Remarks by the First Lady to Children While Tracking Santa with NORAD, Via Telephone
December 24, 2011
11:03 A.M. HAST
OPERATOR: You’re connected, ma’am.
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. How may I help you?
MRS. HARRIS: Hi, I have my daughter right here. She’d like to speak to you.
MRS. OBAMA: I would love to speak to her. Is her name Summer?
MRS. HARRIS: It sure is.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, I’m ready for Summer.
MRS. HARRIS: Here she is.
SUMMER: Hello.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Summer? Is this Summer?
SUMMER: Can you tell me where Santa is?
MRS. OBAMA: I can. Right now, I am looking at the tracker and I can see a dot on the satellite screen. It says that Santa, right now, is flying over Finland. So right now —
SUMMER: Wow.
MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, he is over Finland. And I can see a glowing light, and it looks like, from the satellite, that he’s got all nine reindeer with him, and it looks like his sleigh is pretty full. It looks like a full sleigh of toys. So I hope you’ve been good this year. Summer, have you been?
SUMMER: Yeah.
MRS. OBAMA: What are some of the things you want from Santa?
SUMMER: A Clawdeen Monster High Doll.
MRS. OBAMA: Uh-huh. Sounds exciting.
SUMMER: With a pair of shoes.
MRS. OBAMA: With the shoes? Excellent. Well, it looks like Santa has got a lot of toys ready for good little boys and girls, so — but Santa only comes to your house after he knows you’re asleep. So no matter where he is in the world, you’ve got to be asleep, okay?
SUMMER: Okay.
MRS. OBAMA: I know it’s an exciting night, but you’ve got to settle in, cuddle up, and in the morning, Santa will arrive, okay?
SUMMER: Uh-huh.
MRS. OBAMA: All right. Well, merry Christmas, Summer. Thanks for calling.
SUMMER: Thank you, First Lady.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay. Bye-bye, sweetie.
SUMMER: Bye.
