Santa stops by the Independent Gazette to answer your questions, kids!

3 December 2013By Blitzen

Veronica Golumbeski, Age 3 ½, Throop
Favorite thing: reading books
Questions for Santa: “Do you have to use a chimney? We don’t have one! I want to know what is your favorite food? How will you know the toys I want, because I don’t like to sit on your lap?”
Answers: “Well, Veronica, don’t worry about not having a chimney. A lot of kids don’t have chimneys at their houses, so I bring my two fastest, most quiet Elves to quickly build a chimney at each house without one. Once I use it to go down and up, they take it apart and load the bricks back into the sleigh, lickety split! My favorite food is broccoli with sprinkles. I can have some fun while I get my vitamins! I know sometimes it is scary to meet me and sit on my lap, so if you just tell your Mommy or Daddy (or other kids can tell any adult family member or guardian) what toys you want, they will write me a letter and let me know.”

Graysen Hollow, Age 4, Scranton
Favorite things: his blue blankie, Spiderman, Batman, Elsa (his French Bulldog), and Ashie (his cat)
Questions for Santa: “Why is Santa in the North Pole right now? Is Natalie [Grayson’s “Elf on a Shelf”] coming? Will Santa leave me toys for making good choices? Are you coming to Mommy’s house on Christmas?”
Answers: “Graysen, I am in the North Pole right now because I am busy finishing my list of good boys and girls, and helping the Elves wrap toys. Natalie lives with me and her Elf family, but will be coming to your house very soon to spend time with you and report to me when you make good choices. I’ve noticed that you made many good choices this year and were very nice to others, so you are on my list of good boys and will be getting lots of toys when I visit your Mommy’s house on Christmas Eve while you’re asleep. Please leave me some of Mommy’s Greek spanakopita to eat, yum!”

Sophie Hosey, Age 5, Swoyersville
Favorite thing: “Sofia the First” vanity
Questions for Santa: “What’s Santa’s favorite food? How does the reindeers fly? Does the elves get tired from making the toys?”
Answers: “Sophie, while broccoli with sprinkles is my very favorite, I also love to eat spaghetti with M&Ms. Mrs. Claus sprinkles some pixie dust into the reindeer’s cookies before our flight. It gives them that extra magic to help them take off. The Elves never get bored of making toys, but they do get tired after a long day. Then Mrs. Claus and I give them extra-cozy pajamas, and tuck them into soft beds in warm rooms that smell like apple pie. In the morning, they get to sleep late and watch cartoons before going back to work, and then they aren’t tired anymore.”

Dylan Zielinski (with his rescue dog, Brad Pit), Age 4, Wilkes-Barre
Favorite things: hugs and iced tea
Questions for Santa: “Santa bring snowman and watch Teenage [Mutant Ninja] Turtles wif dylan? Do you want pizza santa? Santa, when you comin’ . . . tomorrow?”
Answers: “Well, Dylan, I would love to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with you, they’re my favorites, but unfortunately, I am too busy getting things ready for Christmas to watch TV. I’m not coming to your house tomorrow, but it will be there very soon—I promise—and when I get there, I would love it if you would leave me some delicious pizza, mmmm! Say hello to your dog Brad Pit for me, since you are both on Santa’s list of good boys.”

Olivia Thomas, Age 3, Scranton
Favorite thing: riding on the choo choo train with Grammy
Questions for Santa: “Have I been a good girl and Emma [Olivia’s sister] too? How do you make the toys? How do Santa reindeer go fast? What is your favorite cookie?”
Answers: “I looked on my list of good girls, and you, Olivia, and Emma, too, are both on it! I don’t make the toys because my hands are too big and clumsy, but I have thousands of very fast toymaker Elves with tiny hands, who work for me to make all the presents for boys and girls. Up in the air, the more children who believe in Santa, the faster the reindeer can fly. But, I also feed the reindeer caramel apples during our flight, to help keep their energy up. Of all the cookies, my favorite are gingerbread men.”

Mikey Jackson, Age 4, Scranton
Favorite things: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Question for Santa: “What is your favorite kind of milk?”
Answer: “Mikey, my very favorite kind is chocolate milk, but Mrs. Claus says all the sugar in it is not good for my teeth or the size of my belly when I’m drinking so many glasses on Christmas Eve, so she’s made me switch to skim milk.”

Molly Rose Price, Age 10, Kingston
Favorite thing: animals
Questions for Santa: “How does mail actually get to the North Pole? How do reindeer fly? How does Santa get into a house with no chimney?”
Answers: “Well, Molly Rose, letters get mailed to me either by children or their parents or adult guardians, and go very, very far in mail trucks and then airplanes towards the North Pole until it gets too cold for the planes to fly. Then the airplanes will drop packages with all the letters in them onto the snow, and Rudolph and my mail Elf, Gerard, will go pick up the packages and bring them to my house. As for your other questions, please read the answers I gave to Sophie and to Veronica. Thank you for being such a good girl this year!”

Aiden Martelli, Age 9, Scranton
Favorite thing: books
Questions for Santa: “What is your favorite color? Are you Italian? Can you bring me something special for Christmas like getting my whole family together?”
Answers: “My favorite color is red, but not just because I wear it. I fell in love with the color once I saw Rudolph’s nose. Honestly Aiden, it’s been so long since I was anywhere but the North Pole that I just consider myself a citizen of the Earth rather than of any one country. Although it might be hard to be missing a few people on Christmas, I can’t actually force people to do things, as much as I may want to. Just remember that your family members are thinking of you just like you’re thinking of them, and that you’re all together in your hearts. That being said, I’ll still whisper some hints into your family’s ears to see if we can’t get many of them together for you.”

Gabriel Martelli, Age 12, Scranton
Favorite thing: playing with yo-yos
Questions for Santa: “Who was your first reindeer? What is your license plate and does it expire? Does your sled have to pass inspection? Do you treat Mrs. Claus like a fair maiden?”
Answers: “Gabe, my first reindeer was Cupid! I named him that because I fell in love with reindeer right then and there. My license plate reads 2COOL4U, because it’s mighty chilly at the North Pole. It’s a special plate that never expires. I don’t have to take my sled anywhere to get it inspected, but the Elves look it over from top to bottom a week before my yearly flight. Not only is she the love of my life, but Mrs. Claus does so much to help me prepare for Christmas that it’s only fair that I treat her like gold for the rest of the year.”