Thanks to a highly efficient, if a bit deceptive, oral tradition, we all could complete a dossier about Santa Claus . He has a big red coat, a bombastic laugh, a yearly appointment of delivering presents via flying reindeer. He sees you when you’re sleeping, etc. What’s not passed down are answers. How did Santa get this outlandish hobby and round-the-clock ambition? Where did he amass his elven workforce? Does he pay them? If so, what is the North Pole monetary and economic system like?