Jeopardizing Christmas: Why spoiled kids and a tight schedule could make Santa Claus fall?

•Santa has a tremendous fall risk when carrying sacks around 20 kg.•Cognitive loads additionally affect his neuromuscular performance.•Santa need to follow cognitive and physical training prior to Christmas.

Santa Claus' spatio-temporal gait characteristics, ground reaction forces during treadmill walking as well as postural sway during loaded, unloaded and cognitive interference tasks were examined in order to estimate his fall risk.Seventeen healthy males, disguised as researchers and students (age: 30 ± 10 years; height: 179 ± 6 years; weight: 76 ± 7 kg; BMI: 24 ± 2 kg/m2; physical activity: 12 ± 4 h/week) and who still believe in Santa Claus randomly underwent balance and gait analyses with and without cognitive interference. The conditions were to be dressed as “Santa Claus” (wearing costume consisting of a beard, cap, robe, heavy sack with a load of 20 kg) or dressed in “normal clothing” (no costume). Spatiotemporal gait parameters (walking velocity, gait variability and stride time, length and width), ground reaction forces (GRF) (left- and right-sided heel strike and push off) and postural sway (30 s tandem stance on a force plate) were measured.“Santa-effects” (0.001 < p < 0.05; 0.21<ηp2<0.72) and “Dual-task effects” (0.001 < p < 0.003; 0.46<ηp2<0.86) were found for postural sway (increased sway), GRF (decreased forces for dual tasking, increased forces for the Santa condition) and the majority of spatio-temporal gait parameters. Significant “Santa” × “Dual-Task” interaction effects were not observed (0.001 < p < 0.05; 0.21<ηp2<0.72). Relevant leg effects of GRF during walking were not found.Santa Claus faces a tremendously increased risk of falling when carrying his Christmas sack with 20 kg of presents. Cognitive loads also impair his neuromuscular performance. It is recommended that Santa trains his strength and balance before Christmas and also to avoid filling his sack with more than 20 kg of presents. Also, cognitive training may help to improve his dual task performance.