Answers to Santa's Frequently Asked Questions


Table of Contents

  1. How do I get on the "Nice" List?
  2. Where can I find out more about Mrs. Claus?
  3. Why doesn't Mrs. Claus go along for the ride?
  4. Who is my favorite Reindeer and/or Elf?
  5. What is the most commonly asked for present?
  6. When is my Birthday?
  7. How is Mrs. Claus?
  8. How are the Elves?
  9. How are the Reindeer
  10. What's the weather like?
  11. What's the strangest thing anyone ever left for me -- instead of Milk & Cookies?
  12. Do I like Sports?
  13. How do I get down chimneys?
  14. Can you come visit?
  15. Can I see you this year?
  16. What's the story with Cars?
  17. What do I do with my "Free Time"?
  18. How can we make enough toys for everyone?
  19. How come the reindeer can fly?
  20. How old am I?
  21. What are the names of the Main Team of Reindeer?
  22. Are there other reindeer?
  23. How do I get my job done in a single night?

How do I get on the "Nice List"?

There are 10 qualities that we are looking for in each and every boy and girl. And how you measure up, is what determines whether or not you're on the "Nice List". To see a complete list of the qualities, check out the page we created that list them. It's called, "How Do I Get On The Nice List"?

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Where can I find out more about Mrs. Claus?

I'm very proud to announce that Mrs. Claus has put together her own website and you can go take a look at it if you wish. Just click on "Mrs. Claus' Home Journal" (coming soon)to take a look.

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Why doesn't Mrs. Claus go along for the ride?

Mrs. Claus is the brains behind the whole deal. You may have heard it said that, "Behind every great man is a great woman". There was never a truer thing spoken, especially where Mrs. Claus is concerned. Why if it weren't for her, there might not even be a Christmas. She is the one that keeps our spirits up and sees to the tactical and organizational details that must be taken care of every single day around here. She is the one that makes sure that we take care of ourselves and don't ignore the truly important things in life. Why if we didn't have Mrs. Claus, I don't know what we'd do.

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Who is my favorite reindeer and/or Elf?

I can honestly say, and I always do, that there really isn't one elf or one reindeer that I would say is my favorite. You see, we are a team. We have to be. Up here at the North Pole, we're pretty isolated from the rest of the world. If I were to pick a favorite, then quite possibly some of the others could harbor hard feelings or resent that they weren't my favorite. No I have learned to recognize that each and every one of them is special and talented in their own way. A lesson that I learned the hard way, with Rudolf. There are no favorites at the North Pole, just members of the "Team".

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What is the most commonly asked for present?

The one we're behind schedule in producing... Always! Actually it depends on several things. First, it depends on who's asking. Whether it be a boy or a girl, how old they are, and lastly, where they live. However, there were some commonly asked for toys last year that unquestionably were requested more than others. For the girls, it was Barbie. And for the boys, it was the Power Rangers. I'm working on ways to keep track of requests as they come in. I might be able to put something together for the web site if all goes well.

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When is my birthday?

Officially, the date of my birth is not recorded. However, Mrs. Claus has always observed July 25th, as my birthday. Honestly, I hardly ever realize that it's coming around again. But every year she goes out of her way to make sure that it's a special day for me. At my age there's not really much that I need anymore. But she does manage to find something of interest for me or does something extra special, just for me to make sure that I am not forgotten. What a woman she is.

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How is Mrs. Claus?

Mrs. Claus is well and thanks to her, things keep on schedule around here. If it wasn't for her help and expertise in caring for all of us, I doubt we would make it from year to year. She really is an incredible woman and I love her more and more as the years go by. She's just put together a really great website. Maybe you'd like to go visit it. Just click on "Mrs. Claus' Home Journal".

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How are the Elves?

The Elves and I are hard at work, doing what we love best.... We’re making toys for the good boys and girls of the world. Of course they like to play as well. Last year they set up a 25 node network computer game and crashed the entire system. That wouldn't have been so bad, but they used my computer as one of the terminals... I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to reply to your messages. But they got it fixed in time. So this year we set aside a part of the budget for them to get their own systems. And I lock my office door. Now where did I hide those Descent II codes???

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How are the Reindeer?

The reindeer are as excited as I am that Christmas is coming and they are working hard on their short-running take-offs and jump launches for the really short rooftops. I'm sure that when the team comes together on Christmas Eve we’ll be in prime condition, just as we always are.

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What's the weather like?

Yes, it’s REALLY cold here. In fact we don’t go outside much these last few weeks because it is SO very cold! You might not know this, but the sun doesn’t shine up here in the winter. And during the Summer, the Sun never sets. So every year we get a couple months of no nights, and a couple months of no days. During the months when there is no sunlight the temperature outside really starts to drop. We try to stay inside where it's warm and cozy as much as possible. Of course we HAVE to go outside every once in a while. If for no other reason than to have snowball fights and go tobogganing.

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What's the strangest thing anyone ever left for me -- instead of Milk & Cookies?

You wouldn't believe some of the things that are left out for me at some homes. The Peanutbutter and Tuna sandwich that someone left out for me is certainly near the top of the list though... Once someone left me raw octopus!... I must admit; I fed it to the kitty and she seemed to enjoy it. But there was NO WAY I was going to eat that on top of all the milk and cookies I had already eaten that night.

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Do I like and play any Sports?

My Yes! I love sports.. With all the ice and snow we have around here we play all sorts of winter games: Snowball Fights, Sledding, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Basket Snowball--They don't bounce very well. You have to pass a lot and they usually break if they hit the backboard, Base Snowball -- A very high scoring game, because every time someone gets a hit, it takes forever to find what's left, if anything, of the ball. If you can't find anything, it's a ground rule double... and lots of other snow and ice activities.

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How do I get down chimneys?

You might find this a little difficult to accept, but every home has a chimney. It’s right there when I get out of the sleigh. I squeeze down it, deliver the presents and then swoop back up. The thing is, that not everyone can see the chimney that’s there. You see I depend on you to make sure that I can get in. If you believe in me, then there is a chimney there. If you don’t then I can’t come in and give you presents. But for the good boys and girls of the world that do, the chimney appears when I need it to be there and disappears when I leave. It all depends on you.

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Can you really come visit me here?

It's a long long way to the North Pole, and not a trip for the light of heart, but there is a way that you can always visit here... You can come here in your dreams.. As you are going to sleep to tonight, think and wish, very hard about coming here to visit me. And if you wish for it hard enough, it just... might... happen.

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Can you see me this year?

Well normally this doesn't happen. Most children are fast asleep in their beds by the time I make my appearance at each house. But there have been a few documented cases of children that stayed up late enough to see me. I don't know if you'll be able to wait up that late; and you must promise to obey your parents. If they want you to go to bed, you must do as they say. They know best. And you wouldn't want to get a "naughty" check on Christmas Eve would you? My goodness, that would be terrible! But I know you have been doing your best to be good all year long. And I suspect that you are going to be getting a pretty nice present this year. But there is still some time before that happens. So do your best to be as good as you can for the rest of the year and I will see if you are still up when I get to your home on Christmas Eve.can bring you these things.

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What's the story with cars?

Every year a few people ask me for a new car. Now don't go getting all huffy here, but I don't deliver cars. Let me repeat that. I DO NOT DELIVER CARS. They DON'T FIT IN THE SLEIGH. Yes, I know. The bag of toys is magical and yes, it can hold a lot. But cars just take up too much room. They leave a gas smell that Mrs. Claus says takes forever to wash out, and oil stains on the presents ruin other toys. Besides, there's never any place to put them "inside" the house. I always have to leave them outside. And it never fails... I almost get the car delivered and the alarm system goes off and wakes everyone in the neighborhood. So before you ask...

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What do I do with my free time?

I don't honestly get very much free time. There are so many things that must be done over the course of a year, in order to get ready for Christmas. Of course we all take one day a week off for rest and to attend to our spiritual convictions. I try to always have at least one book that I am reading. Right now I have three that I am reading. I usually read before bed. We do play sports from time to time and I do love a good movie, although we don't get to see as many as I would like and we are very selective about what we bring into our home as far as content is concerned.

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How can we make enough toys for everyone?

It's not easy! But we manage. Ok, truth time. We don't manufacture 100% of the parts we use to make our toys, which is why you will see Made in (fill in the country) from time to time. Further, there are some things that we just aren't set up to produce. Things like Nintendo, and other advanced electronics are best handled by the manufacturers so we leave it to them to handle the production. Once the products are finished, the ones we've ordered are shipped here using our own special shipping service. As for the rest we spend a great deal of time assembling and testing the toys we build for all of the good children of the world.

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How come the reindeer can fly?

Well the way the reindeer learned to fly was actually quite surprising. They did it on their own. No one showed them they just started doing it. At first they had to be able to jump over ravines in the snow and ice and they would have to back up to get a good running start. And in the Spring they would have to jump over the raging rivers in the south fields where they graze. Little by little they developed the skill and over time they were practically flying. They started having contests to see who could jump the farthest and the highest and the one contest that really mattered was staying in the air the longest. It wasn't long before they could all practically stay up there for hours on end. But it all came down to one thing. They believed they could. And just like the bee that shouldn't be able to fly, they did. When I discovered that they could indeed fly, I realized then and there that my problems of how to get my toys to all the children of the world had been solved. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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How old am I?

How old am I? My goodness, older than the hills! But Mrs. Claus is really good at remembering things like birthdays and she always does something special when my birthday rolls around.

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What are the names of the Main Team?

The names of the reindeer are Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donder (some know him as Donner) and Blitzen. Oh and Rudolph of course. Now those are the names for the main team. There are of course hundreds of others and it would take a small book to list them all.

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Are there other reindeer?

Oh absolutely! Hundreds of them.

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How do I get my job done in one night?

The way that I am able to get my job done in one night is quite miraculous. It takes a special magic, the Magic of Christmas, for me to complete my task. I am able to use the magic only once per year. And it is a simple prayer that gives me the use of the Magic of Christmas for the one night. We are after all, celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus, and in my prayer I ask that I be granted the ability to complete my task for the world in just one night. From then on, I am working on the Magic of Christmas and the blessing of God. This is what enables me to complete my task in one night and to enter homes through the chimney.

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Edited by Santa.
Copyright © 1997. All rights reserved.
Last Revised: Sept. 29, 1996 January 17, 1997.