Santa delivers gifts to about 75 million houses
Work is ramping up at the North Pole as Santa gets ready for his global voyage on Christmas Eve.
Like farmers, Santa uses maps, weather data, and the help of an overall support system to optimize his operations on Dec. 24.
And like farmers, Santa needs fuel to get himself through the long night.
For that, he partly relies on dairy farmers.
“Canada’s dairy farmers are proud to produce Santa’s favourite drink. Rumour has it the man in red lingers a little longer in Canada to enjoy every drop of high-quality Canadian milk left out for him. Happy Holidays from Dairy Farmers of Canada!” the organization told Farms.com in an emailed statement.
But just how much milk is Santa drinking on Christmas Eve?
First, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which runs the annual Santa Tracker, Santa delivers to approximately 75 million houses.
And a standard glass of milk is 8 oz.
Therefore, if each house Santa visits leaves one glass of milk, he’s drinking roughly 600,000,000 oz (17,744,117 litres) of milk.
That’s like drinking seven Olympic swimming pools (2.5 million litres each) full of milk.
And that volume of fuel could fill 140 Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
So how many cows are needed to produce just enough milk for Santa?
A typical milk-producing dairy cow can produce between 20 and 40 litres of milk per day, Dairy Farmers of Canada says.
Using 30 litres as the average production, a herd of 591,470 cows would be required to produce enough milk to quench Santa’s thirst.
For context, Canada had 1.4 million total dairy cattle as of July 1, 2024.
But Santa delivers around the world.
He visits over 200 countries and territories, NORAD says.
That means dairy farmers in each country or territory he visits provide about 88,720 litres of Santa’s total milk intake.
That kind of production would require an average herd of 2,957 cows per country.
Dairy farmers aren’t the only producers to contribute to Santa’s yuletide success.
Christmas tree growers provide the centrepiece of many holiday gatherings and the perfect place for Santa to put presents.
The fibres from cotton could be used to manufacture Santa’s sack where he stores the gifts.
Oat and apple farmers help feed Santa’s reindeer. Carrots are traditionally left out too.
“Canadian farmers work year-round to grow the carrots and other fruit and vegetables that end up on our tables, and on the plate for Santa’s reindeer. It’s a nice reminder that behind every Christmas Eve carrot is a grower helping to keep the holidays, and Santa’s team, fueled with fresh, healthy food,” Marcus Janzen, president of Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, told Farms.com in a statement.
And farmers producing commodities like grain, cocoa, mint, and sugar contribute to the sweet treats that accompany Santa’s milk.