Area children talk to - and about - St. Nick during his visit to West Park Mall

Santa Claus sent a helper to the home of Ethan and Evan Pipkin in Risco, Mo.

A little elf watches over Ethan, 9, and Evan, 6, at night, constantly checking on whether they are sleeping or awake, said their father, Chuck Pipkin as he and his wife, Christi, brought the boys to visit Saint Nick himself at West Park Mall on Friday.

"I read this book and the elf is magic," Chuck Pipkin said. "He keeps an eye on the kids and moves somewhere else in the house every night to make sure they know he's watching."

Like most boys their age, games are on the boys' minds when it comes to their Christmas wish list. After visiting with Santa, both said they asked for a pingpong table. Ethan also wants the video game "Rock Band." And Evan wants a pool table as well.

The eagerly awaited visit from the jolly old elf has every child professing they have been good, and though there are technology toys in the mix, the things children say they want are echoes of the toys their parents desired.

Wyatt Hendley, 4, of Bloomfield, Mo., wants James the Train and Thomas the Tank Engine. He visited Santa with his sister Katie, 2, his mother, Kathy Hendley, and Fran and James Hendley, his grandparents.

And Madalyn Henderson, 9, of Cape Girardeau said she wants books -- the complete Harry Potter series "because they have magical creatures in them and you never know what happens next." Madalyn took her turn whispering her wishes with her brother Drake, 6, while mother Stacey Henderson looked on.

Camryn Rivenburgh, 8, of Jackson, had one of the longest lists. She wants an American Girl doll and clothes -- tennis shoes and slippers, pajamas and "soccer clothes and basketball clothes and jeans and belts and shirts and sweaters and a vest."

Camryn's sister, Caroline, 4, also wants the sleigh to be loaded with goodies for her. "I want a new bike and a scooter and I want baby doll stuff and I want some clothes," is how she described her request as her mother, Amy Rivenburgh, looked on.

With such a heavy load and only one night to make his rounds, Santa Claus relies on his band of reindeer to pull his sleigh to every home. Speed is important, all the children know.

Some think they know the secret to making the reindeer fly. Some think they know how Santa gets them to move swiftly through the night.

"Because he's magic and he goes down the chimney and he is really quick and stuff," Madalyn said. "He knows when you're asleep and he knows if you have been bad or good."

Or the key may be the old standby, a strong buggy whip to prod the reindeer forward.

"He lets the reindeer fly and puts like reindeer bells on and has a real whacky thing and he whacks the reindeer," said Austin Peterson, 9, of Scott City. His cousin, Harley Peterson, 10, agrees. "Santa whaps 'em with his whip and puts special stuff on them to make them fly."

Harley and Austin were in the mall with their parents, Gena Peterson and Vanessa Peterson, and grandmother, DeAnna Peterson.

But Camryn thinks that a long, long day, not just speed, gets Santa Claus to every home.

"He starts probably on Christmas Eve day and goes from that morning to midnight," she said. "And he goes through the whole day pretty much."

How long does he spend at each home? "Like 15 minutes."

A special meal can help, Evan Pipkin said. What would he feed a reindeer to make it go fast?

"Carrots," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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