STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

It would appear that children have a lot of unanswered questions about Santa Claus.

Santa got peppered with questions when he visited Ketchum Town Square for the City of Ketchum’s annual Tree Lighting Party this past week.

Santa made his appearance via a Ketchum fire truck, saving up his reindeer’s energy for the big night. And he had scarcely begun his walk across the town square amidst a couple hundred adults and children when the questions started.

One of Santa’s reindeer eats its fill of grain.

How do you get down the chimney after eating so many cookies? I try my best to stay in shape so I can splurge this one night.

What’s your favorite cookie? I like ’em all—oatmeal raising, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, peanut butter…

How do you get down a chimney when there’s a fire in it? I pause it for a split second.

How do you get into homes with no chimneys? A lot of times someone leaves the door ajar.

Members of the Far+Wise afterschool program at Hemingway STEAM School took turns wearing Santa hats and beards during the holiday gathering.

How many presents do the elves make in a single night? Countless.

How cold is it at the North Pole? This time of the year it can be from 35 to 100 below zero.

Many of the questions this year centered around reindeer perhaps because of two of his reindeer that had been transported here with the help of One Room Reindeer in Emmett.

Children watched them munch on grain while they themselves availed themselves of cocoa topped with whipped cream and frosted sugar cookies provided by the City of Ketchum.

The official Christmas tree at Ketchum Town Square features special Ketchum ornaments touting the message “Small Town. Big Life.”

How come you only have two reindeer here? The rest are home at the North Pole, taking aerobics classes to prepare for Christmas Eve.

How does Rudolph’s nose work? Rudolph is a mystery to all of us. A touch of the nose and up the chimney I go.

And, finally, Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw signaled it was time to let Santa return home so he could finish preparations for Christmas.

Where’s Mrs. Claus? Mrs. Claus is very busy this time of year, checking each list and checking it twice. It would be impossible for me to do what I do without here.

Rosa Nunez, who has been studying all about the Arctic during the Far+Wise afterschool program shows the giant snowflake she made.

How long does it take to get from the North Pole to here? A blink of an eye.