Santa Claus took some time between toy building and packing his sleigh to talk with the Hungry Horse News last week.

He said “it’s awesome,” to be Santa.

He’s been doing his duties a long, long time. It’s all about community.

“It’s just fun. I enjoy the crowd. It’s a different experience every year,” he said.

As everyone knows, Santa wears a red fuzzy suit with white fur on the edges and down the front, large black boots with a white fur cuff and a red and white hat. Santa said he keeps his fluffy beard in top shape by trimming it now and then.

“It’s not all white yet, but it’s getting there,” he said. His favorite reindeer is Donner because “he’s like thunder.”

He’s never had a sick child sit on his lap, although he’s had many scared ones. He tries to cheer them up and help them think about something else. He’ll give the child a high-five or ask them questions.

“Get them to open up a little bit. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.

However, it’s often the parents who get in the way during the visit.

“I know a lot of the time it’s just the parents wanting to take a photo,” he said. But Santa isn’t there only for a photo, he wants to hear what each child wants for Christmas.

Parents sometimes need to give Santa a little space.

“I talk with the kids. Some go on and on with the toys they want and other will just say one gift,” he said.

Sometimes things get a little tricky.

He once asked one girl what she wanted and she replied, “You already got my list.”

But Santa’s quick on his feet. He quickly replied that he would use the list unless there’s something new that she wanted.

What does Santa do the rest of the year when he’s not talking to kids and dropping off gifts?

“I work with wood,” he said.

He uses the wood to build toys for next year’s Christmas. He also gets lots of rest. And there’s always time taken to keep an eye on that list of whose been naughty and whose been nice, sometimes even checking it twice.