Well, first you should start by explaining that the North Pole is not on land, it is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, unlike the South Pole which is a landmass. During the summer months, the Arctic Ocean starts to thaw and becomes unstable for travelling on - even polar bears cannot use it very well in the summer for long distance travel. But most important is the fact that Santa goes on vacation during the summer. He goes somewhere different each year and doesn't tell anyone where - a child might find him vacationing in Europe if the child went there, or visiting the hot springs in the Rockies, or at the beach, etc... Wherever your family goes on vacation, you might see Santa there. He doesn't wear his heavy red coat or his big black boots, though, that would just be too hot. Sometimes he trims back his big white beard too - it grows long again just in time for Christmas. The same goes for the elves. They are the ones who do all the heavy work of making the toys for Santa to deliver, so they really need a vacation in the summer. They go with their wives and their children to places where children really like to go - amusement parks, the local swimming pool, the lake.... You might even see them in the town where your Grandma lives, if you go visit her! Given the prohibitive cost of flying in the North and the even more prohibitive cost of groceries that far from the agricultural areas (a dozen eggs can cost upwards of $10.00), a trip for a family of four can cost over $50,000, especially when you add in the cost of all those parkas and snowshoes, which you might never use again, depending on where you usually live. Santa's workshop isn't there during the summer anyway - it couldn't survive on the melting Arctic Ocean. So they take it apart every year just after New Year's Day and store it in little pieces all over the world. They re-assemble it after the ice is frozen again, usually just after school starts in September; that's when it starts to get really cold again and they can be sure that it won't sink. As for the reindeer, they can fly, so they can go anywhere they want for their vacation; they usually go visit their relatives in Scandinavia, especially in Lappland. But some go to zoos and 'hide' among the animals there, just to play a little trick on them. So, no matter where you go on vacation, you just might see Santa or some of his elves or his reindeer. If you do, be sure to take a picture. :-) < (this says 'smile for the camera') ---- Thanks for the comment , KinkStar! Actually I just quickly dashed off this answer and only later realized that I had written the outline of a pretty good children's storybook. I assert copyright on the story and just might flesh it out for later publication!!

There is no airport at the North Pole. Planes can't land there. That is why Santa uses reindeer and a sleigh.

tell your kid the truth

tell your kid the truth. the north pole is freezing and also a huge icemass and santa doesn't exist.

It depends on the age of the child, but as they grow older they can understand things such as the North Pole is a very cold place and even in the middle of summer the temperature is still below freezing. The Santa story for me is a tough one. There's a great deal of enjoyment for young children in the notion that Santa's coming, and can be a great aide in bringing children and parents closer together. Often one "tall tale" leads to another, and if the whole thing gets too complicated you could end up in hot water. Kids will see through this and question your honesty, rather than is Santa real. Keep it simple is my best idea. The answer, "I don't know" is acceptable.

I don't know where you live but I live in upstate New York and my husbands family used to take him to a tourist attraction called the north pole every summer. Search the web and see if there is anything like that near you. Good luck!

Tell your kid that it's very cold there and santa loves to go -insert your dream vacation place- His elves and reindeer are all over the place,they just might be in Tokyo or even Texas because it's sooo warm there and they get sick of the snow.