As most people are well aware, Ottawa takes the Christmas and holiday season very seriously. There are some around town who might say that Christmas in Ottawa begins in early November. We were already getting in the Christmas spirit with carolers, carriage rides, and more, just a few weeks ago.

We recently received a letter from the North Pole (see this Facebook post), asking us to set up a mailbox for letters to Santa. Of course, we graciously accepted this duty and are ready to mail out any Christmas wishes!

We decided to see if Santa Claus himself had some free time before he gets too busy with Christmas-time preparation. Luckily, he was able to meet with us before the Festival of Lights this Friday, the 28th! Festivalgoers can expect to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the parade, as well as at the Chris Kringle Market during select times.

First, we spoke to Mr. Claus about what makes his time in Ottawa feel so special.

“Well, Mrs. Claus and I come to town and we enjoy seeing the little ones walk around the market area, and come in and visit us when they’re in town, and we just like to see their smiling faces,” said Santa.

We also asked him about his appearance this upcoming weekend, at the Festival of Lights parade.

“We’ll be here, yes. On Friday, we’re going to stop in and visit through the parade on our way through, and experience downtown Ottawa. And, we’re always welcomed, you know, and it’s a great turnout for us, so we enjoy it,” Mr. Claus said. “And then, we head off to the North Pole, and then we’ll be back on Saturday to see some children in the in the house downtown and again, then we had back to the North Pole for a little bit, and we’ll be back on Sunday.”

Santa also mentioned that he will be making a visit to Streator, along with Mrs. Claus, around the same time. As expected, it is clear that Santa is very busy this time of year! We decided to ask him about how how nice -or naughty- the citizens of Ottawa have been so far.

“The majority aren’t always nice, and quite frankly, we do have a few naughty ones which we address, and we talk to. But again, Mrs. Claus, and I keep a tight eye on the list,” Santa said. “We work through our elves and make sure that all year long that they’re watched and and that the kids that are naughty, kind of get corrected beforehand so they can be on our nice list.”

It sounds like the Claus’s have got it covered. Those who suspect they’re on the naughty list this year may want to consider turning a new leaf…

Santa also explained how he spends his free time around town.

“Well, we like to visit a couple different locations. I’m a big fan of bakeries. As you can imagine, I like sweets. Mrs Claus doesn’t like me to eat too many sweets, but we do stop by occasionally and have something from the bakeries. We also enjoyed some of the downtown shopping, and we just kind of look over and peruse. And, if I can find Mrs. Claus, a nice outfit or something in our off season, then, that’s what I’ll pick up while I’m here in Ottawa.”

And when Santa mentioned sweets, we knew exactly what we needed to ask. What is Santa’s favorite kind of cookie for us to leave out for him?

“Sugar cookie. Anything with sugar, sugar cookie is a double whammy for me,” Santa explained. “Mrs Claus says I get a little hyped up on the sugar and get ready to go, and that’s usually what starts the engines along with Rudolph and the other reindeer. That kind of leads us into town and make our delivery Christmas Eve.”

People have been using technology more and more in recent years. We just had to ask Santa if he still gets many letters or if everything has switched to digital.

“Mrs. Claus handles most of the electronic communication, whether it’s Facebook or text messaging, and I still stick with the old standby of the letter. I love a good letter because it kids pour their hearts to me, and they tell me what what’s really important to them, and that to me is still the old-fashioned Christmas magic comes in a letter, and but we do accept texts and emails so that I’m not going to say that we don’t. But again, Mrs. Claus tries to handle the electronic communication where I like to stay focused on the old-fashioned.”

Good thing we have our mailbox set up outside our front door! We also had to ask about the relationship between the North Pole and delivery services. Is there competition for gift deliveries? A present can be just a button click away these days. Santa explains:

“We utilize different services as well. You know if we can help, but we always send elves with, so something may be delivered by someone else. But, an elf is always accompanying to make sure that they get to the right place at the right time. We try to utilize many things else, but you know, quite frankly, it’s still important for Mrs. Claus and I to check over the things with the elves and making sure that our Christmas delivery gets to where it needs to be. Part of the experience and my enjoyment is the delivery on Christmas Eve, and making as many trips as I possibly can. To make it happen for all our kids.”

Santa also mentioned other things he likes to do when he’s in town.

“I usually do the downtown market. I visit occasionally, though people don’t see me, you know, for the the music in the park during the summer. I come down occasionally, in a little different of an outfit, but quite frankly, I just like the downtown setting,” said Mr. Claus. “It’s, a beautiful area, we’ve experienced, and Mrs Claus, and I have ate at Valentino’s. We have ate at Lone Buffalo. We have ate at Court Street Pub. We’ve enjoyed all those locations, and everyone is very hospitable. And that’s what really makes a difference, the family feeling and the community oriented city of Ottawa.”

We’re so glad to hear that Santa and Mrs. Claus enjoy the time they spend in our community. Next, Santa spoke on what the children are asking him for this year.

“A lot of it again falls back into electronics in in, you know, we have a deal working with Apple and Android phones. Those are always big. We still the hold a lot with LOL dolls and regular dolls and things that we deal with. Books are a good one. Occasionally, we’ll get the request for a computer, but you know a lot of what really warms our heart, is when a child asks for just family time”

Spending time with family and loved ones is a great way to spend the holiday season in Ottawa. One such example is by caroling! We asked Santa if he has a favorite Christmas carol.

“One of my favorites has always been Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, because he leads me. So, I really enjoy that. And I take pleasure in the fact that Rudolph is there every year, leading our sleigh, getting us through inclement weather and making sure that Mrs. Claus, the elves, and I get everything delivered on Christmas Eve.”

Speaking of inclement weather, there’s been a lot of talk that our winter is set to be a harsh one. We asked Santa if he had any worries about the weather around Christmastime.

“They’re they’re calling for it. We have our elves that work with the meteorologists to make sure that we can keep tabs on things, but we’ll be fully prepared, regardless of whether it’s rain, snow, 60 degrees or Sub-Zero, 20 degrees. Mrs Claus, and I’ll be there along with our elves, and we’ll make our deliveries”

The elves have been a common topic in this interview! We could never leave them out, so we had to ask Santa about other jobs the elves do (that most might not know about!)

“In the off season, they help me work out and try to stay fit, with all the cookies I eat during the season. But, they help monitor everything. The elves come back and forth to the North Pole, into our workshops to report on on children’s behaviors throughout the year. So, they watch to make sure that they’re behaving in school, that they’re listening to their parents, and that they’re following the rules to make sure that they make it to the nice list,” Santa explained. “There’s enough naughty in the world that we’re trying to get through. So, if we can make our Christmas miracle work and magic work, it’s all about being nice to each other and caring for one another.”

We wanted to see if Santa could divulge any specific trade secrets, like notable gift ideas. Here’s what he had to say:

“We have a lot of requests for special gifts, but I think that’s where it’s important that it stays between Santa and the person that actually requests,” said Santa. “There is one that that comes in pretty close to every year, and that’s when a member of military services that serving overseas that won’t be home with someone you know. That’s the request, that their their family makes it back, which is special and dear to our heart. Frankly, no, I never give up my secrets.”

His answer was an even better gift than any juicy secret could be! Being a very busy man, we asked if Santa had any last thoughts to share before he had to head off to the North Pole again:

“All I ask, is that our children and families come down and visit. Explore Ottawa and watch the parade as we come into town. Enjoy the festivities, but come down and visit us at the Santa house and and see what our little workshops all about.And again, bring your wishes, and bring your dreams, and bring your Christmas magic with. And Mrs Claus and I’ll be here to enjoy it all with you.”