Eudora first graders wanted to know the hard-hitting questions about the inner workings of Santa’s delivery process, his elves and most importantly – his favorite cookie. 

We arranged for our friends at St. Nick Services to help us get in touch with Santa so we could get the answers from the man himself.

How old are you? – Landry, Titus, Jacob

That’s a very good question. You know, I don’t remember when I was born. Do you guys remember when you were born? But the elves who are very good with numbers tell me that I’m 483, I think.

Sometimes they give me different answers depending on which elf I ask, but regardless, I’ve been around a long time, and I have enjoyed every minute of it helping children and parents all around the world.

How old are the elves? – Macee

Well, the elves – there are so many of them – they go from just being newly born last week to the most ancient and honored elder, It’s well over 100. It just depends. They don’t age as fast as we do as humans, and none of us have our North Pole age the same way that you do outside of the North Pole area.

How many elves do you have? – Preston G.

Well, first, I need to correct – I don’t have them. They’re called Santa’s elves and they choose to work with us here at the North Pole, but they’re wonderful, free, independent spirits who can do as they choose to do and here we have a whole elf village.

It’s actually pretty much the whole North Pole town, and there are hundreds and hundreds, I would say thousands – I have never done a census – it isn’t necessary. There’s elves that are doctors, there’s elves who are technicians, there’s elves who make clothing, there’s elves who help clean and prepare foods and do a little bit of everything just like in your town. So we have lots.

How do you find the elves? – Mia C.

Well, they found me. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, they found me and we mutually decided to work together. I think they made the bigger choice and I was smart enough to agree.

Do the elves make the presents? – Jaxson B., Bryce S.

Mostly they do. There are a few things that we acquire from other sources, and sometimes we have to work with companies to be able to create things that they have the exclusive patterns to or exclusive ideas to, but mostly the elves make the toys.

Do your elves fly? – Weston S.

Only when they’re training with our reindeer or riding in the sleigh with me. Individually, they don’t fly.

Could someone come to the North Pole? – Maris P.

Could is a very strong word. I suppose it’s possible as almost anything is possible. But it’s highly unlikely and it’s not something that happens very often that I can remember.

Will I get my presents? – Colin B., Luke W. , David B., Tucker F.

That’s an excellent question, and I certainly intend for you to get your presents. But that depends a lot on you as much as it depends on me. Have you been behaving well all year long? Are you doing even better now? Have you sent me a message: either a letter or an electronic communication or something through one of our traveling elves that lets me know what you want?

Now on the other side, if you’re worried will I be able to find you, of course I can find you. That’s part of the Christmas magic. I know that in your area, you’re in Kansas right? In your area, a lot of people won’t be at their home for Christmas. They’re planning on going to another part of the United States, like Arizona for some kind of football game I believe. But I’ll be able to find children there as well.

Do you watch me when my elf is here? – Madi H.

Well, it depends on your definition of watch. I try to observe behaviors everywhere I can, but it’s not like I have a camera pointed at you at all times. It’s more I know how you’re behaving through Christmas magic and if we have the traveling elves there – the program I think you call them elves on the shelves – then they’re watching and they do reports. You really can’t hide from us, but on the other hand, we’re not stalking you with a camera.

Will it snow? – Titus, Fred, Sawyer, Emme

Well, if I’m not mistaken in your area, I’ve already sent snow once this year. I control a lot of things, but I don’t control the weather worldwide. So I don’t think I can promise snow even if I wanted to, but I think it’s highly likely you’ll get a little more snow before the end of the winter. I’m just not sure I can get it there before Christmas.

How do you get in the chimney? – Jaylee, Kyndal

That’s an excellent question and a long answer. But the simple thing is, I don’t necessarily get in the chimney as much as the chimney gets around me. The magic involved includes condensing of the empty space between the molecules of the chimney’s content, the stones and other things, the bricks, you make them larger so that I can get through.

It’s physics and it’s magic, and as you guys know, many things that used to be magic have been explained by science. And I expect someday they’ll be able to explain this too, but I can’t.

How do you fly around the world in one night? – Cora, Greyson, Gentry

That’s an excellent question, and to me, it seems like longer than one night, but it is just one night. Time slows down when you’re in the Christmas magic sleigh moving forward. To me it appears when we’re doing our deliveries, that you all are moving extremely slow, and we’re moving at normal speed. But to you it would seem like we’re moving faster than the speed of light.

You can hardly even see us at all. We’re a flash or a flicker or maybe a noise, and by us moving faster, and you folks appearing to move slower, I’m able to get all over the world. And as you know and you’ve studied in school, night doesn’t happen all over the world at the same time. It moves with the sun setting around the world. So I have a little bit longer than you think to get from place to place.

Which reindeer is your favorite? – Boston T., Lincoln H., Adelyn W., Gus,

That’s like asking your parents which child is their favorite? I love all of our reindeer. I will tell you that sometimes I’m not real happy with things that they do, and sometimes I’m very happy with their behavior. But the reindeer themselves, I love them just as much as I love all of you children.

Am I going to get Hot Wheels? – Trenton

Well, we’re certainly working on it. How is your behavior coming along? How are you doing being nice and kind to others? And have you sent me that letter that you promised?

How do you use your magic? – Declan, Graesyn B.

Well, it’s not really my magic. It’s Christmas magic, and I like to believe that it’s given to me to use to do good for you and for the world. And it’s only there as long as there are people who believe and do wonderful Christmas things – that creates the Christmas magic that I use. So not really mine, but I’m happy to use it to help you all.

How do the reindeer fly? – Ava B.

Normally I answered this question by saying very, very carefully, but I’ll give you a little bit more. When the reindeer start flying, they have to already be in motion. They don’t immediately fly from a standing position. So they have to start forward, usually walk and then trot, jog, and gallop and once they reach the gallop stage, they’re at a point where the Christmas magic helps and they take off and all of a sudden their hooves they’re not touching the ground. And because they’re hitched on to the sleigh, they’re pulling the sleigh off the ground, and we’re flying.

Will you not forget my present? – Gabby K.

That’s an excellent question, and I’m not even sure exactly how it happens. But just as some of your friends are really good at remembering geographic names and capitals of states and some of you are excellent at doing math problems, and some of you can spell very well, one of the talents that have been given to me is the ability to keep people in my memory with presents and that is enhanced by all the lists and all the assistance from the elves.

Will you get me games? – Vandin R.

It’s certainly a possibility. Again, depending on if you have sent me a message, and if your behavior warrants good gifts, then I will do my best to get you games. Games are a little general. I probably won’t send you two full-grown pro football teams to play with, but very possibly could send you a game of Sorry or Monopoly or something like that.

Do you go to McDonalds? – Ryder M

It’s fairly safe to say that I go everywhere sometime. I’m always somewhere, but I can’t be everywhere all the time. I don’t normally patronize McDonald’s for food, because Mrs. Claus and the elves keep me very well fed. And my preferred diet – although Mrs. Claus is not happy about this– is cookies, as you know.

And although they have cookies at McDonald’s, I much prefer the elf cookies. McDonald’s cookies are great, but I prefer the ones we make up there. So it’s possible you might see me in McDonald’s. It’s also possible that when it’s not Christmas, I may be dressed in other clothes.

I may have shortened my beard. I may have changed my appearance. I may appear to be a different race or a different age. This is all part of the Christmas magic that lets me help people and check up on children and what they’re doing and how they’re behaving.

Did Mack see you? – Ruger R.

I am not sure what Mack saw, but if he says he saw me on Christmas Eve delivering toys. It’s fairly unlikely that that happens because of what we’ve talked about already. The speed at which I move. Very little is impossible in this world and you’ll find that out as you grow up and I hope you continue to believe that, but I don’t recall Mack seeing me. But you can see me or my helpers all over this season as they appear to take your Christmas wishes and to talk about Christmas with you.

Are you my best friend? – Tobias F.

I would like to be your best friend, but we don’t talk that often. We can be best friends long distance, I think. I’d like to think of all the children of the world as my best friends, and it’s almost as if they were my own children. We love and care for them and like to talk to them.

What food do you like? – Hudson H.

Well, other than the aforementioned cookies pretty much the same types of things you like. Although, I’m very fond of Mrs. Claus’s soups and stews. She makes some incredibly wonderfully filling things with lots of vegetables and lots of wonderful different types of spices.

What is your favorite cookie? – William P. , Jason G., Lorraine C., Everett C., Fiona R., Jacelyn B., Bennett K., Avery L.

This is a reoccurring and excellent question. And it used to be a bit of a secret but because so many children are curious, I decided to tell them the answer and it’s the truth. My favorite cookie is… all of them. Mrs. Claus says any cookie that gets in reach in my arm is in dire consequences. It is probably going to lose its life shortly as I eat it. So I love all cookies.

Could my little brother Jimmy be born? – Lila H.

First, congratulations to your whole family. This is a wonderful time for you all. Second, it is very nice and kind of you to want to meet your brother as soon as possible. And although I can help influence so many things in life, health and medicine is one that I have limited amounts of control over.

If I could, I wouldn’t want Jimmy to come a minute earlier than he should so he’s as healthy and wonderful as possible. So instead of me helping Jimmy come sooner, why don’t I help you become more patient and a better little girl so we can get you better gifts?

What do you want for Christmas? – Halle B.

Oh, that is so easy. There are so many things in the world that I would hope to help people, but all I really want is for as many people in the world as possible, to be healthy, happy and with their families in the holiday season.

Why does your snow not disappear? – Harper

Well, I assume you mean by my snow, the snow at the North Pole and the North Pole’s at a very high latitude. We’re north of the Arctic Circle, or north of the permafrost line.

Our snow banks, our snow covers stay year round, but I have to tell you it’s less thick than it used to be. We don’t have as much snow as we used to have, but it’s all in what position we’re at in the world, and if we were on the equator we’d have no snow at all.

Will Santa have 1000000000 presents? – Dallas S.

We have more than 1 million children around the world who’ve been good boys and girls and need presents so we have more than that number. We don’t actually count how many presents we make and we can barely keep track of all our wonderful kids and the list that they are on. So let’s just say we have enough presents for all the good boys and girls out there in the world, and if we didn’t, we would make more.

Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].