Santa readies for big night around the world

SANTA Claus is gearing up for another busy Christmas Eve, including several major local appearances on and in the lead-up to his big day.

News Of The Area has scored a rare opportunity to speak with the jolly elf in between engagements.

“I originally took this job, several centuries ago, because I love spreading joy and fun to all the kiddies in the world – and the fact that I only had to go into work one day per year was also appealing,” Santa told NOTA.

“Many people believe that I live in the North Pole, but that is not actually the case, at least, not all year-round.

“I move between the North and South Poles, following the summer sun – it can get really dark for a really long time in polar winters, after all, and Mrs Claus and the elves don’t complain because they only have to keep one seasonal wardrobe.”

Santa’s factory remains on a remote island just north of Lapland, to which he returns to supervise final loading of the magic sleigh.

The sleigh can fly magically, although Santa’s magic is not fully understood by modern physicists.

It allows him to slow time until it effectively stops, enabling him to visit all the homes in the world in one night.

This magic also allows Santa the ability to appear in seemingly multiple locations at once, such as shopping centres, local Christmas parties, and even on fire trucks before his big night.

“I am very good friends with all the Rural Fire Service brigades in NSW, and always look forward to touring the townships with them on the back of their big red trucks,” Santa said.

“On Christmas Eve, I particularly love heading out in the daytime with the Pindimar/Tea Gardens and many more RFS Brigade, and jump at the chance to visit parties at Raymond Terrace, Karuah, Bulahdelah, Pindimar and Nerong, just to name a few places.

“This year in particular, like so many before it, the firies have been put to the test holding off several fires and helping as many people as they can, not to mention all the other amazing volunteer rescue and community workers in the region.

“After the fire truck run, I take my compact sleigh up to Alaska, where my elves meet me with the main sleigh, then shoot south to Kiribati to begin the long journey visiting every household in the world,” Santa explained.

Santa’s route east to west, working with the rotation of the Earth, moving from New Zealand to Australia, then up through South East Asia and Japan, across the Asian mainland in a north-south east-to-west zig-zag pattern, covering Africa and Europe after that.

From Europe, he moves up through Greenland, down into North America and all the way south to Cape Horn, where he ends his journey and sends the empty sleigh and reindeer off to the South Pole with his co-pilot for a rest.

“I personally love the beach, so I take off on my mini-sleigh to spend Christmas Day lounging on the sand and swimming in the surf – a great way to end the year, too.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE