1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum Here, the holiday season can 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: be magical, joyous, festive, and expensive, very very expensive. And 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 1: if you think we mere mortals have a hard time 5 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: keeping up with the food, shopping, gift giving and otherwise 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: high priced merriment, imagine how Santa Claus feels. Well. A 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: London based company by the name of True Luxury Travel 8 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: did just that, putting themselves in the shoes of Jolly 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: ol st Nick and plotting out his Christmas budget. Of course, 10 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 1: many holidays are celebrated around this time of year, and 11 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: consumers who don't even have reindeer tend to spend a lot. 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: According to a Gallop report from earlier in December, of 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: Americans planned to spend an average of eight hundred and 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: sixty seven dollars on gifts this year. This number has 15 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: held pretty steady since, but it hardly accounts for the 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: time and effort necessary to produce, package, and ship all 17 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: those gifts all over the world. While some may believe 18 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: that all that magic happens through factories and shipping agencies, 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,199 Speaker 1: others know that the real magic happens in the North 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: Pole here's what Santa could be spending to fulfill all 21 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: those dreams. Okay, there are approximately two billion children in 22 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: the world, give or take a few hundred million, and 23 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: because a fair number of non Christians are known to 24 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 1: celebrate Christmas, that means that approximately of the world's population 25 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: commemorates that day. That adds up to about nine million 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: kids getting gifts on Christmas, and not just one toy each, 27 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: mind you. Let's set the number of gifts that kids 28 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: receive that day at a nice, even and arbitrary ten. 29 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: That means Santa's workshop is churning out approximately nine billion toys, books, 30 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: and ugly sweaters. Some are more costly to make than others. 31 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: But if you assume even a very low two and 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: a half euros per gift, that's twenty two point five 33 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: billion euros on the whole lot, which is about twenty 34 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: three point nine billion U S dollars as of this recording. 35 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 1: And Santa is good, but he's not a one man show. 36 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: A true luxury travel estimated that he'd need around one 37 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: thirty two thousand elves to do all the menial labor 38 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: in the workshop. And now, of course, we do not 39 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: have numbers about the wage rates at the North Pole. 40 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: But let's take, for example, the federal minimum wage here 41 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: in the United States, which is seven dollars and twenty 42 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: five cents an hour. We'd hope that Santa is giving 43 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: his elves a competitive pay rate and robust benefits package. 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: But even at that bare minimum, if all those elves 45 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: are working forty hours a week, year round to ensure 46 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: those gifts go out on Christmas Eve, that's fifteen thousand 47 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: and eighty dollars per year per elf. For an army 48 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: of elves, that's about one point nine billion a year. 49 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: And again with hope, it's a lot higher. Estimates for 50 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: the cost of employing a factory worker for a year 51 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 1: in North Pole adjacent Finland ranged around forty one thousand 52 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: euros or over forty three thousand U S dollars including benefits, 53 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: so it could be completely reasonable to assume three times 54 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: our initial estimate, or around six billion US dollars. And 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: then you have to keep the workshops lights on and 56 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: the heat. The North Pole chill is no joke, and 57 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: the workshop must be massive and estimated one point two 58 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: million square feet or about a hundred and eleven thousand 59 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: square meters and so assuming US prices, the clauses could 60 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: be shelling out another one point six billion on electricity 61 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: and two point two million on natural gas, so another 62 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: one point eight billion total. And let's not forget those reindeer. 63 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: The aforementioned travel company relied on the estimated cost of 64 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: owning a horse to calculate the cost of caring for reindeer. 65 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: The average cost of maintaining a horse in the US 66 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: is three thousand, nine hund dollars a year, and Santa 67 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: has at least nine reindeer, including Rudolph. Also, if we 68 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: assume santa sleigh is as expensive to maintain as a 69 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: luxury car, then he's shelling out at least one thousand, 70 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars a year to keep things running smoothly 71 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: all told, including a range of other factors including snacks 72 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: for the staff, but workshop overhead and suit upkeep. True 73 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: Luxury Travel estimated Santa's yearly budget at forty seven billion 74 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: US dollars a year. They're not a sponsored, by the way, 75 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: they just wrote a delightful blog post. Today's episode is 76 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: based on the article Santa Claus's workshop budget will blow 77 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: your mind on how Stuff Works dot com, written by 78 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: Michelle Konstantinovsky. Brain Stuff it's production of I heart Radio 79 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: in partnership with how stuff Work dot Com, and it's 80 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, 81 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 82 00:04:55,839 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.