Being Santa is an incredibly demanding job.
On Christmas Eve, in just one night, he has to deliver presents to three billion children around the world, all while distinguishing between the good and the naughty ones.
I've even heard a story about a kindergarten kid who, after listening to the Christmas carol 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town', punched a classmate they didn't like to make sure that kid wouldn't get any gifts from Santa.
Perhaps because of such extreme conditions, Santa often appears in pop culture as a superhuman figure, flying at supersonic speeds and wielding incredible strength, akin to Superman, while carrying a sack full of gifts.
Of course, the Santa I envisioned did not need to meet such stringent requirements.
I thought of a warm and welcoming grandfather with a gentle demeanor—someone who could appeal to all ages and genders—would be perfect.
Personally, I didn't think a "SisterSanta" would be bad either, but ultimately, a friendly grandfather felt more appropriate.
There's nothing quite like a kind grandpa to make children feel at ease and nurture their sense of wonder.
Santa Claus already had a mystical and magical image, which helped preserve the children's belief in him for a long time.
Of course, he didn't need to be a literal saint like the real-life inspiration, Bishop Saint Nicholas.
As long as Santa Claus loved children and was a warm-hearted grandfather who could be respected by everyone, that would be enough.
This might sound like a simple requirement, but in reality, it was a pretty tall order.
As I mentioned before, Santa Claus is someone who delivers gifts to children on a sleigh in the snowy winter.
To put it in modern terms, it's like a delivery person making rounds on a cold winter day.
Delivering presents to the correct addresses, as written in children's letters, wasn't all that different from delivering packages.
In a way, Santa Claus could be considered the first-ever delivery man.
Anyway, expecting an elderly man to handle deliveries in the harsh winter, a task even fit adults find difficult, was unrealistic.
On top of that, flying through the sky on a sleigh in winter would likely lead to a nasty cold.
Even when I had only ridden the sleigh for a short while, I had to wear three layers of clothing.
'And jumping in and out of chimneys isn't easy either.'
For these reasons, while an old man might not be the best fit, I didn't need to abandon the image of Santa Claus entirely.
After all, Santa was also a fairy.
Santa Claus was inspired by Bishop Saint Nicholas, but he was not Saint Nicholas himself.
He was a composite of the Norse fairy 'Nisse' and the chief god 'Odin.'
In fact, Odin and Santa Claus shared many overlapping traits.
Odin had a habit of entering homes through the chimney rather than the front door, which aligns with the image of Santa delivering presents through chimneys.
Both were also depicted as dignified, elderly men.
Expanding the idea beyond just humans opened up a perfect candidate for the role of Santa Claus.
'Dwarves.'
They fit the criteria as fairies, elderly figures with lush beards, and hardy enough to climb chimneys and deliver gifts in the frigid winter.
Not to mention, considering that Santa's gifts were traditionally handcrafted with care, the dwarves' incredible craftsmanship made them an even better match for Santa Claus.
'The problem is their personality.'
Dwarves were a fiery and boisterous race, often charging ahead without a second thought.
This was quite different from Santa Claus, who needed to be a friendly and warm-hearted grandfather.
You might wonder if there could be a gentle dwarf somewhere, but there wasn't.
Even if you scoured the world, a gentle dwarf simply did not exist.
I don't know why, but the entire race of dwarves seemed to be hot-tempered.
I'd be lucky if they didn't drink on the sleigh.
'They drink on boats, so why wouldn't they drink on a sleigh?'
So, a dwarf couldn't become Santa Claus.
There's nothing that would shatter a child's sense of wonder more than a drunk Santa Claus.
However, even excluding the dwarves, there were still fairies who could become Santa Claus.
In fact, there was a race that fit the role of Santa Claus even better than the dwarves.
'Dwerg.'
A half-dwarf, half-human hybrid—eternal outsiders who didn't truly belong to either race.
Half dwarf, half human—the Dwerg.
They were exactly what I envisioned for Santa Claus.
*
The term Dwerg refers to "half-dwarves," individuals with both dwarf and human blood.
However, Dvergs were shunned by both dwarves and humans alike.
Their personalities differed from those of typical dwarves, and their appearance was distinct from humans.
To humans, they were seen as "tall dwarves," shorter than average humans but taller than typical dwarves.
On the other hand, dwarves did not recognize the mild-mannered, non-drinking Dwergs as their kin.
Yet, due to their rarity, Dwergs were not recognized as a distinct race either.
Eternal outsiders, their identity remained undefined.
That was the fate of the Dwerg.
"Haha, all done."
"Thank you, Mr. Brümdal."
"It's me who should be thankful for your frequent visits."
Brümdal smiled as he handed over a snow shovel.
He was a Dwerg who ran a small blacksmith shop in a modest village in the Empire's central region.
His job was to craft simple household items for the villagers.
Anyone needing more complex items never sought out Brümdal.
Not because his craftsmanship was inferior, but due to the subtle prejudice against "half-bloods" with undefined identities.
There was also the fact that due to the rivalry from both human and dwarf blacksmiths, Brümdal couldn't set up shop in the city.
In that sense, running a blacksmith shop even in a rural area was considered fortunate for him.
But still, his shop was only visited occasionally by the villagers.
That's why Brümdal was puzzled when he saw a young outsider entering his blacksmith shop.
'A wizard?'
The young man, dressed in a white robe, certainly looked like a wizard.
"Are you Mr. Brümdal?"
"Yes, that's me. And who might you be?"
"I came because I'd like to place an order."
"Ho, an order with me?"
"I heard around here that you have quite the craftsmanship, Mr. Brümdal."
The young man handed him a piece of paper.
"This is the order request."
"Ah, toys, huh? Haha, I've made plenty of those."
Brümdal chuckled as he read the request. Then, the young man asked an odd question.
"Do you like coke?"
"Of course! I drink it instead of water."
"Perfect."
"What's perfect about that?"
"Oh, nothing. How long will it take to complete the order?"
"Hmm, come back in four days."
"Understood. I'll see you in four days, then."
After paying the advance, the young man left the workshop. Brümdal looked over the order form again, his head tilting in curiosity.
'What a unique request.'
The order was filled with popular toys for children, such as polar bear plushies, coke bottle models, and cornflake tiger dolls.
Though puzzled, Brümdal felt joy in crafting these items, as it had been a while since he received an order.
Four days passed. As the sun set, the young man returned to Brümdal's shop.
After checking the completed toys and paying the remainder of the fee, the young man made an unexpected request.
"Would you deliver these gifts to the children yourself?"
"The toys?"
"Yes, as presents for the children."
The young man explained his plan to distribute gifts that matched the children's wishes during the Resting Season.
Astonishingly, this plan involved distributing gifts to all the children in the capital.
Brümdal's jaw dropped at the sheer scale of the idea.
But then...
"Mr. Brümdal, I would like you to be the one to deliver the gifts I've prepared."
"...?"
"Of course, I will provide appropriate compensation for your efforts."
"You might not realize this, but I am a Dwerg."
"I know."
"You're asking me even knowing that?"
"Yes."
The young man nodded.
"I am asking precisely because you are a Dwerg."
Brümdal found it difficult to understand the young man's words.
After all, Dwergs were a marginalized group in the Empire.
Yet this young man was asking a Dwerg to lead such a grand event.
"What do you mean by 'because you are a Dwerg'?"
"The ideal Santa Claus I envision is a Dwerg."
"Santa Claus?"
"It means someone who delivers gifts to children."
The young man looked at him and asked,
"Don't you want to get closer to humans?"
"Is that even possible for me?"
"With you, Mr. Brümdal, I think it's absolutely possible."
The young man's comment referred to the Dwergs' robust physical strength—ideal for delivering gifts while riding a sleigh through the winter sky and climbing down chimneys.
While he spoke of Brümdal's physical capabilities, Brümdal took it differently.
To him, it sounded like encouragement to help him gain confidence in facing humans.
When the young man said, "I'm asking because you are a Dwerg," it felt like he wanted to improve human perceptions of Dwergs.
If he went around fulfilling children's wishes during the Resting Season, public opinion about Dwergs would surely change.
And from what he heard, he would also be paid a fair wage for his work.
There was no reason to refuse such an offer.
"I don't know why you want to help me, but I'll do it."
"?"
The young man tilted his head for a moment, then extended his hand.
"I look forward to working with you, Santa Claus."
"Likewise. Um..."
"Yuri Grail."
Yuri clasped Santa Claus's hand.
"Shall we go and deliver the gifts right away?"
"You mean now? But it's already late at night..."
"It's fine. We have a sleigh."
"?"
Brümdal, puzzled by how a sleigh related to the late hour, changed into the Santa Claus costume Yuri provided and stepped out of the blacksmith shop.
And then he was astonished.
"A s-sleigh...!"
Brümdal's eyes widened as he looked up at the dark sky.
A flying sleigh was descending toward them.
Whoosh...
It was a sleigh loaded with a massive sack, driven by transparent reindeer made of wind.
"Hop on."
Brümdal's heart pounded.
He was going to get paid, improve his public image, and even ride a flying sleigh.
For Brümdal, who had spent his days earning copper coins by crafting simple tools for the village, this felt like finding his true calling.
"Have you ever been inside a chimney before?"
"When I was young, I worked as a chimney sweeper."
"That's great."
The sleigh carrying Santa Claus began to lift into the night sky.
***
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