Visit Santa Year-round in North Pole, Alaska | INDIE ALASKA

Well, the thing is we have fun.

We love what we do, love making people laugh, and memories.

And if we can do that, our day is a success.

Okay now tell me what did you want for Christmas again?

The bear claws, that are the slippers.

Oh, the bear claw slippers.

Those are popular aren't they?

Coming up here doing a video, a visit, photographs.

Happy Christmas Santa!

I'm Paul Brown, I'm the Operations Manager here at Santa Claus House.

The vast majority of our visitors whether it's June or December, they really are in the holiday spirit.

We've had millions and millions of visitors from all over the world that have stopped by, and really have gone back home and told all their friends and family about this wonderful place in North Pole.

I actually married into the family, so my wife is the third generation of the family, so I've been doing it for 21 years now.

So Santa Claus House really is a small business playing on a global scale, we have the visitor facet where we're welcoming again guests from all over the world.

And then we have this whole other behind the scenes with the letters from Santa that we do.

It started out as really just a little postcard that people would send out from North Pole, Alaska with the postmark obviously, and really has grown to this giant worldwide operation.

So North Pole it really is a unique town.

Driving through, you'll see things like candy cane street lights.

We especially really embraced the spirit of Christmas.

Get that frost off your face, goodness.

You want some more?

My name is Rebecca Jones, I am the Supervisor of the Antler Academy here at the Santa Claus House.

And what we have is an interactive reindeer experience.

They go out to meet Santa's reindeer.

They take pictures with them, give them snacks.

Gotta watch where those antlers are going.

They have learning capabilities, they understand commands.

They know what their names are.

Reindeer are very specific to the circumpolar environment, liken each personality to the individual.

They all have very distinctive personalities.

They're kind of like little kids sometimes.

They pout when they get scolded and like [GRUNTS].

Had anyone told me 15 years ago, yeah you're going to be taking care of Santa's reindeer at North Pole at the Santa Claus House, I would have said hmm, no.

Santa Claus House really has grown and changed since it was founded.

In 1949 a couple by the name of Con and Nellie miller moved to Interior Alaska.

It was shortly after World War II, and Alaska was kind of the new hot thing with the opening of the ALCAN highway to general traffic.

Con actually became a merchant and fur buyer and he would buy up apparel and furs and things like that, he would go out to the villages all throughout Alaska and trade those.

And one day, he actually found a Santa suit he dressed up as Santa when he went out to do his fur buying in the villages.

And he really became the first Santa that many of those children had ever seen.

And then in 1952, when they decided to build a trading post here in North Pole there was children that drove by and they called out.

'Hello Santa Claus, are you building a house?'

Hence the name Santa Claus House.

Thank you for coming, you all stay on the nice list.

How many people's job is it to bring joy, and good memories?

And over the years, we have made some wonderful friends who have grown up, or watching them grow up.

They're like parts of our family, we want everybody to come in with a smile on their face, and we want them to leave with a bigger smile on their face.

From the North Pole, merry Christmas!

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