Goodness gracious! Another month has gone by and now there are only nine months left until Christmas. And I’ve got news!

You would not believe how fast the walls went up on Santa’s new workshop. The walls and the roof are up and they are working inside almost around the clock now as they try to get things ready by our Christmas in July celebrations.

The place is massive. You could land a dozen sleighs in there, it is so roomy.

The place is so big that nearly every department is being expanded. In fact, entire new departments are being formed. Just yesterday Santa announced the formation of a department called the Department of Glitter, Sparkle and Glow.

I have no idea yet what that means.

But the elf put in charge of that department is someone you know well — Elf Butch.

Now, Butch might not sound like much of a sparkly kind of guy but he’s worked for some time in the wrapping department and he’s got what they call…um, style. He just does things with flair.

So he’s an interesting choice to be the one elf associated with Glitter, Sparkle and Glow at the North Pole. We’re wondering what his job will entail but so far he’s not saying much and Santa said we’d be hearing more about it later. In the meantime, Elf Butch has been tasked with finding 24 other elves to work the Department of Glitter, Sparkle and Glow with him. He’s interviewing right now and even though nobody knows what they do there are plenty of elves lining up to get a job there.

This is, after all, a new workshop department. Every elf wants to work in Santa’s Workshop. It takes a lot of years to get there. You’ve got to have incredible skills, no matter what department you work in.

In announcing this new department Santa said something really interesting. He said to expect a lot of elves in new positions by the time the new workshop opens in July. We don’t know if that means something only to workshop elves or to ALL the elves working for Santa.

Some elves are nervous about that.

Some really like the jobs they are in now. Others would love a chance at a better or a different job. Nobody really quite knows what to think about what Santa said.

No matter what happens you can bet we’ll be here to give you news on all the elf shuffling.

That is, if it is still my job to do so.

Until next month, friends!

— Elf Ernest