Santa Claus took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and answer some very important questions this past week. In person, he is as rotund and jolly as all of his pictures make him out to be. With his bushy white beard, and long hair, he looks just like his pictures! I wanted to ask him if he ever trimmed his beard, but I forgot! Next year for sure!
Santa eased into the big armchair and settled in with a jolly laugh. I have always wanted to know how he gets into houses that don’t have a chimney. “I sometimes come in the front door, as Mommy and Daddy will leave it unlocked,” Santa said. I have a big dog, and I needed to know why she never barked at Santa. “I keep dog biscuits in my pocket for them,” he chuckled as he pulled one out with his gloved hand to show me.
Santa knows if children have been naughty or nice as he has many many elves that keep a close eye on all of the children. “There are hundreds of elves, and they are not always small. Some look just like regular people. You could be walking down the street and pass an elf and you would never even know it,” Santa shares.
“The elves are busy all year round. They take turns looking after the reindeer, cleaning the stalls and grooming and feeding them. There are elves who cook for the toy-making elves, and they all pitch in and load the sleigh. All of the toys fit on the sleigh at once, as Santa’s bag is loaded very carefully,” Santa confides. Santa even conceded that every now and again, one of the elves falls into his sack of toys, and it may be quite some time until he is found!
All of the letters that get sent to the North Pole are read by Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves, and a list is carefully made of what each little boy and girl would like for Christmas. This year Santa has had a lot of requests for Lego and hover boards. Santa admits that he cannot always bring what children ask for as sometimes he runs out of things, but he will always bring something special that he has chosen with love. Santa admits “When children ask for nice things for others that is my favourite request.”
The reindeer only fly one night a year, and it is magic, and Rudolf is still the leader of all the reindeer. His bright nose shines in the dark sky and lights the way to all of the cities of the world. Even when there is no snow on the rooftops, the reindeer land softly so as not to wake the sleeping children. Santa slips down the chimney, or through an open window or door, and leaves gifts. His favourite cookie is a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie. He admits that the crunchy ones leave lots of crumbs in his beard. The reindeer are especially fond of carrots and apples.
Santa and the elves do not take holidays, as there is nothing in the world that can compare to their life at the North Pole. The workshop is filled with happy elves, and Mrs. Claus is busy knitting scarves, mittens and sweaters, and even making Santa’s red suits. There is magic everywhere in the workshop, and singing fills the air.
“It is terribly important to be polite, as it shows respect for other people, and it benefits everyone. Santa likes to see children with good manners,” Santa said, and then as quickly as he arrived, he was off again once more to check his list in preparation for Christmas Eve!
With a HO HO HO and a Merry Christmas, Santa Claus is this week’s “face of the valley”.
