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Santa Claus - The Ultimate Packer?

Santa Claus - does he get chastised for being a Heavy, overpacker? Or, does he get a pass for cleverly getting everything stuffed into a few cinch bags? Not to mention the logistics and inventory management!
I would argue that Santa is not an overpacker as he distributes toys and gifts all over the world tonight. He needs all that he carries!

Posted by
32523 posts

He has all those elves to do the heavy lifting. He's just the boss. With that belly he lifts??

Posted by
9404 posts

As long as he has his private Sled and isn’t flying a budget airline he’s good!

Posted by
7129 posts

I’ve seen Buddy the Elf waiting for a passenger at the San Diego airport, but I’ve never seen Santa. He’s smart to avoid the airports at Christmas Eve!

Posted by
9462 posts

Excellent perspective, Sun-Baked!! Love how you are looking at this!!

Posted by
4761 posts

Well, he's definitely not a light packer. But then again, he doesn't take trains, and has his own private transpo that he drives himself. So no checked fees or worries about lost bags. Not sure about his carbon footprint though. What are the CO2 emissions from 8 tiny reindeer?

Posted by
3938 posts

I do hope he has at least an outfit change for himself in one of those packs because there’s no way he’ll blend in with the locals once he lands somewhere. Talk about sticking out like a tourist!

Posted by
1844 posts

Mona,
I wonder if his red suit is made from blue-sign approved materials. Or, if it can be sink-washed and not get too wrinkly?

Thanks for the great responses everyone! Merry Christmas!

Posted by
151 posts

Merry Christmas to my favorite group - I follow you all religiously and do not even think of planning a major trip without talking to you. Happy Travels in 2020!

Posted by
14812 posts

According to NoradSanta, the website that tracks Santa every year, he delivered 7,574,576,003 presents which meant he needed more than a carry on. (Some light packers are saying he could have carried less if he only took the essential presents while others suggested he use packing cubes.)

It is also confirmed that Santa's bags do not have wheels but I don't think they have backpack straps either.

Routing shows that Santa did not go directly to Bath after arriving in Great Britain.

Lastly, Santa said he will continue to say "ho, ho ho" and not change to "Keep on Traveling".

Posted by
1844 posts

Santa's packing skills include: 1) he only wears one set of clothes. (So, no other outfits are packed.). 2) I believe he doesn't carry any liquids or toiletries. 3) No food or drink, either. He has to drink a lot of milk/juice/spiked egg nog and eat all kinds of snacks from cookies to carrot sticks. 4). Reindeer have very low emissions (depending on what they eat). 5). His cinch bags may have been upgraded to lightweight sil-nylon or similar. (Not verified.)

Posted by
6734 posts

I kinda got to play Santa this year.

2 days before Christmas, I flew from the USA to Thailand, where I spent Christmas with family, most of whom only had very limited and superficial experience with the holiday (they know a few songs, see stuff in stores, some Christmas-related marketing, etc). Having been told that I was coming, and that we would have Christmas with presents and everything, the youngest kid in the family asked mom (in complete sincerity) if I would be riding on a reindeer from Seattle to Thailand.

In my case, I was lucky to have a business class ticket on Japan Airlines, which not only gave me a really lovely flight, but also allowed THREE checked bags, of up to 70 pounds each(!). So yes, I got to fully (and I do mean fully!) load three enormous duffel bags with all the “Christmas” we needed (there was even room for a turkey...though it was just an inflatable one for show — we had stir-fry crab for Christmas dinner, which was great). We enjoyed a lavish, over-the-top Christmas morning, squealing little kids tearing into piles of presents that magically appeared as they slept, amazed at the big, fluffy red Christmas stockings filled with little toys and goodies (they had never heard about that) and all the usual fun, on a morning when the heat and humidity were already pushing the 90’s at 7 am. It was no place for a snowman to be - or for packing light.

Hope you are all enjoying a lovely holiday wherever you are!

Posted by
355 posts

Sun-Baked in Florida,
Thank you so much for starting this thread. It's not been the best Christmas or year and all the responses gave me a chuckle! Thanks David, too! Oh my!

Posted by
9462 posts

David — what an incredible experience you both had and offered!!! Wow!!

Posted by
1844 posts

David,
I laughed about the inflatable turkey! You thought of everything. I wasn't even aware of inflatable turkeys.
What a wonderful cross-cultural Christmas you had. You can keep the fake turkey - but, the stir-fry crab sounds great!

Posted by
5697 posts

Santa may inded be the ultimate light packer -- he starts out with lots of stuff, but he leaves things behind at every stop. On purpose!