There are a lot of things you've never seen, like the smell of a rose, the sound of a train. But still they are real Sometimes what we see depends on who we are

If he wants us to believe in him shouldn't he let us see him? Maybe. Or maybe we become better people by stretching our capacity to believe in things, even when there's no proof that they're real.

It should remind us of all good things, to the love that is in all people and to the hope and the faith that we on this globe can live in peace and prosperity. And that we must begin with our children to learn that it is often more important to take care for your fellow man to than to always take care just for yourself.
If we want to get back to the true meaning of Christmas, spreading love and appreciation for each other, we will have to let go the idea that it is all about ourselves.
Altruism is the ability to do something for other people without expecting anything in return. That means also not expect someone will love you because you did give him or her a little gift. Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) are thus examples of altruism, as they give gifts without a wanting you to be fund of them or to send them a personal "thank you" note.
That means that we have to focus on the message of Christmas, namely:
your fellow man is your equal, whether he is a child or an outcast and is entitled to your appreciation.
You do not have to show that appreciation in the form of gifts, but for example in the fact that you take the time for others without expecting anything in return.
So not:
This year will I organize the Christmas party if you will do it the next year?
But :
I've been meaning to celebrate Christmas this year. Who wants to join?

This has to do with the Yule festival, were the green and the Holy was used to keep bad spirits away. And they reminds us that the winter will pass, and that everything will be green and fertile again. The lights are a christian sign, they remind us that the light will come back again and that the dark (the bad and evil) always loses from the good (the light).
Therefore is Christmas not the festival of Santa Claus, but the reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ.
And just like the wise men from the East, who were on their way to the birth of an important child (the Christmas Child) and who wanted to bring those that child valuable presents, so is the Santa Claus also on his way to important children (all of us) all of which can make the difference between good and evil, between luck and bad luck, between joy and sorrow. That we do get presents from him, is to remind us that we all can have a bit of the 'Spirit of Christmas' in us. And that giving (helping your neighbour) is more important as receiving.

That there would be no more poverty and hunger and no more loneliness, actually thus that people would feel the "Spirit of Christmas" all year long and to act to that feeling all year long.

No, Santa Claus is not a God, not an ANgel and not even a saint, His nickname Santa does come from the word Saint, from one of his familynames, namely StNicholas. (spoken in German language is that 'Sankt Nikolaus'= Sankt Claus or Sankte Claus), were it later became Santa insted of Sankt(e) because Santa has a much friendlier sound.
One could say: Today Santa Claus is the name (title) of his job. He can have the name Nicholas St Nicholas or Kris Kringle or another and he is Santa Claus. Just like for example a mister John Johnsen can be a Mayor, then they would say: "Look, there comes the Mayor" and not "Look, there comes John Johnsen". So also "Look, there comes Santa (Claus)".

No he is not magical but he can use some Elf-magic when he is delivering the presents.

Santa Claus has several christian names, most of the time he prefers to be called Claus (from Nicholas), but he listen also to the names Christoffer (Kriss), Nick (Nicholas), Noël or Joulupukki (Finnish). They are also official registrated. And there more in other Countries. His familyname is St.Nicholas, but in the U.S.A. and in Germany the familyname Kringle is also registrated.
Next to several Christian names and several Familynames, Santa has also several Jobnames (titles) So you may call him: Santa Claus, but also, Nicholas (Nick) St.Nicholas or Kriss Kringle and also Father Christmas, Père Noël, Weihnachtsmann, 'de Kerstman', Bodach na Nollaig (Scotish Gaelic) wich means Old man of Christmas, Daidi na Nollag (Irish Gaelic) wich means Father Christmas, and there are many more names.
But remember well that Santa Claus should be spelled as Claus, never as Clause. A little help: There's no e in Santa Claus, just like there is not one in Christmas. HO HO HO.

Santa Claus does look like an old man because in fact he is an old man (older as 100 years) and he looks much younger as Saint Nicholas, because he is much younger as Saint Nicholas.

How old Santa Claus is, is a little bit difficult to determine.
It started with Father Christmas/Père Noël/der Weihnachtsmann and they do exist for centuries now (from before the 3th century), so by that calculation he would be at least 1700 years old.
Much later the Job was taken care of by Santa Claus, and he is doing so since the beginning of the years 1700, so by that calculation he would be around 300 years old.
And still no correct solution, becasue Santa Claus is not a Saint and therefore does not have everlasting live. He also in not one of the Old-Fairies (like the first Father Christmas is) and also not a Newborn-Elf (as his helpers are), but a Human lik us. Therefore he can not live several hundreds of years, and he will retire at the latest when he turns 100 according to his human age. Since he must be at least 25 years old before he could become Santa, a Santa can be Santa for up to 75 years.Not every Santa completes those 75 years, some because they were older when they started, others because they quit earlier.
Yet every Santa is an old man, because the Elves told us that every Santa Claus must be older as 100 year, because according to the Elf laws, only then he would be an adult. And therefore only then have the rights to lead the other Elves and Gnomes. They have the following solution for that: Every new Santa Claus, when he starts as Santa, wil age 200 Elfyears in wisdom and skills above his previous human age. Suppose, his human age before he became Santa Claus, was 40 years, then as Santa Claus he would be 240 years. And that extra Wisdom and skills he will keep as long as he is Santa Claus is. And his body does age not extra, so each year just one human year. If Santa stops beeing Santa Claus (retirement or other reason) then he gets his human age back, suppose he was 30 when he started and he stops after 50 years, then as Santa Claus he is 230 years and then he starts again as a human at age 80 and a year is added every year.
How old the present Santa (the 7d Santa) now exactly is, nobody would tell us.
Anyway, it is clear that Santa Claus is allways between 225 and 300 years old and therefore he is always older then your grandfather's father or your grandmother's mother would be by now. He is an old man who always stayed (and stays) young at heart.
And that is exactly the answer the Elves did give us.

How oud are you? Santa Claus says: I always say I'm as old as my hair and older than my teeth, But I'm losing a lot of hair, so I think I should tell the truth: I'm older than your grandfather's father or your grandmother's mother would be now.

Yeah, Every Santa Claus has (or had) parents, Sometimes they were the previous Mr and Mrs Claus, sometimes they were other people, but who they were, is also something most Santa do not tell. Simply to protect their privacy.
Yeah, sometimes a Santa Claus had brothers and sisters before he became Santa Claus. And offcourse they stayed his brothers and sisters after he became Santa Claus, but they never lived as long Santa Claus himself did, so after a while (in Santa's eyes a to short time) he did loose them, That is something that makes him sad, therefore he does not like to speak about that. With any luck he will have cousins still. And offcourse he does look at the grand-nephews and second-cousins of previous Santa's as if they where his own. Because he has inherated the memories of of them and the feelings for them from those previous Santa's. So yes, Santa Claus does have family.

Santa Claus says he will never tell where he is born, so we will never know. Also he does not tell what his natinality was by birth. He did tel us that in most Countries he is registrated as a honourary Citizen. He is a World Citizen so to speak.
For most people Santa looks like a white man with grey-blue eyes, but if on a visit all the persons present there expact him to have a coloured skin, then he will appear with a coloured skin. It's the Spirit of Christmas that does this.
Santa says he is forgotten what his native language was. When he is with the Gnomes and the Elves he almost always speaks Sindarin. Sindarin is one of the two welknow elf-languages. Quenyan is the language of the Fairies and the High Elves from Valinor. Sindarin is the language of the newborn (normal) Elves who live on Earth. Sindarin has a very special feature. It sounds to every human and animal almost the same as their native language. That's why everybody can understand Santa and why everybody can talk with Santa. And so it look like Santa is speaking all laguages. Sometimes there is one little problem which happends if a group of people is speaking different languages at the same time. In such cases it can happen that Santa is not understanding everything as good as he should or that we get the impression that what he is answering us is spoken in different languages. The Magic of the Sindarin is then slightly offtrack.

Actually, I met her while I was attending a skating event on one of the channels in The Netherlands. I remember the day very well. It was right after Christmas on December 28. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, so we started dating. We married the next year on nov 12th, my great grandfather was still Santa Claus at that time, just before he retired. It was a beautiful day and all my family was there. And the rest is history.

My mrs. Claus' name is Annie. She is a few years younger then I am. It's not polite to aks for a lady's age, so I wont tell her age.

Sometimes he has, sometimes he hasn't. There have been Santas who had children and there have been Santas who had no children. That is the reason you can here stories about a Santa who did not have children as wel as stories about a son or daughter from Santa. En both stories can be totaly true. There is hardly a holiday time that you wont see human-children walking and playing in the Elf village, those children are mostly the (great-)(grand-)children or cousins of a previous Santa Claus.
Although it's very rare that an average human get permission to visit Santa Claus at home (Polar City or Santa Ville), the family of (a previous) Santa Claus is always welcome.
If the present Santa has children is something he would not say. He said: "All children on the whole world are my children". Santa does love it very much to sit down be the fireplace with a nice cup of tea or a mug with chocolatemilk, listening Christmasmusic, reading the letters that the children did send him.

Long(er) hair was normal in the time when the first Santa Claus began, and older man wore often a beard in those days. Besides that, such a beard keeps your throat and neck nicely warm on the Northpole. That was the reason why de first Santa Claus dis wear a beard and his successors are still doing the same. Like the previous Santas also today's Santa Claus is very proud on his beard, so it is fair to say: Santa will always wear a beard!

Santa Claus has several hobby's. He is very fund of reading, listening to music (especialy Christmas music), watching Christmas movies, working and playing with animals, tinker, woodcarving, drawing and painting and building nice statues with snow or ice. For example, he can build snowmen who do like to be alive and reindeers from ice who look as they can run/fly away any moment.
Where the Elve take care of the magic, the reindeer, the Administration, the postofficepost and toy designing, and the gnomes take care of making the toys, Santa has often enough sparetime for his hobbys.
In Polar City Santa does not have a garden except for snow and ice statues. In Santa Ville he does have a garden around his house and he does the maintenance with help of the Elves, but there are no special or rare things in his garden (is Santa's opinion). We were impressed though by the shrubs trimmed in shapes of all kind of animals, such as a dubble line of shrubs trimmed in the shape of the reindeers and the sleigh. On top of that, there do walk and fly several real animals free around in his garden. From butterfly's and singing birds to chickens, rabits, squirls and so on.
To our opinion Santa's garden is nothing less as a small paradise.

Yes, Santa does follow the news of the world on television, but most of it he knows already through the Elves-News-service. The television is mostly used for watching Christmas movies, together with mrs Claus. Christmas movies are their favorite movies, apart from child movies, Fairytale and/or fantasie movies.

The populair Christmas songs are songs that sing about Santa (like Santa Claus Is Coming To Town), the sleigh (like Sleighride and Jingle Bells), the reindeer or Rudolph (like Rudolhp the red-nosed reindeer), Christmas wishes (like All I Want For Christmas), Christmas winter (like White Christmas or Let It Snow), or love (like Blue Christmas). There are several hundreds of Christmas songs.
True Christmas Carols are songs that go about the real meaning of Christmas and the birth of Baby Jesus (like Silent Night and Away In A Manger). They are often much older then most of the Christmas Songs. There are also hundres of Christmas Carols

We have a great movie theater at The North Pole called The Northern Lights Movie Theater. It shows pretty much all the same movies that you see at your theaters. But, my current favorite is 'Santa and Pete'

A gift that is not expensive, that last long without losing pieces, A gift is biodegradable, where you don't need batteries, that is both for boys and for girls and that is also for both children and adults is fun to play with, and on top of that all a gift where you can have just as much fun when playing with on your own as you would have when Playing with it with whole group.

No, that is misunderstanding. Yes Santa is a bit chubby and he has a little belly (just like in the poem "It was the night before Christmas") but that's all. People tend to make story bigger each time they tell them and so in their stories they make him also bigger each time. But mrs. Claus keeps a sharp eye on the things he drinks and eats, so that he keeps a healthy weigth.

Santa's favorite food is:
starter: Pea soup or Chinese tomato soup, main course: Bami pangang, Swedestew (kohlrabistew) or Christmaschicken with French fries, dessert: Christmas pudding with whipped cream. Mrs. Claus always makes this for the Christmas season and on Santa his birthday.
Usually on Christmas day they eat Chinese tomato soup, then the Bami pangang and a Christmas puding. At boxing day they eat pea soup, then Chicken with French fries and another Christmas pudding, and then the first few days after Christmas they have the remains from the both Christmas day and Boxing day together with Swedestew. For Santa it is just a week-long feast.
Reindeer meat or penquin chopstick, however, he will never eat.

Santa does have several suits. They are made by the Gnomes. It is necessary that he does have several suits, because when Santa does get wet on a rainy visit, then he can change into a dry suit for the next visit. And ofcourse Santa likes to wear a clean suit every day.
Nowadays the look of the suit depends on how mrs Claus did design it. They do vary a little bit sometimes, some have more garnishing as others, but overal they very much the same.
In the early days Santa did also often wear green suits, and sometimes brown or blue. That were yet old suits from Father Christmas, the did not make Santa Claus stand out much, which was exactly what Father Christmas wanted for himself. But since Mrs Claus is designing the suits, now all suits are red, because that is the favoriete colour of mrs Claus. She find it to be a warm and festive colour is and she says that the children can recognize Santa now much easier when he happens to be standing in a group of people.
In some European countries, Santa also sometimes wears brown, green, or blue clothing, because that's what the people there expect. Often, this clothing still closely resembles that of Father Christmas and/or the Weihnachtsmann, as mentioned, because that's what those people expect.

Well ... Santa Claus has several suits, so that gives already a difference, than Santa wears sometimes thicker clothes (in countries where the temperature is colder) and at other times thinner clothes (e.g. in Africa), which also gives a difference in how thick or how thin he seems to be. And a thinner Santa seems longer, just as a thicker Santa seems shorter.
But above all, Santa is always trying to look the same way the children believe that he looks like. Due to the Elvish magic Santa can adopt different guises. That is why Santa one time is a bit thicker and larger than the other times and why he wears glasses now and then and other times not.

The Elves are sometimes zealous and then it may well be that they have scheduled two visits at the same time. And that is the reason that Santa must be on multiple places at the same time. This is particularly tiring so Santa always tries to avoid that.
Therefore does Santa Tv-shots often earlier in the day and then they are broadcast at a time that many kids can watch. So can it seem that Santa is at the same time on the TV and in person in another place.
It may also happen that Santa sends a temporary replacement (assistant Santa). That are most of the time Cousins from santa so REal Clauses, and they are always in Contact with the Norht Pole Office.

Yes and no. Some people claim that the real Santa does not exist and that the shops rented men who play for Santa Claus. And that all so called Santa's are help-Santa's. But that's talk of silly adults and unbelieving Thomases. Of course, does Santa Claus exist. But he cannot be everywhere at once. When it comes to small children or sick children, when it comes to larger children and adults who really believe in him then Santa Claus does come always himself. But if it's at a double scheduled visit to adult people or children who no longer want to believe in him, then it can happen that Santa is not coming himself. At those very rare occasions (3-5 times per year) he sends one of his second cousins (a real Claus Cousin) together with some Elves. They are often there (on the background) if Santa Claus is on his way, they have a lot of experience. So also then comes a 'Santa' with real ChristmasElves magic. So yes, Santa Claus gets a help sometimes, but that is very rare, he much prefer to come himself. And no!, That are actually not the kind of help-Santas as doubting Thomases mean. It's a real official Claus who by the Christmas Magic looks exactly like Santa and who does come with real Elves and Gnomes and with one of Santa's real big names lists.

Yes, but it does happen very rarely. Actually aonly if he is on holiday or when he wants visite some events secretly. Then he wears regular clothes because he does not want to stand out (being incognito, it's called). But those regular clothes the color have always something red.

Coming from bed he puts a his house clothes, goes to the kitchen give Mrs. Claus a hug drinks some hot chocolat, eat something, a few hugs for mrs. Claus, goes to his dressing room, layout the clothes he is gonna wear on his routes that night, Instructs the urgentie team how to deal with last minute wihses, Hugs Mrs. Claus, Check and double checks the loading lists together with Mrs Claus and the Checklist Elves, Checks the sleighs together with the Sleigh-Elves, Puts a second set of chlothes in the first sleigh, Puts some energy food and drinks in the sleigh, checks the launch and landing Platform together with the Flightcontrole-Elves, Hugs Mrs. Claus again, checks the wetherforcast at the Elf-Wetherforcast-station, and together with the Elf-route-teams he checks the routemaps and the routes he planned (for each rout there is a team, they check and controle the loading of each sleigh, puts the correct routmaps in the sleigh compartment, food and drinks, havin a set of chlotes ready for when that is necessary and so on. He loads up the battery of his phone, back to the kitchen, again a hug for Mr. Claus, eats some extra of his favorite food, so he won't get hungry on his routes, and then he takes a littl nap.
And the last hour for the departure, checking last minute info, when needed adjust his routes in cohusen with the elves who manage the loading of the sleighs that night. and Finaly he puts on his warm traveling clothes, giving Mrs. Claus a hug so that he is ready for take-off and then goes to the sleigh on the Launch and landings platform were the Elves have put the first reindeer-team in front of the sleigh and have loaded the first bag full with presents in the sleigh.

Wel lets look at Christmas morning first, what do you mean with Chrstmas morning? Because for example, when it is Christmas, in Los Angeles, it is Chrsitmas afternoon or even the evening of Christmas day in most of the world.
Or just the other way around: In othert parts of the world it is Christmas morning alreay while in Los Angeles it is just Christmas Eve.
So it what I am doing depends on where you live. So maybe I can beter tell you what I am doing after my last fligth delivering the last presents.
That is taking a big nap in my cosy bed, While the elves take care of the reindeer and the sleigh, after that having Christmas with Mrs. Claus and my friends on the Northpole, eating our Christmas meal togther with all on the North pole, singing songs by the Christmas Tree and exchanging Christmas gifts with eachother. And making preperations for the next day (see question nr 055)

Yes I do have a special Rest Day each year, And it happends to be on Boxing day.
Each year on Boxing Day the Elves do organise the so called Reindeer Olympics for all the reinder that not are members of the Sleigh-teams. See Question 117. The sleigh-teams have theis yearly rest Day also this day.
And the Elves organise this day also the Great Gnomes Cookie Eat Contest for gnomes, and the Northpole Highland Games for gnomes, a very old traditonal Games event on which the Scottish Highland Games also are based. (see also question 096). All in all a day full of plesure. All I have to do is walk around watching the games and present the throphees at the end of the day.
It is the best Day of rest one cn have.

'Hoho hoo' means actually the same as 'Giddy-up little Horse, Giddy-up' or 'Giddy-up-go,' or 'yippyaye' or 'and now full steam ahead'. It is the Elfvish way to show that your are doing your atmost best and/or to show that you have a good time. The Elves use it to encourage animals or even others Elves. When there is an Elves game, you hear nothing else as Hoho hoo. Elves almost never laugh, at least not simmilair to the way people laugh, so laughing like "hahahaha' or 'hihihihi' they did not know at first. Elves laugh inside, without making a sound. You only can see it in their eyes when they are laughing. The first time Santa did laugh 'haha haa', they in fact thought that he screamed 'aha haa' and that he shad hurt himself. That is why Santa has changed his laughing in Hoho hoo of Yoho hoo so the Elves could know that he had the greatest fun. And now Santa is so used to this that he almost every time does laugh in this way. But so now and then he will have a soft haha haa laugh still, specially near very little children.

Oh yes, Sure! Every time a child (or an adult) says loud "I believe in the 'Christmas Spirit'" or "I believe in Father Christmas" or "I believe in Santa Claus", and when they deep inside do really mean that, then that will not only strengthen the power of the 'Christmas Spirit', but it will straightway spread a little of the magic of Christmas around them.
You can see that on the faces of the people who are with them on that moment, they will have a smile on their faces and often behave jolly.

Pitty enough, yes it can!! When in the whole world there would be no one anymore who does believe in the Spirit of Christmas, no one who is willing to make something special from Christmas, no one who is willing to do something kind to his fellowman, if there is not one child anymore that does believe in Santa Claus, Yes, then the flame of 'Christmas Spirit' will weaken and eventually even extinguish and than Santa Claus will stop existing.
But there will be a Santa Claus and he will stay existing, as long as there are children (and adults) who believe in his existence and as long as there are (young and old) people who want to keep the 'Spirit of Christmas' alive.

Why? It's actually quite simple. Reindeer and the reindeer elves live in areas around the Arctic Circle, so the North Pole is closer than the South Pole.
In the old days the people knew that the Yule man and Father Christmas (der Weihnachtsmann) came from the High North, from the Great Forrests nearby the polarcircle. When the first Santa Claus started visiting the people, on request of the Fairies, he also did live in those woods ("Von drausen aus den Walder da komme ich her" says the German Weihnachtsmann ever still ("From outside, out of the woods/forrests, that's where I come from"). But when he did start to use reindeers for his sleigh, he had to go live much more to the North, on the tundra´s of Lapland, because reindeers don´t like to live in the woods. And so Santa Claus lives most of the time of the year in Lapland on the Tundra´s, except for vacations AND !! except for DECEMBER.
The second reason is at least as important: stardust is attracted to the magnetism of the North Pole. This stardust is magical; it causes the Northern Lights, for example, and it enhances the elves' magic. It's also an ingredient in the food that allows reindeer to fly. And then it's convenient to live nearby.
A third reason is that it's difficult for tourists to reach, so Santa and the elves won't be disturbed.
Among the Gnomes there are several breeds/tripes, such as Wood-Gnomes who live in the big woods and inthe old forrests, the Home- and Garden-Gnomes (Heinzelmanchen/Nisse/Gartenzwerg) who like to live near humans, and so you have also the SnowGnomes who love to live in areas with lots of snow. The SnowGnomes are the longest breed among the Gnomes. Were the other Gnomes are between 10-40 cm hight, the SnowGnomes, due to their relations with the dwarf are 60-120 cm hight. With their bigger bodies they are better equiped against the cold and due to their higher length they can also beter walk through to snow. For a Gnome with 18 cm Hight, a layer of snow 15 cm thick would reachup until his neck and on the Northpole the snowlayer is often more as 25 cm. Because of their Length the Snow-Gnomes are often mistaken to be Cobolds, but they are realy real Gnomes!
Snowgnomes get their magic from fresh fallen snowcrystals and from a special Lichen which only grows in Polartemperatures. That´s why these SnowGnomes are living in a hidden Gnomes-village (Polar City) near the Northpole. The SnowGnomes were the Gnomes who offered Santa their help by the toymaking and that is why Santa Claus in december lives in Polar City near the Northpole were the SnowGnomes live. This way he can check the lists with names and the Presents and check of there is the correct present for everybody. This keeps him very busy those last weeks before Christmas.
There is fourth reason why Santa in December lives near the Northpole and that has to do with the delivery of the presents, the magic there does things with the time, but that will be explained in the answer on another question (question 69).

Santa says: "There are only two places in the world where you have all the time in the world: the North Pole and the South Pole. Ask your teacher if they know why that is." See also question 69. And I did chose the North Pole because of the stardust, the elves and the reindeer. Santa himself also often says (with a wink): "I live near the Northpole, because I´m allergic to penquins, they are very funny animals, but they make me sneeze. Because they live on the southpole, I live on the Northpole." The penguins do like this joke so much, that everytime they hear it, they slide controles by laughing of the iceplates. (Don't you get the joke?? First Santa says he wants to live as far away from the penquins as possible: North pole <> South pole. But they know he likes pequins very much. Second: Penguins do not create dust, skinrests or feathers that can make one sneeze. It's Santa´s way to hide te reason why he lives on the Northpole in december. (Ho, hoh hoo! )

Oh, outside on the Pole it is barren and windy and very cold. That way they keep out unwanted salesmen. HOHOHO!! But, the village is, actually, under a Magic Elf Protection Shield and is very warm and beautiful. Santa´s house in the village is right in the center of town so he can keep track of everything that is going on.

The Arctic Circle is a magical, enchanting, comfortable and energetic place. Nature is right on the doorstep, the air is fresh and so is the water. Many elves like to swim in the nearby Kemijoki river, even in wintertime. It's good for their circulation.

You should know that the North Pole is all te way up on the top of the world.
Because of that the sun in the Northern Artic Circle sets in the Autumn and does not rise until the Spring. So it is Nighttime all that time (6 month) on the North Pole in the period.
And in the Spring the sun rises and does not set until the Autumn, so again periode of 6 month, but daytime this time.
So yes, it is dark but only for 6 month and then it is light for six month.
To be able to have a normal live there we have artefisic day and nighttime in Polar City.
The elves build a special lightning system for that.

No, there still are 4 seasons, although Spring and Summer do like very similair and although Autumn and Winter doe look a lot alike eachother.

And according to Santa there are even 5 seasons there, because he does count the Christmas season also HO HO HO.

My adres? But I have more then one adres, depends on wich time of the year it is. So no use of telling them.
The actual postoffice address at The North Pole is CandyCaneLane 3, 2512XM Polar City, North Pole, Earth.
I had to add the Earth part because some were trying to find me on Mars. Now, that's SILLY!

But if children want to send me a letter, they just need to send it to: Santa, North Pole or to a number of other addresses on the bottom of this page, and it will get straight to me.

In your Dreams or in your imagination you can always visit him at the North Pole, but the only way to physically visit there is when you are invited to come ot when you are accompanied by an Elf who llives at he Northpole and has studied at the Christmas Elf College there.

The North Pole is a very busy place with elves, toys, and reindeer running around. While it's not open for visits, you can get a little peek of it through videos and stories.

No, he isn't worried about the urge for moving, it will take more then a cpouple of year before that will become an item for him. Of course is he concerned about the greenhouse effect, because it will impact the entire earth.

This tradition already existed at the Yulefeest. Then the Yule-man even came sometimes in company of Elves and/or Gnomes.
Because Santa Claus really can not do everything himself (not at all without the Elves magic), therefore the Old Fairies (Mother Earth=Mother Hulda, the Forest King=Yuleman, King Winter=Holly King, Sandman, Father Time) did ask the Elves and Gnomes to help Santa Claus. And the Elves and Gnomes found it such a nice job, that they never want to stop with it.

No they have Elves or gnomes as Parents, At first they where Elves and gnomes who lived already at the Northpole or they came later (and do come) from all the different countries of the world.
When the first Nicholas St Nicholas who was still a young boy came to the Northpole and became Santa Claus, he and the elves and gnomes that lived there started The Gift Giving Tradition, just like his uncle Saint Nicholas and the Elves started the Christmas Elf Training wich later resulted in the Christmas Elf College.

Elves come from all the different countries of the world. One of the things they learn in Christmas Elf College is the Sindarin ELF language, so it can be the common language of The North Pole. Still many Elves can also speak another Elf-language if they (or their parents) where born somewhere else. They all have mothers and fathers, just like you. Some elves do even speak the human language from the country where their ancestors did live! They have worked hard to earn the right to be an elf at The North Pole.
The gnomes (snowgnomes) come almost all from the Northern Artic Circle. The Snowgnomes from the Southern Artic Circle do help Santa if he needs help on or near the South Pole, but the snowgnoom life is quit different there, so they rather stay there then come to work on the North Pole.

Any elf who reaches the Elf age of 12 (That's is in human years about 120 !) or older can sent Santa a message asking for an interview to become a Christmas elf. If Santa and the Board of Elves do accept them, then after completing the required courses at the Christmas Elf College, which can take up to 40 human years, they became full-fledged Christmas elves and could work at The North Pole.

Polar City is a SnowGnomes village, so of course there are also female Gnomes and Gnome-children. The same applies for the Elves in Santa Ville. Santa doesn't look at whether someone is a man or a woman, but at what he/she can. So yes, there are both male and female Elves and Gnomes helping Santa.
Many Gnome- and Elf-kids like to become a Christmas-Elf or Christmas Gnome when they are growen up. So in addition to their ordinary school, they attend also the school for Santa's Christmas helpers. That means that they are also doing practical training and some small chores.

They have different ages. Some are babys, others are very old, most of them are between 200 and 900 years. Compaired to humans Elves does live about 10 times as long as a Human, But they age slower so an Elf of 200 year is as much an adult as a human of 20 years. And an Elf of 900 years is just an old man as a human of 90 years.
No, they do no child labor, the young ones have to go to school and collegs and so on.

Yes, they sure do.
For the elves that is first a Basic Elf school (When they are 40 human years) and then when they are 80 human years a Second Grade Elf school and /or other Special schools. They tend these schools in the Countries where they live. And then when they are 120 Human years they can got tot the Christmas Elf College. Just in the Christmas Elf College alone, they spend nearly 40 Human years learning all the things they need to know to be helpful around The North Pole. Some of the things they learn are how to take care of the reindeer and how to make Christmas cookies.
Mind You not all elves want to become Christmas Elves, so not all Elves go to the Christmas Elf College. At the age of 120 Human years they go to the Elf High School and then after that, they have a normal job in the Elf society all over the world (Town mayor, Judge, Shopkeeper, Farmer, Laywer, Ranger, a.s.o.)

The Snowgnomes have to go to school also, although not for learning knowhow, they are a very oldd race and they share Knowhow in their DNA, like birds. A young Bird born in the northern region know the route to the south without having anybird told him. He makes exact the same stops as the birds in the years before and ends also on excat the same spot as they did.
What they do have to learn is using their body and their hands a.s.o so laerning their skills.

The gnomes make many presents, espescialy the handcrafted ones. But sometimes we get Presents stifted by rich people or big Compagnies. Those have trademarks indeed. And then there are gifts given to you by your family or friends, wrapped by them and sneaky placed by the gifts Santa did bring. An yea those ones have trademarks also.

He has to supervise a lot of things,ordeing the materials needed to build the toys, ordeing the books and matreials for the schools for next schoolyear, On behalf of Mrs. Claus ordering the materials needed to make new clothes, Repairing things that got broke last year,
then in the summer taking care of his garden, collection fresh winterfood for the reiedeer and arrange to transport that to the North pole,
Then hafe meetings all over the world with the Elves and gnomes who help them and that live in or near our houses, and a lot of other things that spontaniously pop-up.

Sweet and tasty cookies. Santa says: They liek the roound ones the most HO HO HO.

Santa does like all Elves and Gnomes equally.
He has but one favorite and that's no Elf or Gnome, but that's Mrs. Claus.

That is a good question. Elves are slightly (very) greedy for sweets, which means that there may be some gingerbread crumbs and little fingerprints on the edges of tables after a visit from an elf. You can also sometimes hear a quiet click when an elf closes a window or a door behind them.

They tell the child how good behavior brings joy and makes all their loves ones happy. and they often sing to them: So! You better watch out, you better not cry Better not pout, I´m telling you why Santa Claus is comin’ to town He sees you when you´re sleeping He knows when you´re awake He knows if you´ve been bad or good So be good for goodness sake Goodness sake
and they say: Mind you, best of all, good behavior is catching! A small note in the elves´s pocketbook is a cautionary tip that bad habits can and should be changed.

NO, Santa will never give someone bad times !! But it is a warning that you should not create badtimes yourself.
Bad behavior will get bead reactions and it will make the world around you a bad world to live in. And Goodness will probably die.
On the other hand, good behavior, will give friendly reactions and will make the worlde around you a better world to live in. And goodness wil surely grow.
That is why we sing: Be good for goodness sake.

Yeah sure, we have already told you that they are big collectors, and sometimes they 'collect' something that was not their property. So, for example, the Gnomes are infamous socks thieves!
The Gnomes also like to make practical jokes. For example they turn the cap of the tube of toothpaste, they do so because they find the Peppermint taste very delicious. Just turning the cap back on the tube they do not and this is on purpose, because people then blame each other. And then the Gnomes have great fun. And then we haven't even mentioned the pranks and antics they pull at the North Pole Highland Games for gnomes. (See the sports question about gnomes. Question xxx)

The elves do not need to sport because they live there life in a very sportive manor, wich keep them in top condition all their life. And the most tasks they do they do that as were it a game. So there is also no need for specific games. In fact the only game they play is playing jolly-tricks and jolly-jokes on eachother and on others. Wich gives us all much joy.

The Gnomes however, yes they do sport and play games. Infact each year on Boxingday they have there Great Cookie-eat contest for gnomes. and they have their Aztar Artic Mos Hihg-tuk Games for Akul-Knom (North Pole Highland Games for Snow-gnomes). The literal translation of Aztar Artic Mos Hihg-tuk is Northern Artistic Center, so as we say, North Pole.

While various events can be performed at the North Pole Hihg-tuk for Akul-Knom (North Pole Highland Games for Snow Gnomes), the following activities are more or less standard in Polar City. They are all traditional events dating back centuries, which is reflected in the simplicity of the ancient Gnome names. The first events are held in two classes simultaneously: Najbor-tuk (Men) and Lavgru-mal (Women).
Staack Smiten (Pole Throwing) (Caber Toss): The most famous event during the North Pole Highland Games for Gnomes. Contrary to popular belief, the most important aspect is not the distance but the execution style. The participant lifts the upright log, with the thickest end at the top. After a run-up, they stop suddenly and toss the log upward. The log must actually tilt; otherwise, the throw is invalid. Most points are awarded based on the position of the log. A log tilted perpendicularly away from the participant, called a "12 o'clock," receives the highest score.

Hihg Mub (High Over): In this event, participants must clear a high hurdle as quickly as possible, the height of which is increased after each round. Usually it starts with a tightrope (high jump) but soon you move on to a massive obstacle (just like a rope course). If you don't make it, you're out, if you do make it, you can go to the next round, and so on until there is only one winner left.

Lajak Smiten (Stone Throw): The competitor takes a running start and throws a stone weighing approximately 7.25 kg as far as possible. It is a popular and spectacular sport and probably one of the oldest tests of strength in the world. Shot put is the modern version. Often, a smooth stone from a local riverbed is used. This makes comparing distance records from different games virtually impossible.

Magath Roth (Hammer Throw): The hammer consists of a heavy ball on a stick, together up to 36 cm (14 inches) long. Unlike the hammer throw in athletics, it is a standing throw, with the hammer thrown backward after about three swings.

Stotten (Weight Lift): A heavy weight must be lifted above the head. Like the High Over, this is done in rounds, with the weight increasing each successive round.

For Najbor-tuk (Men only):
Bar Thos (Sheaf Toss): A burlap sack filled with 20 pounds (9 kilos) of straw is impaled on a pitchfork and thrown over a high beam. The beam can be more than ten meters high.

For Lavgru-mal (Women only):
Keep Khe Thag (Keep it Dry): A burlap sack filled with 20 pounds (9 kilos) of laundry must be carried to a clothesline 5 meters away, where the laundry must be removed from the sack and hung on the line. The time is the determining factor.

Points are awarded for each event. So there are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each event, as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Overall Classification.

These are followed by the mixed events for Najbor-tuk (Men) and Lavgru-mal (Women).

Rope Roppen (Rope Pulling): Tug-of-war is an official program component of the North Pole Highland Games for Gnomes, but is not considered an athletic event. The oldest evidence of the sport has been found in the Asian part of the Northern Arctic, where in prehistoric times, tug-of-war competitions were part of celebrations, ceremonies, and religious services. This Tug-of-war is done with mixed teams of 4 to 8 people (4 men and 4 women) is played in three sets. The team that wins twice wins the match. Depending on the number of teams, a pool or key system is used. Tension is often high when two teams are evenly matched and have to give it their all.

Lug Kag (Buddy Carry): Each team consists of two people, usually one man and one woman, but it can also be two men or two women. One person from each team carries the other; the person being carried may not be more than 15 kilograms lighter than the other. They have to cover a 50-meter distance with small obstacles as quickly as possible. Although originally intended to rescue people, the games are more of a spectacle. You see the most hilarious and amazing antics, and for the audience, besides cheering them on, there's also plenty to laugh at.

Hopsi Ko (Dancing): There are two different forms of dancing during the North Pole Highland Games for Gnomes. Gnome folk dances are dances performed by pairs or mixed groups, while contemporary folk dances (country dances) are still very similar. This is a show element, not a competition. The other form of dancing is 'Snow Gnome Kamb-Hak (Leg-Hak) dancing'. This is the oldest dance style in Gnome traditional dance and is performed solo using the flat-down technique. It is the very old predecessor of Irish Sean Nos Dancing, an example of which is Irish Riverdancing.
'Snow Gnome Leg-Hak dancing' is for both men and women; it is a solo dance with competition. The Gnomes practice their moves in secret year-round, especially the special moves they have invented themselves.
The dance begins when the master of ceremonies says: "And now it's time for the 'Snow Gnome Kamb-Hak (Leg-Hak) dance.'" Someone who thinks they can do it really well steps onto the special dance floor and does a few special moves. Then another person steps in who thinks they can do that move better or even more beautiful moves, after which someone else steps in who thinks they can do it even better or more beautiful, and so on. A participant can step in multiple times as long as they still think they can do it even better or better. It only stops when no one else thinks they can do it better, or when all the participants are too tired to continue. Although it is a competition, it is not a contest; it is a display of dance techniques and moves. Many young Gnomes try to learn a few of those moves in the days that follow. And so the dance tradition continues year after year, and that's what it's all about! Both forms of dance have their own form of music to accompany them.

Yes, but you probably wouldn't understand it. I had to learn it myself as extra languages.
But, here goes: "I am Santa Claus. I live on the Northpole. May I please have some more cake?"
In Sindarin- Elfish: "Im am Santa Claus. Im guin- bo i Northpole. Lothron im please gar- some more cramb?"
In Quenya-Elfish: "Ni am santa claus. Ni cui- on i northpole. Lótesse ni please have some tare cake?"
In Tengwar-Elfish:

Although an Elf can become a Human if they want that, a human can never become an elf. Not even Santa did became an elf !

A human can become a full helper and live always at the Northpole when he can meet up with the required conditions. When a human turns 120 years old, he or she can send me a letter asking for an interview and I will visit and interview him or her. If they still want to be an elf after that, then they have to go to the Christmas Elf College. After 40 years learning in all the different classes at the college, then they will be an Christmas Helper First Class and they can then live and work at The North Pole.

Oh, my! There are thousands of reindeer at The North Pole from wich we can pick reindeer to make a special herd. And each year many new youngsters are born and old ones die. The special herd holds about a 120 reindeer. Each one has a specific responsibility. Some of them pull the toy sleigh on Christmas Eve. Can you name them? Others do things like pull the food sleigh to bring food to the stables, Bring presents form te facory to the storagebuildings and many more work.
Reindeer reach an average age of 10 years old, but in Santa's herd they go retire as they on the age of 7 years. ( Here you can find more info over (the normal) reindeer. )

No, a Moose (Elk) is a whole different deer species and also looks very different. And no, Santa has no Elk for the sleigh.

reindeer

Moose (Elk)

Yes, in principal they can. They all learn to pull the sleigh on the ground, so they all are broken in to pull the sleigh through the snow on the ground, but only the best ones are used to pull the sleigh through the sky on Christmas Eve.

A female reindeer weighs between 132 and 308 pound, and a male reindeer weighs between 208 and 440 pound. But there are also sometimes heavier males, there has been a male reindeer which weighed 700 pound!
Males are also larger than the females. Reindeer are over 3.28 feet high. Males have at the larynx a fist-sized, inflatable skin bag. This works as an audio amplifier.
The fur color of a reindeer varies from white to almost black. They have a double fur. The Undercoat is made up of fuzzy hairs, the outer coat is made of hollow air-filled guard hairs. The feet are deep and wide spread. The hooves are broadened and have a hollow underside and therefore they give a secure hold on slippery surfaces, like snow and ice, and in swamps. When they are walking then the tendons in the legs of the reindeer make a clicking sound. Due to this clicking sound the animals can follow each other in the dark. And so even in the polar night, when the reindeer cannot see each other, the herd remains together.

The males lose the antlers in December or January, females lose their antlers in May. In this period the females with the largest antlers are the boss.
Because off the flying-powder that is done in their food the reindeer that pull the sleigh won't lose their antlers before January.

In the summer, the reindeer grazing mostly on the tundra. When they are loose and running in the wild, they eat lichen off of the trees. But if they are at the North Pole in the stable in the Gnomesdorp, they get hay, water and special feed kibble. Because just as your own animals, the reindeer may eat only kibble specially made for them. Santa Claus also gives the reindeer sometimes the special reindeer cookies. And the reindeer are also crazy about roots and oats.
And in the 2 weeks prior to the Christmas night the reindeer that pull the sleigh also get the special flypowder through their food.

Reindeer can sleep at any time they wish, but in Polar City Santa's reindeer sleep at night, so they can do their training during the day, because above all they must have a very good condition to be able to pull the sleigh during the long trips on Christmas Eve and Christmas Night!

We have already told you (question 093) that the reindeer most of the year are not living at the North Pole but that they wander through Lapland. Santa takes to Polar City just those reindeer with him that he needs for the sleigh and some minor work. That's a total of about 120 reindeer. Those are the 1st sleigh-team, the 2nd sleigh-team, the third sleigh team, some spare reindeer, and ofcourse, Rudolph. The other reindeer stay in Lapland. Reindeer are accustomed to cold weather, they even like it, but indeed even reindeer need protection against the weather at the North Pole. In the month of December they life therefore in several cosy barns with different boxes (stables).
The Barn with the Sleigh-teams is close to the Launch- and landings platform.

Do your reindeer really fly?
Yes indeed! But outside the North Pole normaly only on Christmas Eve. On the Northpole also in the Christmas season for their training. For special reasons to fly outside the NorthPole when it is not Christmas Eve, Santa a has to ask permission and help from the Elf-board, because this magic is bound to regulations!

How can the reindeer fly?
The reindeer can not fly by themselfes, they need flyingpowder. Only the reindeer that pull the sleigh on Christmas Eve get the special flying powder mixed in their food, that makes that they and the sleigh can fly. At the sleigh the flyingpowder is mixed through the paint with which the sleigh is painted and it is mixed through the glue of the wood joints.
That flying powder consists of a mixture of Star powder (This fluorescent star powder is also one of the causes of the northern lights), and magical lichens which grow only in the Norwegian Arctic. Only the Elves know where these mosses grow and how they must be mixed with the starpowder to get the magic flying powder. (So is it also the little Elf Tinkerbel, that Peter Pan and his boys does fly with her own flying powder).

So no, not all reindeer of Santa can fly. Only the reindeer that get the flyingpowder (flydust).

And Yes, they are special reindeer because they have had a special training program, and not every reindeer is suitable for that. And Yes there is magic but they the are not magical Reindeer! They are Normal Reindeer. During the Christmas season the sleigh teams get a special foodsupply to be stronger, faster and able to fly. Those flying reindeer are a big help at Christmas time when presents need to be delivered around the world. Without that foodsupply they are just normal reindeer and can not fly. So most of the year they are normal reindeer.

The reindeer get their names from the Elves. The reindeer have different names, for example, there is one that was born in a field of daisies and therefore named Daisy. Another is called Oakleaf because the white spot on his forehead, has the form of an oakleaf. And there are many other names that say something about where, when or how they are born. So is the reindeer girl Frida born on a Friday. Or they get a name that says something about their character, for example Vice and Rascal, or their name says something about their talents, so is Dancer a very lightfeeted reindeer with graceful movements.

Oh, my, YES! You see there are thousands and thousands of reindeer at the Northern Artic circle. Every year we have thousands of more reindeer born. Rudolph is probably the most welknow reindeer baby, but he is older now HO HO HO. When they grow up, they each have many different things to learn, just like the elves do.

Oh my, No! All of the reindeer have red noses. It is because they have a lot of bloodvessels in their nose, so these vessels can warm the air when the reindeer inhale through there noses. Otherwise their noses would freeze in the cold Artic air, with a risk that it has to be amputeted. They would not like that.
Now maybe you think you need some special instrument to see or measure that thier noe are warm indeed. But that is not so, just watch them breathing and you see the warm air like smoke coming out their noses.

The other young reindeer found his nose strange, and did point him out to others. Because of his shyness his nose became even brighter then. The other reindeer thought that it was a fun game to get Rudolph nose as red as possible. He did not like that at all.
Then one Christmas, we were in a terrible snow storm and had no idea where to land. We were close to having an accident when suddenly I saw a red gleaming light through the snow and sure enough, It was Rudolph. When we landed savely then, and I praise him for saving us, his nose became redder as ever before and as bright as the light of a firetower. At was so bright that he could clerly see the way we had to go and we could savely follow him to end our trip. So he saved us twice that day.

No, they are all proud of him know. They all know this his nose is the reason they they can savely travel through all kind of bad weather.

Rudolph was born in 1939. Through the magic of the star powder in his nose, he did not get older anymore, after he had reached a mature age, so for years now he is a reindeer from about 7 years old. Modern medicine can remove the condition though, but then Rudolph will became older again every year just like the other reindeer. And as long as he like doing his job and wants to continue it, he will stay a reindeer from 7 years old.

The reindeer love to run, so most games are based on running.
Every first sunday of the month they do races, Urban trail runs, Height jumps and Tack you're it.On Boxing Day they do that in a very big event. They call that the Reindeer Olympics. But often they also play Hide and seek.

There's no question about this, I don't even have to think about it.
Rudolph is my favorite reindeer. He was treated very roughly by all the other reindeer when he was just starting out, but is essential to getting things done on Christmas Eve.

Santa Claus has a sleigh because this is a very handy (and environmentally friendly) means of transport. With a sleigh, you never run out of petrol and you can transport a lot of presents in the back of the sleigh. And a sleigh does hardly get stuck in the snow. In short, benefits enough.
Santa has many more vehicles, because outside Christmas Eve he must also can come anywhere in the world. But his favorite vehicle is and remains the sleigh, because that is the cutest and most powerful and romantischste means of transport, that exists.

It takes special magic star dust to make the reindeer and the sleigh to fly. The elves are the makers of that kind of dust and they collect a supply at The North Pole, every season just before Christmas, so we can put it in the reindeer food. It make them leightharted HO HO HO.
The elves mix it also through the paint for the sleigh, that makes it easier for the reindeer to get a so called liftoff.

Santa's reindeer sleep at night in Polar City, so they can do their training during the day – because above all they need to have a very good condition to be able to pull the sleigh during the long travels on Christmas Eve and Christmas Night! The day before Christmas Eve, they have a custom schedule so they can rest and sleep as much as possible. And Santa and the Elves do check out the reindeer to make sure that they are 100% fit and ready for the long Flying trip.

In addition, does Santa take with him oats and water for them, what they get when he takes a dive in a chimney, so they don't get hungry or thirsty and will stay full of energy. Ofcourse do the reindeer also rest for a while during such a short stop, otherwise you would hear them moving on the roof.
Every time when Santa at the North Pole returns, the other reindeerteam is refreshed, standing ready with the other sleigh fully loaded. Santa lands, the Elves take care of the tired reindeer and the empty sleigh, Santa gets some refreshments, steps into the other sleigh, changes to another timezone and off it goes again.

No, Santa doesn't need goggles because not only is he faster than the weather but he also flies above the storms. Also, Santa's sleigh is equipped with special magic that keeps he and his reindeer safe and warm while traveling so there's no need for goggles for Santa or the reindeer! Be carefull, with such tricky questions you easely can be put on the Naughty List. HO HO HO

Against the cold, snow and rain Santa can dress up himself. Also has he, if necessary, protective covers for the reindeer, so that kind of weather is no problem at all. But the storms and gusts make the sleigh swing very much and than it is very difficult to throw the parcels exactly in the correct chimney or to land save on the right roof. If it's really neccessary then he can always use a little Elf-magic. And of course, in high winds and storm, does Santa use a safety belt to.

On Christmas Eve, the reindeer and the sleigh can fly at the SPEED OF MAGIC. That's considerably slower than the speed of light, but faster than the fastest airplane. I really have to hold on tight when we reach that speed. Luckily, we only have to do it a few times (returning with an empty sleigh to pick up the next full one). So it doesn't bother me that much.

They are there so the other traffic can hear us. We do not want accindents to happen.

YES!
 

Absolutely! Every sleigh is equipped with several seat belts. Sometimes, when I'm flying high in the sky and the reindeer try to trick me by flying loopity-loops. If I didn't have on a seatbelt, I might fall out of the sleigh. One time, when I was delivering toys, I got stuck in my seatbelt and had to lay my finger on the side of my nose and give a nod, to get out. HOHOHO!!!

In many places on the Earth there is never snow around Christmas time, that has Santa never stopped from to coming there. Mind you for flying he does not need no snow. Only for the landing and the 'Lift-off' the sleigh must slide a little, sometimes the roofs and the ground are smooth enough by themsElves, If they are not then Santa use the Elf-magic for a little bit local snow, just enough for the sleigh to lift off. Maybe you did see it some time on a early Christmas morning, the streets and the gardens without any snow, but yet on one rooftop a small track of snow.

High in the air in the cold zones he does wear a thick warm cloak over his suit, When it gets warmer then he takes the coat off and stores it under the bench of his sleigh.

Well, do you know that in the deserts in middel east and Afrika the Arabs and Bedouin do wear Coats of Camelhair to keep the heat out? It is a very good as isolation against heat and cold. Next to that, they let their tongue hang out their mouths, just like dogs do when it is to warm for them.
The same goes for the hairs of the reindeer, where it keeps the cold out on the Poles, it also keeps the heat out in the deserts and tropical countries.
To be honest, in the deserts don't live many people, so they don´t have to be there very long, they don´t have much troubles there. Same goes for small tropical countrys and most of the tropical islands, they don´t need much time te do our job there and they can always fly trough the colder higher air from Island to Island.
In the Amercian Deserts and in Australia, They do need to take some extra measures so now and then. Santa knows there some quit places with water, where they can land and stay for a while. Some have also shadow, in others they places a shadowshields. So the reindeer can rest and cool down for a short while. Sometimes it is a place were Santa has helpers, there they load the presents for the locals there on Donkeys (remember Dominick the Donkey) or Kangaroos. And the helpers (sometimes Santa also) then bring those presents to houses where they are intended for. The advantages of this are: The reindeer have a smal rest and it spares Santa Time.
Besides these measures, does Santa have another trick on his sleeve, a coolbox with ice cubes for the reindeer their mouths and their noses. This way they never had troubles with the heat in all the years.
   

Oh, YES! I have flown many many times. That's how I get around whenever I visit, if it's not Christmas Eve. The North Pole is a very long way away and the sleigh with toys only flies on Christmas Eve.
Always this way   Never like this. This is a fake image.

Santa's beautiful red Christmas sack is a super magical round-bottomed bag, of which there are only four in the world: two large and two smaller. They were created by the Old Fairies, who turned young Nicholas into the first Santa Claus. Fairy magic is the oldest and strongest form of magic known, having existed since prehistoric times. Elven magic is much younger, dating back to a few thousand years before Christ (the Druids also used elf magic) and is less powerful than fairy magic. However, it is much stronger and older than that of wizards and witches. So these ancient magics don't require any spells or wands at all; thinking is enough, and sometimes pointing is used to guide them in the right direction.

The Magic Bags are much, much larger on the inside than on the outside, so they can hold much more than you might think. Santa owns three of them: the two large ones and a third that's slightly larger than a burlap sack. That's the bag Santa is carrying when you see him. See also the question about how the bag fits down the chimney (question xxx). The fourth bag belongs to the dwarf Douwe Dabbert. This bag is much smaller (a knapsack-style bag), but functions the same way.

The magic of these bags is reflected among other things in the following ways:
A. That you can fit an incredible amount in that bag before it ever gets full. You can do this without thereby increasing the sack. Therefore Santa's Christmasbag will always fit in his sleigh.
B. The bag will give back the things you have tucked in there at the time that you need them. So when Santa wants suitable gifts for (for example) Jack, then all he needs to do is to put his hand in the sack, and pick-up what he feels and take his hand out again, and Presto, there are indeed the gifts for Jack. In this way he will never lose time searching for the right gifts and Jack will always get exactly what he wanted or what he really needed.
C. If someone else as the rightfull owner will look or grab in the sack, then he will see nothing or just find unusable junk. Unless the Owner has given permission
D. The bag does not get heavier, no matter how much is in it.

And Santa only needs one large bag per trip. As soon as Santa has departed with his sleigh, the elves quickly and meticulously pack the other large bag and then place it in the second sleigh with the second reindeer team, so everything is ready for Santa when he returns from his trip. Meanwhile, the first reindeer team is cared for and goes to rest. Santa lands, transfers to the full sleigh, and off he goes again. The elves then fill the first large bag again. It goes into the third sleigh with the third reindeer-team. Now the second reindeer team is cared for and also goes to rest. And then it's the first sleigh with the first reindeer team's turn again, while the third reindeer team goes to rest. This continues throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve until Santa has delivered the presents in all time zones. While the two large bags are used alternately, each reindeer team has one round of work and two rounds of breaks.

That why Sant has that third smaller sack (See question 134). He takes only carries the presents for the home he's visiting from the big sack and put them in the small sack. It wokt like this he put his hand in the big sack, and then moves his hand to and in the small sack, and all the needed present follow, they stay in the sack when he pull his hand out. And away he is, in and through the chimney. It´s just seconden werk.

Yes ! You can and may write letters to Santa!
Writing letters to Santa Claus has become an integral part of the holiday traditions worldwide.
There are lots of storys about how these letters do reach the Northpole.
For example:
- In Scandinavia children who write a letter to Santa or the Yuleman or Joulepuki, throw their letters in the fire, and the smoke will carry it's message to the North pole, they believe.
- British children typically write to Father Christmas. Many place their letters by the fireplace, hoping the wind carries them up the chimney to the North Pole.
- In France they write to Père Noël.
- In Mexico and other Latin American countries, children often write not just to Santa, but also to El Niño Dios (Baby Jesus) or the Three Kings (los Reyes) . Letters are sometimes placed inside shoes, awaiting gifts on January 6th during Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day).
- In Germany and Austria, December 6th is celebrated as Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day). Children leave boots outside their doors filled with treats and sometimes write notes to Saint Nicholas himself.

But have you ever wondered where this practice originated? The roots of writing to Santa can be traced back to European folklore, specifically to 16th-century Dutch and Belgian cultures.
In the Netherlands, children would leave their shoes by the fireplace on December 5th, St. Nicholas' Eve, with a note for Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) asking for gifts or telling stories of their year. This tradition was brought to America by early Dutch settlers, where it merged with other European influences.
You see there is a similairity between the British and the Scandinavion storys and what happend in the Netherland.
The difference is that the Dutch children did (and do) know that St. Nicholas did (and does) have a lot of helpers called Peterman (Pete), and those helpers did collected those letters from those shoes and brought them to Sint Nicholas. So, no burning nosmoke and no wind, and all the risks off that.
Nowadays the children may set there shoes as soon as St. Nicholas does arrive in the Netherlands on the first Saturday aftar St. Martin (St. Martin = nov. 11th). That National Arrivel is show on National TV! So there is more time for the Petes to collect those letters and to select the wanted present and wrap it.

Over time, this custom evolved into writing letters to Santa Claus as we know it today.
Because Santa has his Elves and Gnomes friends in or nearby your houses, it´s them that take care for transporting the letters to Santa.

Allthough you still can put your letter close to the Chimney where Santa's helpers will collect them (See question 136), you may also Post them. Because contrary with old times where there was no postal service, so you could not post them, we do have very much reliable Postal Services today. This has made the work of Santa's Elves and gnomes also easier, because they can send the letters they collect, by a postal service now.
So yes, you can and may post them. In fact, today, writing to Santa has become a beloved holiday activity for millions worldwide.
 

Because later most homes had no fireplace or stove anymore (central heating system) the parents started to sent these letters over the post. It was also around this time that it became known that Santa in december did live at the North Pole, so the letters were adressed to "Santa Claus, c/o Northpole".
Unfortunately, some letters got lost that way. In many Post offices it was not known in which country that "Northpole" should lie. And so letters were sometimes delivered on the most strange places. And sometimes they were not delivered at all or they did came years later. This is why some people are affraid that not Letters and wishlists will not reach Santa.
But nowadays is that better regulated, in many countries there are postal services which enable the children to send letters to Santa Claus. This Post services have a special postal address created for the letters send to Santa Claus. Now in those countries the Elves only have to visit 1 address (post office) to collect the letters. This does save a whole lot of trouble and in those countries there never gets a letter lost anymore and those letters are therefore also never too late in Santa's office.
So yes all letters and wishlists do reach the Elf-postoffice on the North Pole.

No, Santa does not read all off them in person. But all letters and wishlists are read by the Post-office-Elves, if it's a very normal letter or a wishlist with normal wishes then the Elves take care of it and handle the case themself, if it's a letter that needs special treatment or special attention then the Elves put it on Santa's desk, so Sant will read and handle it. Those letters and wishlist he does indeed read all of them.

That takes a lot of his time when he´'s not designing or making toys. He has gotten pretty good at speed reading. If he really tries, he can read 100 letters every minute. And, he has lots of elves that are assigned to the North Pole Post Office that make shorter versions of some of the longer letters, before he reads them.

He did learn that from Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas), who used a book. But Santa was working with a list at that time, because that was big enough to hold all the names and rolled-up it was easier to take with him.Later, it was easy to keep track of everything in a large book and then, when visiting the children, take a list with only the names of the children he's visiting.
That's why he received a real (empty) Naughty and Nice Book from Sinterklaas for one of his birthdays, and now the Gnomes make several new Naughty and Nice Books for him every year, although he still uses Naughty and Nice lists (for example, when visiting children).

We did remove the names that were on the lists for privacy reasons, and on 2 pictures we did ad random names just as an example.
     

he first Naughty and Nice list is ages old. After that, a new one came out every year. So some are very old and others are brand new. When Santa Claus did start to use not only a list, but to use also a Naughty and Nice book, is not public knowledge. Yes, Santa Claus does know it and else he could read it in the first Naughty and Nice Book. But his opinion is that we do not need to know it. And to be honest, he is right. What he did want to tell us is: In the early years he could do a couple of years with one Naughty and Nice Book. But because more and more people do send their wishes to him, and because things in the world do change much quicker now as they did before (People moving to other homes or places, naughty children became nice or nice kids did naughty things a.s.o., the list and the Large Book had to be altered to much and to often. It started to look like shoddy work and Santa does not like shoddy work. That is why he did start to use a new Naughty and NiceList and later a new Naughty and Nice Book every year. And now he has even more as 1 Naughty and Nice book in one Year, because today he has 1 book for every country.
Nowadays the Naughty and Nice Book has many new volumes every year. There is, for example, 1 Volume for each State in the USA, 1 for the Netherlands, 1 for Japan, etc. Each volume will only be used for 1 year (1 year old?), then comes a new one and the old one goes to the archive of Santa Claus, where Santa can still read them if he wants to.
   

First of all, please know this. Every child is nice some of the time and naughty some of the time. Santa knows that and will take that in consideration when he makes his list. Every one gets a second chance!
As we told before, Santa get help from millions of elves and gnomes all over the world.
The majority of the Elves and Gnomes live in places spread over the whole world. The Elves mostly do live in the old Forrests, Woods, Farm barns and Parks or near Parks (like the elves on the shelfs), where they care for the animals and the trees. The Gnomes mostly live hidden in our houses, our gardens, gardensheds, schools and offices.
These elves and gnomes are everywhere watching kids and growen-ups at home and when they´re out and about. Whether it´s your Elf on the shelf or a gnoom that is hiding at the Malll, they all report back to Santa at the North Pole before Christmas arrives. These elves and gnomes help Santa to keep his naughty and nice list up-to-date during the holiday season. But elves and gnomes aren´t the only ones that help Santa know if you´ve been good all year. Parents, teachers, coaches, policemen, postmen, bus drivers, and babysitters, many of them report back to Santa or an elf or a gnoom throughout the year too.
This information is checked by the Gnomes and Elves on the Northpole and then processed into very long Naugthy and Nice lists. And after his checking (twice!!) of all these lists Santa does make the judgement: Naughty or Nice. And put the Info in one of his Naughty or Nice Books.
Should that worry you? Well that´s up to you, everyone gets chances to turn things around. Christmas is all about kindness and second chances!
Besides this Santa has a few tricks to see if the kid he talking to is naughty or nice. Many times, all he must do is look in their eyes and the he can tell if they are nice at that moment. And there is something with there hands with gives him an indication. He would not tell us, but he said sometimes I do show a kid how that works.
But remember said Santa: Even the naughty children can have nice things about them.
It can happen that Santa does look in the eyes of a kid that it was on the naughty list, and after Santa looked hem in the eyes and talked to the kid, that Santa does put the kid on the nice list straight away!

No! Santa Claus does know a great lot, but not really, really everthing. Knowing everything is something only God does and Santa Claus is and was always just a human.
But Santa sees, hears and read a lot and the same goes for his Elves and Gnomes. Whether it is on television, for the radio, or in the newspapers or in a letter somebody did send to Santa Claus. Everything is read, heard and judged. The things they find important, wil be noted in the Naughty and Nice Books. So, even when not everything is noted in the Naughty and Nice Books, there still is a very great lot of info in those Books.
So Santa will always know which children have been naughty and which have been nice. And hes knows and the gifts you'd like this Christmas. After all, it's his job!
But that doesn't mean he knows everything about you, your family a.s.o.
Santa said: "I am not a watchdog HO HO HO."

Yeah sure they can, if their parents approve it.

Every year I meet some Jewish children, and they say, "Santa Claus, I'm not Christian - I'm Jewish." And I say, 'Well, you know, I'm Santa Claus for everybody, no matter what they celebrate". So when they want me to visite them ten I do that and often we sing then the Chanuka Candles song or the "Dreidel" song.

Buddhist do also decorate trees, albeit for a different occasion-Bodhi Day. This holiday, celebrated in December, marks Lord Buddha's enlightenment and the attainment of Nirvana. Buddhists adorn ficus or Bodhi trees with multicolored decorations and lights. While some Western Buddhists incorporate pine trees, it's essential to understand that this practice doesn't conflict with Buddhism's principles of acceptance and respect for other religions. So when I visite Buddhist we talk about acceptance and respect for other religions. And about taking care of the needed.

Even though Islam does not consider Christmas as the day of Prophet Isa´s birth, it does not have a problem with celebrating this day.
When they are Moslims, I give them a moslim greating and say "Salem Alaikum" and we talk about the importance of beneficial causes.

The important thing is, they don't have to believe in Christmas or in me. My job isn´t making them to believe. My job is to bring joy.
But I hope that I can show them that we need respect each other and work together to make a better world for all of us.

Because he is very much loves children and likes to spoil them once a year will, and he is very pleased to see their cheerful faces. And isn't it delicious to be able to give things away?
And to be honest, comparing with Santa´s age the growen-ups are also children HOHOHO

The one thing I have found as Santa Claus is that children love to laugh and play. It does my heart good to see them doing just that. I don't think I could ever stop delivering toys, at least not until one of my children became Santa after I retired. I probably would still work in the toy making line then, though.

It used to be that there were not so many children and not so many different kinds of toys. Nowadays, we have computers to help us remember who gets what. And, if we can't find it, we bring them something special that we know they will love, even if it wasn't what they asked for.

Sometimes, Santa's elves run out of wrapping paper, so Santa has to use paper at our house. OR your Mommy gives Santa special wrapping paper to use just for you. That way, she knows exactly which present belong to you when Santa or an elf forgot to put a name on it.
Sometime your mom´ do write the names also on those wrapppapers already.

Santa does different things for different kids to make them feel special. If you would like Santa to do something special for you, tell your parents or your Elf. You may just see a special surprise waiting for you on Christmas morning!

There is a limit to how much toys and presents Santa can bring, because there are limits on how many things the elves and gnomes can make. Luckely there are many big concerns, rich people and many more people who donate presents to Santa. Now Santa Claus prefers to give small fun gifts (e.g. toys) or things that the child really needs (e.g. a pullover) or things he finds very learnfull for that kid. But sometimes there are rich parents or grandparents who feel that their child (grandchild) has deserved a big present. They buy it themselves and they are asking Santa if he who would wrap it in, and than put it in the sock or under the Christmas tree. Or they leave it already wrapped somewhere by there home so Santa can pick it up and deliver it to the house. (sometimes they put it under the tree themselves.
Usually Santa is willing to do so, but he finds that they than also have to buy some presents for poor children so that he can bring something more to those children also.
Sometimes there a groups of people (like the Salvation Army, churchgroups and more) who donate presents for the poor kids in their neighbourhood. They buy (or make) them, leave them on a special place and Santa picks them up and bring thes the those kids.
So now you know, that those expensive gifts are bought by the parents or grandparents! Or by some great organistions
That is why some kids get more presents or more expensive presents then others.

There is a very good reasons that Santa does bring the children in those countries no expensive toys. For example, those kids can do nothing with an electric rail train, if there is no electricity at all in their whole village!!
The second reason is that Santa likes to give things that are needed. For example, a waterpump for the whole village he does find more important there, then toys for a few children.
But if Santa would have a waterpump to give to such a village (We have said before that Santa is not rich, so he has to get stings through sponsorship), then he will really not wait until Christmas to bring him, but he does arrange that pump will be there as soon as possible. So even when it seems the get less presents on Christmas, fact is they did get a lot of necessary presents earlier in the year. Because these things are very strong needed there.
Very often Sant does arrange it so, that some rich families together buy the Pump (as extra gift for Santa's help with their big presents, and that another family is paying for the shipment of the pump.

Do the kids there then get no toys? Sure they get toys, but they get the simple toys that they ask for, rich children do often no longer recognize these things as toys anymore. They would quickly call that clutter and ask themself what they should with it.
Long time ago, the children in our culture used to be very pleased with and very proud of their new wooden clappers (kind of musical instrument), now they would be wondering "what am I supposed to do with those 2 pieces of wood?"
So the kids in Africa really get gifts from Santa and also gifts where they really really happy with.

Sometimes Santa does think that what you did ask would not be the best gift for you, then he does give you something of which you, after a while, would have a lot more fun or a lot more use for then the present you aksed for.
So no. Sometimes you do niet get wa=hat you asked for. But he always makes sure to bring something that will bring joy, even if it's not exactly what you asked for.

Santa don´t like to say this, but he does not understand why the parents did purchase that item. Because of the magic of the Christmas Bag, he could never give that because it would never come out of his Christmas Bag.
He would tell the HouseGnome to leave small notes everywhere for parents to find, in which he give the sugestion to exchange the gift in at the store where they bought it. Usually this helps. He would laugh if some smart kids leave such note themselves. HO HO HO.
Therefore parents may never say to the child that Santa would be sad if the child wants to exchange it, infact it would make Santa really sad if it did not get exchanged.

If that child was before Christmas Eve all really very, very naughty and and in the meanwhile does has no regrets or had no regrets, then Santa would not even come to bring him presents. If the child was naughty was just before Santa's arrival, then Santa would talk to his parents about why it did happen, if it turns out that he was sorry and that he did promise never to do it again, then he still gets his presents. A Child that recrets that is was naughty, gets a place on Santa's Nice-list.
But if he was Naughty and does not regret it, then Santa goes away again without giving him any present.

Santa likes to provide that what the child needs or what the child wants (if that is possible). For example: A baby does not need to have 10 toys and not at all 10 booklets, so for a baby it would be 1 or 2 toys, a booklet and lots of clothes, but with an older child is that guite different than. Santa does really judge each situation on its own values. So there is no comprehensive standard answer to this question.

Santa does love most the toys that fits to the child, that stimulates the child in its development, and that preferably contributes something to the standards and values of the child. If that then are wooden toys or computer-controlled toys, does depend on what fits the child the best.

Be honest with them, Hold them clearly back if they want to do something that should not be done or cannot be done, but above all, reward them, give them a compliment if they do something good. Positive stimulation is better if negative stimulation. And give them the space to make their own minor mistakes every now and then, sometimes they learn more from their own mistakes, then from a warning for those glitches. And do not say afterwards: "I did already told you so". That works negatively and damages their confidence (as of: I surely can do anything right), but be ready, after they realize that it was a mistake, with help and encouragement to repair the damage, or to do it over again etc. That teaches them that you also can repair a mistake, and therfore this is good for their confidence, they learn that they can rely on their parents, so they feel safer and more comfortable with their parents and they will learn also that parents sometimes can say on forehand if something is good or not. That means they come sooner asking advice by difficult questions, and that in turn means that they are going to make less mistakes. And that is exactly what parents want to achieve or is it not? And in this way you achive it without coercion.

Santa Claus comes in December because the Advent and the Christmas season are in December.
After the Christmas season Santa Claus does first some relaxation. The rest of the year is Santa Claus taking care of the reindeer, taking his herd to the tundra's where they can wander from reindeermeadow to reindeer, those pastures are everywhere along the Arctic circle in Lapland.
He does also regularly check the presents that the Gnomes have been made in the meantime.
And of course he must check out the nice and naughty lists, which the Elves already made for him. There are many small children but also some adult on this list. And the info about them can change from day to day.
And he is always a couple of weeks on holiday with Mrs. Claus. Often Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) will visit them there. Santa would not tell us where they are going on their Holidays.
He also visits his own familie (Brothers, sisters a.s.o.) and all the other santa's second cousins. Also he does occasionally visit Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) to drink a cup of coffee together and to have a little chat.

For centuries a shoe or a sock was used to to receive special gifts in. And because every child had his or her own sock (Poor children often had no shoes or only wooden ones), the Elves could never be mistaken with handing out the gifts.
Because people often got wet feet in the winters of the past, the socks were hung near the fire to dry.

Because people often receive more and larger gifts these days, they're increasingly being placed under the Christmas tree, as more can fit under it than in the socks. It also happens that a small gift is placed in the socks, leaving the rest under the tree.

No!
First of all, because he doesn´t bring presents to naughty people.
Second, because many people in other countries don´'t want to celebrate Christmas (like in North Korea, Afghanistan, Algeria, Saudia Arabia and others), he can skip those countries.
Third, People celebrate it on another day (in the Netherlands ,Belgium ,Great Brittain, Germany, Northern France Austira, Swiss they do it on Dec 5 or 6) (and in Russia, Greece, Isreal and Egypt they celebrate it in January), or they celebrate another giftsbringing festival on another day.
So that´s all in all about 30 countries that he can skip on Christmas Eve.

In the answer on question 172 we already explained that Santa does not have to viste all the children.
Besides that Santa like to say:"Time works a little differently on the North Pole. On Christmas Eve we on the Northpole have all the time of the world. With my sleigh, flying reindeer, and a sprinkle of North Pole magic, I can visit every good boy and girl before morning." Wich is true, but a little bit different then you would think.

To find the answer, you need to take 4 things into consideration:
A. The world-time is divided in 24 different time zones with a time that differs 1 hour in each zone. So 24 zone = 24 hour, that is a day and a night exactly the time the earth needs for 1 total turn. REMEMBER THAT!.
These time zones stretch from the Northpole to The South Pole. So all times come together on the Norhtpole and on the South Pole, you could say all times are present on the Norht Pole, or as Santa said: We have all the time of the world on the North Pole. Same goes for the South Pole.

We know Santa does start each trip on the North Pole. And the Northpole is one of the only two places on Earth where all time zones converge and that therefore are present in each time zone. So changing the time zone on the North Pole (or on the South Pole), would Santa cost less then a second, and if he does change them in the direction following the rotation of the Earth then that gives him with each timezone-change an hour extra time. Say he starts a Time zone at 17.00 hours and switch zones at 18.00 hours then in the new timezone it's 17.00 hours again. So the timezones help due to the time displacement, it gives him more time to bring all the gifts in one night. To be precise, measuring by out time he then does have almost 2 evenings and 2 nights (he can½lt do every time zone in 1 hour).... This is because The Earth½s tilt and all the different time zones around the world means that Christmas morning arrives at different times across the earth. When kids are getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve in New York, children in China have already opened their presents. It takes the evening and the night 24 hour to go round the world... So he first delivers the packets in the time zones on one side of the world (where it is dark) and afterwards in the time zones on the other side of the world where it is nighttime then, so he don't have just the 12 hours of one evening and 1 night to do it all. You understand? He has something between 36 and 49 hours ! That is the time magic of the North- and Southpole.
In the answer one one of the first questions (063.) we told you that there was another reasons why Santa in December does live on (near by) the Northpole. Well, this is thus the other reason why Santa in december (and so on Christmas Eve) does live at the North Pole. So he can use this Timezone effect.

B. So as we all know, is a straight line the shortest path between 2 points. That is why Santa travels not just randomly from place to place (the one in the East, the next in the West, then a in the South and then again in the West etc), but he plans his route from the Northpole all the time North to South (and from South to North as he passed the South Pole). He does remain in 1 time zone until he is on the South Pole (which is the second place on the Earth that is in all time zones). There he goes to the next time zone (think of the hour time savings) and takes in that timezone the route to the North, to the North Pole.
At the North Pole awaits him than a new equipped team of strong and lightning-fast reindeer and a new sleigh with a sack full of presents, he moves to the other sleigh and chooses the next timezone (hour profit!) and then it goes again in full speed southward. And so it goes for nearly 24 hours.

C. And on these trips Santa does not visit all children personally, for many children he does not necessarily have to come in, because they know that they would be in sleep anyway and that they therefore not would notice him. There it is sufficient enough if he just throws the packets through the chimney. Inside the house the House kobold will ensures that they do come on the right place(s) (And else the Elf-magic will take care of that). Not visiting the children in person, but just throwing the presents in the chimney saves also a lot of time.

D. And yes, thanks to the magic flyingpowder the rendieren can fly faster as the soundspeed, and that helps also of course.

All Elves and Gnomes all over the world help Santa, so also the Gnome(s) that lives hidden in your house or in the house from one of your neighbours. He keeps Santa well informed over everythings that happen in his neighborhood, so he also reports that you are not at home and he reports straight away where you are then.
Has your father or your mother said to you that they have sent Santa a message? Well then they have that problem fixed. Then Santa dis hear it already from 2 sides.
They have said that they would send a message to Santa and now you are worried that they have forgotten it by all that hustle and bustle? Yes, that happens indeed sometimes. And now you're afraid there is no Gnome lives in your neighborhood that could give Santa the info? Well you can count on it that there is one. But imagine it's not so, then there's always a gnome near at the address where you are going to. And he did sent a message to Santa that you will be in his neighborhood. Problem fixed. And what if that Gnomes has sit sleeping? Then there are the animals near your house or near the address where you are going to. Animals do note every thing that is happening around them! And they make sure that there is a Gnome that does reports it to Santa. So which way ever, Santa does get his Info's on time!
Really, Santa says: "In all my years, there have only been a couple of times that the elves didn´t know. And that was long before we got computers to help us keep track of the children. We never failed to bring the presenst to the right place, not even when parents did want to recieve them on 2 different addresses, e.g. their own address and one address from the grandparents."

Santa has some tricks up his sleeve. Firts of all for flying they need no snow HO HO HO. So i½s only for the landing and the launching. They do just like the birds, and land on (and launch off) on a higher surface. That way they are almost always straight in the air. No problems that the sleigh won½t slide.

Oh No! He never does eat and drink all of them! Occasionally he does eat and drink a little bit of it, but most of it he takes along for the Gnomes. They are crazy for milk and cookies. Normally the Gnomes always get a cup of milk and some biscuits during their work breaks. Those cookies are baked by Mrs. Claus and a few Gnomes. But there is a special Gnomes party on Boxing Day, where Mrs. Claus herself never can bake enough cookies for, so the extra biscuits Santa does can bring are more then welcome.
The only time in the year when the Gnomes may eat as many cookies as they want is on Boxing Day. Then they have their Great Gnomes Cookie Eat Contest. There are Several Leagues, 1 for the Girls, 1 for the Boys, 1 for female adult Gnomes, 1 for male adult Gnomes, 1 for elderly female Gnomes and 1 for elderly male Gnomes. The game is to at as much cookies as you can within 15 minutes time. During this Leagues Santa is sitting in his chair on one side in the great Hall, to unpack his presents, while on the other side of the Hall the Gnomes keep the Great Gnomes Cookie Eat contest, this is a contest in which allmost all Gnomes do participate. And Santa has definitely just as much fun viewing the games as he has from unpacking his presents.
The best five eaters in every League may participate in the final round. This round is not on time but one has to eat as much cookies as one can,and the number of cookies eaten in their leagues do also count. The one who did eat the most cookies overall is the winner of the contest and does get the title 'Great Cookie Eater of the Year' and a medal with that text on a long goldcoloured ribbon, and he does proudly wear it all year long ...
So therefore are all cookies the children do leave for Santa are very welcome, and the milk is needed to flush away all those cookies during the eating, so that is also very welcome. It actually doesn't matter the Gnomes very much what kind of cookies they are, they really like all kinds of cookies, but we can confirm that cookies with chocolate are favorite!
Most Elves don't like cookies very much, they prefer things like honey and blackberries, in fact Santa does also. And the reindeer may not have these cookies, that's not good for their stomachs, They would rather have something like a carrot.
So now you know what happens with the cookies and you learned what you can leave for the Elves and/or the reindeer.

That are a lot of questions which we will answer here one by one, because it is a bit of every thing and more.

Ho ho ho! Don't you worry -No problem! The chimney is to small? Then he uses the same solution as he does use when there is no chimney. It´s as easy as that! HO HO HO! Because if there´'s no chimney, he always does finds a way to get inside! Check the question about No Chimney.

Another great question. A rotund man sliding down a tiny narrow space? Just thinking about this makes me claustrophobic. Still I love this question and I love to answer it , because it´s such a funny story. It is a well loved anecdote form our family history. It did happen very rarely in the days that there was no other way to enter the homes. If I recall it well that Santa (my Grand-grand-grand-grandfather) did slip out his coat, and so much smaller now, he got out the chimney, left the presents bij the fireplace, collected his coat from the chimney and opened the door from the inside, pulled on his coat and simply walked out the door. Now isn´t that a Magical story? I call it even magnificent HO HO HO!

Just write to one of the adresses on the bottom of this page, and an Elf will contact you. They wil ask info over how much presents, what for presents and then arrange transport for the presents. We can transport them faster then you can, and it will bring no costs for you.

Yes, he and mrs. Claus do get a lot of Chritmascards from all over the world. They have a wall full of them in the gnomes coffeeroom.

       

Yes, and that are more and more lately.

Children always want to see Santa´s sleigh when he makes visit somewhere.
If that is a couple of days before Christmas eve, he explains that the reindeer can´t fly that much, because it is not Christmas Eve yet, so they are still at the North Pole.
If it is the day Before Christmas Eve Day or on Christmas Eve day itself, he explains that he don´t want to tire the reindeer out, they have to rest so are in their Stables at the North Pole,
If it is (on very rare occasions) on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning then he tells them the Truth. They are on a hidden place nearby so that he can go on with his trip to deliver the presents. They are hidden because People are not supposed to see them on Christmas Eve and Morning, that takes the magic of surprise away.

No he can not, he has no power over life or dead!
There are limits to what even Santa can do.
He can only remind them that their loved ones are looking down on them from heaven, and that their family and friends are here for them as well.

Santa is for clean technology (actually a sleigh is a very simple form of clean technology, or not?), so Santa is for technology that is not harmful to the environment and he finds that it is this time to work on that.
Santa sure is against technology that is harmful to the environment.

He is very disappointed that he did get a question like this one. Why couldn't this child or why did this child not dare, to ask his/her parents or teacher this? Why didn't they make him/her feel save to come with this (or similar problems) to come to them.
Each child has the right to feel save. And the right that parents and teachers and other adults take care that he/she can feel save. He/she should not feel the need to come to Santa with such problems. It should be handle long before!!