With the white beard and hair Santa may look old, but he doesn't seem to be getting any older. What are his secrets to longevity? How does the Jolly Old Elf keep up year to year? I managed to get Santa on the phone in a rare interview:
1. The "Ho-Ho-Ho" Secret
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"My trademarked 'Ho-Ho-Ho' is more than just my natural expression of joy," began Santa. "It's my form of stress relief. Things can get quit hectic this time of year and the elves can be especially difficult about all the overtime. I find that laughter and smiling are the best ways to dissipate stress and lighten my mood. If I could bring one gift to all the grown ups this Christmas, it would be more smiles and laughter."
2. Mrs. Claus
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"My next secret is Mrs. Claus," continued Santa. "She is the most wonderful wife and I couldn't do anything without her. She doesn't like the spotlight, but have to give her credit for making sure I take care of myself and keeping from obsessing too much over my work. Just being with her takes years off my life."
3. Chimney Squats
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"You may not know it from my waistline, but I am quite fit. I have to train all year round to be strong enough to leap up through millions of chimneys on Christmas Eve," continued Santa. "I have a whole team of elves working with me everyday to exercise. They are always after me to leave the cookies behind, but I just love cookies so . . ." he said with a distant look in his eyes.
4. Managing Elves
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"I can't begin to tell you how much I love working with elves. I think they are one of the reasons I stay so young," Santa explained. "When you have a thousand or so elves preparing millions and millions of gifts for the Big Day, you have to have some pretty good management skills. This keeps my mind working and engaged all year long." Santa recommends that anyone who want to stay sharp find ways to be creative and engage in daily problem solving and mental challenges.
5. Giving and Thinking Positive
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"My final longevity secret: Think positive. I look forward to every year and the joys and challenges it brings. I just love my giving gifts and spreading joy during the Christmas season. It gives my life meaning and value. That, in my opinion, is the number one secret to longevity." With that, Santa gave a mighty "Ho-Ho-Ho" and excused himself to check on an assembly line.
