How a professional Santa Claus answers 'Can you bring back Grandma?' and more awkward questions kids ask

Courtesy of Jim Manning

Kids really do say the darndest things, especially when they're excited.

And when you've been playing Santa Claus for more than a decade, you hear it all.

So we asked Jim Manning, a full-time children's entertainer who's played Santa Jim in Boston for the past 14 years, to shed some light on the most awkward things kids say at Christmas and how he responds.

Feel free to take some notes for your own curious Santa fans.

Manning says:

'Will you get me that toy?'

Courtesy of Jim Manning

I never commit to any presents. You could have a child grab me by the shoulder and ask, "Santa, will you bring me an X-box?" And I will say, "We will see what we can do." Because even if a parent is whispering in my ear "We will definitely get them that toy," I don't know that they're going to find it in the store, and I don't know that they're going to deliver. So I never commit to any single present.

'Can I have a puppy?'

Courtesy of Jim Manning

I also get asked about pets a lot — "Can I have a puppy?" "Can I have a kitty?" — and I explain that, because it gets so cold on the sleigh, I don't bring animals with me. And that's a decision to make with Mommy and Daddy.

'You don't look like the other Santa I saw'

Courtesy of Jim Manning

Sometimes kids will come up and say, "You're different from the other Santa Claus I saw," and I'll say, "Well, that was one of my helpers," which is something I encourage all Santas to do.

You're the real Santa, and everybody else is your helper, so as to not cause confusion.

It's really a case-by-case basis, but I try to stay on the kids' level as much as I can.

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