He’s made his list and checked it over and now an inside source tells the Brainerd Dispatch that Santa Claus is coming to town —
OUR town.

That’s right, an anonymous source with pointy ears and jingle bells on his shoes said Claus has loaded his sleigh and after making his first North American stop in Winnipeg, has decided to make Brainerd his second stop of the night.

“That’s because there are so many good boys and girls in Brainerd,” the source said. “Santa wanted to give them top priority this Christmas Eve.”

Santa’s sleigh is already in flight and by dinner time Christmas Eve he will be finishing his stops in Europe and headed for North America.

The source said that Claus started loading his sleigh last week with toys for girls and boys all over the world. With the help of his nine trusty reindeer, Clause hopes to finish up his deliveries early Christmas morning.

This year’s most popular gift request — books. According to our source, Santa Claus was very impressed with the eagerness of children who value reading and said they will have an extra special Christmas this year.

New this year is Santa’s red suit. Our source said Santa’s elves have been anticipating a white Christmas for months and made sure Santa would stay nice and warm while making stops in snowy regions like Minnesota. “A warm Santa is a happy Santa,” the source said. “And when Santa is happy, he tends to be very generous with his gift giving.”

According to our source, Santa’s arrival in the Brainerd area is estimated for about 9 p.m., however he could delay his plans if there are children waiting to see if he has made his stop at their homes. “Santa likes his arrival to remain a surprise,” said the pointy-eared source. “My advice to children hoping to receive their Christmas gifts is to go to bed early.”

After visiting the homes of good boys and girls in the Brainerd lakes area, it’s been reported that Santa will be headed to Minneapolis and then make his way to homes all around the United States and then to South America before heading toward the Pacific Ocean.

Our source says Claus has plans to take a few days vacation in an undisclosed island paradise before heading back to the North Pole to prepare for next years’ Christmas deliveries.

SARAH NELSON KATZENBERGER may be reached at sarah.nelsonkatzenberger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.