The ultimate e-advent calendar is about to go live as Santa's sack is downloaded in 24 mega festive bytes.

Christmas log-on starts this Thursday as the Lake District National Park Authority introduces a web wonderland to spread some yuletide cheer - and help save a few trees into the bargain.

Following on from last year's first departure from traditional cards, when the e-advent calendar attracted 100 hits a day, 2005's snow-filled seasonal magic brings a flurry of tidings and joy.

Greetings come from Lake District winged angels - complete with rotor blades and an air crew - who carry tonnes of stone into the fells for urgent path repairs. Our very own nutcracker graces 18 December, on behalf of the endangered red Squirrel Nutkin.

Page three offers a new variety of Christmas sauce describing how rangers in the annual Windermere lakeshore rubbish trawl this year reported too many brief encounters with ditched underwear.

Log on to www.lake-district.gov.uk/advent, but no cheating, the windows can't be opened until 1 December.