Santa's Vacation

Will Santa be ready for the kids on Christmas Eve after a summer of motorcycle travel? I'm sure I saw Santa taking a trip one summer and I was wondering just how long it takes him to get back into the Christmas behavior model afterward.

I know that when I go on motorcycle tours with my son, it's a whole different world and a completely different way of thinking about things, everything has a different perspective from my normal lifestyle. I wonder if Santa goes through a similar transformation? How long does it take him to get used to the Santa suit after doing the summer shorts deal? I wonder if he may have been scouting out some new routes, or was he just on a hiatus?

Riding that bike in July temps is quite a bit different than riding that sleigh on Christmas Eve. Altho, I do notice in this foto that Santa has great storage techniques for travel gear; probably an outgrowth of his experience with the toys in the sleigh. I know, I know, Santa has a bit of magic and a lot of helpers to deal with the toys, but, except for the high center of gravity, this storage method shows a lot of forethought.

And what about actually having to control his own throttle and braking action? Normally the reindeer handle all that technical stuff. And cornering is a whole different dynamic with a bike compared to Santa's sleigh. No, I suspect the summer bike tour is just a way for Santa to rejuvenate his enthusiasm for the Christmas rush.

I'm sure Santa will definitely be ready for his Christmas Eve trek around the world. I can almost guarantee it. A bike tour works wonders for my psyche and I'm sure it's the same for Santa.

JD

PS - I took this foto at a rest stop in Virginia while on a road trip with my grandson in July 2004. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to talk with Santa. He'd ridden off by the time we finished our official business at the rest stop (you know, lookin' at maps and takin' care of other important stuff).