How does Santa get down the chimney?

Take the imagination of your typical 5-year-old, add a physically impossible question about Santa's job and what do you get? Pure magical answers.

Did you ever wonder just how a big fat man in a red and white suit fits down a chimney? Does he drop straight down or perhaps use a ladder? And the biggest head-scratcher — how does he get back up?

What if your house doesn't have a chimney — does that mean no presents? He could ring the door bell, but have you ever heard your door bell being rung at 2 a.m. Christmas morning by a man in a red-and-white suit (unless it's someone who's had a little too much eggnog coming from a party)?

Rest your worried, stressed out, shop-'til-you-drop minds. The dilemma has been solved by Sydney Palmer, 8, of Arlington Heights, and it's as simple as the red nose on Rudolph's face. Santa has one of his 12 reindeer simply drop down a rope, Sydney said. Problem solved!

Luca Springer, 6, of Roselle knows for a fact that Santa has a magic crystal that turns him into a little ball so he can go down the chimney, drop the presents, then head back up.

Perhaps you're thinking, “My house doesn't have a chimney.” Remember, Santa is magical and will create his own chimney passage, all while avoiding any alarm system you might have operating.

It's a tireless job that only one man could pull off — one magical, overweight, jolly, white-haired, secretive man who asks nothing in return, other than pure joy in the eyes of boys and girls.

So does Santa get paid for making his annual trip around the world?

Tierney Doyle, 2, of Winfield, answers that question with an emphatic “No!”