Santa on the screen

The mall no longer has a monopoly on access to Santa Claus — he was just a click away Saturday.

Parents and kids skipped the lines and stayed home to talk and interact with the big guy live from the North Pole during a live webinar. Old Saint Nick partnered with InstantPresenter, a Huntington Beach-based business that does online meeting and presentation services, to put on the event.

Santa and his head elf Winky answered questions kids asked live, told riddles and sang a song.

“You know it brings me great joy to be able to speak to you right now in your very own homes,” Santa said.

Kids answered polls, said if they had been naughty or nice and asked questions. One kid asked Santa a question that got him excited — what is his favorite kind of cookie?

“It really doesn’t matter that much because Santa loves all kinds of cookies,” he said. “I like the little, tiny, delicious cookies and the big, big round cookies and the ones with chocolate and white chocolate and macadamia nuts and walnuts.”

InstantPresenter is a small company that makes it possible for businesses to hold presentations or conduct meeting online. The company was started in 2004 by Costin Tuculescu and has grown over the years to have an international clientele. Conducting business online is the future, and the demand for the service is growing, Tuculescu said.

“It’s sort of becoming what e-mail became for business,” Tuculescu said.

The video will also be available on his webpage for those who couldn’t watch it live. Go to www.instantpresenter.com/santa.

— Britney Barnes