Totally ‘sleighing’ my inside information this week - I nailed an interview with the big man himself, Santa Claus!

Santa was checking into the International Hotel for the weekend to launch the first Christmas in Killarney Parade on Saturday evening last.

Did you park the sleigh in the Glebe Santa?

“Ho-ho-ho not at all Marie, I arrived by steam train this evening. The reindeer must preserve their energy and need a full 28 days sleep to generate high speeds of up to 650 miles per second. Dasher by name and Dasher by nature is the fastest of the lot and is in top form this Christmas,” Santa replied.

Is it the same route as always Santa?

“Yes, it’s a race against the speed of light so beginning with the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. After that Japan, Asia, across to Africa, then Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America. The route can sometimes be affected by weather but the reindeer and I have always got the job done!” Santa replied.

What do you prefer to be called; Santa Claus, Santy, Kris Kringle, Nick?

Oh my, I hope I don’t have as much ego as I have names. Santa or Santy will do me fine. Maybe Santa Claus on formal letters and correspondence, just to be sure to be sure you get the right man… I won’t tell you what Mrs Claus calls me!

Wow Santa, all that travelling, you must sleep for a month after your super express delivery?

“Myself and Mrs Claus usually recuperate by February and we take off on a SuperValu break in disguise. Mrs Claus especially loves Killarney National Park and makes a point of visiting the reindeers' cousins, the red deer on occasion and I enjoy Torc Waterfall and taking a boat trip on the lakes with Dux. I also love a good hot chocolate and Killarney is elite when it comes to this,” Santa replied.

With that Bar Manager Dara McCarthy arrives with the most delicious looking hot chocolate complete with an abundance of marshmallows and topped with lashings of cream!

“Are you making up for lost time?” Santa asked Dara. “I’m never going to make it onto that nice list am I Santa,” Dara laughed. “Perhaps tonight is your lucky night Dara, this hot chocolate is a definite 12 and a half out of 10,” Santa slurped.

"People like to leave out all sorts of food items for you all over the world, different things like a glass of milk, some cookies, maybe mince pies… what is your favourite food to find when you go down a chimney?" I asked.

"To be honest, I’m becoming almost as jelly as I am jolly these days! I need to lose some weight, ho, ho, ho! So, the less I eat on Christmas Eve is probably better. If you really want to leave something out for me, I’d say just go with a small glass of water or milk, and perhaps one carrot for the reindeer to share at each house is plenty."

One last thing before we go. What would you say to any children out there who are reading this?

Oh, I’d tell them that it’s nearly Christmas time now, not long to go, so it’s good to be as nice as you can. Help your parents with anything they ask, take some time to remember others around you, and remember, Christmas is a time for understanding the magic held within the hearts of all that believe in the spirit of Christmas. Thank you to everyone who has come to see me at the Christmas in Killarney parade. It's one of my most special things to do in the lead up to my express delivery coming soon. Merry Christmas to you all and I hope I don't see you on the 24th, ho, ho, ho!