Santa at Rock Center
By ELVA RAMIREZ and JOSE MARTINEZ

Even without a blanket of snow, the holiday spirit was unmistakable throughout the city yesterday.

From tourists gazing at the Rockefeller Center tree to shoppers scurrying for last-minute gifts, New York was wrapped up in the holiday trimmings of a simultaneous Christmas and Chanukah.

Train stations overflowed with travelers hustling home to celebrate with their loved ones. Tourists marveled at the bright lights and holiday sights, and stores did a brisk business as shoppers emptied their wallets and filled their arms with packages into the night.

For many, it truly was the most wonderful time of the year.

WHO THE DICKENS CAN THIS BE?

Kevin Jones was straight out of central casting - for Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

Wearing a black top hat and a charcoal poncho, Jones had a look worthy of the holiday classic as he strolled through Manhattan with his mother, his son and a niece.

"This is the only season I wear this hat," said Jones, 39, of Eatontown, N.J. "People stop me in the streets and want to take pictures."

Last year, a CNN crew put Jones on television after seeing him in his holiday getup. But Jones said his act won't be complete until he gets his 6-year-old son, Ayezeyah, in on the act.

"I'm going to get him a newsboy's hat so he can look the part, too," he said.

ONE BUSY HO-HO-HOLIDAY

Santa wasn't on his sleigh early yesterday - he was on skates in midtown.

Gliding around the Rockefeller Center rink, Paul Chernosky delighted in dressing up as the jolly old elf for the eighth straight year.

"Some of the kids are absolutely adorable," he said. "The little ones really believe."

Chernosky, 41, was enjoying the last day of "Breakfast with Santa" by entertaining crowds at the landmark rink and "being the jolliest Santa I can be."

Going skating was only a small part of a very busy day for the dancer and choreographer. Chernosky also planned to cram in some last-minute shopping, sing in a gospel choir and maybe even make it to a party by midnight.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "It's very rewarding."

But it can also be a little baffling for the youngsters in his audience. One confused tyke came up to Chernosky and said, "I'm confused, I just saw you at Nordstrom's."

Santa's quick answer put the child at ease.

"Santa needs a little help," Chernosky said. "We're all Santas."

ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH, CITY STYLE

Conor McHugh

Connor McHugh had to work on Christmas Eve, but he didn't mind one bit.

McHugh operates a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park and had a steady flow of tourists and locals clamoring for rides yesterday.

"I've gotten so used to working on Christmas Eve," the 41-year-old said. "I would find it strange if I was off."

For $40, McHugh and his brown chestnut horse, Lucky, took passengers on 20-minute tours of the park, welcoming several return riders.

"For a lot of a New York families, it's a tradition," he said.

BRANCH OFFICE

With less than 24 hours to go before Christmas, trees were still flying off the lot at U.S. Evergreens.

The wholesale florist in Chelsea was unloading dozens of Frasier and Douglas fir trees at big discounts to customers who had waited until they could wait no more.

"We just sold three a few minutes ago," said Gus Theos, 55, a manager at the Eighth Ave. shop.

The trees, which usually sell for $75 and up, had been marked down about 30%. Theos was thrilled to find some buyers.

"It's a shame if you don't sell them," he said. "They cut down so many so you want to sell them all."

But the trees that go without a home won't go to waste, he said. "We take them back to a farm in Jersey and use them for mulch," he explained. "It's much better than just throwing them away."

PLAYING SANTA

Michelle Goldwyn was determined to keep alive the dream that there really is a Santa Claus.

The 24-year-old Manhattan financial analyst showed up early yesterday at the main post office on Eighth Ave., hoping to respond to letters written to the jolly big guy by needy kids.

"I'm sure so many parents feel sick to their stomachs at this time of year, so I want to help," she said. "You're not just giving a gift to a kid, you're giving a gift to the whole family."

Goldwyn, who is Jewish, plans to spend part of today delivering gifts with her husband to children in Brooklyn. But she said she would prefer to slip in and out without being spotted by the kids.

"You don't want to ruin the surprise that it's coming from Santa," Goldwyn said.

RIDE ON, BABY, RIDE ON

All aboard the get-out-of-town express.

Penn Station was packed with New Yorkers eager to hop on trains to get them home for the holidays. Lugging suitcases and bags stuffed with presents, travelers were looking forward to a few days away from the city.

"I'm very excited," said Jeff Schleppy, 28, who was headed to Avon, Conn.

Schleppy and Jen Gustafson, 28, were bound for a week-long getaway that would take them to each of their parents' homes, in Connecticut and Cape Cod, Mass., as well as on a skiing trip in Vermont.

The Manhattan couple lugged a snowboard, several suitcases and bags loaded with gifts. Somehow, Schleppy joked, they would find space for all of it on the train.

"We bought all the wrong gifts," he said, laughing. "We bought weights."

"Next year," Gustafson said, "it's gift certificates for everybody."

STROLLING FOR LAST-MINUTE GIFTS

The doors at Macy's opened at 7 a.m. - and the crowds were ready.

Rosa Vergara had promised herself she wouldn't be a part of the early morning mob, but last week's transit strike sunk her plans to skip out on the last-minute shopping frenzy.

"There's no time left for anything," said Vergara, 42. "So we buy it now or we'll be missing some gifts under the Christmas tree."

Vergara and her 10-year-old daughter, Michelle Eguez, hopped on a train from White Plains to make it to Macy's by 8 a.m.

With gifts for her three children already wrapped and ready to go, she still needed to buy presents for her in-laws and her husband, John. "I left him for last," she said. "I just don't know what to get him."

But gift or no gift, her husband had already devised a way to keep Vergara out of next year's Christmas shopping crush.

"He said we're going shopping on the 26th of December," she said. "So we won't be in this situation again next year."