ALTON – Santa Claus stopped by “Our Daily Show!” with CJ Nasello to talk about his experience leading up to Christmas.
Local community member Steve Doering told Santa about the Bethalto Christmas Village, and Santa has been happy to visit this event every weekend since Thanksgiving, in addition to his other stops around the Riverbend. He is eager to share the true meaning of Christmas with everyone he meets this holiday season.
“To me, the meaning of Christmas is always going to be love,” Santa said. “It’s always going to be grace. It’s always going to be forgiveness, acceptance. We want to make sure that people understand the real meaning of Christmas. It’s peace on Earth, goodwill to men. It’s about the birth of the savior, Jesus.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus have been busy preparing for Christmas. They are training new reindeer in addition to Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph. Santa said that he receives a lot of questions about Mrs. Claus, the reindeer and everything happening at the North Pole, and he reassures the community that all is well.
Even though it’s an exciting time, Santa shared that he is a little nervous ahead of Christmas Eve, mostly because he wants to make sure everything goes smoothly. He is striving for “excellence,” and he hopes to achieve this goal this year.
“Here at Christmastime, Mrs. Claus and I, we want to be excellent,” he explained. “We want to make sure that we provide such a service to this world, to our communities, to this country and all over to everyone.”
As part of that, Santa and his elves have been hard at work in the workshop, building toys for all the kids. Santa reminds parents that there are also small businesses throughout the community where you can find some great toys and support local business owners.
He added that he has received a lot of requests for PS5s and other gadgets this year. He knows this time of year can be stressful for parents, and he emphasizes that the spirit of Christmas is about more than presents.
“We always want to try to remind the kids and even the parents, people that we come into contact with, it’s about loving others,” Santa said. “It’s about showing love and demonstrating that love to others during the Christmas season.”
Santa joked that he sees a lot of kids who are very excited to see him, as well as a few younger children who are hesitant of “stranger danger Santa.” He tries to make every experience as magical and calming as he can, and he knows the parents appreciate this.
He has a conversation with every child and always asks them the most important question of all: Would they rather have a stocking full of French fries or a stocking full of chicken nuggets? That usually gets a smile.
Santa and Mrs. Claus also occasionally have important encounters with kids and adults. Some of the people they meet will “start pouring out their hearts” and sharing their troubles with Santa. On the way back to the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus often talk about these people and keep them in their thoughts.
“The ride back home is always great because it’s kind of that time that we reflect,” Santa said. “We talk about how encouraging it is to us to see the magic in kids’ eyes.”
While it can be stressful to prepare for Christmas, Santa loves seeing the kids and community members every year. He reminds everyone to enjoy Christmas Day and spend that time with people you love.
“Honestly, the message today is enjoy,” he said. “Take it in. Be thankful. Be grateful for who is around you, for what you have, not just the material things that we get today but to enjoy time and to reflect and to love each other and to just take time to rest, as well. Just rest. Take it all in.”
