WASHINGTON — It’s the busiest day of the year for Santa Claus, but the WTOP newsroom received a lovely Christmas surprise when he made a detour and stopped by the glass-enclosed nerve center Sunday.
Santa was very generous with his time throughout the day, calling WTOP at around 10:40 a.m. when he was over Australia and joining anchor Mike Murillo live in-studio at 2:40 p.m. to answer some hard-hitting questions from children in the D.C. area.
So far, Santa told WTOP that his trip has been smooth-sailing since he doesn’t have to deal with traffic like many WTOP listeners do. Santa said the weather has been wonderful so far, and he even had to wear his short-sleeve suit in Uzbekistan!
Brandon, 12, from Maryland, called in, curious to know Santa’s age. Santa told Brandon that he is ageless and told another caller that it’s best for everyone to consider Christmas as his birthday because “he’s all about what Christmas is about: kindness, love and charity.”
Claire, 7, from Virginia, asked about the origins of Christmas. Santa said that Christmas is about sharing, love, kindness and “the birth of baby Jesus, celebrated on Dec. 25.”
“How can Santa make the reindeer fly?” asked 6-year-old Kaitlyn. Santa said Rudolph would do better answering her question, since he heads the sleigh. Santa explained that it’s a sort of aerodynamic, magical process that Rudolph has specialized.
When Santa called in earlier in the day, anchor Michelle Murillo’s nephew asked if Santa had a favorite reindeer. Santa said he tries not to play favorites because they’re all wonderful and dear to him, but Rudolph is a very important part of the crew since he leads them with his nose.
While reindeer are his biggest helpers during Christmas, Santa also said that elves help out a lot with organizing a list of kids and their corresponding Christmas gifts.
Santa asked kids to please leave out a carrot out for Rudolph. His reindeer are very healthy, he said, as they keep to a strict diet of carrots, nuts, berries and straw.
Santa told 4-year-old Aida from Haymarket, Virginia, that his favorite cookies are chocolate chip. And 7-year-old Athena from Alexandria asked Santa why he likes cookies so much.
“Who doesn’t like cookies?” Santa replied. He added that he prefers soy or skim milk, since Mrs. Claus always encourages him to keep his waistline in check. He even goes on a weeklong diet after eating up all the Christmas cookies.
Before leaving the glass-enclosed nerve center, Santa gave a shout out to 6-year-old Mateo from Silver Spring, Maryland, and his friends: 11-year-old Kirby, 9-year-old Roby, and his mom Wendy. He also said hello to the Greens in Berryville, Virginia: 5-year-old Nathaniel, 3-year-old Gloria and their little brother Max.
Santa is scheduled to call WTOP one last time at 6:40 p.m. Sunday to answer any more questions before his night gets even busier.
