By Storage.com

With Christmas quickly approaching, people expect to see Santa Claus at malls, toy stores or maybe even their local library—anywhere children typically go to see the jolly old elf. What we wouldn’t expect to see during the holiday season is Santa at a self-storage facility, which is why recent video footage of a man many believe is the real Santa has folks in the industry buzzing. Could it be that Santa uses a network of storage units to stash gifts and ease his cargo loads?

The mystery (some say controversy) began when someone posted cell-phone footage showing a white-bearded man wearing red pants and suspenders running away from a storage unit. Most people discounted the video as a cheap joke or misunderstanding, speculating it was a mall Santa who simply didn’t want to be seen. Those thoughts changed, however, when leaked security footage showed the same bearded man present at multiple facilities across the country, all within several hours of each other.

As the videos surfaced, eyewitnesses started to come forward. One woman reported seeing Santa during a late-night visit to her storage unit. A number of storage operators have given credence to the Santa sightings after admitting they were approached by associates from the North Pole who wanted to rent units during the Christmas season to help with gift delivery. Negotiations reportedly fell through due to Santa’s high demands.

Now an elf, using the name “Pickle” to conceal her true identity, has given an interview confirming the existence of Santa’s secret storage units as well as the list of demands that prompted facility operators to cut ties with Santa’s Christmas Eve operation. Known as the “12 Conditions of Christmas,” the storage clauses include turning off security cameras ahead of Santa’s arrival, the use of climate-controlled units for storing gifts, and even a requirement for operators to have pine-scented beard oil on hand for Santa’s visit.

To read a full account of the Santa storage controversy, including the full “12 Conditions of Christmas,” visit the Storage Talk blog at Storage.com.

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