Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in town

Kids will be glad to see Santa Claus with a white beard, red jacket and cap, plus Mrs. Santa Claus at the first World Bazaar Festival at the World Trade Center in Pasay City which started yesterday and lasts up to Christmas day.

Santa Claus and his wife, who arrived Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on board a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight via Hong Kong, said that they came all the way from Finland to bring cheer to Filipino children who, just like kids all over the globe, wonder if ever they will get a chance to see Santa Claus for real.

Yes, children, Santa Claus is at the World Trade Center, but minus his reindeers whom, he explained, have become too exhausted to bring him to the Philippines because of his too many travels to distant countries to spread Christmas tidings in such a short a time. This was the reason, he added, that he was forced to take a plane, otherwise, he would not have made it to Manila.

The Finnish Santa Claus admitted, however, that the worldwide economic downtrend has not spared him as shown by the absence of the ubiquitous bag-full of toys when he disembarked at the NAIA. He assured Angelica and Paolo Perez and Francisco Silva Rosario, who staked out his arrival at the airport, that he had in mind their long list of toys.

"Today is a joyful time for me because after the longest time, I have finally arrived in the Philippines to bring happiness to the Filipino children. It’s your time of the year, kids, and that’s why I am here today for all of you," said Santa Claus, who lives with dozens of little helpers on a mountain called Korvatuntun, far away in Finnish Lapland. — Rey Arquiza