My 4-year-old ripped through wrapping paper this holiday to discover all of the things he asked Santa for and the things he didn’t ask Santa for like socks, sweatshirts, and knee pads to go along with the skateboard. After one package George opened, he yelled, “Santa used an Amazon box.” I bet a lot of people bought Christmas gifts from Amazon this year. The trend in online shopping is accelerating. My son’s proclamation provoked a brainstorm about Christmas magic.
I also noticed a tweet by Neil deGrasse Tyson about the reality of Santa delivering packages around the world would have an unpleasant ending for the reindeer.
Neil loves being provocative around the holidays. It is his tradition and it’s just as acceptable as my family’s traditions. This did get me thinking. Neil is trying to (in jest) pick apart the logistics of one person delivering gifts all around the world all at the same time. Maybe the approach shouldn’t be to explain what the legend of Santa is, but rather how it would be possible. When George brought up Amazon, I started thinking that Amazon is slowly making Christmas magic a reality.
Most of the things that I bought on Amazon this year were delivered the next day. I realize that not every area gets one-day delivery, but just a few years ago two-day delivery was the norm. Before that, it was a week. And, when I grew up, if you ordered something from a catalog, you had to “allow 6-8 weeks for processing, handling, and shipping.” Things are changing fast.
Amazon might be able to deliver Christmas magic. On one Christmas eve in the future, you could make your Christmas wish (i.e. place an order), Santa will determine if you are naughty or nice (i.e. creditworthiness), and Santa will get your gifts to you be the next morning (i.e. Amazon will fulfill all of the orders with an army of seasonal workers).
Happy Holidays!