9 Months Until Christmas

Happy 24th day of the month, folks. There are now just 9 months to go until Christmas.

We have some breaking news to share with you: Santa Claus is once again headed out on walkabout.

If you have been here in years past you know that Santa occasionally leaves the North Pole to go on an adventure he calls walkabout.

His goal in this trip is to learn as much about the world as he can. He usually goes in disguise so that the people he meets do not know they are talking to Santa Claus. This week Santa shaved off his beard, which is something he only ever does before going on walkabout.

Don’t worry, it’s not permanent.

Part of the reason he calls it walkabout is because he spends much of this trip on foot. He likes to travel from town to town on foot, meeting people along the way. When he comes to a place he finds interesting he will rent a place to stay and maybe take on a small temporary job while he is in the area. He may stay in an area for a month or two if he can find enough people to talk to.

Santa is interested in how things are going for people. He wants to learn their stories. He wants to understand their challenges, hopes and dreams. He wants to understand what they know and feel about Christmas and about each other.

Santa loves to take these trips. But they are time consuming and they take Santa away from his usual duties. A lot of things have to be put in place for Santa to be gone for so long and that is why Mrs. Claus spent so much time last week in meetings. She covers for him when he is away.

Santa usually takes this trip about once every three to five years. Mrs. Claus understands why Santa does this and she supports him but she is not fond of the idea of him being gone for so long.

The last time Santa went on walkabout was in 2020, just at the start of the pandemic. He took Elf Winslow with him, who reported on Santa’s adventures. It is not known yet if Santa is taking anyone with him this time.

With Santa being gone Mrs. Claus will be in charge. While it may seem a little different very little is expected to change of our routines and traditions.

No announcements have been made about the coming weeks and months but we will, as usual, be on duty here to report on it all.

We hope you can check in frequently for updates.