The Northish Pole

Troy: “Dada, how long will it take to fly to Iceland?”
Me: “About 15 or 16 hours.”
Troy: “Why does it take so long to get there? Where is Iceland exactly?”
Me: “Well, it’s a long way away. Very far to the north, almost to the top of the Earth.”
Troy: “And we’re going to be there for Christmas?”
Me: “Yep.”
Troy: “Then, how will Santa Claus find us so far from home?”
Me: “That’s a great question. I sent him a letter and asked him to deliver our gifts to our house while we’re gone. That way we didn’t have to try to pack them and bring them all the way home from Iceland.”
Troy: “That makes sense, I guess.”
Me: “You know where Santa lives?”
Troy: “At the North Pole.”
Me: “And do you know where that is?”
Troy: “No.”
Me: “It’s toward the top of the Earth, pretty much exactly where we’re going.”
Troy: “So, Santa lives in Iceland?”
Me: “Well, maybe not exactly in Iceland, but pretty close. I just meant that we’re going to be near his house.”
Troy: “Can we go visit him?”
Me [laughing]: “The North Pole is in the middle of nowhere. It’s very hard to get to. I mean Santa can’t have people just dropping by all the time.”
Troy: “I guess not. But it would have been cool to see his house.”
Me: “I agree.”