The Chronicles Of Grant County
Santa Claus May Be In Southwest New Mexico
In recent days, several reindeer – "caribou" in the United States – were seen in the wooded land above Lake Roberts in the Gila National Forest. The antlers of two of the reindeer can be seen behind the big tree in the middle of this photo. (The photograph was produced by Preston Keres and provided courtesy of the United States Forest Service.)
The Chronicles Of Grant County never trades in gossip.
While others may be swayed by influencers on the internet, The Chronicles Of Grant County only focuses on seeking out the truth about activities and events important to the people of Southwest New Mexico.
It is in this spirit that we have found clues that indicate that Santa Claus is visiting our slice of America. Again.
In recent years, Santa Claus has utilized Grant County to begin his whirlwind trip around the world.
Past visits by Santa Claus have been cloaked in secrecy. This visit appears to be similar.
But, rest assured dear readers, The Chronicles Of Grant County has been busy gathering the clues that seem to confirm that Santa Claus is, in fact, here in Southwest New Mexico.
Visitors to the area around Lake Roberts in the Gila National Forest were startled earlier this week when several reindeer were spotted just behind some trees.
"We were walking through the woods when we heard some rustling sounds," said "Sam." "When we looked over, we saw two reindeer walking not more than 20 feet away from us."
"We looked beyond those two reindeer and saw seven more walking through the woods," "Sam" continued. "They seemed to be walking down towards Lake Roberts, but we decided to go in the other direction. We didn't want to interfere in their travels."
Please note that "Sam" is a pseudonym for the individual who was in the forest that day even though they were supposed to be working remotely for a big tech company. "Sam" was in the company of another individual who also was supposed to be working remotely. That second person, while declining to answer any questions directly, did shake their head up and down when asked if they, too, saw the reindeer.
Please also note that "reindeer" in the United States are called "caribou."
The reason why The Chronicles Of Grant County allowed "Sam" to use a pseudonym was based on a key detail "Sam" provided that explained why they walked away from the reindeer.
"My friend called out a couple of names towards the first two reindeer," said "Sam." "First, 'Comet,' then 'Donner.' No response."
"But then they called out 'Vixen,'" continued "Sam." "One of the reindeer turned their head towards us and nodded. That's why we left. We figured that Santa Claus was nearby. We wanted the reindeer to be able to enjoy their time here in New Mexico."
With that information, The Chronicles Of Grant County made a long-distance call to the North Pole to see if we could get an on-the-record interview with Santa Claus.
Jasmine answered our call and explained that calls for Santa Claus were now being handled by Tom, an elf in Building 23. She transferred the call and Tom picked up on the fourth ring.
Tom demurred when asked if Santa Claus was in Southwest New Mexico.
"I'm not able to confirm that Santa Claus is in Silver City today," Tom said in the telephone interview on Tuesday. "I can confirm that he's going over final details for the worldwide trip. Everything is still on schedule for lift-off late on December 23 so that every child can get their gifts on Christmas Day in each time zone."
The Chronicles Of Grant County informed Tom about the reindeer sighting in the Gila National Forest and how one of the reindeer responded to being called "Vixen."
Tom indicated that he had "no specific knowledge of the travels of the reindeer," but did confirm that the reindeer generally would rest and enjoy outdoor activities as a group in the days leading up to the global trip.
The elf was kind enough to take a message for Santa Claus to see if he might be available for an on-the-record interview during the next few days.
"I can't guarantee that Santa Claus will be able to respond," Tom said. "After all, he's in wilderness areas and doesn't like to be disturbed while going over last-minute details."
When Tom was asked where those wilderness areas might be located, he indicated that he had another telephone call to take.
In addition to the sighting of the nine reindeer in Grant County and the mention of "wilderness" by Tom, The Chronicles Of Grant County has confirmed that large orders of fresh birch and willow tree leaves have arrived at four secure locations in the area.
One of those secure locations is just outside of Deming, another is in Lordsburg, one is near Reserve, and another one is in Santa Clara.
Boxes of the birch and willow tree leaves were seen being unloaded at the Lordsburg location. Each box was marked as being addressed to "S.C."
Both birch and willow tree leaves are known to be quite tasty to reindeer.
None of the trucking companies that brought in the birch and willow tree leaves would answer any questions about the transport of these food items. Officials at the four secure locations were equally tight-lipped regarding who ordered the tasty treats and where they were to be delivered for the customer.
On a hunch, The Chronicles Of Grant County called Tom back. When asked if he ordered fresh birch and willow tree leaves to be delivered to Southwest New Mexico, the elf declined to comment. When asked about the "S.C." addressee listed on the boxes being unloaded in Lordsburg – could "S.C." stand for "Santa Claus – Tom changed the subject and said that it was "…wonderful that a burg was named in honor of our Lord."
When told that Lordsburg was likely named after one of two individuals, not the Lord, Tom commented that "the town still has a wonderful name." The elf then indicated that he had another call on hold that he needed to answer.
Due to technical issues, Tom took that other call on hold, but rather than ending the call with The Chronicles Of Grant County, the elf accidentally activated a three-way telephone conference call.
The Chronicles Of Grant County listened quietly as Tom and the third individual discussed…Well, it would be impolite to divulge what The Chronicles Of Grant County learned in this telephone conference call.
Rest assured, The Chronicles Of Grant County is confident that the sighting of the reindeer near Lake Roberts, the fresh birch and willow leaves arriving here, and the boxes addressed to "S.C." indicate that our community will likely again be the site where the greatest gift of love in the world begins in a few days.
As additional information can be confirmed, count on The Chronicles Of Grant County to report the details about Santa Claus, the nine reindeer, and their visit to Southwest New Mexico.
Do you have questions about communities in Grant County?
A street name? A building?
Your questions may be used in a future news column.
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