This Christmas season, The Reminder obtained possibly the newspaper interview of the year - an interview with Santa Claus himself. During the preparation rush ahead of his annual ride Christmas night, the jolly old elf himself sat for a conversation and answered questions asked by students from Ecole McIsaac School and Ruth Betts Community School.
The questions and answers are printed below.
“Is Mrs. Claus real?”
Philesha C., Ruth Betts
“Mrs. Claus is real. I met her about 15 years after I became Santa. We dated for a bit and when I knew she would become Mrs. Claus, I had asked her to marry me and spend the rest of her life living with me at the North Pole with the elves and reindeer. She takes great pride and joy knowing how many children we are able to make presents for.”
“How many elves are there?”
Sophie F., Ruth Betts
“I have so many elves. I have elves who not only make presents, but they also help clean up the workshop, help take care of the deer and help each other with feeding. II have tried to keep count but they love to play pranks on me - I always lose count!”
“How do reindeer fly? How do they go fast? How do they lift the sleigh?”
Maeby J., Kaleb O. and Tayler K., Ruth Betts
“I give them a special diet of alfalfa mixed with icing sugar and magic everyday. The alfalfa gives them strength to pull the big sleigh with all the present and me - the icing sugar makes them go super fast and the magic makes them fly.”
“What do you do in the summer?”
Mercedees P., Ruth Betts
“In the summer, I start to make my naughty and nice list. I will have already begun telling the elves what toys to make for Christmas. I do take a week to visit places around the world to see what new and exciting things have been made. We do our best to blend in and have nobody notice us - thank goodness for my magic!”
What shampoo do you use to clean your beard?
Mrs. Andrusiak, Ruth Betts
“I am so thankful for Amazon Prime. I can now get my special shampoo delivered to me faster. I use Tres-Noelle for men with silver treatment in gingerbread scent.”
“Where does Santa get his magic from?”
Axel, Ruth Betts
“I am magic. I was born with the Christmas spirit within me. This has allowed to me to spread joy and happiness to all the boys and girls of the world.”
“What do you do on the weekend?”
Faith, Ruth Betts
“I don’t get weekends. When I do get some downtime, I like to build snowmen with Mrs. Claus, go for sleigh rides and have snowball fights with the elves.”
“Do you play Fortnite?”
Konnor, Ruth Betts
“I have tested a lot of the toys, but I haven’t tried Fortnite yet. I will have to put it on my list. Some of the elves seem to like it. Is it any good?”
“Who is your best elf?”
Weston, Ruth Betts
“I don’t have one best elf. All my elves are very special to me. They all help make Christmas so special.”
“How do you deliver all the presents to all the kids in the world in one night?”
Emilyn, Ruth Betts
“The reindeer and I have done this for so long that we have mastered delivering presents to all the boys and girls in just one night. With the spirit of Christmas living within me and my magic, it has helped us to make sure no child is missed.”
“What is your favorite cookie?”
Cody B., Macie W. and Mikailh. B, McIsaac
“I enjoy all cookies when you lay them out for me on Christmas Eve - although I do enjoy chocolate chip cookies. Don’t forget that the reindeer need a snack too. They love it when people remember to leave out some carrots for them.”
“How do you go down my chimney? Do you go head first or feet first?”
Connor S., McIsaac
“I use my magic to slide down the chimney. I can even fit in the smallest ones. I usually land feet first and do a roll out of the fireplace - I’ve gotten really good at it, since I’ve had a lot of practice. When I go back up the chimney, I go head first, then I jump back in the sleigh and we go to the next house.”
“What is the most difficult part about managing all your elves?”
Mrs. Bowman, McIsaac
“All my elves are very good workers. They almost manage themselves. Some of them build the toys, while others look at all the newest gadgets and build them as quickly as they can. I’m very proud of all of them.”
“How can you make so many toys in one year?”
Parker M, McIsaac
“The elves are very fast workers and we prepare for months ahead of time. Whenever you see something and think, deep down, that you want to have it, the elves will find out and try to build it quickly.”
