North Pole officials: Santa’s new sleigh, able to do Mach 4, comes with new safety features to streamline delivery times

Staff Reports | The Shelby Independent, North Pole Media Office

Stocking hung, by the chimney with care.

Santa's got a brand new sleigh!

Recently, The Shelby Independent was able to obtain some inside information regarding Santa replacing his sleigh. While the reports remained unconfirmed from October, when we received the alleged information, The North Pole did send a press release confirming that Santa did indeed replace the sled that he has used since 1937.

In the statement it noted, “While Santa remains dedicated to delivering toys to all the good boys and girls in the world, he does have to replace his sleigh roughly every century, give or take a few decades.”

The statement went on to explain that while the magic of Christmas does keep him, his elves and his eight tiny reindeer immortal, (nine, including Rudolf, who took a few years off from helping guide the sleigh in the late 90’s to pursue other endeavors) maintenance of Santa’s sleigh is required due to how many miles it travels every Christmas.

(Santa's sleigh continued below advertisers)

A spokes-elf with Santa's Workshop explained, “With so many miles traveled every Christmas, not to mention the times Santa uses his sleigh before Christmas to visit various cities and towns across the world before the big night, even Santa’s sleigh has to be replaced, eventually,” the spoke-self continued. “As the technology changes, Santa, while a traditionalist, like to keep up with the latest trends and safety features.”

It was also noted that as the population grows, it requires Santa to visit more homes, and therefore a faster, more reliable sleigh is needed to help get the job done every night.

Santa’s new sleigh, which apparently is classified and The Shelby Independent could not obtain any photos, is also said to be much quieter and gentler on any rooftop, and more adaptable for landing on a steep inclines roof, by extending the length one of the sleigh’s runners for a more level landing and takeoff.

“This will prevent any potential accidents on a steeply sloped roof,” the spokes-elf said via a phone call with The Shelby Independent, “The leveling of Santa’s sleigh while on steep inclines will prevent Santa or the reindeer from slipping, which lowers the risk of injury or being heard and/or spotted by children on Christmas. Less accidents mean a quieter and smoother landing and take-off, and we feel this will be safer not only for Santa but for any pedestrians in the area, too.”

“Children should rest easy knowing Santa is safer than ever with this new sleigh that he will use for the next 100 years.”

The new sleigh will make its debut run this Christmas Eve.

Follow The Shelby Independent on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To contact Chuck about a story idea, send an email or visit the contact page.

Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent. 

Copyright 2025 The Shelby Independent