I attended a meeting of sleigh designers today. They were very, very pleased with the results of new flight tests. In fact, the sleigh designers are saying that if weather conditions are favorable enough the new sleigh will shatter old speed records this year.

Santa loves a fast sleigh.

He has the fastest sleighs in the world. Of course, they are powered by the world’s fastest flying reindeer as well. Nobody has ever thought to challenge Santa in a race and no one ever will.

Santa is an avid collector of sleighs. He loves them. He loves to tinker with them. He loves to build them. He literally has thousands of sleighs.

A lot of people ask why Santa has his sleigh designers make a new sleigh every year. The answer is actually very easy: because Santa wants a new sleigh every year.

He loves their ideas.

For example, several years ago, they introduced a series of radical changes to the sleigh that improved its speed. The sleigh was designed low and laid back. It was a big departure from the large clunky sleighs of the late 20th century. Santa literally could not wait to fly it.

It has become a tradition for the sleigh designers to talk about a sleigh design with Santa in January and February. They then start building it and testing it. But by the time late spring comes around Santa’s hands are off of it.

For him, it is a tradition to then not see the sleigh until Christmas Eve — after the last test flight has been flown. Some years he couldn’t help himself, and took a peek. But most of the time he waits. Santa loves the surprise of a new sleigh.

They think Santa will be REALLY surprised this year.