7QUESTIONS+PLUS

Santa Claus ... Call him what you want — Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas — the man has a lot of expectations to fulfill.

With responsibilities such as overseeing toy production at the North Pole, managing an army of magical elves, shepherding a flock of flying reindeer and delivering presents Christmas Eve night, it’s amazing he would still have time to classify all the children of the world as naughty or nice.

Each year, no matter the weather, the landscape or the economic conditions, Santa find his way into the homes of millions of loving children from Kenosha to Korea.

And it doesn’t matter whether he is delivering a new Nintendo Wii, a holiday sweater or a simple candy cane, we’ve all come to learn the big man’s greatest gift is the spirit of giving he brings to the hearts of every person, young and old, each holiday season.

Santa Claus will now take your questions ...

Why do you give presents at Christmas time? I enjoy seeing the joy on people’s faces when they open gifts on

Christmas morning. There’s something special about being able to share toys, games and candy with kids and adults around the world. As most people will agree, it’s more about giving the gifts of the season than it is about receiving mountains of presents — unless we’re talking about those GPS gadgets. I don’t know how I did this job without one.

What is the most outrageous thing somebody has ever asked you to bring them? I’ve always wondered about why people ask for those Pet Rocks and Chia Pets. But everyone has a reason. Some kids ask for a million dollars, others want world peace and others want a baby brother or sister. Some things are just out of my control.

Are you sick of all the milk and cookies you get? I’ll admit, I eat my share of goodies when I’m delivering presents — even though Mrs. Claus is telling me I need to join Weight Watchers. What a lot of people don’t know is that I share all of the treats with the reindeer and elves that accompany me on the midnight ride. They get hungry, too.

What do you and Mrs. Claus do during the spring and summer? After the workday is complete, I love spending time with friends in our Tuesday night kickball league. And Mrs. Claus has a bowling team that she is on every Thursday. We also look forward to all the summer festivals and the all the traveling we do. We try to go somewhere new every year; next year we’re hoping to do some mountain-biking in the Redwood Forest. I also try to pamper myself with massages and spa treatments — it’s not easy maintaining my appearance the way I do.

What is your relationship with the Easter Bunny? Usually after delivering all the presents, the elves, Frosty the Snowman, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Mother Nature and Father Time all stop by for some good tidings with myself and Mrs. Claus. For the most part, we get along well and like helping each other during different times of the year, though Mother Nature’s attitude tends to be hot and cold.

How do you spend Christmas Day? With the invention of TiVo and DVRs, I’ve finally been able to catch that Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. Program organizers have to realize that I’m out criss-crossing the globe for 24 straight hours. A man needs his shut-eye. So I’ll wake up late in the afternoon, put my feet up and enjoy the parade with some refreshing eggnog. But one day’s rest is all I get, then we begin making plans for next year.

Do you have any plans for reducing or increasing the size of your reindeer herd? I’ve looked into downsizing — everyone else seems to be doing it these days. Tending to nine reindeer isn’t easy. The cost for all of their veterinarian visits, grooming and food is enormous. Then again, our Flying Intelligent Deer Operations (FIDO) team also looked into the costs of building a jet-fueled sleigh, but the technology involved and fuel prices would force us to go millions of dollars in debt — We are a not-for-profit after all. Awhile back, we also looked into the idea of using four clydesdales, but our research showed the weight of those animals would have slowed my sleigh considerably. Then I heard an American beer company was interested in the clydesdales for marketing purposes, so I let them get the rights.

You’ve starred in a lot of commercials and advertisements. Which is your favorite and why do you do it? I try to remind people through the ads that the season of giving never ends. I loved the spots for Coca-Cola. Those polar bears make working in show-biz look so easy. I don’t know how they do it.

My 4-year-old daughter has been so worried about how Santa is going to get the gifts under the tree, since we have no chimney. She would like to know how he gets the gifts under the tree for kids who have no chimney. Chimney or no chimney, we will find a way to get presents under the tree for your daughter. You might not realize it, but there are millions of boys and girls across the world who do not have chimneys. Sometimes a window or door left open is all I or my elves need to scurry in and out. But to you adults out there, please make sure you’re putting out those fires before going to bed. Those things are hot and it’s not safe to leave a fire unattended!

What is your favorite Christmas carol? I don’t have a single favorite holiday tune, but I love to blast “Here Comes Santa Claus” when I make the rounds on Christmas Eve (When we got a hold of that first iPod in ‘01, it brought new meaning to the words “road trip.”). I also hate it when Christmas carols spread rumors. Grandma never got run over by a reindeer. My flock is way too gentle to hurt any kind soul. And that song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” was a National Enquirer story that never should have seen the light of day.

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? I googled “Christmas movies” to help me narrow down my list of favorite holiday flicks. To my amazement, there were more than 14,000,000 Web pages related to Christmas films. There’s no way I would be able to pick just one.

What plans have you made for your future trips now that climate change is a global reality? We’re a little concerned our North Pole campus might be in jeopardy if the polar ice caps keep melting. We’ve seen Al Gore speak and hope his efforts to curb global warming catch on worldwide. But I’ll be honest, I have no problems delivering presents in a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops if I have to.