NORTH POLE - (WBEN) - There's no denying that Santa puts in a lot of work during the holiday season.
Between his visits to the North Pole and his recent updating of the Naughty or Nice List, WBEN sat down with Santa Claus at Walden Galleria to highlight Christmas and the experience of meeting with families at area malls.
"It comes with experience," Santa told perennial naughty list member and WBEN reporter Mike Baggerman. "You have to look at a child as a small person and listen to them because most people don't really listen to children. They'll tell you stories and what they wish and want. You discuss what they need versus what they want. I joke with them and give them riddles where they have to think and I get them to laugh because then they accept being here with me, a very strange character."
The 1,749-year-old has heard all sorts of stories from the kids ranging from typical desires for a bicycle to heartbreaking stories of sadness. Still, his goal any time he meets with children is to make them feel better about themselves.
He even said he's worked on removing the Naughty and Nice List because some people have used it as a way to bully family members.
"What we do now is (tell them) to work on it," Santa said. "I tell them everybody is on that list. You, me, everybody. It gives the child an incentive. It gives them a direction to go and understanding that they can do better. They feel better about themselves, that's the important thing."
Some savvy kids, and adults, might notice that Santa comes in various forms depending on where he is. He explained that he has many suits and that some of his outfits are different depending on the culture he is in. For example, he will wear different outfits in Europe to represent the different cultures.