It is very busy here at the North Pole as we are in full swing making our preparations for Christmas Eve deliveries to the children of the world. It is a perfect time to explain one of the most common questions I am asked by children as well as many adults.
How can Santa visit millions of homes and deliver all the toys in one night? Many people throughout the ages have explained their ideas as to how I am able to accomplish such a monumental feat.
It is true, for example, that it is not nighttime in every country at the same time. Time zones around the world allow me extra time as I begin deliveries in the area of the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand where night arrives first. I follow the setting sun around the globe finishing my deliveries in the many locales of Central and South America. However, the times zones only add 7 hours — a total of 31 hours for Christmas Eve which is not enough time to deliver all the presents.
Another reason given is that 87 percent of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere which makes it easier for Santa Claus to deliver presents since so many people live closer to the North Pole. This reason is also true but does not address that there are millions of children all over the world making deliveries to all of them impossible on one night as humans understand time.
I could go on with many other ideas that are given for how I deliver all the presents. However, the true explanation simply involves a combination of Elven magic and the effect of this magic on the natural world. The Elves are very, very wise and understand many things about how the natural world works and how their magic can impact the world.
Elven magic gives Santa the ability to travel at breathtaking speeds around the Earth. This ability requires a tremendous amount of magic on Christmas Eve. But, this magical speed has an interesting effect on time — the faster I go, the slower time moves for me. The Elves have understood this time effect for hundreds of years. In the human world, it was many centuries later before a famous scientist named Einstein discovered this fact about time and gave it a name — time dilation.
Just imagine if a minute for you is an hour for me, a day for you is a month for me, a year for you is a century for me, and so on. That’s exactly how time works for Santa Claus on this one very special night of the year. Even though Christmas Eve for you in the natural world is just like any other night — for Santa, time moves very slowly on Christmas Eve. I am able to rest at each home, admire the Christmas decorations, put out presents, fill stockings, and have enough time left over for a snack of cookies and milk.
Now — you might also understand why children who try to catch a glimpse of me on Christmas Eve find Santa so elusive. I travel so fast in human time that, even if you see me, I might just appear as a momentary twinkle in your eye on this special night.
