Q&A with Santa Claus

With just five days to go before heading out on his 24- hour journey to deliver Christmas wishes to children across the globe, Santa Claus and his team at the North Pole are on a second check of the naughty and nice list, wrapping up the final gifts and stuffing his red velvet bag full of toys for good girls and boys.
    Following a busy day at the Braidwood Fire House on Sunday, and on the verge of Christmas, Santa took a few moments out of a very busy schedule to chat with The Free Press Newspapers about his schedule, preparations for his flight team, what kids are asking for this holiday season, if he really does eat all those cookies and his Christmas wish.
    Here is what the jolly old elf himself had to say...
    
    Editor—With just a week until Christmas how are preparations going at the North Pole? Can you tell us what a typical day is like this close to the big day.
    Santa—Excellent —right on schedule. We are on track to be done on December 23.

    Editor—Can you tell us what a typical day is like this close to the big day.
    Santa—Bustling with excitement as the toys are wrapped, checking the nice list one more time, and making sure my reindeer are in fine physical form to fly on Christmas Eve.

    Editor—What is the training regime for the reindeer so they are ready for the long flight on Christmas Eve?
    Santa—Lots of reindeer workouts and conditioning for agility when flying. Keeping a healthy diet of oats and special reindeer food.

    Editor—Do you have a veterinarian and/or reindeer trainer on staff?
    Santa— Yes I do. Elf/Dr. Olaf, chief veterinarian makes sure the reindeer are in tip-top form.

    Editor—What are the most popular items children are asking for this Christmas?  
    Santa—For girls —LOL and LOL accessories and the  boys are asking for dinosaurs, DS, Switch and Legos
    Editor—Anything unusual like a hippopotamus?
    Santa—No, but most are asking for unicorns or real horses.

    Edtior—Does your workshop make all the gifts or do you have to out source some items?
    Santa—All toys are made in house at the North Pole but many electronics like phones or tablets are made from companies that are tech-savvy, they don’t share that secret with us of how the electronics are made.

    Editor—One would suspect that you have a very busy schedule. How do you get all of your work done and still make time for so many public appearances?
    Santa—Between Mrs. Claus and my chief elf, Bernard, they keep me on track. And when I cannot be at two places at once, I have Santa helpers. They are elves, but much taller.

    Editor—What does it take to be Santa Claus? I mean, I don't think just anyone could do your job.
    Santa—To be the one and only Santa Claus, one has to be jolly, love giving joy to all children, be expert in toys children want, be a good listener, and kind to all children.

    Editor—What does Santa do in the off season?
    Santa—The few weeks after my long and fast night I rest up, I also continue to check up on the children to be sure they are good ALL year long. I will come visit—without my red suit —and blend in to check on the children to see if they are behaving. I help the elves create new toys.

    Editor—What is your Christmas wish this year?
    Santa—My Christmas wish is that the season of giving, love and joy continue throughout the whole year.

And, one last question.

    Editor—Do you really eat all of the cookies and drink all of the milk left out for you on Christmas Eve?
    Santa—Yes, because they are Christmas cookies and I believe they do not have any calories. And I drink all my milk to keep my bones strong so I can carry the bag of toys
    Editor—Anything you would prefer over cookies?
    Santa—I love all types of cookies. I don’t prefer anything OVER cookies. But I do like eggnog, I don’t like soy milk.
    Editor—Well, that is good to know. Thank you, Santa.
    Santa—Thank you for interviewing me.