Santa preparing toys in his workshop. | Photo courtesy of Santa Claus
— but the reindeer not only can fly, but also move through time. MM: How do you get into houses without waking up children and pets? Santa: Santa has to be real quiet. Sometimes a child wakes up and I can convince them they are having a dream, but more often it is a pet that sees me. Santa has a special love for all animals — dogs, cats and deer especially, and the animals seem to know that I am their friend. Santa has spent many a stolen minute sharing a lap, and sometimes a cookie or some milk, with a friendly dog or cat. MM: Does anyone ever ask you what you want for Christmas? Santa does get asked that question fairly often because there are a lot of caring people in this old world. What Santa would like for Christmas is for people to have that feeling of joy, of wonder, of love, of good things remembered, that sometimes comes to us at Christmas, or sometimes comes to people when they see Santa walk into the room, all year long. Santa: For myself, I would like to stay healthy, and to keep doing this work forever.
MM: Do you ever visit children before Christmas? Is that you at the mall? Santa: Yes, Santa visits a lot of children in their homes and at parties. I visit adults too, particularly senior citizens, in the months leading up to Christmas Eve (especially in the summer). A lot of folks wearing Santa costumes work as Santa’s helpers making appearances and posing for pictures in malls and at public events. My schedule at that time of the year won’t let me make as many in-person appearances as I might like, but you can rest assured that all the lists that Santa’s helpers collect are immediately sent to me. Santa has friends all over the world who know how to reach me if someone really needs for me to visit in-person. Some of those folks are right here in southern Minnesota. (For instance, the ones who asked me to come and be interviewed for this article can be reached by e-mail at royboy3@hickorytech.net.) M
MANKATO MAGAZINE • december 2013 • 17