Fergus Finlay: Santa Claus is going to bring cheer to a world of floods and famines

I’ve flown through world wars, uprisings, and pandemics. Why do I have this sense of foreboding that things are getting worse, especially for children?

‘My job is bring a moment of joy. To leave behind a little more hope than I found. It’s more challenging every year.’

It's cold up here, as far North as it is possible to go. We are equipped to deal with it and it will not slow us down. But all of us who live here — my little band of industrious elves, the designers, the builders, the collectors and the parcel makers — have put in our busiest year ever.

Of course, when I say they’re industrious, I’m not talking about all of them. Some of our elves work really hard, and some can’t get out of bed in the morning. Especially at this time of year, when I need them all to be at their best, I can sometimes get a little bit grumpy at some of their behaviour. I know it’s hard to believe that I of all people can get grumpy sometimes. But it’s never my fault — you know that.