# The speed of Santa **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092 "2013-12-24T17:05:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/1 "2013-12-24T17:05:09Z")
How fast does Santa Claus have to fly, to stop at every house with kids in it . . . assuming he chooses the most efficient route. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/2 "2013-12-24T17:21:50Z")
This infograph says he would travel at 5,083,000 mph. > **[The Physics of Santa | Visual.ly](https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/science/physics-santa)** > > Have you ever wondered how fast Santa would really have to travel in order to deliver gifts to every child on earth? > Inspired by an article on Popsci ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/3 "2013-12-24T19:21:11Z")
[deleted material that was cut and pasted from elsewhere on the web. Original [here](http://www.daclarke.org/Humour/santa.html).] ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/4 "2013-12-24T20:02:40Z")
You didn’t see _Arthur Christmas_, did you? Santa has a spaceship. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/5 "2013-12-24T20:24:00Z")
Quantum Santa. Prof Brian Cox was expounding on this only the other day apparently, recycling something _I_ wrote in to _New Scientist_ about 15 years ago. Santa exists concurrently in as many locations as necessary, as long as he is not observed - this is why it is important for kids not to see him, of course, since it would cause the present-delivery system to collapse. Fortunately, this would be a very naughty thing to do, and as we know, Santa does not visit naughty children. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/6 "2013-12-25T14:58:16Z")
There’s another factor as well, besides the fact that he only goes to households that celebrate Christmas. Santa isn’t the gift-bringer in certain European countries…he has international helpers. Like the Jultomten (Christmas gnome) in Sweden, and Babushka of Russia and La Befana of Italy (who are more or less the same character). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/7 "2013-12-25T15:09:47Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > There’s another factor as well, besides the fact that he only goes to households that celebrate Christmas. > > Santa isn’t the gift-bringer in certain European countries…he has international helpers. Like the Jultomten (Christmas gnome) in Sweden, and Babushka of Russia and La Befana of Italy (who are more or less the same character). > > 😃 Don’t forget the former slaves in Holland 😃 **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-santa/677092/8 "2013-12-25T15:12:44Z")
**Clothahump** , please do not gift yourself with someone else’s words, passing them off as your own. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator