Every year around the festive season he comes to Garden City Mall's colourful grotto to liven up the holidays for the kids. This year, we caught up with Nick (as he likes to be called - it's short for Saint Nicholas) and had a chat about his annual gig as a mall Santa.KENYABUZZ: What is it like being Santa every year?NICK: I love my job. It is so rewarding! I have the privilege of engaging with an uncountable number of children and their families each year. I am a part of an annual special experience in which dreams and love are shared. I wouldn't change this life for anything!KENYABUZZ: Describe the working day of a mall Santa?NICK: No day is ever the same, my work broadly speaking falls into the following main brackets: counsellor, professional shopper, letter reader/writer, elf overseer, reindeer caretaker, present inspector and sleigh driver.KENYABUZZ: What's your most favorite thing about the job?NICK: I love children. I love visiting the mall and seeing all the beautiful joyous faces of this city's young and their families. My objective of every day is to make people happy.KENYABUZZ: Describe the joy that kids get when they see and meet Santa?NICK: It's priceless and can be an emotional rollercoaster. Depending on the age, I experience tears, jubilation, shyness and curiosity. I experience a full spectrum of reactions.KENYABUZZ: Why is it important for kids to believe in Santa as a figure?NICK: It supports an innocence and purity in children that is so needed in this world.KENYABUZZ: What's your most memorable Santa story?NICK: My strongest memories are of the brave boys and girls who open up and give me the most heartbreaking requests. This can range from curing a family member's cancer to giving the blind the power of sight.KENYABUZZ: What are the qualifications to be a mall Santa? Do you have to be round with a natural beard?NICK: You must maintain a jolly disposition, regardless of the situation. You have to respond positively to every request. Disappointing a child is unforgiveable! Personality aside, appearance is key. Always have your suit in check from the fur lining, to the precise colour of red, black belt and white gloves. Having a good amount of cuddliness is beneficial and a snow white beard is a must!KENYABUZZ: What does a mall Santa do the rest of the year?NICK: I go on vacation (in disguise understandably), I sleep, I diet, I put the weight back on and I start monitoring who has been naughty or nice from January.KENYABUZZ: How much does a mall Santa earn?NICK: Well, put it this way. After tax, it's enough to get me comfortably back to the North Pole - Business Class of course!KENYABUZZ: What is the most popular request you receive as Santa? What do you expect to be popular this year?NICK: I've been doing this job for over 600 years and can say with certainty that the kids of today sure aren't shy or modest about their requests! Gone are the days of children wanting a doll or a football - oh no! Nowadays, the kids are technology crazy! From the latest iPhones, to hoverboards or robots - nothing can surprise me these days! They keep me young and I love it.Make a date with Nick at the Garden City Mall Santa's Grotto which will be open every day from 10:00am-6:00pm until December 24th. Tell us about your experience on the hashtag #mydreampresent