Hello, everybody. Please let me get straight to business. Lately I’ve been hearing that a lot of children are telling other little boys and girls stories about Santa not being real.

This happens every year, usually as Christmas morning draws near. It never upsets me, because it is right and proper that children should ask questions and learn about the world around them. I like to think that those questioning young children will one day grow up to be doctors and scientists or even newspaper writers, who need to investigate important issues every day.

But I also hope that they never, ever lose their sense of wonder and glee, and the great joy to be had every Christmas time with family and friends. And that is where I come in.

The truth is yes, I am real. And I can prove it, too. Now, some older children might say that Santa isn’t real because you never see Santa actually delivering all of those presents on Christmas night, ready to be unwrapped in the morning. But just because you can’t see something does not mean it isn’t real.

You can’t see hopes or wishes or dreams, either, but each of those is as real as the bright red nose on Rudolph the reindeer’s face.

If you have ever gone to a friend’s place hoping that they can come out and play, you know how real hopes can be.

And you know how happy you are when those hopes come true. If you have ever wished for your little brother or sister to get better when they are sick, you know how real wishesare.

And you know how wonderful it is when your wishes are granted and your little brother or sister finally gets better.

If you have ever dreamt of a sunny day at the beach or a visit from grandma and grandpa or watching your NRL team win, you know how real dreams can be. And you know how good it feels when those dreams come true.

Here is the great thing about hopes and wishes and dreams.

They never go away, not even when you are a grown-up. Ask your mother or father and they will tell you about their own hopes and wishes and dreams. You might be one of them. In fact, I bet you are.

Grown-ups work hard and start businesses because they hope to make their mark in the world. They help friends and neighbours and charities because they want to make the world a better place. And they dream of a better future for all, because that is why we are here.

Sure, you cannot see any of those hopes and wishes and dreams. But you can see how they turn into real things, in the very same way that your letters to Santa turn into real toys on Christmas morning.

But Still, I sense that there is a small group of children out there who may not be convinced by Santa’s arguments. Very well.

In that case, there is a simple test that you can try at home.

On Christmas Eve, ask your mummy or daddy to leave out a nice biscuit and a proper grown-up drink for Santa (your mummy or daddy will know what that means). I guarantee you these lovely gifts will be gone by the time you wake up, all gobbled up by me.

That’s a 100 per cent, absolute rolled-gold guarantee, children.

I give you my word. You know, even Santa has his own hopes and wishes and dreams, and I’ve been around since Christmas was invented.

That is a very long time. Every year, for example, I hope that all of my reindeer are happy and healthy and able to help me deliver presents to all the children of the world. And every year that hope is realised. Every year I wish for my beloved worker elves to make the very best toys. Just the other day, I was checking on one elf as he put the finishing touches to a very special toy for a pretty little Sydney girl named Georgia. As usual, his work was first-rate. (He has already finished the toys for James, Bella, Dylan, Charlotte and Grace!)

And every year I dream of all the millions of happy faces on Christmas morning, all over the world. As every parent knows, there is nothing fake about any of

those smiles. They, my friends, are as real as it gets.

As told to Tim Blair for the young readers of the Saturday Telegraph and Kidspot Magazine.

Santa through the ages:

— TIM BLAIR

Santa Claus has featured in many notable historic moments. Here are just a few highlights from his remarkable career, some of which may be slightly imaginary...

●20,000BC: Aboriginal cave art in the Pilbara region clearly depicts the outline of a hefty, bearded figure appearing to ride some form of airborne, deer-propelled sky vehicle.

●206BC:The first recorded breach of China’s Great Wall occurs when Santa and his sleigh nimbly leap across the 16m-tall structure.

●1915:The first-ever Anzac biscuit is left outside a trench during World War One and is mysteriously consumed early on the morning of December 25.

●1930: Due to Depression-era budget cutbacks, Santa’s most extravagant gift is a two-kilogram lump of coal, gratefully received by Sydney boy Horace Wimpole.

●1951: Santa’s gift of a guitar inspires thoughts of a musical career for a young Mississippi lad named Elvis Presley.

●1969: Satellites tracking the path of Apollo 11 as it heads for the first-ever manned moon landing pick up a trail of brightly-wrapped gifts floating high in the stratosphere. These are thought to be spillage from Santa’s 1968 Christmas run.

● 1975: The first draft of Gough Whitlam’s famous Dismissal speech — “May well we say God save Santa Claus, because nothing will save the Governor-General” — is hastily rewritten just minutes before Whitlam addresses the crowd outside Parliament.

● 1990: Following the collapse of communism, Santa Claus is able to deliver gifts throughout Eastern Europe for the first time since the end of World War II.

●1994: Shane Warne achieves his one and only Test hat-trick during the Boxing Day match against England. The champion legspinner refuses to confirm that several days earlier he had sent a letter to Santa requesting just such a gift.

●2001: Santa’s first use of GPS to direct his sleigh ends in confusion, with hundreds of children in Sweden receiving cricket bats while puzzled Australian youngsters open packages of fermented sea herring.

●2005: The widespread introduction of wind turbines causes Santa’s insurance premiums to reach an highest high.

●2009: Due to financial constraints brought on by the global economic crisis, Santa uses less expensive dairy cows in place of his usual reindeer.

●2014: An ICAC investigation into the undisclosed funding of Santa’s toys is abandoned following public outrage towards the anti-corruption body.

Memories of Santa

— NEIL KEENE

THE magic of Santa is a childhood joy almost every Aussie holds dear to his or her heart, according to new research.

A Galaxy survey of more than 100 Australian parents found that more than 90 per cent nominated Santa and the anticipation of his arrival among the “most magical” memories of childhood.

And belief in his existence could be doing more than just making happy memories, according to child literacy experts, who say the imagination required to grasp and accept his annual Christmas journey helps kids think more creatively.

The Galaxy poll, commissioned by toy-maker Mattel to mark the launch of its yourlettertosanta.com.au website where kids compile an online wishlist of presents, found that three-quarters of children aged 4-12 still believe in Santa.

Boys and girls are equally likely to hold onto that belief as they grow.

The survey also found that an overwhelming 96 per cent of families do their best each year to bring the magic of Santa to life for their kids.

Most do it by leaving snacks and beer out for him and carrots for the reindeer on Christmas Eve, visiting him at local shopping centres for photos, or leaving stockings or pillow cases at the foot of their children’s beds, awaiting his arrival.

Macquarie University senior lecturer and literacy expert Dr Victoria Flanagan says the imagination required for children to grasp something beyond their everyday experiences helps them think more creatively, express their emotions and find solutions to problems.

“My research looks at fantasy literature and how it can expand and develop children’s cognitive capabilities, but the same principles can be applied to any type of imaginative play, such as Santa’s story at Christmas,” she says.

“And because they’re outside the realm of normal, everyday experience it’s also a situation for testing out new language skills.”

“Children are in a situation where they are encouraged to articulate things that they might never have articulated before and they’ve got an adult modelling the language, so it can really expand their vocabulary.”

The Galaxy poll found that 82 per cent of families leave food and drink out for Santa, but only 75 per cent include something for his reindeer.

More than 80 per cent of parents take their kids to see Santa at the local shops and almost three-quarters of children leave out a stocking or pillow case on Christmas Eve in the hope it will be filled while they sleep.