Sideswipe: Santa's car spotted in Hanmer

Santa's car spotted in Hanmer Springs.

Real estate agent gets philosophical about power lines overhead: Hardy plank house in New Windsor. "Four double bedrooms, double garage and bath will give the family the space and make it the perfect home," reads the Trade Me ad. Prefaced by: "Power lines are like our life line - you cannot disconnect or discount them." Indeed.

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A Californian sperm bank has offered customers the chance to use a sperm donor who looks like a celebrity. Cryobank claims to have donors who resemble Russell Crowe, David Beckham, Ben Affleck, Hugh Grant and Ben Stiller, and even Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. Donor No 11385 on the sperm bank's list is said to be a dead ringer for Beckham, described as a "blond-haired dreamboat". The service features more than 100 celebrities and sports stars, including some from a bygone age, such as Errol Flynn. The donors are not named or pictured because under US law, they must remain anonymous, but customers are given a brief description of the man's height, build, and hair and eye colour. (Source: News.com.au).

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G Hunter of Glenbrook writes: "Three friends are going away this week to Christchurch for a few days. Friend No 1 went to a Pukekohe retailer and bought a set of luggage. The established retailer, a local identity, insisted on carrying the luggage to the car. Unfortunately, it was pouring with rain and friend No 1's umbrella struggled to keep both of them and the luggage dry. Absolutely drenched, the retailer had no choice but to go to the local drycleaners, strip to his boxers and stand in the back of the shop while the drycleaning staff dried and pressed his suit, shirt, tie, socks and shoes."

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A reader writes: "I was walking my dog at Kohimarama beach on Saturday morning and saw a stick poking out of the sand with a set of keys hanging from it. I thought what a nice thing to do - obviously someone had found the keys on the beach and hung them there for the owner to discover. Not only that, but the word "keys" and arrows pointing to them drawn on the sand. As I walked past I thought that they looked familiar and patted my pockets. Whoops, no keys. Thank you so much!"

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Tweet of the day: "Just pay the ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double-parked." (via @shitmydadsays)

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A reader who saw the Police Ten 7 "blow on the pie" clip when it screened writes: "A couple of seconds after the cop's advice, the guy gets told to empty his pockets, and he has a bunch of stuff for breaking into cars. He gets arrested and never gets his pie. It's so sad ..."

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View today's Herald cartoon

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Today's Webpick: Carol Brown took a bus out of town, Mona was in a coma…new Flight of the Conchords song. Go here.

Follow Ana Samways on Twitter here.