Can We Persuade Santa to Visit Twice a Year? A Holiday Special

Santa gives us gifts. So I think reciprocity is rather stacked up in Santa’s favor.

The problem is, how many other legendary figures visit the world more than once a year because that would be suitable social proof.

So it’s not a gift. It’s a reward. Which we know hardly or at all activates the principle of reciprocity. So, nice try, but that’s not going to cut the eggnog.

Welcome to the Ethical Persuasion Unlocked Christmas Special. You’re all familiar with Santa Claus. Jolly white fellow, big white beard, red outfit, you know the guy I’m talking about. He comes once a year and it’s a jolly good time, but I wondered if we could persuade him to come more often. And I’m going to share my ideas with you for increasing the likelihood that he would say yes to that request.

I’m originally from the Netherlands, which is a very small country. If it were any smaller, they could put it inside when it was raining. But it’s a little bit too big for that, so as a kid I remember just lots and lots of rain. In December it would typically be miserable weather. I can’t honestly remember ever having had a white Christmas, but rain, fog, icy slippery roads, all the more.

But Christmas time was great. My parents had a paint and wallpaper shop called ‘De Verfmenger’ (the paint mixer), which my grandfather started, who was a master painter for homes but also a fine painter on canvas. My cousin still runs a De Verfmenger shop in Rotterdam. If you’re from there, go visit. You get some true expert advice and you can tell him I said hi.

In December my parents shop was less busy for paint and wallpaper. So during that time they would offer Christmas decorations from Sweden and their shop became famous for it. The angel behind me is still from them. Needless to say the houses in our family were beautifully decorated and being together with family inside such a lovely warm house while outside it was cold and miserable. It was just perfect.

But now I live in Australia. The weather is warm and on top of that the seasons are the other way around. So we’ve got Christmas in summer. And that just doesn’t feel right. Seeing Santa Claus in shorts just isn’t a pleasant sight. And the fact that a sleigh is pulled by big white boomers, which are big white kangaroos, just doesn’t make up for the shorts.

Given that and the fact that the weather is all wrong, I thought it was a great idea if we could persuade Santa to visit everyone in the world twice a year. So as a detective of ethical influence and persuasion, I looked at the situation. What persuasive information that would appeal to the primary decision-making part of Santa’s brain, system one, do I have available in the situation?

What persuasive dynamics are we already implementing? Or could we fine tune? Because there is a lot of subtle nuances in the science of persuasion.

Let’s look at reciprocity. Santa gives us gifts. So I think reciprocity is rather stacked up in Santa’s favor. I figure that if Santa ever needed a favor from us, there is no way that any of us would dare to say no. Now you might go, yeah, but hang on. We give cookies and milk, don’t we? Well, yes, we do. But is that really a gift? You see, a gift…

is something that is given without a requirement needing to be met. And with Santa, he needs to turn up first to get the cookies and the milk. So it’s not a gift. It’s a reward. Which we know hardly or at all activates the principle of reciprocity. So, nice try, but that’s not going to cut the eggnog.

It’s a nice gesture though. Reciprocity works best when favors and gifts flow in both directions. It would work better from a reciprocity point of view if we all decided to send Santa half a liter of milk, maybe almond milk because you might be lactose intolerant, and a cookie, right, to his address in the North Pole. I’ve done the sums on that.

There are approximately 2.2 billion families in the world. If we all sent half a liter of milk, which is, for those who are metrically challenged, 2.1 US cups or 0.88 imperial pints. If 2.2 billion families in the world all sent that, that would just be under two soccer, footy or football stadiums filled to the brim.

Santa would love that. Talk about a surprise.

Then, if we all send a large sized cookie per family, that will be 330 million kilograms worth of cookie. Or again, for our metrically challenged individuals, that is 727.5 million pounds. You’re familiar with the Airbus A380 aircraft. What a machine, right? I’m a pilot and I wonder how that thing gets off the ground. Well, a cargo version of that…

can carry about 150,000 kilograms of payload. So you’d need 2,200 of those to deliver the cookies to Santa. I hope he’s got a long runway and appetite

I’m sure he’d be delighted with our joint effort to send him two stadiums worth of milk and 2200 A380 aircrafts worth of cookie. And this would be far more effective than leaving milk and cookies near the Christmas tree. Because if we send it before our persuasive appeal, it would be a gift.

What about the principle of liking? I would like to think that Santa knows that we like him.

And that’s a great start to being more persuasive. Genuinely liking someone, I mean. You can also use similarities and compliments to activate the principle of liking. But I can’t ever recall having had a discussion with Santa in which we were able to discuss similarities between us. I’m going to check out his social media feed to see what the man likes, values and appreciates. To see if there’s anything that we have in common. Maybe he rides a Harley too.

She’s got the beard for it. Can you recall ever paying Santa a compliment? That’s something we can easily do with him and everyone else in our professional and private life and share some cheer.

What about the principle of unity? I think Santa has an impact on our children’s upbringing. I’d like to think that it contributed to my daughter being kind and appreciative. So we can certainly bring to Santa’s attention that we, together, had an impact on the development of our children, which would activate that all-important and powerful feeling of we-ness.

What about social proof? The principles of persuasion are universal. They work in all languages, all cultures and all countries. So I think it’s safe to say that social proof doesn’t just work on people, but also on legendary figures. The rule would then be that legendary figures follow the actions of others, especially when they are numerous and similar to them and when they are uncertain.

I can imagine that right now, in June, Santa Claus would be enjoying a nice holiday for himself, letting those white hairy legs and belly soak up some natural sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere, or maybe he’s just relaxing at home. Either way, when we are trying to persuade him to come twice a year, I think it’s safe to say that he will be somewhat uncertain. The problem is, how many other legendary figures

visit the world more than once a year because that would be suitable social proof.

There is Sandman, who comes every night and gives us sand and dust to help us sleep. Personally, I could do without the sand and dust, but hey, it’s his thing. Jack Frost. Of course, he’s more seasonal, doesn’t really give you anything, he’s just had this weird obsession with wanting to nip people on the nose.

Then there is the tooth fairy who comes whenever it’s required and also gives, in this case, money. And there is La Befana in Italy, who also brings sweets to children. So that is a similarity with Santa Claus, which will be an amplifier of social proof. Her visits often overlap with multiple festive seasons. Under the circumstances.

I think she would be the most powerful social proof to persuade Santa Claus to visit twice a year. But to hit the amplifier of numerousness, we might want to bring all these legendary figures to Santa’s awareness.

Then there is the principle of authority. I don’t think any of us can be considered an authority on the topic of gift distribution. And neither do I know any industry experts or scientists who would support giving a world population free gifts as being such a great idea. LEGO might be an exception. They give thousands of Lego sets away to less fortunate children during Christmas.

Just build a heart shape out of Lego and put it on social media with the hashtag #buildtogive and they will donate one more set. Good on them.

For us, there is a way that we can use the principle of authority to instantly establish ourselves as a trustworthy source of information and give the strengths of our case more persuasive power. If you were one of my students and did my 20-hour, eight-week program and are now a Cialdini Certified Practitioner, then you will know exactly what I’m talking about. And of course, so would my fellow Cialdini Certified Trainers,

and colleagues at the Cialdini Institute. And I call on all of them to leave a comment on my social media feeds where this is posted, not to explain why this technique of instant trust building works, but to simply provide a very creative and perhaps funny application of this powerful technique to establish ourselves as a trustworthy source of information.

Just a sentence in which you use the technique. Don’t explain it. Let’s see if my followers can work out from that what this secret is. It’s scientifically sound and it’s a great ingredient. It’s not like reindeer dust, but it’s very similar.

The principle of consistency. What prior statements or actions has Santa Claus taken in light of which coming twice a year would be considered logically consistent? Luckily, there’s a whole heap of songs and books in which Santa has made statements.

“Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas.” This iconic greeting is not just cheerful. It is a proclamation of joy meant to uplift the children and anyone he meets. “I bring toys to all the good boys and girls.” This shows a direct link between his mission and children’s happiness. And he dedicates his time to bringing them joy through gifts.

“I read every letter myself.” Clearly indicates his attention to detail and shows that every child is seen and valued. He wants to know what every child wishes and works to fulfill these wishes whenever possible.

“I see you when you are sleeping, I know when you are awake.” Which, as a child, creeped me out a little, and as a parent, got me seriously worried. But it is a statement that says, I’m watching over you kids, and clearly indicates a desire to provide genuine care.

If we skillfully bring these prior statements and actions to Santa Claus’ awareness, it will increase the chances that he’ll agree to our requests.

Finally, the principle of scarcity. How can we use that ethically to help Santa Claus realise the value and urgency of a second visit?

Of course, children grow up so fast. There’s only a limited window of time to have such a wonderful impact on these children’s lives. For those watching this, little creature sitting on top of microphone, my daughter made that a long time ago. Children’s interests are also changing. At the moment, children can still appreciate the real toys that come out of Santa’s workshop, but there is stiff competition with all the time they’re spending on devices which can affect their posture, their health, sleep quality, and their serious concerns about fertility. Not only is the time possibly running out for Santa’s toys, but more importantly, greater exposure to Santa’s handmade toys is essential to protect children’s precious health.

And sadly, there are so many children in the world who find themselves in unthinkable situations caused by nature or other people. All of us, including Santa Claus, would agree that bringing some joy to them should happen more than once a year.

Altogether, think we have quite a good, scientifically and ethically sound case to try and convince Santa to come twice a year. As for ourselves, as you are preparing to celebrate for a wonderful Christmas this year, and we’re spending a fair bit of money on decorations, food and travel, it would be wonderful if we could pick a few charities that make the days of the children they help a little brighter, and make a donation to them. And let’s commit to not just doing that once a year.

I wish you a wonderful end of the year. Enjoy the time with loved ones, especially children. The time with them is so precious. I wish I had more time with my little princess. So make the most of it. I wish you all a fantastic and influential new year, one in which you’ll hear ho, ho, ho more often.