Heads up for Santa!

Tonight is the night! You'd better keep your telescopes facing north and your ears open for the sound of jingling harness bells. Yes, Santa is on his way!

It's much too late to wonder which side of the list your name is on tonight. Santa already has you tagged as having been good or bad.

If I could speak to Santa, I'm pretty certain his list changes just before he sets out in his sleigh and all of the names fall under the heading of "Mostly Good, Most of the Time." I mean, really? Have you ever heard of a child getting only a piece of coal for Christmas? I think Santa enjoys the act of giving too much to be that mean.

Maybe that's just another rumor spread by questionable adults over the centuries; just another threat to children to make them behave more like little adults. That makes more sense then Santa being mean.

What do you know about Santa's story? He lives at the North Pole and has so many Christmas trees he uses the northern lights to decorate them.

A path just wide enough for a sled, is marked with standing candy canes -- real ones! And if you follow the path you will come to Santa's workshop; right next door to his house that he shares with his wife Mrs. Claus.

While Santa and his elves (who spend their off time in the Elf Clubhouse) work on making toys all year, Mrs. Claus bakes cookies and makes candy. She boxes these up as gifts for Moms and Dads and grandparents. That's why you should leave cookies for Santa and his elves because all year long Mrs. Claus won't let them eat any of the candies or cookies she bakes.

Santa and Mrs. Claus know all about children. They have several dozen of their own and countless grandchildren. The children and grandchildren are the ones who keep Santa and the elves posted on all the new toys to make.

The elves gave up on learning to make video games or movies and turned that room of Santa's workshop over to Santa's youngest son and two daughters who understand all of the technical toys. They have no problem with producing the newest toys.

Everyone has always been told that the toys are made by magic. However, magic is often simply misinterpreted technology. If you want to know how Santa and the elves (and Santa's adult children) make all those hundreds of thousands of toys, watch Star Trek and see the replicator work. All they have to do is make one new model and the toy can be reproduced over and over.

Still, it's quite the job wrapping everything and getting the right names on each gift. Elves all have to go to school to learn to write and spell and how to read blueprints. They also take classes in painting, gluing and putting tabs in the correct slots, tying strings, writing instructions in four languages, and putting things in boxes just so.

Some of the elves and all of Santa's children are involved in playing with the reindeer and teaching them to pull Santa's sleigh. Most people don't know that Santa has a little trouble seeing in the dark, so the reindeer must learn the entire route by heart and deliver Santa to the correct homes.

A couple of elves always go with Santa to help deliver gifts and to remind the reindeer when to turn right. For some reason reindeer always turn left unless reminded.

Since the 1960s the weathermen on television have been able to track Santa to some degree with their radar. Although they can't see his trail unless he is flying, they can tell which part of the globe he is flying over.

If you've never seen this report, maybe your parents will let you stay up till the 10 o'clock news just once to see how far away Santa and his sleigh are from your house.

Until the next time friends, remember, Christmas and Santa come but once a year. Please enjoy the day with family and loved ones and reach out to share it with those less fortunate. Merry Christmas!