Questions to Ask Santa
Questions to ask Santa in person, on a video call or in a letter. They start with the ones nearly every child asks (how old he is, the nice list, how he gets round in one night), move through the reindeer, the North Pole and Christmas Eve, and end with the worries and the wish a child most wants to say out loud. Every question has a note for the adult standing behind the child: what Santa tends to say, who the question suits, and what you may have to deliver on afterwards.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Openers
How are the reindeer doing this year?
Why ask it
It asks about somebody other than the child, which is the easiest kind of question to get out when your voice has gone small. Most Santas answer with a short report from the stable, and that gives a nervous child a few seconds to settle before the big request.
What's your favourite kind of cookie?
Why ask it
Whatever he names is what your child will insist on leaving out on Christmas Eve, so listen for it. If your house leaves a mince pie instead, have them ask whether that counts. It always seems to.
How old are you?
Why ask it
Every Santa has a number ready, and it is usually enormous. Ask it early: a ridiculous answer given with a straight face tends to get the first laugh of the visit, and a child who is laughing finds it easier to talk.
Am I on the nice list this year?
Why ask it
Expect a yes, often after a show of running a finger down a very long list. If the naughty list has been mentioned at home lately, this is the question weighing on them, so let it come first.
How do you get to every house in one night?
Why ask it
The oldest puzzle in the story, and each Santa has his own explanation: time zones, a very fast sleigh, a little magic. A child of seven or eight who has started doing the sums is checking whether the answer holds, so let them push back once.
Did you get my letter?
Why ask it
Only worth asking if a letter was actually sent. Santa will usually say yes and ask the child to remind him what was in it, which gets them into their list without having to start cold.
Santa
Is your beard real?
Why ask it
Brilliant with a Santa who grew his own, since he may offer a gentle tug as proof. Steer away from it if the beard is clearly on elastic: one pull can end the visit for every child in the queue.
Why do you always wear red?
Why ask it
Small children notice the suit before anything else, so a three-year-old with no other question ready can still manage this one. Answers run from 'so the reindeer can spot me in the snow' to 'Mrs Claus chose it'.
Are you the real Santa, or one of his helpers?
Why ask it
Any child who has met three Santas in one December gets round to this. Let him take it: most have a practised line, and the helper idea is one plenty of families already use at home. Try not to answer for him.
Which name do you like best: Santa, Father Christmas or Saint Nick?
Why ask it
Handy where grandparents, school and television each call him something different. Hearing from the man himself that they are all his clears up a muddle a small child may not have known how to raise.
Why do you say 'ho ho ho'?
Why ask it
The youngest children ask because the laugh is the loudest thing about him, and at close range it can be alarming. Asking gets a quiet explanation, usually that it is how he laughs when he is happy, and often an invitation to try one together.
What's your favourite Christmas song?
Why ask it
Pick this when there is music playing in the queue, because Santa may well sing a line of it. A child who knows the words gets to join in, and singing along is easier than making conversation.
Were you ever on the naughty list when you were little?
Why ask it
A cheeky one for a confident child, and Santas enjoy confessing to something small. For a child who worries about the list, hearing that even he slipped up once is more convincing than being told not to worry.
Who taught you to fly the sleigh?
Why ask it
This one gets a story instead of a fact, and a child who has gone quiet can simply listen to it. The teacher is usually his own father or a very old elf, and the natural follow-up is whether he ever crashed.
Does Mrs Claus come with you on Christmas Eve?
Why ask it
The usual answer is that she stays behind to run the North Pole and has breakfast waiting when he lands. A child who asks is often wondering who looks after Santa, so what she cooks for him makes a good second question.
Do you remember me from last year?
Why ask it
Children who visit the same grotto every December ask this in complete good faith. A quick Santa says they have grown so much he hardly knew them. Give him a hand by using your child's name within earshot as you walk up.
What would you like for Christmas?
Why ask it
He spends all of December being asked for things, so being asked back tends to stop him for a second. Warm socks, a long nap and everyone being kind to each other are the usual answers, and some children go home determined to arrange one of them.
Reindeer
Do you have a favourite reindeer, or is that a secret?
Why ask it
Most Santas refuse to choose, on the grounds that the others would hear about it. If he does name one, ask what makes that reindeer special, and expect your child to back the same one for the rest of December.
How do the reindeer fly?
Why ask it
For the child who wants the mechanism and will not settle for 'magic'. The stock answers are special oats, stardust or a great deal of practice, and whichever one Santa gives will be repeated to you as fact on the way home.
What should I leave out for the reindeer?
Why ask it
Carrots are the usual request, though some Santas ask for oats or an apple. Have whatever he names in the house by Christmas Eve, because the child will remember the order exactly.
Is Rudolph's nose really that bright?
Why ask it
Rudolph is often the only reindeer a small child can name, which makes this the question they come up with unprompted. Listen for whether Santa says Rudolph is leading this year, since the child will be watching the sky for a red light.
Can you name all the reindeer?
Why ask it
This is a test, and children love setting it. A practised Santa rattles the names off in order, and one who stalls before Blitzen can be rescued by the child, which they enjoy even more.
Where do the reindeer wait while you're inside?
Why ask it
It matters to a child who lives in a flat, or under a steep roof, or in a house with no fireplace to mark the spot. The answer gives them somewhere to look from the bedroom window before they are sent back to bed.
Do the reindeer ever get tired halfway round?
Why ask it
Children with a dog or a pony tend to ask this, thinking of the animals before the presents. Santas usually describe rest stops on rooftops, which is a good picture to fall asleep to.
North Pole
What's the North Pole like in the summer?
Why ask it
Hardly anyone asks him about July, and Santas tend to enjoy the change. Fishing, sleigh repairs and a great deal of sleeping come up a lot, and a child with a summer trip of their own to describe gets to swap stories.
How do the elves decide who makes which toy?
Why ask it
It moves the talk off Santa and into the workshop, where he has head elves, a painting room and a testing bench to describe. A child who asks usually wants the next layer too, so have 'which job is the hardest?' ready.
How many elves work for you?
Why ask it
Small children like a number even when it is too big to mean anything, and they will quote it for days. A Santa who says he loses count every November has answered just as well.
Does our elf really fly back to you every night?
Why ask it
Only for a house where a scout elf turns up on a shelf each December. Santa will back the story completely, so think twice before prompting it if you were hoping this would be the elf's last year.
How cold is it at the North Pole right now?
Why ask it
Weather is something even a three-year-old can talk about, so this works when everything else is too hard. It lands best somewhere warm, where the contrast with the car park outside is the whole joke.
What does your workshop look like inside?
Why ask it
A describing question hands Santa the talking and leaves the child free to listen. Children who like to draw often put the answer on paper that evening, and the drawing is a better keepsake than the photo.
Do the elves get a holiday?
Why ask it
Fairness matters a great deal at about six, and a child who asks this is checking that the workers are looked after. Expect to hear about a long rest that starts on the 26th.
Do the elves make everything, even the video games?
Why ask it
Sooner or later a child spots a shop's logo on a box and wonders how it reached the North Pole. Leave this to Santa. The common line is that toy companies help the elves with the tricky ones, and it stands up to follow-up questions.
Do you have any pets besides the reindeer?
Why ask it
An open invitation to invent, and good Santas take it: a polar bear asleep by the stove, a very old cat. A child with a pet of their own will reply with a full report, so allow time.
Christmas Eve
How do you get into houses that don't have a chimney?
Why ask it
The stock answer is a magic key that only works on Christmas Eve, though some Santas say the front door simply opens for him. A child in a flat, or a house with a gas fire, wants to hear it said about their own home, so let them describe the door.
How do you fit all the presents in one sleigh?
Why ask it
Santas mostly credit a sack with no bottom, or say the sleigh pops back to the North Pole to reload. Expect a sharp-eyed child to point at the ordinary sack beside his chair and ask him to prove it.
What time do you think you'll get to my house?
Why ask it
You get a plausible time and, almost always, advice about being asleep. It is a gentler way for a parent to establish Christmas Eve bedtime than saying it themselves.
How do you stay awake all night?
Why ask it
Staying up all night is a serious feat when you are six, and the answer is often the funniest moment of the visit: snacks, short naps and a great deal of coffee.
What happens if I'm still awake when you come?
Why ask it
Nearly every child has a plan to stay up and catch him, and this is them checking the penalty first. Most Santas say they carry on and circle back once the house is quiet, which takes away the fear of being skipped.
What do you do when there's a dog in the house?
Why ask it
A real concern for the child whose dog barks at every delivery. Santas tend to claim a pocketful of biscuits, and some ask the dog's name, which even a tongue-tied child can supply.
How will you find me if I'm not at home on Christmas Eve?
Why ask it
Behind this is usually a house move, Christmas at a grandparent's, or a holiday split between two homes. Santa will say he keeps track of children and not addresses, which is the sentence they need to hear. If any of those apply this year, ask it before the fun ones.
Can the sleigh land where there isn't any snow?
Why ask it
Worth asking if Christmas is somewhere hot this year, or the forecast is plain rain. Children notice that their street looks nothing like the pictures, and they want to hear that it makes no difference.
Which country do you visit first?
Why ask it
Good for a child with a globe, or a cousin overseas who wakes up to presents hours earlier. If your family follows an online Santa tracker on the night, be ready to explain why its route differs from the one he gave.
Have you ever got stuck in a chimney?
Why ask it
Asked purely for the story, and it is the one most likely to make Santa laugh properly. Older children who are half out of the belief can ask it straight-faced and still enjoy the visit.
Lists and Wishes
How do you know if I've been good?
Why ask it
The idea of being watched while asleep bothers some children more than adults expect. Most Santas give a friendlier version: parents and teachers send word, or the elves keep notes. If this has come up at bedtime, it has earned a place in a short visit.
What if I've been good most of the time, but not all of it?
Why ask it
This is the honest version of the nice-list question, and a child who asks it has something particular on their conscience. Santa will say that trying counts. Do not follow it up by listing the incidents.
What if I change my mind after I've sent my letter?
Why ask it
A child who has gone off the thing in their letter can worry about it for weeks without saying so. Asking lets them correct the list out loud, with a witness. Listen closely, because the new item is now the one you have to find.
What's the strangest thing anyone has ever asked you for?
Why ask it
Santas keep a favourite for this: a real elephant, a baby brother by Friday, snow in July. It helps a child who is embarrassed by what they want, because their own request sounds sensible straight afterwards.
Do grown-ups still get presents?
Why ask it
Usually asked with one grown-up in mind, often a parent or grandparent they have never seen open anything. Santa tends to say that adults get theirs from the people who love them, which can end with your child deciding to make you something.
Can I ask for something for somebody else?
Why ask it
Some children arrive with a wish for a sibling, a grandparent or a friend who has had a hard year, so let them finish before anyone steers them back to their own list. If it is for someone ill or absent, stay close, because Santa can promise to think of that person and not much more.
Is there anything you're not able to bring?
Why ask it
Prompt this one if the wish is for a puppy, a baby sister or a parent coming home. Hearing the limits from Santa, that he brings things made in a workshop and cannot change who is in a family, is gentler than hearing them from you on Christmas morning.
Is there anything I can do to help you this year?
Why ask it
It turns the visit from a request into an offer, and Santas tend to answer with something a child can really do: be kind to a sibling, help at home, go to sleep on time. Remind them of the answer when it is useful, which will be often.
Can I tell you the one thing I want most?
Why ask it
Save this for last. Naming the thing that matters most out loud, to somebody who is listening carefully, is what the child came for.
Making a short Santa visit go well
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you reach the front of the queue
- A turn at a busy grotto can be as short as a minute or two, so agree on two questions and the one request. Any more and the child will forget all of them.
- Bring the letter if there is one. Handing something over gives a nervous child a job to do.
- Warn them about the queue, the photo and whether sitting on a lap is expected, so nothing is a surprise at the front.
- Decide in advance whether you are asking for a specific present, and whether you can deliver it, because children remember exact wording.
- Eat first. A hungry child at the end of a long queue is how a lot of difficult visits start.
Which group to pick from
- Openers need no build-up and work at any age. One of them plus the wish is a complete visit.
- Reindeer and North Pole questions hand Santa the talking, so they suit a child who would sooner listen than speak.
- Christmas Eve holds the how-does-it-work questions. Children who have begun to test the story enjoy these most, often from about seven.
- Lists and Wishes is where the questions with a worry behind them sit. If one of them is your child's, put it ahead of the fun ones in case the turn is cut short.
What Santa is likely to ask back
- Their name and age, nearly always first. Practise both out loud in the queue, since a child who has answered one question finds the second easier.
- What they would like for Christmas. Settle on the top one or two before you arrive, so the answer is not the whole catalogue.
- Whether they have been good, or helpful at home. Have one true example ready: fed the cat, shared a room, learned to swim.
- What they will leave out on Christmas Eve, and whether they will be asleep on time. Both come with instructions, so listen in.
- Who they are spending Christmas with. If this year is a hard one in your family, a quiet word with the helper at the front of the queue is kinder than letting it come up cold.
If your child is shy
Ask the first question yourself and let them listen. The questions about reindeer, cookies and the North Pole need nothing personal in return, so they work when a child cannot yet speak. Standing beside Santa instead of sitting on a lap is fine, and plenty of venues now set the visit up that way; ask the helper if you are not sure. Thirty seconds and a wave is a successful visit, and pushing for more usually turns it into a memory nobody wanted.
If they ask whether he is real
Experienced Santas have their own answer and will handle it, usually by turning it back gently. Decide beforehand what you want to say if the question comes to you instead, and follow the child's lead: many are testing, not asking, and are happy to keep playing. A queue with other families in it is not the place to settle it either way.
Older children who have worked it out
- Many keep going for a younger sibling. Give them a role: holding the letter, taking the photo, asking the workshop questions. They often enjoy the visit more than the little one does.
- The Christmas Eve questions are right for this age, because they can appreciate the invention: the bottomless sack, the key for houses without a chimney, the time zones.
- Do not ask them to pretend in front of you. Let them decide how much to play along.
On a video call or in a letter
A booked video call often runs longer than a turn in a queue, which leaves room for four or five questions. Ask how long the slot is when you book, and keep the wish for the end as you would in person. Describing questions about the workshop, the reindeer and the weather work well on a screen, where Santa can point at what is behind him. In a letter, two or three questions are plenty, and they give a reply something to answer. Reply schemes run by postal services and charities have their own addresses and deadlines, which differ from country to country, so check how it works where you live before promising that an answer will come.
Afterwards
- Write down anything Santa promised or suggested, in the words he used: the cookie, the food for the reindeer, the time he said he would arrive.
- Note which question got the best answer, since it is usually the one they will want to ask again next year.
- If a specific present was named that will not be arriving, say something before Christmas Eve, not after.