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Mercedes will let you build your own version of Santa's sleigh

This is what happens when you give Web programmers too much eggnog.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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Santa-Class Configurator
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Santa-Class Configurator

Your author's choice of sleigh involves a body modeled after the F 015 concept and four reindeer that were evidently plucked straight from the depths of hell.

 Screenshot via Andrew Krok/CNET

If you aren't already distracted enough as we race toward a long holiday weekend, here's yet another small Internet-based bauble to keep you away from a big pile of work. Mercedes-Benz just launched its sleigh configurator, which allows you to build your own version of Santa's ride. Hold on, because it gets a little weird.

You can build your Santa-Class in a number of ways. Three bodies are available, and they're designed to resemble Mercedes' old Silver Arrow racecar, the F 015 autonomous concept and the venerable Geländewagen. Five colors are available, nearly all of which (save for black) are traditional holiday hues. You're also given the choice of three different kinds of runners.

Then it gets strange. There exist three choices of "drivetrain" -- 4Matic (four reindeer), Hybrid (two reindeer, two horses) and AMG (a burly, black reindeer with glowing eyes). There are also some options, including safety systems (an angel watching over you), navigation (a shooting star) and intelligent lighting (an elf with a lantern). And yes, there are sound effects to go with all this.

If you've got a spare few minutes, or if you've eaten a handful of mushrooms and are trying to find holiday-themed activities to work into your forthcoming trip, the sleigh configurator is worth a couple clicks. At least Mercedes-Benz included the reindeer -- we're looking at you, Jaguar.