Hey I know....

Hi!

Let me first say a big Santa hello to Lucas who is still under the weather.  I hope you feel better soon!

Second, I figured out how you can tell when I do a new posting. Scroll to the very bottom of my blog and you will find a place to subscribe. When you do, you will receive an email when a new post is published.

Third, I would like to say a big Santa hello to everyone who reads my blog! As of yesterday, I have had more people read my blog than ever before with over 545 pages viewed in four countries. AND, my blog is on five different hosting sites. It's all kind of cool when you consider that when I first started, only 45 pages were viewed for the whole year!

Fourth, "Boy did he, Boy did he..." This is a code to see if one particular person is really viewing my blogs. Only we know what this means.... We shall see?

Fifth, today starts the big push for Santa to see as many kids as possible while maintaining tip top shape. We are at T- 10 days and counting. No doubt, tomorrow will be one day to be remembered. On Tuesday some Schools get out for Christmas break, and the remaining kids get out on Thursday. Yikes!

We had a puppy come and visit me yesterday. It was a chocolate brown Springer Spaniel that was less than 8 months old. When he saw Ole' St. Nick, he was all over me! He was in my face, trying to find something under my beard, and it wanting to wash my face extra super clean. And yes, he still had strong puppy breath. Really cute!

I found out that the mall is having a puppy adoption day next weekend and guess who is getting ready to have some pictures taken together? That would be me! Too bad it falls on December 22 - the busiest weekend of the season.

Here's Lori hard at work "power thinking."

A beautiful young fan.

This Marine is telling Santa that his long-term girlfriend just broke up with him. He asked Santa if he was ever going to fall in love again. Santa tried to encouraged him saying,

"Certainly! You still have lots of years ahead of you."

Success! Her 1st time coming to sit on Santa's lap without crying.

This girl's brother refused to see Santa.

So...she is showing him "how it's done" and how easy it really is.

Here's the fact of the day: The popular story, "Twas the night before Christmas" was written by Clement Moore in the small town of Troy, New York.

Sweet dreams,

   Santa

Only Twelve Days til Christmas!

Hey there!

I am happy to report all is well. Elf John plowed the sled's take off and landing strip, and even watered the community Pianos! He's such a good Elf.





This is a picture of me in action giving the official Santa tickle, while Mom was saying, "Get him, Santa!"

This little boy had no problems telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas,

but he would not get in Santa's lap.

This little boy was more curious about what present he was going to get from Santa's sleigh, then saying "Hi" to Santa.

Taking advantage of a quiet moment...just kidding!

 I was "Power Thinking!"

These guys were hard to get corralled, 

but we did it!

It seems like every year someone asks me about the Twelve Days of Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas has nothing to do with a "count down" to Christmas Day! It's about the 12 days after Christmas. Christmas Day itself (December 25) ushers in twelve days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany. I hope this clears it up once and for all.

Santa does not know what's going on, but lately he has become "Encyclopedia Santa" or "The Red Suited Google." A lot of factoid questions are flying my direction. I will share some of them over my next few blogs.

Hope you have an excellent night!

   Santa

P.S. I hope you feel better soon, Lucas!

And Another One Bites the Dust...

Hey there!







This young lady is a vulnerable adult who has come to see me four times now with her mom, and we talk about the toys she wants on her list.

This is a special needs boy who is wearing my "Magic Santa Hat." There's a little button in the back that the photographer can push to make the hat's tassel  wiggle. After pictures were done the boy ran to the photographer, grabbed the hat, and came back!

Before this young 4th grade man sat down with me, his parents slipped me a note written by the boy's teacher. Apparently, he is in big trouble at school because of his foul mouth and being a bully. The parents know that he still believes in Santa, so Santa was asked to have a serious talk with him. I was asked to tell him that if he does not shape up by Christmas, he is not going to get anything he's asked for on his Christmas list.

So....this young man came up to see me and I whispered in his ear that Santa has heard how he has been behaving at school. I asked him, "Is it true?" He said, "Yes." with panic in his face! I then explained that he needs to be a good boy in order for Santa to bring him some gifts. He responded, "I will try and I'm real sorry you found out about this."

It has come to my attention that there are some people who do not know about my Elves on the Shelf. Here's a quick lesson: Google it! And watch the video. lol

If you don't know how to Google (yet somehow can read my blog) there's a movie coming out shortly that you can go see as well. ;o)

Happy trails,
   Santa

OK, who left the sprinklers on?

Hello my soggy friends,

Left me first say I expected Ohio weather to be diffrent than what I am experiencing. The weather from the start of the season has been just plain yucky! It has rained all or part of every day I have been here.  Tonight we have thunderstorms (but it has rained all day). I mean it's great if your a DUCK!, but come on, Santa does NOT have feathers! Let Santa think a bit........Yep, it has only been 24 days so far and I am wondering if I need to get a boat or something?

There is one good thing about rain; you usually don't have to shove it. I hear back home we are looking at 12 inches in the past 24 hours. Hey is there something going on with the #24???  I had better get the weather Elf on this right away......Oh, Burrrtt!






You can't get cuter than this! What a GREAT way to start the day!

This little girl wanted a picture with Santa, but she is literally shaking

while she was sitting on my lap. She was really super scared. Poor thing! But she didn't cry!!

These two little sisters were both complaining (and bragging) about their Elf on the Shelf - "Elf-fred." He has been hiding in their dresser drawer, and when they opened up the drawer and saw him there, it scared them!

This young lady broke her little wing and asked for Santa's autograph!

Do you remember this little girl? She's the one who would give Santa a "high 5" but not get any closer. Today they tried again...and we did get a little closer. She gave Santa a kiss, by kissing her hand then placing her hand on Santa's lips.

Today, Santa had two of his fans come and talk to him about their new Elf, Dennis. He arrived yesterday. When they opened his box, he was already missing! Dennis had zipped out and was found hiding in the Christmas tree.

Santa has had a busy weekend! I look forward to the coming week, but need to go to bed.
Talk to you tomorrow!
   Santa

Guess What Happened to Santa?

Greetings!

Sorry, I have no pictures for this post. My helpers have been sloughing off.

This afternoon an older couple stopped by to see Santa. They said that they had been watching Santa give and give and give, and decided that he needed to receive something. So they pulled a present out of a bag for me. I asked if Santa was allowed to open the present now, or if I had to wait? They both kind of giggled and said, "No, we're not Santa. You can open it now!" So I did and I got a nice box of Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle. I thanked them very much, over and over. It was an awesome surprise as Santa doesn't get many gifts....except for all the cookies I get to eat on Christmas!

Today I received requests for an Elf to come as an Elf on the Shelf yet this season. I told them that I would try to arrange that. I have also received a lot of reports of activities that my Elves have done over the past few days. Here's just a sampling:

• Some of my Elves have fallen into empty water pitchers. 
• Somehow one of my Elves ended up in a container of whole coffee beans. 
• And, of course, various lamps in different bedrooms, two TP'd Christmas trees, and one trying to stay away from the house cat. (The family is getting a little concerned for the Elf's safety!) I told them that at night the Elf can handle the cat - no problem. But during the day, the Elf had better be protected!

Today I had a whole family of 7 come to take their picture with Santa in their pajamas! They all had the same homemade T-shirt that said, "The Wilson Christmas Picture." It was really cute! We also had the annual meeting of the "Ladies Aide" committee. But this year they had the addition of their 25-yr old grand-daughter. They all wanted their picture with Santa together (8-9 people in this grouping). There was so many ladies around Santa, Santa didn't know where to put his hands.....so he SAT on them! (Cuz you never want to get in trouble with Mrs. Claus!)

I also got a little forewarning about tomorrow. A grandmother stopped in to warn Santa that she is coming with 14 grandchildren and they ALL will get their picture with Santa at the same time! I thanked her for the forewarning! I told her the earlier in the day, the better.

There were a lot of shy kids today. They ranged in age from toddler (which I expect) to pre-teen (which I didn't expect). I don't know why people are so hesitant to see me, but it must have something to do with wondering if they are on the "naughty" or "nice" list. Most parents are exasperated trying to figure out why, and it's really amusing.

One mother said, "My daughter's having her picture taken with Santa and that's it." So she grabbed her child, and sat on the floor with her in front of Santa for the picture. Much to my pleasure, the child screamed, kicked, hit, wiggled, and was just plain obnoxious for the photo! Afterward, the mother looked at me and started to laugh. I looked back with a big smile on my face and said, "Welcome to my world!" She said, "How do you put up with this every day?" I said, "Gladly!"

Hopefully it's going to be a big weekend, and I need my beauty sleep.
See you tomorrow!
    Santa

Did you miss me?

Hey there!

Yes, it is old Santa and I have missed blogging with you the last few days. Sorry for that, but I have been busy and just got caught up on my duties.

The last few days have been both fun and frustrating for old St. Nick. I think the days are getting shorter and my lists are getting longer! 

I need to do a shout out to Mrs. Claus for keeping the home fire burning and watching over the Elves while Santa is away. I know it is hard and she does things I should be doing, but we talk every day and use Skype when we can. I remember the days before all this fancy stuff was invented and wonder how we did it. So thanks to Mrs.Claus for all she does!

After today we have only 20 days left before the big day! I can hardly wait.

Today we must have set a record for the number of kiddos who asked the Dude in the Red Suit what I wanted for Christmas! That's easy! To make it home and have some of Mrs. Claus' home cooking.

Today the question was asked whether a person can bring someone with a disability to see Santa. Those of you who know Santa at all know how crazy that question is! Santa excepts EVERYBODY. So tomorrow the person who asked is going to bring her disabled brother to see Santa for the first time in 30 years to see Santa. I almost wanted to cry when I heard that.

Another strange question we are getting is how much do we charge to allow people to see Santa if they do not want a picture? This has happened at least 3 times in the last 2 days! And the answer is, "It is always free to chat, talk, and sit with Santa!

Here's a few pictures I want to share with you of Santa and some of today's visitors:

This girl was my first visitor of the day. What a little sweetie!

This girl would look to the sky, tap her chin with her finger while thinking of what to ask for, then say, "ipod." Then she would do it all over again, and say, "ipad." Then again, "iphone." Every time, the gift became more and more expensive! It was really funny!

This little girl is really afraid of Santa. Mom and dad would like her to take a picture with Santa, but the closest she would get is to give Santa a "High Five." So, Santa decided to walk around a little bit. As soon as I got out of the chair, the little girl made a dive for it. Her dad said, "Are you getting in Santa's chair?" (I didn't care...whatever works!) After awhile, I walked by and she squealed and ran away. But, if I didn't make eye contact with her, she would stay in the chair. A while later, they family went home saying that they are going to come back later this week to "Try it again." We'll see what happens!

These girls were the last ones I was able to chat with today. They are great fans!

I hope I got everyone caught up. Please feel free to comment or ask questions in the comment section, and I'll answer them as quickly as I can.

Sweet dreams,
   Santa

What did I do Now!

Welcome back!

I did not forget yesterday's blog, I was just too plain tired out. So I am going to combine my thoughts for both days here. Santa is so smart!

Okay, let me refraise that. I am smart, but get a load of this. Santa's mind went out for breakfast and forgot to tell me to pick it back up. Today was a normal Saturday for the most part - I woke up earlier than normal, had my driver get up early, and off to the mall we went.  

At the mall and unlocked my changing area and got dressed and ready to greet my fans. I looked at my Santa watch and saw I was almost late to get to my big chair, so off I went (without my escorts) and when I entered the main part of the mall I noticed the Santa set was not ready. So I stopped and asked a Security guard, "What's up?" He said, "Ummm Santa, you're an hour early. The set opens at 11am not 10am."  Oops, Santa missed the mark on that one!








Here some of my fans that came to see me today!

This brother and sister were really a joy to talk to! And Santa made them laugh and laugh!

I don't know who enjoyed it more - Santa, these siblings, or their parents!!

I wish we would have gotten a picture of this, but it was just too busy. Yes, I said it was busy today! Yeah!! I saw an 8-year old boy who had severe cerebral palsy with no muscle control in his arms or legs. His parents asked if Santa would be willing to hold him/cradle him like an infant. The dad warned me that he would be heavy. I said, "Fine, no problem." The parents picked him up out of his wheelchair and place him in my lap. I didn't have any problems holding him, and then his 4-year old sister climbed into my lap too and they had their picture taken together with me. The parents were just thrilled! I was thrilling for me, too, to bring joy to the family - even if it was only for a few minutes.

This can be filed under, "The Odd One of the Day." A mom with two children (a 3-year old and an infant) wanted to know if I was willing to take a picture of her two children together. However, the infant was sleeping in her car seat and the mom didn't want her to wake up. Soooo, the mom wanted to know if I would hold the entire car seat with the infant inside on one knee and the other child on my other knee! Even tho this was quite challenging for Ol' Saint Nick, let it be known that Santa is very accommodating and flexible!

My Elves on the Shelf are starting to report in, so I need to sign off for the evening.

Have a good night's sleep!

   Santa

Another First...

Hello my fellow bloggers!

As many of you know Santa sees a lot of people each day. But I am continually fascinated by what comes up in conversations with kids. Just a few examples from today - a little girl wants an umbrella and nothing else; a little boy asked me to find a boyfriend for his mom, and a mom asked me to bring her son home safely from his military deployment. I've also had three requests so far for a hippopotamus!

Santa with a mom and her daughter....

Two sisters in college showing mom that they still took out time to see Santa.

The young lady with the dark hair asked Santa for a new headlight for her car.                                                          

This little boy is 6 years old. He climbed into my lap and snuggled right in this his picture.

He was so happy to finally meet me!

This was the first time his parents brought him to see Santa.

We had two separate families of kids who came in wanting me to know their new address. One just moved a few cities away from their previous house, but wanted to make sure their presents moved with them. The other family wanted to know if their Christmas presents are going to make it to Sweden because their mom got a transfer to Stockholm and they wanted to make sure their presents would make it to their new flat. I assured each of them that they would get their presents on time and thanked them for the update.

Sweet dreams!
   Santa

Hellooooo!!! Can Anybody Hear Me???

These two pictures were taken at 11:30am today to show how BUSY and CROWDED the mall was. Santa wanted to test the mall's ability to sustain echoes, but he refrained.

We had a special guest today, and wouldn't you just know it? My camera was dead. We had our first picture with an animal - it was a Golden Lab service dog. The dog was excited to see Santa and jumped at me, but with years under my belt (watch it!) I know how to lovingly block him off. Even my helpers were impressed. Taking the photos with the dog and his owner were challenging, but they got done and everyone was happy. The owner even bought two separate packages for their friends.







This picture is of a little girl with her grandma and she is looking at grandma's phone.







I've had another couple of reports of Elves on the Shelf misbehaving. "Beth" was messing with someone's art supplies. I asked the little girl if Beth drew a picture of Santa? The girl said, "No." I was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Kris10" was looking through a bunch of old photos. I asked the little girl if "Kristen" was doing a bad thing? The little girl said that she didn't ask....Santa does not quite know what to do with these two Elves, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

All in all today was a pretty tame day and I'm looking forward to December 1st - it should be a good weekend!

    Santa

A Big Day of Firsts!

Hey there,

The boy below was just recently adopted and his parents decided that today is his "Big day of Firsts." It was his 1st time going to Burger King, his first time going to an eye doctor...or any doctor, his first time seeing Santa, and his 1st day picking up his new glasses (which were not ready yet).

When the boy came to see me, the first thing he said was, "Okay, what's this whole thing about Santa?" He was naturally inquisitive, and very delightful. After talking a little bit about who I am, what I do, and what main question I'm going to ask him, he said "Okay...I would like a toy." It was only 11am in the morning, and his big day of Firsts was already very overwhelming to him.

These cute little twin boys were finishing each other's sentences, and wanting the same thing as the other one. The only way the parents can tell them apart is that they wear different colored glasses, otherwise they are identical in every way.

This little boy was "Buzz Light Year" boy and he really liked it when Santa said, "To infinity and beyond!" Needless to say, he would like anything Buzz Light Year from Santa.

And this little boy cut out pictures from magazines of what he wants for Christmas and pasted them on this sheet of paper for Santa. Santa had to memorize the pictures, because the boy wanted his paper back. He wants a Nerf gun, Star Wars Legos, and 4-5 other items.

A group of disabled adults came to see Santa today, too. I could tell they wanted a hug, so I got up from my chair and gave them each a hug. However, when I got to the last guy he also wanted a kiss on the lips as he REALLY likes Santa! Unfortunately, Santa had to say, "No" and told him that the only adult Santa kisses is Mrs. Claus! He was VERY disappointed. 

Silly (one of my Elves on the Shelf) has reported in that he is REALLY dizzy! I guess he had his first merry-go round ride on his family's Christmas tree. I told him to lay down and that he would feel better soon.

A little boy also told me today that his Elf on the Shelf - Fred - was eating all the candy in the candy dish. So, I guess Santa now needs to make an appointment for Fred to see the dentist.

Hope everyone has a good night's sleep.

Watch out for those elves!

  Santa

T- 28 Days...but who's counting? :)

Hello my bloggy friends!

I have to admit that today was a really slow day at the old Santa set. You can tell the kids are in school. 

I bet you can guess what the title means. Yep, 28 days to go until the big day! A kid asked me today if I was excited that December was almost here, and I said I could hardly wait. Another kid asked me  what I like to eat when I get home? I said, Mrs. Claus' meatloaf. (Man, that's is some good food!!)

If  anybody is wondering if I have had any animals yet, the answer is nope. We can have them at any time, but nobody has come with one yet. I have seen two service animals over the past few days - one was a Shepherd mix and the other looked like a poodle - but I could not tell for sure.







The little girl in this picture was a little shy to talk with Santa, but Santa asked to see her Barbie doll...and she said, "Sure!" While talking, the girl got a little closer and closer until Santa was able to get this cute picture with her.

This little girl is wearing a hat, scarf, and mittens all-in-one! She was really proud of her outfit and wouldn't take her hands out of the mittens at all. I need to get one of those for Mrs. Claus!






      Today's helpers are Sheri, Katie, and Dan.


Hope everything is going well with everyone. Keep the comments coming!

  Santa

Now Serving "Santa for 17"

Hi there!

Today is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was busy! Yeah! A welcomed change of pace. There was a fairly steady stream of kids and no one waited in line for more than 5 minutes. Needless to say, the day went by quickly.

As an interesting side note, at the end of yesterday's and today's shift we had a group of people who wanted their picture taken together. Yesterday was a group of 10 and tonight was a group of 17! With a group that large, some re-arranging of the set was needed. But we made it work! It appeared to be a 4-generation picture. Santa had the patriarch of the family on his knee.Which was really cool!

"Murphy's Law" even affects Santa. After we finished taking the photo, and everyone dispersed, someone noticed that two people had their eyes closed. So they had to gather everyone again...included some who had made it out to the parking lot...to re-shoot the picture. And much to my pleasure and surprise, there was not one complaint or grumble!

The three photos below my helpers found interesting enough to snap. The first two are of some well-dressed, well-mannered kids that I was able to visit with. The third picture is of a little girl who decided to dress a little differently for Santa. She decided to come as Rudolph! She wore antlers and a blinking red nose. How fun!

I have been told that all of the Elves on a Shelf arrived to their homes on time. And requests have already started to come in for new families.

I talked to a teacher from an elementary school who has an Elf on a Shelf in her classroom. On Friday when she stopped at school, she found that the Elf had stacked all of the kids desks on top of each other. She even showed me a picture. The Elf was hiding on top of a map by the blackboard. See there! Even Elves go to school.

Tomorrow is a welcomed short day for Santa. So I will see you all tomorrow for more stories and photos.

Take care,
   Santa

BLACK FRIDAY LIVE'S....RUN !

Hello my Black Friday friends!

Some of you may be asking why I picked that topic....  Well, it was a weird, different, and maddening day. Plus, it was filled with not-so-wonderful news. I was told today that there will be no more "Workshop Santa" attire for the rest of the season. It was decided that I should be in full coat, hat and gloves...one that is being provided for me - not my own suit. As you can imagine, Santa does not necessarily agree with the changes, but is being compliant.

In the picture below, I'm shown in the "new look." How is it?

Of course, the kids are great and I really enjoy talking with them! For only the 2nd time this season, I have been asked for a Kindle Fire. More kids are asking for baby buggies than in years past. And kids are asking for clothing and animals (other than dogs and cats). Also, college-age students are asking for ipads.

Today I was able to give 2 Santa bells to a gentleman who came to see me as he thought the picture of us would cheer up his wife. Last year, their daughter and grand-daughter died in a house fire and this holiday season is really difficult for them. The man was really touched by the gift of the Santa bells and he is going to put them on their tree in remembrance of their lost loved ones.

A little 6-year old boy came to see me today and had LOTS of questions about me - Why is my beard so white? Where are the reindeer? Does the North Pole have snow? Does Santa have a dog? After answering all of his questions, and learning about what he wanted for Christmas, the boy left. I then proceeded to stand up and stretch, and the boy came running back to me. I said, "Hi, you're back!" He replied, "Santa, you can STAND!" (Everyone busted up laughing.) The boy told me that he has never ever, ever seen Santa stand. I told him that I can walk, too! 

Hope you survive shopping! I'll be waiting to see you!

  Santa

I bet you thought I forgot...

Hey there,

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

I did and I even was able to be with family for the first time in years. Yeah, Santa could fly with the help of his Reindeer, but they need a day off also. Besides there are the Reindeer games to prepare for...

Mrs. Claus had a great Thanksgiving at Santa's sister's house. They even played kickball North Pole style (I wish saw that!).  The drive home was very challenging because of the snow, blowing snow, and ice. But they made it home in one piece.

Tonight is the main night I send the majority of the elves our for Elf on the Shelf.  If you are wondering what I am talking about, you need to check it out on the Web. There is also a movie you can check out.  Hey, did you see the Elf balloon in the big parade today???  Kind of cool!!

Tomorrow is one of the busiest days for people to meet with Santa. So I am off to bed early so I can be as bright as possible to greet all my little (and not so little) guests.

Happy dreams,
  Santa

Name that Animal!

Hey my friends,

And you thought I was kidding about the title. Well look below and see if you have the names correct. I bet you could be wrong on one or two.

  

The following photos are from the Santa set in the evening. I think the waterfall looks better with the flood lights on, as does the Christmas lights and Santa set.

Today I finished my last shift before our big Thanksgiving Day here in America (I know a few followers are from other countries). The reason I bring this up is that Santa gets to enjoy this day as a day off...my last day off before heading out for deliveries. Also, we pause to give thanks for what we have and the friends we have made. I know Santa has much to be thankful for this past year! I hope and pray you do also.

Today at the mall we had a fairly normal day before Thanksgiving with a lot of busy times followed by down time. 

Shortly after shift change today at about 4pm, this cute little girl and her brother came to see Santa. At first I saw the girl and she was holding an orange ball in her hand. I said, "Can I see it?" and put my hand out. She said sure! Then she proceeded to put in my hand a giant, sopping wet gumball that would not fit in her mouth. My response was, "Ugh!" and I gave it back to her. Everyone was laughing while I used A LOT of hand sanitizer to get all of the "sticky" off!!

The answer to the question at the very beginning of this post is - Fox and Gray Squirrel. Did you guess correctly? They are animated and a part of Santa's set.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Don't eat too much turkey!

   Santa