Just how do reindeer fly?

This really is “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Just like the song says.

To discern just how wonderful, talk to kids.

That’s what The Purcell Register did on a visit to Wayne Elementary School.

Six youngsters, one consensus. A genuine love for the yule season and a deep well of knowledge about the North Pole’s most famous residents.

Second graders Jagger Greenfield, Belle Stanard and Austin Holcomb and third graders Aubree Paul, Bentley Brakefield and Joseph Dunn had the answers to the newspaper’s questions.

ALL the answers, including some new ones on us.

“I know Santa’s jolly, nice and careful with kids,” Jagger said. “He does magic and goes house to house in a sleigh. And he jumps inside the chimney with magic!”

Pulling the sleigh are eight flying reindeer “and sometimes Rudolph if you can’t see,” Jagger added. “They have magic power just like Santa.”

Asked to name those reindeer, Jagger recalled five – Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Blitzen and Rudolph.

Let’s see you do better.

Bella had more information on Christmas magic and flying reindeer.

“They don’t have the magic to fly,” Bella said.

That is until Mrs. Claus feeds them her magic cookies before they leave the North Pole.

Though she’s never seen him, Bella likes and believes in Santa “because he brings presents to us.”

And she trusts the picture taken inside a friend’s house that shows Santa in the flesh.

Bella agrees there are eight reindeer, naming Dasher, Dancer, Donder, Prancer, Rudolph and Vixen.

Austin is especially looking forward to spending time with his family.

That family was an early gift for Austin, whose adoption was finalized in November. He even gained two siblings – Natalie, 5, and Bentley, 6.

He knows tons about Santa and company, too.

“I know his suit is red and he loves to eat cookies and drink milk,” he said.

Santa gets around in a red sleigh pulled by, you guessed it, flying reindeer (including Rudolph, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen and Blitzen).

“In “Elliott,” the movie, the reindeer eat special cookies and they fly,” he said. “The elves give them the cookies.

“I would like to eat one and fly up to get stuff that’s stuck in trees.”

“He’s nice,” Aubree confirmed about Santa. “He wears a red suit and has over a million elves! He eats the cookies every year and drinks the milk.”

Aubree thinks his cookie choices in order are chocolate chip, sugar cookies and Oreos, maybe.

She’s a believer and that belief is bolstered by the fact her Mom actually took a picture of Santa when he stopped by their house.

“He drives a sleigh with eight reindeer,” she continued. “The reindeer have magic power from the Spirit of Christmas. That way they can fly.”

Now pay attention here. Aubree is on a first-name basis with all of Santa’s reindeer.

“Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph,” she said.

“Santa is a good person bringing joy to everybody in the world,” Bentley said, recalling the Christmas Eve when he walked downstairs to get a drink and nearly ran smack into Santa who was standing by the Christmas tree.

How cool is that?

Bentley agrees Santa is a frequent flier, but not on Southwest or American.

No, he travels strictly by sleigh pulled by a number of flying reindeer – “I think seven” – Dasher, Dancer, Donder, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid and Rudolph.

“They can fly not by magic, but by the Christmas Spirit,” he said, “By everybody in the world believing in Santa.”

Joseph repeated the time-tested Santa facts – he goes house-to-house, travels in a sleigh pulled by those flying reindeer (Comet, Rudolph, Blitzen and Dasher).

And most importantly, they are able to defy gravity and go airborne because Santa feeds them Reindeer Magic Food.

Now here’s a fact you may not have known until now.

Where does Reindeer Magic Food come from?

“He gets it at the Co-op.”