LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – With Christmas just around the corner, Santa Claus is preparing for his busiest night of the year. He recently took the time to grant an exclusive interview, where he answered some very important questions that are likely to be on the mind of every child.
One of the greatest challenges that Santa Claus faces is being able to get every gift delivered to every child in only one night. “Well, there’s a lot of planning and preparation that goes into it,” Santa says. “First, I start at the International Time Line near New Zealand. Because there are 24 time zones around the world, that gives me enough hours to get to all the homes. With proper training and conditioning of my reindeer, they have been clocked flying at speeds of 3,247 miles per hour,” Santa adds. “I have to keep my sleigh waxed up and then I have to be really fast delivering to each house. I barely have time to grab a cookie on my way out, but they seem to make the Christmas magic even stronger, so don’t forget to leave me one,” he chuckles.
If you’re wondering what Santa Claus does when there’s no chimney to climb down, you’re not alone. “Well, I have a special key that lets me unlock the door to the houses without a chimney,” he reveals. “The magic key only works on Christmas Eve.” Speaking of magic, there’s another big secret that Santa shared about his reindeer and their ability to fly. “Most reindeer cannot fly,” he admits. “Even my reindeer can only fly on Christmas Eve. That’s why I’m sometimes spotted in a truck or a car leading up to Christmas when I visit with the kids. But on Christmas Eve, my reindeer are filled with the Christmas magic that allows them to fly.”
With so much to love about the holiday season, Santa believes that it all comes down to excitement. “The elves are delighted when they see special requests starting to come in from the children,” Santa says. “The reindeer get excited thinking about the magical night when they get to fly around the world, and I get that same feeling when I visit the children in the weeks leading up to Christmas and see the excitement in their eyes,” he continues. “As much as I love cookies, my absolute favorite thing about Christmas is delivering presents because I know how happy the children will be.”
When it comes to gifts, every child has a special request that’s unique to them. Santa fondly remembers a little girl who once asked for a stuffed unicorn. “What made this request unique was that she wanted it to be white with pink spots and a purple horn,” he recalls. “My elves had to work really hard to get that made but when she woke up on Christmas morning, it was under the tree for her.”
When we think of Christmas Eve and Santa Claus, we all know that leaving him a few cookies will give him the energy he needs to get all of the gifts delivered. While he admits that he loves round cookies and prefers chocolate chip over any other flavor, he often thinks of one that stands out as the most unique he’s ever tasted. “I really don’t know what the ingredients were, but I do remember that I was starting my trip in 1932 near New Zealand,” Santa recalls. “The 4th home that I delivered gifts to that night had some delicious cookies set out for me. When I took a bite, it was a wonderful flavor that tasted like chocolate, cinnamon, mint and maybe a touch of peanut butter. It was a very good start to a long night.”
When it comes to favorites, Santa admits that Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is his favorite holiday cartoon. “The reason is because it shows that every creature and every person is special in their own way,” he reveals. And if you’re wondering what song is playing on his sleigh’s radio as he delivers presents on Christmas Eve, it’s a fitting choice for travel that always lifts his spirits. “My favorite Christmas song is Here Comes Santa Claus,” he says.
Once Christmas Eve has ended and all of the gifts are delivered, Santa Claus returns to the North Pole, where he admits it’s like a winter wonderland all year long. Because of the cold temperatures, he and Mrs. Claus have to bundle up and dress very warm. “We start working on the naughty & nice list almost immediately for the next year,” Santa says. “When the children get up to open their presents on Christmas morning, my helpers and I pay special attention to see if they’re being nice. We keep an eye on them all year long.” Even when the holiday season officially ends here, Santa and his crew at the North Pole continue working. “Summers are very busy training reindeer and shining the sleigh,” he admits. “The elves have a big workshop where they stay busy making toys every day, and Mrs. Claus is always busy cooking delicious meals for all of us.”
During their free time, Santa and Mrs. Claus invite the elves to watch the polar bears and walruses play. “Mrs. Claus and I have a polar bear that visits our home from time to time,” Santa says. “Just the other day, she brought her two cubs for a visit. We also have a pond and we keep a hole cut in the ice that covers it for our pet penguins. We’ve built a slide out of snow so that they can slide right into the water, and Mrs. Claus always chuckles watching the fun,” Santa adds.
As Christmas Eve gets closer and the air brings with it a chill of winter, the magic of the holiday season grows stronger. It’s that magic that builds from every child believing in him that gives Santa Claus the most precious gift of all – the gift of love.
