Why This Story Matters:
The holiday season is a time of goodwill and celebrations. The legendary figure of Santa Claus is a beloved symbol of the tradition of gift giving during Christmas. But what would a background check of Santa Claus for his seasonal job at Christmas reveal? A special thanks to Wikipedia.org for the information used in this blog and to NORAD for the Santa Tracker.
Imaginary Background Check for Santa Claus
Just in time for the holiday season, here are the results of an imaginary background check conducted on the legendary figure of Santa Claus to ensure he is qualified for his seasonal job of delivering gifts at Christmas. The background check includes Santa’s appearance, alias names, address history, work history, driving history, criminal history, and an eyewitness account.
- Appearance: Santa Claus is described by most people as a “fat and jolly” man with a long and thick white beard. He is usually dressed in a red coat with a white fur collar and cuffs, red trousers with white fur cuffs, a red hat with white fur, and a black leather belt with black boots. He wears spectacles and carries a heavy bag stuffed full of gifts.
- Alias Names: Santa Claus is known by several different alias names or AKAs (“Also Known As”) that include “Father Christmas,” “Kris Kringle,” “Saint Nicholas,” and “Sinterklaas.” He is also called “Papá Noel” where the Spanish language is spoken and “Père Noël” in France and other French-speaking areas. Sometimes he is called by his first name “Santa.”
- Address History: Santa Claus lives at the North Pole which is the northernmost place on the Earth. He lives with his wife, Mrs. Claus, who likes to bake cookies and help her husband prepare toys. He spends his time reading letters written to him by children that contain a wish list of toys and declarations of good behavior while listening to Christmas carols.
- Work History: Santa Claus works at “Santa’s Workshop” where toys are manufactured with the help of “Santa’s Little Helpers” who are elves dressed in green and red with pointy ears and pointy hats. He makes a list of children who are “naughty” or “nice” and checks it twice before delivering coal to “naughty” children and toys to “nice” children.
- Driving History: Santa Claus drives a magic sleigh that is pulled through the night sky by flying reindeer to deliver gifts at Christmas. Santa’s reindeer include Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and – on “foggy Christmas Eves” – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Children may follow Santa’s flight with the Santa Tracker.
- Criminal History: Santa Claus secretly enters homes late on Christmas Eve (December 24) or early on Christmas Day (December 25) through a chimney if one is available. He does not steal anything but instead leaves gifts for the sleeping inhabitants under their Christmas tree. He only takes milk and cookies if they are left out for him.
- Eyewitness Account: A poem published in 1823 called “A Visit from St. Nicolas” contains an eyewitness account of Santa Claus. In the poem, a father wakes to noises outside his home on Christmas Eve and sees Santa land his sleigh on the roof, enter the house by the chimney, leave toys in stockings, and exclaim: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
ClearStar Wishes Everyone Happy Holidays!
ClearStar – a global workforce screening provider specializing in background checks, drug testing, and occupational health services – wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season! ClearStar’s offices will be closed for Christmas on Thursday, December 25, 2025, and New Year’s Day on Thursday, January 1, 2025. To learn more about ClearStar, please contact us.
RELATED: “Santa’s Little Helper – ClearStar Background Screening” Video on YouTube.
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Thomas Ahearn - Digital Content Editor
Thomas Ahearn is a Digital Content Editor at ClearStar, a leading Human Resources technology company specializing in background checks, drug testing, and occupational health screening. He writes about a variety of topics in the background screening industry including Artificial Intelligence (AI), "Ban the Box," class action lawsuits, credit reports, criminal records, drug testing, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), identity theft, privacy, social media screening, and workplace violence.
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