15th March 1909, Selfridges has surpassed itself again and again with it’s impressive window displays, making it an exhibition space in it’s own right and proving to the world it’s power and influence as the UK’s second biggest store, bowing down only to Harrods. Selfridges stock over a million lines and their windows are regarded as powerful trend signallers; they are viewed by over 120,000 people each day. Since 2002 the windows have been photographed by Andrew Meredith and published in fashion glossies worldwide.

Another Selfridges creation

From scrapped cars to a million pounds worth of diamonds, the sky is really the limit when it comes to the creative potential of the space. The Christmas displays take the biscuit, the initial plans for which are proposed in January of each year and are finalised by June. Even when the building was undergoing restoration in 2002, the scaffolding was wrapped up in giant photographs of celebrities such as Elton John, David Beckham and Sam Taylor-Wood. This was the largest photographic artwork which had ever been produced, measuring 60 feet tall by 900 feet long and weighing two tons. We can all learn a lot from Selfridges; they have no shame in pushing their product to the outer limits of imagination and are experts at combining art with a consumer concept.

The ghost (catalog) of Christmas past: Another memory evoked by the catalog was a neighbor who used to decorate her windows with Windex. Years ago, Windex window cleaner was pink, with the consistency of Pepto Bismol. It came in a can. At Christmas time you could get a kit with it that contained dyes and stencils with winter and holiday themes. You’d mix the dye with the Windex. Then you’d hold the stencil on the window and dab it with different colors, creating a stained glass effect

Have you ever heard of the "home staging" profession? These people assist sellers with presenting their home in a fashion that will increase the likelihood of a full price offer on a properly priced home. This profession is more common in the US, but there are persons here who are able to assist. Successful BREA agents have been doing this for years. Interior decorators do a wonderful job in furnishings, layouts, etc. While the value added by such professionals is often worth the investment, many sellers can put the basics into action themselves, and enjoy the same benefits. There are several "quick fixes" that stagers commonly recommend, and here are some highlights for your consideration as you prepare to market your home. First, the dirty work. You've got to clean your windows, but don't forget about washing all the screens to let in as much sparkling sunlight as possible.

The twin Santa's in east Asia

Window cleaners Juny Kono, left, and Tomoharu Fujimaki, window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer cleaning windows at a mall in Tokyo. Click to enlarge.

Window Washer Santa

Retailers Hope To Attract Seasonal Christmas Shoppers: A window cleaner washes the windows of a designer clothes shop on New Bond Street on November 22, 2008 London, England. High street shops are aiming to attract Christmas trade in what is widely expected to be a difficult season for retailers, with the high-end brands likely to be hit hardest.

Window washers clean the exterior of The National Museum of American Jewish History as the sun peeks through clouds in Philadelphia. The museum is scheduled to open to the public on Sunday.