The Naughty and Nice List

TITLE:The Naughty and Nice List
AUTHOR:Santa Claus
ORIGIN:Christmas folklore; possibly the cartoons of Thomas Nast (1840-1902)
EDITION:Elf (movie, 2003, directed by Jon Favreau)

Every year, Santa Claus makes a list of all the children in the world (who celebrate Christmas, though that part is rarely specified), and designates them as “naughty” (not deserving of a present) or “nice” (deserving of a present, and often listing exactly what present is desired.) His precise methods of doing this are unclear. Possibilities include: Santa knowing the information instinctively and simply writing it down; parents writing letters reporting their children’s behavior, which then get sorted into “good” and “bad” piles; various technological means; or gathered automatically by nebulous “Christmas magic.” (Reports of Santa dispatching a small elven spy to each child’s house to report back on behavior are not considered credible.) Regardless, Santa himself is the one responsible for ultimately compiling the list, checking it twice, and using it to distribute the presents/coal to the children listed within.

This specific edition of the list is notable for being aloud on live television in order to prove to the world that Santa Claus is real. The effects on world economy, philosophy, and religion are as yet unknown.

I.Account books and ledgers — Actions and behaviors — Arbitrary moral judgments
II.Address books and directories — Every person on Earth — Christmas celebrants
III.Invasions of privacy — Sees you when you’re sleeping — Knows when you’re awake

This image was adapted from pictures of an original movie prop owned by Save Hollywood, with additional images posted by them to Prop Bay. And yes, I know this is going up on January 2, but by my count we’re only up to “ladies dancing” in the 12 days of Christmas so it still counts.

Screenshot:

Original prop: