Red’s Your Color, Mr. Claus. It Brings Out the Roses in Your Cheeks

According to Mark Pendergrast’s “For God, Country and Coca Cola” (Scribner’s: date), Santa Claus never used to be able to decide what color suit to wear--he was painted wearing red, blue, green and even yellow. Coca Cola ads in the ‘30s showed the Merry One in a suit of Coca Cola red, though, and that has settled the matter ever since.

Fire on the Wall

Culinary Arts Posters, which makes the salad greens poster we mentioned recently, also publishes a 24 by 36-inch poster (photographed by? Jennifer Trainer Thompson in savage color) showing 125 bottled hot sauces: $15 plus shipping costs. Call (800) 841-2665.

How to Eat Like a President

If you’re interested in First Tableware, an exhibition featuring 200 years of Presidential entertaining paraphernalia, including china, glassware and menus, will run until March 20 at the Richard Nixon Library. Reproductions of dishware of 12 presidents, from Washington to Grant, are on sale in the gift shop as well (each dish comes with a recipe of that president’s favorite food). Richard Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda; Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

How to Eat Like a President’s Staff

A couple of years ago, a Domino’s Pizza in Washington noticed you could tell when a crisis was brewing by the sudden rise in evening pizza orders from the CIA and the White House. Its observations on the first year of the Clinton Administration: White House pizza orders have been up 31% over the biggest Bush year, and when Hillary goes out of town, orders go up another 18%.