“Well, right now, it’s how in the world we’re going to get all these presents out by Christmas Eve, it always is. You know what it’s like? It’s like the end of semesters when I was in college. How in the world am I going to get all these papers done, should have done them months ago! Same thing when you’re out in the working world. How am I going to get all these presents out? I should have been on this earlier instead of sunning myself on the beach. Well, there we go. We’ll get it done, we always do, just like we did in college.”

How do you deal with the stress?

“Well, stress, stress is a big factor of course, in one’s life, generally, and certainly in the role of Santa leading up to Christmas. And you know, I find a good mince pie or a cookie, maybe a little glass of milk, often takes away the stress. Santa’s always been keen on, believe it or not, oatmeal raisin cookies. I really do like those. However, you can’t possibly beat a good sugar-covered cookie of some kind. You know, at the end of the day there’s no bad cookie, is there? There’s just degrees of goodness is sort of how I view it.”

What’s your biggest regret?

“The old regret question. Well, you know, there was that time that I let Coca-Cola decide what I would wear. And I must say I would probably rethink that one, now, but it’s all too well ingrained so red it is, red for me. Not sure I look my best in red always, but I used to do more green. I liked green, earthy, earth tones. But, you know, Coca-Cola said they could do it all over for me, no cost to me, and before you know it here I am in a nice red suit. It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong, just wasn’t my original look. People are used to it now, so we’ll go with it.”

Do you find pleasure in throwing candy at people during Hanging of the Green?

“Yes, I find that the pleasure comes not in the throwing but in the hitting of the people, you know? The throwing, well there is not a great deal of pleasure in that. And of course if the candy just lands on the floor or near someone, well that’s so-so. But when the candy really gets them a good one, you know, right between the eyes, well there is pleasure there.”

Santa, much like a college student, understands how busy and stressful this time of the year can be. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are Santa’s comprehensive finals.

“People think, ‘I want your job, Santa, you just work one day.’ But there’s an awful lot of getting ready for that one day a year, and an awful lot hanging on that one day, might I add. So it pretty much keeps me busy year round,” Santa said.

Santa marks the approaching holidays with the change of seasons. When summer turns into fall and we get that crisp cool air, the weather reminds him that Christmas will be here before he knows it.

“Ah, choosing between Hanging of the Green and Lighting of the Quad is always a tough decision, but let’s face it; Hanging of the Green is inside where it is nice and warm. The Lighting of the Quad puts me on the roof. While I am quite used to it, if it is cold, wet and slippery it is not as much fun,” Santa said.

Santa’s least favorite job is watching the naughty list grow. Last year Santa was working on an app that gave him a real-time update on the naughty and nice list, but, due to poor Wi-Fi connection, he was unable to access that technology.

Santa says the Wi-Fi may be down, but your kindness doesn’t have to be. He offered the inside scoop on how people can go from the nice to the naughty list.

“The biggest mistake is that people think they have been good up to this point so far this year, so surely they can get away with this little thing right now. You know, being nice is a year round thing, not a pick and choose. Keep that in mind,” Santa said.

Joyful with holiday spirit, Santa holds out hope that many will be able to switch to the nice list if they turn things around in the last week or so, but you just never know.

“I like to remind people that I don’t put you on the naughty or nice list, you put yourself on the naughty or nice list. You’ve got to remember that sometimes,” Santa said.

“A Christmas Carol” is Santa’s most cherished story of the holiday season, as it reminds him of what Christmas really means, and how the holiday is beyond ourselves and not all about us. Santa reminds us to be kind to one another this holiday season.

“I find when I’m in the middle of it all, there are two things: one, stay focused, make sure you see your goal, for me Christmas day is my goal, I’ve got to get to Christmas day. My other thing is try to find some time to relax, don’t, go go go go go and never stop for a cup of cocoa or a few cookies,” Santa said.