COLORADO, USA — Far from Santa’s workshop, Chuck Poch knows where to find Old St. Nick.
"I met Santa probably about eight years ago," said Poch, president of the Longmont Amateur Radio Club.
Talking to Santa during the pandemic wasn't easy – malls were closed and Christmas parties were cancelled. Now Santa is taking to the airwaves to make sure kids can still tell him what they want for the holidays.
"Last year, I did no public events in person," Santa told 9NEWS. "Fortunately for me, I am a bit of a computer geek so I can put together the pieces to make it work."
All this week, the radio club is connecting Santa with children around the state using ham radios and computers. Children and their families can use ham radios to talk to Mr. Claus about their wish lists and any holiday questions they have.
"Basically, I am using a remote control software to get into Santa’s computer," Poch said as he prepared to connect Santa to children. "I’ll get set up with Santa and make sure I have control of his station."
Santa’s workshop has more technology now. Children across the state can get on the radio and talk with him.
"People think Santa brings Christmas magic. That’s not true. The children bring the magic and Santa facilitates it," Santa said. "I always want to know their name and how old they are and usually what grade they’re at in school."
One conversation at a time, the radio takes Santa to visit every home.
"If I can make someone laugh for 10 seconds somewhere in their day, that’s worth any foolishness that I might do," Santa said.
You can find out more about how to connect with Santa on the Longmont Amateur Radio Club's website or Santa's website here. Santa also said he’s making virtual appearances over Zoom.
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