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Whenever children - or adults, for that matter - have a chance to meet Santa Claus, their heads are packed with hundreds of questions that they have always wanted to ask. But the excitement of the actual moment usually shakes them up, leaving them with only one question: ”What was it I wanted to ask?” And so the hundred questions go unanswered.
Mrs. Santa Claus understands that situation all too well. She also knows how frustrating it can be if you really want to know something and there is no one around who can give you an answer. So, one bright evening as the fire was crackling in the fireplace and the Northern Lights were flashing in the sky, she sat in her squeaky rocking chair and began to recall everything that children around the world have wanted to know about Santa Claus, and a few things about herself as well.
1. How old is Santa Claus?
That's something not even Santa Claus can remember exactly. Once when
he was sitting in his favourite rocking chair in front of the fireplace at
his home in Korvatunturi, he began to count how many Christmases he could
remember. But when he got some place around 364, he fell asleep.
2. How many elves are there?
That's something no one knows exactly. Elves are such fast little beings,
and they are rarely ever all in the same place at the same time. But when
the sun sets in Korvatunturi, there are probably as many little elf toes
under the blankets as there are stars in the sky, if not more.
3. Does Santa Claus have a family?
Of course! All the people in the whole world are his family. Adults and
children are equally precious to him.
4. Are elves Santa Claus' children?
Santa Claus believes that everyone should be everyone else's child, and
that being a child is the most important thing in the world.
5. Are new elves still being born?
New Christmas elves and other kinds of elves are born frequently. When the
last rays of the evening sun meet with the Northern Lights, the wind is from
the North and the stars are shining, that's when elves are born.
6. Is it possible to become an elf?
Of course. And it's possible to stay an elf. Taking care of smaller and
weaker ones is elf work. Making someone happy who doesn't have anything to
be happy about, or giving toys or clothes to children that need them - that'
s the best way to be an elf.
7. Does Santa Claus have lots of reindeer?
Yes. He doesn't have quite as many as there are stars in the sky or
snowflakes in a winter snowcloud, but he does have more reindeer than all
the mountain creeks in the fall put together. Reindeer herders are his good
friends, and the reindeer are taken care of cooperatively.
8. How does Santa Claus travel?
He gets around a lot of ways. Of course, he has a sleigh drawn by team of
reindeer, but he also has a team of dogs, a car, an airplane, a snowmobile,
and a helicopter. Santa Claus uses whatever means of transportation is
best suited to the weather conditions and the purpose of his travelling.
9. Does Santa Claus hunt and fish?
Santa Claus never hunts. Sometimes he goes ice-fishing, but he never
catches anything.
10. What is Santa Claus favourite food?
It has to be the rice porridge I make. It has a special, secret recipe that
I can't tell you. The secret ingredient is the "Where-did-I-put-it" spice.
11. Is that Santa Claus' own beard?
Yes indeed. It's his very own. It would be too expensive to rent one all the
time. His curly-toed boots are his own, too. And so is his red shirt and
vest and linen shirts and colourful woolen sweaters. Everything Santa
Claus wears is his own. Once the elves tried to borrow his shirt, but it
took four elves just to get the shirt moving.
12. Are all the gifts made at Korvatunturi?
Not all of them. Some are made at home, and they are especially precious.
You've surely heard of homemade jelly or mustard or handknit wool socks. In
some places there are little workshops that also help Santa Claus by
making gifts.
13. Do you always eat rice porridge at Korvatunturi?
Not always. In the morning, of course, we have breakfast porridge and at
lunchtime we have lunch porridge and dessert porridge and in the evening we
have evening porridge. But we don't always have it. For instance, at night
we don't eat porridge, except for the night-owl elf and the reindeer herder
elf. For them there has to be a kettle on the stove all night in case they
get hungry. They only eat a cupful at a time, and they put touch of butter
on top of it.
14.How many animals are there at Korvatunturi?
There are more animals at Korvatunturi than there are cloudberry leaves in
the nearest marsh. It depends, of course, what animals you count and at what
time of the year. If you count mosquitoes in the summer then there are
really, really lots of animals.
15. Can people go to Korvatunturi?
Of course you can get there, if you know how. But it's a difficult route and
a long journey. And it's difficult to give directions. Everyone gives
different directions. But you have to turn left after the little spruce
tree, or if you're coming from the West along the narrow path, then you
should turn right, that is, if you have passed Spruce Pond already. The
easiest way to get there is to ask the people from the Land of Korvatunturi
to take you there. Then you won't get lost.
16. Is it possible to visit Korvatunturi?
Santa Claus, I and the elves need peace and quiet. We would never get
the presents made if there was always company coming. And besides, all the
Christmas secrets would be exposed.
17. How does Santa Claus have time to deliver all the presents?
Santa Claus takes advantage of the differences between time zones. When
children in Finland are awake, the children in Japan are sleeping and
vice-versa. There is also some magic involved. Sometimes Santa Claus
may leave the presents for elves to deliver. The most important thing is
that the gifts get there on time.
18. Has Santa Claus ever gotten stuck in a chimney?
If that happened, his gift delivery route would get cut short. Santa Claus
has a big book entitled, "Chimneys of the World", and in that book
you can find information on the construction of all the world's chimneys. It
's important to know how to get into them, and that is Santa Claus'
specialty.
19. Does Santa Claus understand animal language?
Yes, he does.
20. Does Santa Claus have to be good?
Santa Claus is always good. Sometimes he has to be strict, but he is
always fair.
21. Is it possible to get presents, even if you haven't been good?
Santa Claus is certain that all children are good down deep. If a child
is hungry or tired, it's only natural that crabbiness can sneak in unaware.
Voicing disappointment or bad feelings has nothing to do with being good.
22. Is Santa Claus ever in a bad mood?
Sometimes Santa Claus is a little angry, sad and upset. Sometimes he is
really upset if he hears about places in the world where they don't care for
the well-being of children.
23. What does Santa Claus do when he's not delivering presents?
Santa Claus relaxes by walking in the forest and listening to the
voices of the wilderness. He also spends time preparing the next Christmas
delivery by reading children's letters. His favourite pastime is reading
books.
24. What does Santa Claus think about the way people celebrateChristmas in
different cultures?
Every culture has its own customs that should be respected, and Father
Christmas does just that.
25. Does Santa Claus know every Christmas carol?
Oh, yes. Often when he walks outdoors you can hear him singing them. Every
now and then he composes new ones, too.
26. Does Santa Claus have swimming trunks?
Indeed he does, and he uses them regularly. Santa Claus swims in the
summer, and in the winter he likes to jump in the lake through a whole in
the ice, but it has to be chopped plenty big enough.
27. Does Santa Claus get any presents himself?
Oh, yes. He gets them often. The best gifts, in Santa Claus' opinion,
are the happy smiles of children and the joyful looks in their eyes.
28. How can Santa Claus hear everything clear up in Korvatunturi?
Elves help him listen, and on a quiet summer night even a whisper carries
all the way to Korvatunturi easily.
29. Does Santa Claus read all the letters he gets?
The elves help him read the letters and make inventories, and that is a
complicated system in itself. Santa Claus gets a lot of Christmas
cards, too.
30. Can Santa Claus read children's thoughts?
Maybe not every thought, but at least the thoughts that children want him to
read definitely come through. There is a special level of understanding
between children and Santa Claus.
31. How does Santa Claus know how to get to everyone's house?
This is how it works: the elf secretaries keep exact records of all children
by country, by state or province, by city or town, by village or quarter, by
house or apartment building, by bedroom, and by bed. These records are used
to plan the delivery route and the gift distribution. It's very
exactingwork, and 284 elves work in that department year round.
32. Where does Santa Claus get all the money it takes to fly to Japan?
Shhh! We don't use that word here. Santa Claus is extremely lucky,
because in his world money doesn't exist. The important thing is that Santa Claus
catches the plane, and that it's the plane going to Japan when
that's where he intends to go. He usually takes a long nap on the flight.
33. What languages does Santa Claus speak?
Lots of languages. Especially on Christmas Eve.
34. Can Santa Claus read?
Definitely. As I said before, reading is his favourite pastime. At the
moment he has eleven books underway at the same time.
35. Did Santa Claus go to school?
Life has been one long schooling for Santa Claus. One has to keep
studying because the world changes constantly. He has gone to a lot of
schools. Once Santa Claus even visited an elementary school.
36. Was Santa Claus ever a child?
Santa Claus still feels like a child to this day.
37. What was it like when he was a child?
Really nice, according to Santa Claus. Nothing could be nicer.
38. How tall is Santa Claus?
It depends on whether he is walking deep in thought, or if he is examining
little berry branches on the floor of the forest, or if he is looking at the
horizon. Santa Claus is taller than the tallest elf, but shorter than
the old spruce trees in Lapland.
39. How long is Santa Claus' beard?
It was measured once and it was one and a half times the length of a young
elf.
40. What are his favourite kind of shoes?
He likes his tall, curly-toed Laplander boots, because they fit the
old-fashioned bindings on his skis.
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