A SPECIAL REPORT: CHRISTMAS

FEASTS: Somewhere in the Valley, a family will sit down today to a feast of--ostrich. They special-ordered it at the new Bristol Farms in Woodland Hills. . . . There was no holiday rush on Kobe beef, from Japan’s most pampered cattle, at $129 a pound. But prime rib will be everywhere, as will crown roast of pork. Turkey is the fowl of the hour, although “we sell an astronomical amount of geese,” said Todd Pinner of the meat department. For dessert? Nothing is more traditional than plum pudding ($24.99 for 30 ounces).

UNDER THE TINSEL: Locally, the Monterey pine is the most common Christmas tree. They grow best in hot, dry climates, said Mike Wade of California Christmas Tree Growers. About 75% of U.S. households put up a tree. . . . Half are artificial. Wade’s trade group favors “choose and cut” trees. Because they’re fresher, they pose less threat “of 10 million needles on the carpet.”

SURPRISE: Last year, about 350 people in and around Van Nuys got something totally unexpected on Christmas--mail delivery. The U.S. Postal Service delivers the next day, even on holidays, for $15 for up to 2 pounds (but not to all addresses). Fourteen volunteers did Santa’s work in the Van Nuys area last year, some in Claus caps. They got 2 1/2 times regular pay and had great fun, said spokeswoman Terri Bouffiou. . . . “They tell their supervisors, ‘You can’t imagine what it’s like to knock on a door at 8:30 in the morning and deliver a Christmas present to someone who’s not expecting it.’ ”

JINGLE FOUND: Lots of Valley children found a special book under their trees this morning. Lita Weissman of Barnes & Noble in Encino said the store sold “bunches and bunches and bunches” of David Saltzman’s “The Jester Has Lost His Jingle,” about the healing power of laughter. Saltzman (whose mother, Barbara, is a Times editor) began the book while at Yale. He died of Hodgkin’s disease in 1990, at age 22, and his parents mortgaged their house to publish the book as he wrote and illustrated it.

WEATHER: A decreasing chance for showers with highs in the 50s and low 60s. B7