Christmas and science may not appear to have much in common but a good knowledge of science is what has allowed Santa Claus to keep the Christmas spirit alive for so many years. Science is what allows Reindeer to fly and for all those presents to be delivered in one single Christmas Eve.

Most people think that Santa Claus only works one day a year but everyone in-the-know in the Science and Technology industries is aware that Old Saint Nick spends quite a lot of the year in his research lab making sure that every year things work better and better. When you think of what a big operation Christmas night is you realise how much preparation he has do: Everything from preparing the sleigh for the enormous flight stresses that it will be under from the incredible speeds & acceleration, to ensuring his workshop uses the latest technology and quality control standards, right down to job recruiting new Elves and helpers to deal with increased global demands. All this has to be taken into account and this is where science plays a big part.

The Tech Behind The Sleigh?

One of the most scientific pieces of kit that Santa Claus has at his disposal is the Sleigh and this requires continual technological development and countless research hours and testing in the North Pole’s one of a kind “Van Winkel Quantum-Neutron Wind Tunnel” which replicates the pressure asserted on Santa’s Sleigh. Earlier this year a tiny number of the world’s leading Scientist’s and Physicists were invited to a top-secret research facility in the North Pole to check out some of the technologies that Father Christmas and the Elves were developing. One Physicists who refused to be named (in order not to end up on Santa’s naughty list) is quoted as simply saying:  “I learned that we have a long way to go to catch up with Santa in fields ranging from quantum physics, aerodynamics & thermodynamics to composite materials science – the futuristic material used on the Sleigh are beyond anything we have seen yet. Some of what Santa is developing gives me great hope for the future and will change the way the world thinks about travel as we know it.”

If we assume that Santa has to travel 510,000,000km on Christmas Eve, and that he has 32 hours to do it (Travelling east to west with the Sun, maximising his available night-time, Santa has about 32 hours to work with assuming children sleep for eight hours, he has 24 hours plus those eight to finish), then Santa will be travelling at 10,703,437.5km per hour (1,800 miles per second) which is incredible. The fastest-moving human-made object in history is the space probe Voyager 1 which manages a rather less impressive 10.8 miles per second.

As well as having to cope with the immense pressures exerted on the sleigh due to the speed, there are also the intense gravitational forces created by the weight of the Christmas presents. To counter these forces and to stop the sleigh plummeting to the ground the sleigh uses many different technologies, super-light-matter carbons and special anti-gravity composites. These also help to shield Rudolf and the Reindeers from the extreme g-forces they will encounter as they accelerate to 1800mph and decelerate again suddenly, as they move from house to house to make sure all the good boys and girls get their Christmas toys and gifts.

The Reindeer.

Rudolf and the other reindeer play a very important part in the science of Christmas and Santa has spared no expenses in research when it comes to ensuring the Reindeer’s safety and health. The Reindeer are a vital part of the Christmas Night team and do very important jobs in guiding the Sleigh. While the sleigh may contain more advanced technology than the space shuttle and better guidance systems than Air Force One, Father Christmas never just relies on technology alone. It is well know that Santa Claus is a big lover of animals but also has a great respect for what the sciences can learn from studying the animal kingdom. The Reindeer have a superior sense of direction to any technology and this is why Santa Claus relies on Rudolf to safely guide the Reindeer & Sleigh through the Quantum eddies and temporal currents. However, science can lend a helping hand.

We all know about Rudolf’s Red nose and the sound of the Reindeer’s bells that can be heard on Christmas night if you listen carefully, but there is also a very valid scientific explanation for this as well. It is a closely guarded North Pole secret as to how the tech works but what is known is that Rudolf’s shinny nose houses a tiny “temporal-tag” and combined with the metal in the special bells you see on the Reindeer’s harness; serve as a Deflector shield and sensor array. The deflector shield and sensors helps Santa, the Reindeers and the sleigh safely navigate from house to house. The jingle, jingle ringing you hear from the bells is in fact the deflector shield pulsing and sending out a field in front of the sleigh similar to the way a Dolphin uses it’s sonar.

The Christmas Chimney.

Last but by no means least, the mystery of the Christmas Chimney. Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus is able to make it down the Chimney into your living room, even in a house that has had the flue blocked up? Well, you have science to thank for that too and some of the details as to how Santa Claus does this have recently been declassified by the North Pole. Apparently, Father Christmas stands on the roof and sprinkles a super advanced “Nano-tech dust” down the chimney – this creates a transponder field that allows Santa Claus to teleport from point A to B, from the roof into your living room. So what if the Chimney is blocked I hear you scream? Well, all houses have air vents hidden in the wall and they lead up to the roof and work in a similar way, allowing the dust to float into your sitting room. All though the North Pole have refused to comment there have been rumours on Wiki-Leaks that it was Santa Claus’ Chimney trick that inspired the famous “Transporter” in the popular Star Trek TV series.

This is just a sample of some of the science that goes into making the Festive Season go off without a hitch. So next time someone says that Science and Christmas don’t go together, you will be able to explain to them about all the things that Santa Claus, the Reindeers and all the Elf working in the North Pole laboratories and toy shops do to make it a very, Merry Christmas for everyone.

Post by Patrick James Horan