Just How Big is Santa's Sleigh?

Christmas is just around the corner, so naturally, we started thinking about Father Christmas himself. Just how does he manage to deliver presents to 1.9 billion children in just one night? While the answer to this is very clearly magic, we reckoned he must have a pretty big sleigh to carry all those about on Christmas Eve. Using some tricky formulas, mind-blowing calculations, and a pinch of festive spirit, we can proudly announce that Santa's sleigh is:

(drumroll)

A whopping 73.8 miles long!

We reckon jolly old St Nick must be pretty good at parking in order to successfully land on all the rooftops without any bumps or bashes. Although we suppose he's had plenty of time to practice! Don't even get us started on how tricky it must be to steer a sleigh that size!

If you're as gobsmacked as us, why not view the full sleigh in all its glory here.

Surely Santa Has Insurance for a Sleigh that Size?

Whilst Santa Claus has a lot of mystical properties most of us will never fully be able to understand, there are some mundane aspects of adult life that even Santa isn't exempt from. Sure, he gets to glide through the night sky on a magic sleigh powered by reindeer, but you can practically guarantee he's sorted himself a hefty insurance plan. After all, insuring a sleigh that size isn't going to be cheap, especially when you factor in all the risks associated with it.

Luckily, our friends at Aviva managed to sort Santa out with a nifty quote that would be loose change for a guy as important as Santa. Priced at a mere £79 000 per year, Santa can sleep easy knowing he's fully covered for any breakdowns, bumps and repairs he might encounter. However, there are a few terms he must adhere to:

• Santa Claus must not operate his sleigh under the influence of more than 1000 mince pies
• The sleigh must go at a speed of more than 500M/S
• Only Santa may drive the sleigh (no getting the elves to cover for you after too many sherries, Mr Christmas!)
• The sleigh is left covered up and secure from 25th December - 23rd December
• The sleigh must not be left unattended on a slated roof.

So what do you think? £79 000 to deliver countless presents, festive cheer and happiness? It sounds pretty reasonable to us!