It had become a tradition for Alaya (9) to arrive with her family and tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.
"I like him — he’s funny," she said.
"I asked him for one of my favourite books."
Mr Claus said there had already been more than 250 children through, and he expected many more, with 10 sleeps left until Christmas.
He was feeling the heat in his red suit this summer, "but I have a nice big fan that keeps me cool".
The sorts of gifts children were asking for this year were not very different from previous years, but he had noticed a change in focus.
"Some children have been asking for gifts for mum or dad ... it’s nice that they are thinking of them."
Mr Claus said children did not seem as aware of Santa Claus these days, and he encouraged families to "sing songs and read books" about Christmas.
With a little over a week to go before the big day, there was still a lot of preparation to do.
"I need to make sure the tyres on the sleigh have the right tread, the brakes are working ... and that there are enough carrots for the reindeer."
- Jack Conroy
