Chat Recap of Elf Ernest

The first chat of Christmas in July with Elf Ernest, Senior Vice President of Public Relations, who updates us on Toyvember, the test flights of Santa’s sleigh and the overall readiness of Operation Merry Christmas. Here is that transcript:

Crash Murphy	Hello everyone! Today we are chatting with Elf Ernest, Senior Vice President of Public Relations at the North Pole. Hi Ernest!
Elf Ernest	Greetings!
Crash Murphy	First question: are you participating in Toyvember?
Elf Ernest	I wish I could! But this is a very busy time for me. Most of my staff are participating however.
Crash Murphy	Have you ever worked at Santa’s Workshop?
Elf Ernest	No. I’ve been there many times, working on special projects. When I go over there I tend to visit the offices, not put on a tool belt.
Elf Ernest	I would not be a very good Workshop elf!
Crash Murphy	Really? I think we all have a little toymaker inside each of us. What about other departments?
Elf Ernest	Many years ago I worked at the North Pole Post Office.
Crash Murphy	What did you do there?
Elf Ernest	I was a stamp licker.
Crash Murphy	Get out of town!
Elf Ernest	For real. That was the way it worked back in those days. But you don’t have to lick stamps any more. So that skill has wasted away, I’m sad to say.
Crash Murphy	How do you explain your job these days to people? I think a lot of people here “public relations” and they don’t know what to think?
Elf Ernest	Well, I just tell them I’m in the information business. I share the news of Santa and the North Pole. We run the News Department, these websites, the chats like this, and do our best to answer the billions of questions we get every year.
Crash Murphy	So you’re pretty much the guy that has to know everything about everything at the North Pole?
Elf Ernest	LOL. Yes, I guess you could say that
Crash Murphy	So you’re just the guy to ask this question: how would you rate the status of Operation Merry Christmas?
Elf Ernest	That’s a great question and I am glad you asked it. It’s early, so the news isn’t a lot yet but based on what I’ve seen and what Santa has told me, we’re in pretty good shape for Christmas right now.
Crash Murphy	Do you and Santa talk a lot?
Elf Ernest	Oh yes, everyday. Most days I hear from him or call him several times a day
Crash Murphy	So Santa is really involved in the news business?
Elf Ernest	Well yes. He has his phone and his computer and his laptop and his radio, so he is as tuned in as anyone I suppose. Santa’s conversations with me sometimes center on when we report things, as much as what we report.
Crash Murphy	Are there things that Santa does not want reported?
Elf Ernest	Oh of course!
Crash Murphy	So…you’re a filter then. Telling the world just what Santa wants them to know?
Elf Ernest	Well, no. Not exactly. I like to think we’re telling the world what THEY want to know.
Crash Murphy	But there are things that don’t get reported?
Elf Ernest	Well sure. Every news outlet has to report what’s most important. It’s not about keeping information from people, it’s about getting out what is more important. That’s harder to do than it sounds.
Crash Murphy	So tell me what you can about the current status of the test flights of Santa’s sleigh.
Elf Ernest	Ok, that’s a good start. Elf Meg Nogg just posted over on NorthPoleFlightCommand.com that the test flights of Santa’s sleigh are headed to Sector 4 next week.
Crash Murphy	Is that good news?
Elf Ernest	It’s great news. The Regional Tracking Center in that Sector just opened so this will be a good test for Elf Tubby and his team.
Crash Murphy	Ok, what about Santa’s reindeer, any news on them?
Elf Ernest	No. I get a briefing from each department head every morning and this question is coming up more and more. In fact, it is likely the most common question we get this time of year. The Reindeer are not back to the North Pole yet, but it’s early.
Crash Murphy	Does Elf Victor and his team ever know that in advance?
Elf Ernest	Not precisely. But because they run reindeer ranches all over the world they see signs.
Crash Murphy	Okay, what’s new then in Santa’s workshop?
Elf Ernest	Well, it’s Toyvember, so the workshop is the one department that is completely dark right now.
Crash Murphy	Toyvember has to be huge for those elves.
Elf Ernest	It is and they are thrilled to do it in July. That has never happened before.
Crash Murphy	I have to ask, will this affect the production levels at Santa’s workshop?
Elf Ernest	We do not know. We’ve never done this before. Elf Bernard is a little concerned but Santa is not at all. July is sometimes a really big month for the workshop.
Crash Murphy	Will this affect the supply of toys for Christmas?
Elf Ernest	We just don’t know yet. It’s too early to know the exact demand and too late to slow down. I have a feeling that whenever Santa says Toyvember ends that Elf Bernard will be working a lot of those elves double time.
Crash Murphy	Oooh, that sounds almost mean
Elf Ernest	It’s not. Those guys do that a lot, especially in the back half of the year. Every year it’s that way. And Elf Bernard told them the other day before they left for Toyvember that they could expect that. They seemed to be okay with it.
Crash Murphy	I would imagine the same thing would be true at the North Pole Post Office.
Elf Ernest	Not so much because we cannot just shut the Post Office down like we can the workshop, Crash. There are still elves working there despite Toyvember.
Crash Murphy	So the mail just has to keep flowing
Elf Ernest	Oh yes. We’ve got more than just wish lists for Santa to process. This is a busy time of year for communications with suppliers, governments, school teachers, flight crews, and all kinds of people who work with the North Pole on things.
Crash Murphy	So do any of those elves in the Post Office get time off for Toyvember?
Elf Ernest	Yes, Elf Hugo says he’s worked out a rotational schedule that gives them about two days off per week more than what they usually get. He says he cannot do it for long because, as you know, the mail just gets bigger from this time of the year forward. But he thinks he can do Toyvember for at least a couple of weeks.
Crash Murphy	What about Flight Command, the biggest department at the North Pole?
Elf Ernest	Most elves there are participating in Toyvember. The test flight teams are not stopping and those that support the test flights have to keep working too. But like the Post Office, they are working very fluid schedules.
Crash Murphy	What about the Wrapping Department?
Elf Ernest	They are all off. Elf Harriet runs a tight ship and she thinks they won’t return to a big back pile because the Workshop isn’t producing.
Crash Murphy	All of these departments, all of this news, year after year – does it all become predictable to you, Ernest?
Elf Ernest	In some ways yes, in some ways no. Every year is a different story. I consider myself the luckiest elf in the world. This is a great job and I love it.
Crash Murphy	Do you archive those stories of news that comes out each year?
Elf Ernest	Oh yes, we have a great news archive that dates back more than a century. The news business here and really everywhere in the world has changed over time but we have it all.
Crash Murphy	Do you have favorite seasons? I know that sounds weird to ask. But some years have to be really different from others
Elf Ernest	Oh yes, absolutely.
Crash Murphy	So are there any particularly memorable years that stick with you?
Elf Ernest	Yes, and many of them have been recent years. Everything is faster now, so things are different than they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
Crash Murphy	So tell me of a year that sticks out in your mind.
Elf Ernest	Well, your first year on the radio is one of them, Crash. We didn’t know if it could work, sending a guy up on a sleigh to follow Santa and report the news on the radio.
Crash Murphy	Yeah, it was a wild ride for me too.
Elf Ernest	But look what came of that and how awesome Christmas Eve now. Hearing Crash Murphy on North Pole Radio News on Christmas Eve is a tradition for millions around the world.
Crash Murphy	Now you’re making me blush.
Elf Ernest	It was such a fun and exciting Christmas.
Crash Murphy	Are you ready to do all this again?
Elf Ernest	You bet! I think this is going to be a great Christmas.
Crash Murphy	Thank you, Elf Ernest, for your time today. We learned a lot.
Elf Ernest	Thanks for hosting us, Crash.
Crash Murphy	Folks, keep your eyes on the news for an announcement. Our next chat will be with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We hope you can join us
Crash Murphy	Goodbye for now and have a great day!
Elf Ernest	Bye everyone

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Elf Winslow

Elf Winslow Rutherford is a special assistant to Elf Ernest at the North Pole who has served in the Public Relations Department in several capacities over the years. Presently he serves on the editorial board of SantaUpdate.com coordinating North Pole Chat Events.

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