When I was a kid (long ago, in the 1990s!), we didn’t have fancy interactive Santa Claus trackers on the internet. Or at least if we did, I was living under a rock and didn’t know about it.

A perfect example of this phenomenon is the annual Reddit Secret Santa, where users are challenged ... by the successful completion of a built-in trivia game tailored around their interests.

Inspired by the real-life 1818 raid attempt by Hippolyte Bouchard, Santa Barbara’s only pirate, this interactive event brings history to life. Now, his story resurfaces as teams defend landmarks, ...