Santa reduces his Christmas Eve emissions

Santa leaned back in his large, oak chair in the workshop, staring at a chart spread out on the table in front of him. It wasn’t a list of children this time. Instead, it was a carbon footprint report, and the numbers were troubling.

Mrs Claus walked in, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s wrong, dear? You’ve been frowning at that chart for hours.”

Santa sighed deeply, his belly rising and falling under his red coat. “It’s the reindeer, my dear. Their methane emissions during Christmas Eve are… significant. With their speed and effort, it adds up.”

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Mrs Claus chuckled. “Oh, you can’t blame the reindeer for needing a bit of fuel. They’re magical, but they’re still animals.”

“I know,” Santa said, stroking his white beard thoughtfully. “But I’ve been reading up on how much methane contributes to climate change. If I’m to bring joy to children worldwide, I can’t ignore the environment they’ll grow up in.”

“Have you spoken to the elves?” Mrs Claus suggested. “They’re clever with these things.”

“That’s a good idea,” Santa said, brightening. “To the workshop!”

The workshop was buzzing with activity as Santa gathered the elves for an emergency meeting. “Right, team,” Santa began, pointing to the chart. “We need to find a way to reduce the reindeer’s emissions while keeping our Christmas Eve schedule intact.”

The head elf, Bernard, raised his hand. “What about biofuel additives, Santa? Some farms use them to reduce methane emissions from livestock.”

“Interesting,” Santa said, nodding. “But would it work for flying reindeer?”

“We can make it work,” Bernard said confidently. “With a little magic and some science, I’m sure we can design a special feed to help the reindeer digest better and produce less methane.”

Another elf, Kringle, piped up. “What about their energy? Could we supplement their power with something renewable, like wind or solar?”

Santa laughed. “I don’t think we can harness solar power on a night-time flight, but wind… that could work!”

The elves huddled together, whispering excitedly, and by the end of the meeting, they had a plan.

On Christmas Eve, Santa stood outside the barn, watching as the elves prepared the reindeer. Bernard carried a bucket filled with bright green pellets. “This is the new feed, Santa. It’s got seaweed extracts that reduce methane, plus a sprinkle of Christmas magic for good measure.”

Another elf, Cookie Dough, secured lightweight wind turbines to the sides of Santa’s sleigh. “These will catch the airflow as you fly, generating power to assist the reindeer. It should lighten their workload a bit.”

“Brilliant work,” Santa said, his eyes twinkling with pride. “Let’s give it a go.”

As the reindeer chomped down the special feed, they seemed livelier than ever, their hooves tapping eagerly. Santa climbed into the sleigh, gave a hearty “Ho, ho, ho!” and took off into the night sky.

The test flight was a success. The wind turbines hummed gently, powering the sleigh’s onboard navigation systems, and the reindeer seemed fresher, even as they soared across continents. By dawn, Santa had delivered every present and landed back at the North Pole with a satisfied smile.

“Well?” Mrs Claus asked as Santa stepped inside, brushing snow from his coat.

“It worked!” Santa said, beaming. “The reindeer were happy, the sleigh ran more smoothly, and the emissions were significantly reduced. Bernard says we can improve it even further for next year.”

Mrs Claus poured them both a cup of hot cocoa. “I’m proud of you, Santa. The children of the world will grow up in a greener world thanks to you.”

Santa clinked his mug against hers. “It’s the least I can do. After all, Christmas is about giving—and what better gift than a brighter future?”

From everyone at Fleetpoint, we would like to wish you a very peaceful and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Story written by Mark Salisbury, Editor, Fleetpoint