Santa Claus has revealed how he juggles his full-time job overseeing a toy factory with his airport duties.
The sleigh pilot has been a long-serving partner of Manchester Airport, working with colleagues to spread Christmas cheer for more than eight decades.
He has spoken about what his role involves and how he manages his responsibilities.
Santa said: "I’ve been here since the very beginning, although in truth I am something of a seasonal worker.
"At the airport, as in my day job, I have a wide range of responsibilities, but all of them have the same purpose – bringing a bit of joy to people at the most wonderful time of the year.
"You’ve got to have good organisational skills, and good navigational skills, as there’s a lot of ground to cover in a short space of time.
"Those of you who follow me on Flightradar each year will know it’s no mean feat."
He is supported by a team both at his toy factory in Lapland and at Manchester Airport, where colleagues gather up children's letters and hand out gifts on his behalf.
Santa said: "Being a team player who looks out for others is a fantastic quality to have, and it’s also a great way of keeping yourself off my naughty list."
He enjoys working with the 'warm and friendly' team at the airport, who share his passion for bringing smiles to people's faces.
Santa said: "It’s lovely to get the chance to meet so many of you in person too as you travel through the terminal, and to help make amazing Christmas memories for so many young people."
This year, nearly 20,000 people will be flying over to Lapland to visit Santa.
He will also be visiting Manchester and the airport on Thursdays and Fridays until Christmas.
Santa said: "Do pop in and say hello if you’re passing through – it’s a fun, interactive play space that is totally free for passengers to use.
"If you miss me, though, leave a letter for me in the ‘Letters to Santa’ post box.
"The elves will send it on to me, and I will write back to you."
He is also teaming up with airport colleagues and Childflight again this year to surprise some young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will be getting on an aeroplane for the first time, in search of him.
Santa said: "This is a great initiative that has been running for over a decade now and has created lifelong memories for over 1,000 children.
"I visit the children mid-flight, and parking my sleigh on top of a moving plane is a real test of my piloting abilities, which helps me blow off the cobwebs before Christmas Eve."
Santa has some advice for passengers travelling over Christmas.
He said: "Make sure you leave plenty of time for your journey to the airport, as the road and rail networks aren’t as resilient to the wintry weather as Dasher, Dancer, Rudolph and co.
"Keep an eye on flight updates from your airline, and also keep in mind that airport security rules apply just as much at this time of year as any other time.
"Make sure you’re not packing items with more than 100ml of liquid in your hand luggage, like large snow globes or cartons of egg nog.
"Please also avoid putting any wrapped presents in your hand luggage.
"If security colleagues can’t see what’s inside, they might need to unwrap them, and they don’t want to be Grinchy this Christmas."
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