For centuries, the debate of whether or not Santa Claus is real has raged on between children and young teens. Some say that it’s impossible for Santa to deliver all those presents in one night, while others suggest that he uses magic to get to all the children in time.

Here at The Yorktown Sentry, we strive to deliver only the facts, so I can assure you that the journey below is all very true.

I decided to dive into the question headfirst. I immediately reached out to the North Pole and tried to arrange an interview with the big man. Unfortunately, he was unavailable due to the busy Christmas rush. I had to pivot, and I was able to acquire an interview with one of the lead elf toymakers.

Jolly Brightbottom is an elf who has been working for Santa since he graduated high school. Growing up in the North Pole, he was surrounded by the thrill of the Christmas season. As a lead toymaker, he is in charge of multiple teams of elves who craft toys that he inspects once complete.

“My father, his father and my father’s father’s father all work at Santa’s workshop, so I felt obligated to join them … it’s nice to know I’m a part of something bigger than myself,” Brightbottom said.

He explained to me how much preparation goes into the holiday season after I promised that I wouldn’t reveal any of it. All I’m legally allowed to say is that it takes the good part of a year to prep everything for toy making.

I attempted to interview the Elf on the Shelf, but they declined to comment.

I then decided to take a look back in time for more evidence. I remember when I was a kid I would leave out cookies, milk and vegetables for Santa and his reindeer. Thousands of kids, along with myself, would wake up to see that cookies were half eaten, milk was drunk and the carrots had bites taken out of them. Clearly, the big guy couldn’t help himself. When the carrots and other vegetables are left out, Santa gives them to his reindeer to eat.

I was then directed to the Santa Tracker, run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) by our tech guy, Josh Bodenstein. This Santa Tracker allows anyone to see where Santa is on Christmas Eve.

Many people are still left with the question of how Santa delivers everything in one night. This is easily explained with time zones. While it could be morning of December 24 for people on the East Coast of the United States, it could be the night of the 24th for people in London. Eastern Standard Time (EST) is behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the time zone London is in, by five hours. This allows Santa to deliver all of the presents to everyone in time—with a little help from magic, of course.

I ended my journey with a nice hot chocolate and decorated tree by the fireplace. Don’t forget to leave out some cookies and vegetables for Santa and his reindeer! Happy Holidays!