50 Weeks Until Christmas

There are now 50 weeks until Christmas and this week we passed the 350 day milestone to Santa’s launch, according to North Pole Flight Command.

It is crazy quiet at the North Pole. Seriously, it’s like a week of summer when half the elves are on vacation. Everything is running but there are no public events on the calendar and very little news to report.

Of course, the difference it that in the summer we know what the plan is. Right now, we do not. This is the time of year when plans are made.

Knowing that has brought some interesting questions in the mail.

Bekkah, of Sector 5 in Idaho, USA, asks: “If Santa’s workshop is working right now what could they be working on? Christmas is so far away and likely nobody has submitted wish lists yet for next Christmas, so what are they doing?”

That’s a fair question. And the answer is quite simple: Santa’s workshop is working on making things they KNOW will be on wish lists later this year.

I’m talking the stand stuff of dollies and skateboards and things that children of all time always want and request. The real specifics won’t come until later in the year. But the staples? Those are being made right now.

Believe it or not, we get a lot of little questions like this and it’s okay.

But the questions sometimes reveal assumptions that people make about the North Pole and how it works. Not to pick on Bekkah but she assumes because Christmas was just a couple of weeks ago that nobody is putting in wish lists for Santa. The truth is that people never stop sending Santa wish lists.

Seriously.

On late Christmas Eve I had the chance to visit my friend Elf Hugo at the Post Office. Now there’s a department who’s work is never done. I was there and I just assumed that all the mail they were getting had changed from wish lists to thank-you letters for Santa.

But Hugo straightened me out on that. He showed me wish lists that came in for Sector 1 while Santa was still in the air in Sector 2 on Christmas Eve.

That’s right! Santa had already just delivered to Sector 1 and there were some people there sending in wish lists while their stockings were full. Who knew?

People are funny.

And don’t kid yourself. Even though I’m an elf I’m just as weird and funny as anyone else.

I told you last week that I packed up my office in anticipation of a new job. I was told last year at this time that my work with Mrs. Claus was just temporary.

Well, she waltzed into my office and seeing the bare walls and my clean desk she exclaimed, “Well, Trixie, I see you’ve started your spring cleaning!” And to that I just said, “Well, I know I’m not long for this world.”

Immediately Mrs. Claus gave me a stern looked and a big frown. “What’s that supposed to mean, young lady?”

She’s never spoken to me like that before and I think she misunderstood what I was saying. I apologized and just explained I was excited to find out what work I will be doing this year. Then she brightened right back up and said, “Your ears must be burning. Santa and I were just talking about that”.

And that was it. She said no more. And I know no more now than a week ago when I told you guys I had cleared out my office.

So what in the name of Frosty’s goat is going on? When will I learn my fate? Just what kind of elf am I right now? I feel so unsettled about stuff.

I kind of feel that everyone feels like this right now. Even Trixie, my reindeer.

She had a great year last year. She was away most of the time working on the test flight team for Santa’s Sleigh and then drew a back-up reindeer team assignment on Christmas Eve. That’s pretty glorious stuff for a reindeer.

But nobody knows what the plan is for her for this year.

She’s home now, given a break to just be with me and spend time on our little farm. She’s a happy girl but she likes to be busy. It’s been two weeks since Christmas and, for her, she’s ready to get back to work.

But, like the rest of us, she does not know what that looks like.

Elves here right now are very anxious to get on with the new year. Folks are working, but kind of just going through the motions.

I’ll tell you who is working hard is Santa.

I am an early riser and I’m use to getting in to the office before anyone. But Mrs. Claus’ office is close to Santa’s office and every day when I come in I see the lights on at Santa’s office and I know he’s in there. Long before anyone else even thinks to show up.

Mrs. Claus did share with me the other day that Santa is really looking forward to being home this year. Having spent all of last year on Walkabout and the year before seeing so many children post-pandemic he really hasn’t been around much at the North Pole. If there is one plan I know is in place it’s that Santa will be home a great deal more this year.

Mrs. Claus told me she was looking forward to it not only because it takes a lot of work off her plate but also because she’s just ready to be with Santa more. The Claus’ family has sacrificed a lot the past two years.

So I’m trying to be patient while Santa settles in to being home and comes up with all the necessary plans for Operation Merry Christmas this year.

I did come in this morning and found a new plant on my desk and a little post-it from Mrs. Claus on it. It says “We bloom where we are planted.”

I haven’t the slightest idea what that note means.

Is Mrs. Claus telling me I’m about to be planted somewhere else? Or is she saying I should plan to bloom where I’m planted now?

Let me know if you have any ideas.

Until next week, pals.

PS: Memo to Elves Frank and Crash: NO. I will NOT go on the radio or do a podcast. You elves are on your own.