GREENFIELD — There are a lot of questions surrounding the magic of Christmas, from how Santa manages to make it to all the homes of those on the nice list to how those reindeer guide his seemingly bottomless sleigh.
When in doubt, go to the experts. We found some at Harris Elementary School who knew all about the Christmas season. Here’s what they had to say about how it all works:
Q. How did Santa get his name?
A. His parents gave it to him. His real name is St. Nicholas. Santa Claus is just a nickname.
— Jayla Pleak, kindergarten
Q. What is Santa’s favorite food?
A. That’s easy. Chocolate chip cookies. I put out chocolate chip cookies and milk for him on Christmas Eve. He eats the cookies but doesn’t drink all of the milk.
— Cullen Anderson, kindergarten
A. He doesn’t eat all the cookies because he’ll get too fat.
— Jonathan Purvis, kindergarten
Q. What is Rudolph’s favorite food?
A. I always leave a carrot for Rudolph, but Rudolph loves cookies. Santa told me that he brought Rudolph into my house in his bag, and Rudolph ate all of the cookies.
— Alexis Bever, kindergarten
Q. What kind of advice does Mrs. Claus give Santa before he goes on his Christmas Eve journey?
A. If there’s a fire, don’t go down the chimney.
— Chris Bates, first grade
A. Don’t forget how many good kids there are.
— Brenden Sturgill, first grade
A. Make sure you give at least one present to everyone, but if someone is bad, don’t leave them presents.
— Elise Ford, first grade
A. If there are any grown-ups, make sure to give them presents, too.
— Aubrey Judd, first grade
A. Don’t get too tired, and don’t fall out of the sleigh.
— Kiera Larrison, first grade
A. Don’t eat all the cookies. Save some for me.
— Marlena Johnson, second grade
A. Don’t get your clothes dirty, so we don’t have to make you another suit.
— Joe Smith, second grade
Q. How does Santa get it all done in one night?
A. On one side of the world, everyone is sleeping, and he visits them, and on the other side of the world, everyone is awake. Then the other side is in night, and he visits them while they are sleeping.
— Lizzie Dotson, first grade
Q. Have you even seen or heard Santa on Christmas Eve?
A. I saw him. He was wrapping gifts. He wrapped up my dollhouse. I saw Mrs. Claus, too. She was in my room making sure I didn’t get out of bed, but she didn’t see me because I was hiding in the corner.
— Alexis Bever, kindergarten
Q. Who is Santa’s favorite elf?
A. The good ones. They get stuff done right away.
— Jonathan Purvis, kindergarten
Q. How does Santa know what to bring you?
A. You send him a letter so he will know, but he’s so genius that he will know even if you don’t send him a letter.
— Lizzie Dotson, first grade
