Children Lobby Santa for Presents in Beltway Plaza

Santa dropped by Belway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt on Friday to talk to boys and girls so he could be well informed before giving the North Pole elves their final toy-making instructions.

His was a busy schedule with little time for delay, but then Tayja and Jamiyah Johnson showed up and Santa could not help but stop to hear their requests.

Tayja, who is 3-years old, wants a princess bike and Jamiyah, who will be 2 on the Friday after Christmas, wants Alvin and the Chipmunks.

As for Sherrena Johnson, mom, of Santa's little sweethearts, she had a present to wish for too. She wanted to see the kids happy on Christmas.

Those elves best get busy, because judging by Santa's smile and the twinkle in his eye, the Johnson girls and mom will likely get their requests.

Santa's Dilemma

Santa's dilemma presents itself every year — when during his last-second rush to get presents made and delivered, boys and girls show up to sit on his lap and share their wishes.

The cuteness factor and the adorable quotient are mathematical certainties that Santa is incapable of resisting. So he oft he slows down, forgetting — as on Friday — how little time he has left to get things done. Thus the dilemma.

Fortunately for him, he has a team of highly skilled elves, reindeer, the Abominable Snowman, and the ever-wise Mrs. Claus, who crank it up into overtime to make sure that everything is ready for Santa's big journey.

The North Pole is a Co-op

In an exclusive interview, Santa told Patch that the North Pole has a special connection with Greenbelt because Santa's home base is actually a co-op. So all the extra work the elves are putting in will boomerang right back to them in the end.

When Santa flies out to Greenbelt Christmas Eve, he plans on bottling a lot of the happiness he finds beaming out from the smiles of sleeping children. Then he'll bring it back home to his fellow workers — and word is there's gonna be one ginormous wrap party.