Elf Hugo, postmaster at the North Pole Post Office, stopped in recently to North Pole Chat to talk about getting mail to Santa. Here is a transcript of that conversation:

Elf Ernest	Folks, with us today is Elf Hugo, postmaster at the North Pole Post Office
Elf Ernest	He has a very big job, as you can imagine
Elf Ernest	He is here today to answer your questions and to explain how the North Pole Post Office works.
Elf Ernest	I have a number of questions that have been sent in, far more than I can really hope to get answered today
Elf Ernest	But we’re here to answer the questions of those who are here with us
Elf Ernest	So let’s begin there….who has a question for Elf Hugo?
Elf Ulan	I do! Lol
Elf Hugo	Go ahead, Elf Ulan
Elf Ulan	Thank you! Do you read all the wish lists before giving Santa? Elf Hugo?
Elf Hugo	Goodness, no. We have a team of elves who review them and sort them for Santa. And Santa has a team that also reviews them. But I personally do not do that work, no.
Elf Hugo	Right now, we are processing about 6,000 messages for Santa a day. That will go up by the MILLIONS come December.
Elf Ernest	How much of all that mail is electronic and how much of it is done by hand?
Elf Ulan	Okay, you mean don’t read them, but how to know if some wish lists are strange?
Elf Hugo	Most of it is electronic these days, which helps. Right now, I’d say about 90 percent of it comes off the website. The numbers change in December quite a bit though
Elf Hugo	Our teams of elves have seen every kind of message imaginable over the years. Yes, there are sometimes many strange requests for Santa
Elf Ernest	Strange requests….can you give an example?
Elf Ulan	Yes, please!
Elf Hugo	Well, yes. Santa once got a wishlist from a lady in Spain who wanted balloon rides for her cat.
Elf Ernest	Oh my.
Elf Ernest	What does Santa do with a request like that?
Elf Hugo	Well, Ernest…you know that not every child gets what they request. Or every adult for that matter
Elf Ernest	So when that happens, do you get mail complaining about what they DIDN’T get for Christmas?
Elf Hugo	Oh yes, of course that happens.
Elf Ernest	What happens to THOSE messages?
Elf Hugo	Oh, they go to Santa. We always deliver the mail to where it is addressed. That’s one of our rules.
Elf Ernest	Oh wow…you must see a lot of stuff.
Elf Hugo	Not as much as you think. We don’t read the mail unless we’re instructed to do so. Wish lists are something we have worked very hard to help Santa with for many years
Elf Ulan	If they send a strange wish, they are keeping out then?
Elf Ernest	Hugo, we have a lot of questions about Stocking Mail. Can you talk about that a bit?
Elf Hugo	Santa really is the one who decides what is a “strange” wish. Sometimes Santa knows things that explain a strange wish.
Elf Hugo	For example, we had a little boy once who asked Santa for a size 11 pair of work boots
Elf Hugo	Santa didn’t think that was a very fun gift and he met this little boy at a party before Christmas and asked him about it
Elf Ulan	Wow!
Elf Hugo	The boots the boy wanted were for an older brother who wanted a job but needed special boots to do the job. He didn’t have the money for the boots
Elf Hugo	Santa told me long ago to never scoff at a wish list
Elf Hugo	Sometimes Santa will work to get more of the story when a “strange” wish list comes in
Elf Hugo	If I’m being honest, the strangest requests come from adults, not children
Elf Ernest	Wow, that’s quite a story
Elf Ulan	I agree that, Elf Hugo
Elf Hugo	That’s part of the reason why I don’t want to get too deep into the wish list stuff. Santa knows what is going on and what to do about things.
Elf Hugo	Now, to your question about stocking mail – what do you want to know?
Elf Ernest	Why isn’t stocking mail available year round?
Elf Hugo	There are many reasons why stocking mail is only used at the last minute on Christmas Eve.
Elf Ulan	Okay, did you receive my wish list I sent last month? Lol
Elf Hugo	It has mostly to do with the fact that it isn’t perfect technology.
Elf Ernest	Is it technology or is it magic?
Elf Hugo	It’s technology and I can’t tell you more than that Ernest. We have to keep that information out of the hands of the wrong people. It’s very cutting edge
Elf Ernest	Wow, does that mean it’s dangerous?
Elf Hugo	Everything is dangerous if used the wrong way
Elf Ernest	Okay, fair enough
Elf Hugo	But for Santa’s purposes the technology isn’t perfect enough to use it on an everyday basis
Elf Hugo	I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but there are some things about it I just can’t share
Elf Ulan	Elf Hugo?
Elf Hugo	What people need to understand is that when stocking mail is engaged on Christmas Eve it moves information from the believer’s stocking directly to a special screen that is right in front of Santa, which is mounted on the dash of the sleigh
Elf Hugo	We don’t actually see the stocking mail in the North Pole Post Office.
Elf Ernest	Ah!!! I had no idea….
Elf Hugo	Elf Ulan, did you send in a wishlist? I don’t actually keep track of them myself….
Elf Ernest	I think our Christmas Eve users get confused by stocking mail because they don’t understand why their notes and messages never actually leave that stocking
Elf Hugo	Right, Ernest. They need to think of it like a scanner
Elf Ernest	So Santa doesn’t get the actual, physical paper the note is written on? He sees an image of it?
Elf Hugo	Right.
Elf Hugo	It’s not as complicated as people think
Elf Ernest	Does a lot of stocking mail come in?
Elf Hugo	Yes, by the millions.
Elf Ernest	How does Santa sort through all that while he’s flying a sleigh?
Elf Ulan	Maybe too many wishes, okay, thank you! But you told me that we can send the lists many times, right? Does it mean the last one or everything Santa knows?
Elf Hugo	The technology sorts it first by location, which is very different. Then it sorts it by user
Elf Ernest	How does Santa find time to even see it?
Elf Hugo	Elves
Elf Ernest	Elves…on the sleigh?
Elf Hugo	Not exactly elves on the sleigh…but there are lots of elves who assist Santa while he is in flight. The stocking mail team is just a small part of that
Elf Hugo	Elf Ulan, Santa sees EVERY wishlist. How he sorts the latest from the first, I’m not sure. But he sees every one of them
Elf Hugo	He knows you.
Elf Hugo	He knows your personality and your preferences. Long before you ever send in a wish list
Elf Hugo	Some of my favorite messages for Santa come from those people who thank him after Christmas who never sent him a wishlist
Elf Hugo	They always say, “Santa, how did you know?”
Elf Ulan	Amazing!
Elf Hugo	That’s because he’s Santa
Elf Hugo	He knows
Elf Hugo	Wish lists are important to Santa because Santa wants to know what is important to you. He doesn’t like guessing
Elf Ernest	Hugo…do you send a wishlist to Santa?
Elf Hugo	Yes, Ernest….every year!
Elf Ernest	So, because you work at the Post Office…do you push it to the front of the line?
Elf Ulan	I know one of them Santa did last year. I’m so happy to hear that!
Elf Hugo	Hahahaha – no, I only do that with YOUR wishlist
Elf Ernest	LOL
Elf Ernest	Hugo, we have a question about mail for Mrs. Claus…is there a lot of that?
Elf Hugo	Yes, she gets a lot of mail.
Elf Ernest	How is that handled?
Elf Hugo	It goes to her office staff and they help her with it.
Elf Ernest	Does she ever answer mail? I know Santa rarely has time to answer mail.
Elf Ulan	How about you, Elf Ernest? Do you send your wish lists?
Elf Hugo	Well, like many at the North Pole Mrs. Claus gets more mail than she could possibly answer
Elf Ernest	Yes, Elf Ulan. I send Santa one wish list every year. The day after Halloween, I send it. That’s my tradition
Elf Hugo	I know of a little girl who sends Santa a wishlist every month on the day of her birthday. She was born on the 12th of the month and every month on the 12 a new wishlist from her comes in
Elf Ernest	People have funny little traditions for getting messages to Santa
Elf Ulan	Interesting! Is it the same or different every year, Elf Ernest?
Elf Hugo	They really do.
Elf Ernest	My wishlist is much shorter than when I was a boy.
Elf Ernest	I once sent Santa a wishlist with 234 things on it.
Elf Ernest	He still teases me about that
Elf Hugo	Were you about 8 years old?
Elf Ernest	I was exactly 8 years old when I did that. How did you know?
Elf Hugo	That’s just the age. We can predict some things based on how old a person is.
Elf Ernest	Oh? Like what?
Elf Hugo	Well, if a woman is 30 years old, has children and sends in a letter to Santa, guess what she asks for? We know before we even open it.
Elf Ernest	I have no idea. What does she ask for?
Elf Hugo	Nothing. She just wants Santa to know she loves him.
sallywobbles	hi
Elf Ernest	Hello sallywobbles
Elf Ulan	Wow, you have many wishes, Elf Ernest! Lol
Elf Ernest	Hugo, thank you for your time today. Any last minute questions for Hugo?
Elf Ulan	Hello!
sallywobbles	what is you favorite thing a christmas?
Elf Hugo	Favorite thing? I love delivering the mail for Santa. It always makes him smile.
sallywobbles	cool
Elf Ernest	Ok, then. Hugo best of luck with all the mail coming in for Santa. I’m sure we’ll hear more from you on the radio as the season progresses
Elf Hugo	Thank you Ernest. Thanks Elf Ulan! Keep those wishlists coming!
Elf Hugo	Bye everyone!
Elf Ernest	Bye Hugo!

Michael says:

September 23, 2023 at 5:31 am

Hi there
I have a dog name GG
GG is 5 years old
I take a shower in the mornings
And also play with my dog GG

Elf Ulan says:

September 23, 2023 at 7:21 pm

Thank you, Elf Winslow! Thank you, Elf Hugo and Elf Ernest! It was awesome. I’m happy to hear that both elf’s stories and Santa knows us well. He’s amazing! I’ll send another wish list too, later. I hope we can talk again soon! XD