Santa Claus had a busy night delivering Christmas gifts to children all over the world.

His long journey started from Finland on Friday evening.

Though he spends much of his time in his workshop at the North Pole, Santa's official residence is in Rovaniemi just inside the Arctic Circle, and several hundred tourists and locals gathered to wave him off for the busiest period in his calendar.

His elves put on a musical performance to wish him luck before he left.

Santa then boarded his sleigh and left his village to head to the North Pole, where he collected the rest of his reindeer before delivering gifts to lucky children all over the world on Christmas Eve.

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