Washington • As Santa Claus departs the North Pole on Christmas Eve, U.S. federal agencies are working to ensure a smooth trek to deliver gifts to kids of all ages.
The only red tape the jolly old elf may encounter will be wrapped around packages headed to homes across the country, according to officials at several agencies who have been working hand-in-glove with St. Nick for months ahead of the annual visit.
Santa, for example, won't need a special visa or have to wade through customs on his way to America, the State Department said.
“Santa Claus has a diplomatic passport and is free to travel anywhere in the United States,” said State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.
Santa also apparently holds a valid Canadian passport.
The Department of Homeland Security has cleared Santa for his trip after securing all pertinent documentation from his entourage.
“Homeland Security is working around the clock to support our North Pole partners on their global mission,” said spokeswoman Heather Swift.
The department confirmed that Santa and all his traveling elves have successfully enrolled in both the Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry and Transportation Security Administration’s Pre-Check programs.
Meanwhile, the department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has “completed a risk and vulnerability assessment of Santa’s Workshop and is monitoring Santa’s network 24/7 to keep it secure from hackers to ensure that no children are removed from the Nice List and put on the Naughty List,” Swift added.
The Department of Transportation had previously approved an “Open Skies” agreement with the government of the North Pole allowing Santa and his sleigh greater access to “rooftops of good kids everywhere” inside the United States and its territories. Rooftops of bad kids were not on Kriss Kringle’s approved flight schedule, apparently.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it has cleared the reindeer-powered sleigh — dubbed Santa One — for its around-the-world flight on Christmas Eve after its elf crew installed the latest avionics technology in Rudolph’s nose.
“This state-of-the-art technology will enhance Santa’s safety and increase his efficiency while delivering toys to children around the world, — provided they are good for goodness sake,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
Santa, the FAA said, had already flown his sleigh to check and certify the equipment ahead of his worldwide journey. The flight was conducted at night while children were sleeping so as not to confuse anyone.
Also, the FAA noted, for the first time, Santa has been approved to use unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, to help deliver gifts. Because the drones will fly at night, the FAA granted Santa a waiver but required him to keep the small crafts within his line of sight.
“I’m not getting any younger,” Santa said in a statement from the FAA. “Also, to be honest, the whole Internet thing is a little intimidating. I’m old school — toy shop, no website, deliver things myself, etc.”
But, Santa added, the FAA made the venture into new technology easy.
The federal government is also ensuring Santa can fulfill one of the less fun tasks on Christmas Eve.
The Interior Department says through its push for increased domestic energy production that there will be plenty of Utah coal available for Santa should he need to leave something for kids on the Naughty List.
The Interior Department has already helped Santa out with delivering gifts to some more far-flung areas. In partnership with the Air Force, the department conducted Operation Christmas Drop to deliver fishing gear, toys and other essentials to more than 39,000 people across the smaller, remote islands in the larger Micronesia region.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command — which tracks all objects inside U.S. and Canadian airspace — reported that it is prepared to monitor Santa's flight. His progress will be shown at http://www.noradsanta.org.
The Embassy of the North Pole apparently was busy checking and rechecking its lists and did not return a call for comment.
