Letters to Santa

Santa shares his responses to letters from Arrowtown School pupils with the Queenstown Times...

• Dear Santa ...

Thank you for my tent last Christmas and can you please give me an Orbeez Star Globe?

I have a question - how do your reindeer fly when they don't have wings.

From Ellie Shuttleworth, age 7.

My dear Ellie,

I am so glad you enjoyed your tent - the elves tried it out before they wrapped it up and they had such fun in it!

You asked me a very good question, Ellie - normally if animals don't have wings they can't fly ... or can they?

I have very, very special reindeer in the North Pole - you won't find reindeer like them anywhere else in the world.

Some of their distant relatives in other parts of the world get very upset they can't fly as well, but we always make sure to stop in and say hello during our annual Christmas trip.

Have a wonderful Christmas, Ellie!

Love, Santa.

• Dear Santa ...

I hope you had a good week and thank you for my present last year.

This year I would like Twinkle Toes please.

Me and Ellie are wondering how old you are?

From Charliese Erskine, age 7.

Hello Charliese.

Every year I remark on what a beautiful name you have!

I have had a wonderful week, although it's gone very quickly indeed.

Do you know I will be visiting Arrowtown and Queenstown in just 10 days?

My goodness, there is still so much to do!

Many, many children want to know how old I am and I keep telling them I'm not sure, but given I've also forgotten I asked the elves to help me find my birth certificate.

And do you know what happened, Charliese?

One of my elves found it hidden away in a very safe place and when she picked it up the paper disintegrated - it was so old it just turned to dust!

Merry Christmas, Charliese - the reindeer and I will see you very soon!Ho, ho, ho!Santa Claus.

• Dear Santa ...

How are you?

Please can I have an iPad?

Are your reindeer ever naughty? Do they fight?

From Tyler Harris, age 7.

Dear Tyler,

That was a very good question!

Sometimes the reindeer get too tired and that's when they get naughty.

Recently, the elves tried to separate them at night to help them get to sleep -they get so excited before Christmas they tend to stay up very late and talk to each other.

All was going well until yesterday, Tyler.

One of the elves accidentally dropped a large bag of sweets ... which Blitzen quickly picked up and shared around all the others.

They ate far too many sweets and then got very, very excited and try as we might we could not get them to calm down, so we separated them again and left them for the night.

Unfortunately, Dancer was on such a sugar high he leaped over his gate, let all the reindeer out and, needless to say, they had a wonderful time getting up to mischief in the workshop all night!Today, they all had a very long time out!

Have a lovely Christmas Tyler.

Love, Santa.

• Dear Santa ...

I have been a good girl. I am going to ask you some questions.

How do you get in the chimney? What is your favourite colour? How old are you?

I like Christmas Day because you come.

From Stella Fraser, age 7.

Dear Stella,

I am so happy to hear you have been a good girl this year and I am looking forward to visiting your house very soon!

Most of the time I just jump down chimneys but every now and then I like to try different ways of getting in - one time I got the reindeer to hold a rope in their teeth which I attached to my ankles and I crawled in face first.

Unfortunately, Vixen got a bit distracted, and Comet decided to tell him off and let go of the rope.

I went flying down the chimney at great speed but managed to break my fall with my sack and thankfully didn't break any presents!

My favourite colour is red, but I also love green.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Stella!

Love, Santa Claus.

• Dear Santa ...

How are you going?

I know you are busy Santa but I want to ask you some questions.

How far away are you? How do you get in so quietly?

I love opening the presents.

On Christmas we eat a special breakfast.

I like having Christmas.

From Kane Viggers, age 7.

You are right, Kane.

I am very busy at the moment - just as everyone else in the world is preparing for their holidays, I am getting ready for the busiest night of the year!

However, I am never too busy to answer questions from children like you.

I live in the North Pole, which is on the opposite side of the world to New Zealand.

Many people have tried to find my home, but it's so well hidden no-one ever has!

I spent many months practising being quiet at the North Pole - I practised until I got so good at it I was able to sneak up on the elves, which is not an easy thing to do because they have exceptional hearing abilities!

I am so glad you like Christmas - isn't it a shame it only happens once a year?

I do hope you enjoy your special breakfast this Christmas, it sounds wonderful!Ho, ho, ho!Santa Claus.

• Dear Santa ...

Thank you very much for my presents last year!

Santa, can I have a Monster High Doll Frankie Stein please?

Santa I have some questions for you.

Where do you get the presents? What is your age?

On Christmas Day I like to prepare for you.

From Georgia Chambers, age 7.

Hello there, Georgia!

I am so glad you enjoyed your gifts last year - the elves and I always try very hard to find things you will like.

Many of the presents are made in my workshop in the North Pole.

The elves spend all year working to make things for each and every child on the Nice List.

Once or twice, though, they haven't made quite enough, but I'm lucky to have Secret Agent elves all over the world who can help me locate presents quickly if I need them to.

I stopped getting older several years ago - sometimes mummies and daddies send me letters asking me to leave them a gift under the tree to stop them getting older, too!I'm looking forward to visiting your house very soon, Georgia - have a wonderful Christmas.

From, Santa.

• Dear Santa ...

Thank you for my presents you gave me last year, I really enjoyed playing with them.

For Christmas can I please have walkie-talkies?

I would like to ask you a question.

How long does it take to give all the presents to all the children in the world?

From Maisie Grufferty, age 7.

Merry Christmas, Maisie!

Aren't walkie talkies fun?

I use them all the time in the North Pole - it makes tracking down elves much easier!

Before Christmas Eve I am very busy making final adjustments to the Naughty and Nice Lists, checking I have everything loaded into the sleigh and the reindeer are all in good health.

Very, very early on Christmas Eve I set out from the North Pole and I head straight to New Zealand because you are the first people in the world to celebrate Christmas.

I have to work very quickly to ensure I get to every child before the sun comes up on Christmas Day, but Father Time sometimes helps slow the clocks all over the world if the reindeer have the go-slows!Have a fabulous Christmas, Maisie.

Love, Santa Claus.