PHOENIX — Santa Claus is in Phoenix, cruising around and spreading joy in his brand-new ‘street sleigh.’
It’s hard to miss.
It’s bright red, it has presents, and Christmas lights that sparkle to the beat of holiday music.
The one thing that is missing—reindeer.
“You can’t have reindeer in Arizona unless you have a zoo license,” Santa told 12News. “So, I decided they could use the break anyway. They are loving the rest because they are going to be very busy in a couple of weeks.”
In order for Santa to enjoy the desert temperatures, he knew he needed something to get around town.
“We had to come up with something I could drive,” Santa told 12News. “I thought about borrowing one of my friends’ cars while I was down here, but I said, ‘No, I need my sleigh.’”
That’s when he, with the help of his head elf, Bernard, and head engineer elf, Gary, built the special ride in two months.
The sleigh’s bumper is a part of a fireplace. The sleigh runners are pieces of a chandelier, and the rear area that guards the presents is a piece from the back of a loveseat turned upside down.
The rear also has a tailgate, right next to the Arizona license plate.
“It’s a decked-out street sleigh,” Santa said. “This gets me around most of the Valley’s streets.”
Santa was forced to learn how to drive a vehicle instead of being pulled by his four-legged friends.
“I’m used to grabbing the reins and pulling back and forth,” he said. “They said, ‘No you got to turn it, and I said, ‘Oh, you got to give it a try.”
The street sleigh has foot pedals with the words “stop” and “go” written on each in case Santa forgets how to drive.
While learning how to drive was a small challenge, it came with a big reward, Santa said.
“It is a lot of fun to make kids happy… everyone happy,” he said. “I’ve had adults come up wanting pictures. It makes me feel great that everyone is enjoying life.”
That’s the message he wants to spread this holiday season.
“Share the happiness,” Santa said. “You guys have a Merry Christmas and I’ll be seeing you very soon.”
Santa’s street sleigh will be in the Fiesta Bowl Parade on Saturday, Dec. 17.