A ritual that must be fulfilled to get Santa to bring presents to your house.
This ritual requires a number of actions to be performed before it works, some on Christmas Eve, but some through the year. The most important thing is that all children in the household, and there must be at least one for the ritual to work, must believe in Santa Claus. The adults must buy no presents at all, or even ask what the children want, they must all write what gifts they want on a letter, and burn it in the fireplace at some point in December. The house must have a fireplace, even if it is much too small for a person to fit through, it must at least be an open fire. Everyone in the house has to be asleep before midnight on Christmas Eve, even the adults. If all these acts are carried out, Santa Claus will visit the house that night, and if anyone wakes up after midnight they may even meet him. The gifts he leaves are based on what was on the lists submitted, and can be almost anything, though he does not give money directly. If anyone has been naughty, they will only get coal. Leaving out milk and cookies, and a carrot for the reindeer, will increase the chance that he will give a good present rather than coal.
Naughty or Nice?
Think about your characters actions over the past year. If they have seriously hurt anyone, physically, socially, financially or emotionally, they will be on the naughty list. If they have just been selfish, but not gone out of thier way to hurt anyone, not likely in UA, they will be on the fence though Santa can be swayed by an offering of milk and cookies. If they have been very charitable and kind, even if just to thier own family, they will be on the nice list, and get whatever they asked for.
Meeting Santa Claus
No stats are provided for this character. If you think Santa can do it, he can, though he will not interfere with anything except on Christmas Day, and only in houses that believe in him. Trying to defeat him would be like trying to defeat Bugs Bunny, he’d always be able to pull something else out of his bag, or know some new trick to stop you, or just fly out of the chimney. You may be able to persuade him to bring you on his sleigh, though he’ll usually only let children do this.
What kind of presents will he bring?
Like mentioned earlier, he will bring almost anything asked for, assuming it exists and was once for sale in some shop. He will not bring money. He can bring minor magical artifacts described in the letter, even ones made up on the spot by the writer of the letter, but they only work on Christmas Day, though they will work again the next year.
Nice.
Adorable, really.
There’s something strangely intriguing about a magical artifact that only works on Christmas… particularly since it A) doesn’t have to be Christmas Themed (i.e. no RESTORES THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS! or a SnowMaker), B) CAN be used for Evil/Selfishness/Amorality, and C) if a major plot point for some reason it makes Waiting for Christmas Day exciting for dual reasons.
I also like the idea of a craaazed kidnapper with this ritual. Possibly a cultist. Possibly a Christian Crazy (Santa? MORE LIKE SATAN! SAME LETTERS, PEOPLE!). Possibly just a graspy clued-in. Or, not a kidnapper perhaps, but the Divorced Dad/Mom who fights EXTRA hard to make sure they get the kids on Christmas… possibly for good (to keep Christmas magical) or whatever as mentioned above.
And can you imagine growing up in a household where this was the norm for years and years? I mean, that every year you got gifts your parents could not possibly have gotten and occasionally even met Real Magic God Santa? The dynamics of working and morality suddenly get very different… making sure you A) have kids and B) treat them well and C) raise them to be GOOD kids and D) instead of getting a job, you spend all your time being a professional Do Gooder to ensure that Santa DOES come?
Or going off your nut, like that guy that decided to celebrate Christmas every day…
Oh nononononono, obviously what you do is you kidnap a good little child and list all the things your horrible twisted plans require as present for him. Which Santa then brings, because he’s been good, even though you’ve been a sociopath.
I find it worryingly easy to think like a villain. 😀