The crisis in Santa’s workshop shaped the news in 2025 and Crash talks how that event changed tracking Santa last year. Details were shared about Santa’s visits in the South Pacific and how the speed of Santa’s ride has to increase towards the end of his visits in Sectors 4 and 5.

This episode reveals never-before-known details of how Santa delivers to each area around the world in his nearly 30-hour long ride each year.

They discuss elf magic and the abilities of Santa and his elves to do things as if by magic. Elf Crash explains that neither Santa or elves work by magic and that believers need to understand that elves are just regular people.

Also discussed are questions about Santa and favorite cookies, minimum wages for elves, scout elves and what they do, polar bears, and how the flying in the heat affects the reindeer.

There are some silly questions in this episode too.

We hope you enjoy this discussion.

For years on SantaUpdate.com we have avoided questions about Elf on the Shelf because nobody really knew a lot about them. There is no official department at the North Pole that runs Elf on the Shelf and Santa himself has long denied any knowledge or association with Elf on the Shelf.

After doing some digging, I’ve learned how this whole thing started long ago at the North Pole.

In this new emergency episode of the North Pole Podcast I share that story and discuss what all this means for Santa, the North Pole and anyone who has an Elf on the Shelf.

We invite you to listen to this discussion and weigh in with your own thoughts.

In this episode of the North Pole Podcast Elf Frank Myrrh talked with Elf Crash Murphy, the International Director of Santa Trackers. They discussed Elf Bernard and why he is a misunderstood elf.

The movie “The Santa Claus”, by Disney, has a character called Elf Bernard who just happens to be the head elf in Santa’s workshop. That movie came out in 1994.

The REAL Elf Bernard who is the head elf in Santa’s workshop has worked for decades longer than that movie has been out. Some of our oldest site users can remember that (we have been publishing online since 1991 and for years we sent the Santa Updates out by fax, many of them featuring stories about Elf Bernard).

Elf Crash discusses what life has been life for the real Elf Bernard since the movie came out. And it hasn’t been entirely pleasant.

More importantly, Elf Crash addresses why Elf Bernard said tracking Santa for Santa would be different this year. If you are a tracker elf or are thinking of becoming one this episode of the North Pole Podcast is very interesting.

Elf Crash says that if you have comments or questions from this podcast you can comment here or over in the Elf Community at SantaTrackers.net.

As Elf Crash explains the problem is not only that the workshop is having a hard time getting all the toys made there are major challenges in getting those toys to Santa where he will be on Christmas Eve. Not everything fits into Santa’s sleigh at one time.

Elf Crash explains how Santa’s sleigh gets replenished and why the big effort to coordinate the transfer of gifts to Santa’s sleigh on a continuous basis as he travels around the world is always a big challenge. It is a coordinated operation that takes precision among many moving parts between North Pole Flight Command, an continuous airlift operation, and thousands of additional sleighs powered by tens of thousands of reindeer and piloted by an army of sleigh pilot elves.

If the workshop can get all the toys made the problem of getting everything Santa needs to deliver to him on time and in order is what they think makes this year’s work of Operation Merry Christmas in danger.

This is an important discussion if you want to understand the crisis in Santa’s workshop.

Elves Frank Myrrh and Crash Murphy discuss the details of things that happen when Santa is delivering. Elf Crash famously follows Santa every Christmas Eve, sharing news of his journey on the Tracking Santa Around the World Radio Show on Kringle Radio, which is heard in more than 150 countries around the world.

This special episode takes a deep dive into why Santa needs tracker elves to track Santa for Santa. It also wanders into the wish list of Elf Crash and why he thinks Santa will bring him something that he knows Mrs. Claus doesn’t want him to have.

Ideas are explored, such as how Santa gets a bicycle down the chimney, plus lots more.

Don’t miss this episode!

This year school teachers submitted some of the most difficult questions Elf Crash has ever had to answer.

Crash surprised me in this episode because he taught me some things I never knew. That’s shows the value in asking really good questions, something a news guy like me should know.

We also spent some time talking about some not-so-good questions and why it is important not to waste time of anyone at the North Pole by asking about things that don’t relate to the North Pole.

We do try to be friendly. But we have an obligation to our entire audience to keep things on topic. We hope you remember that when you ask questions. We know a lot about Christmas and Santa and elf life. We don’t know much about the mysteries of science, the wonders of nature, the timing of a 1968 Chevy Monte Carlo or the batting average of Ted Williams in 1958. We hope you’ll keep that in mind when you ask questions.

This episode talks a lot of non-belief in Santa and the role parents have with Santa Claus. Good honest discussion.

This is just part one of a two part episode dedicated to these questions. We can’t answer all 4000 questions that we received but we can certainly answer more by adding an extra episode dedicated to these questions from teachers this year.

This year school teachers submitted some of the most difficult questions Elf Crash has ever had to answer.

Crash surprised me in this episode because he taught me some things I never knew. That’s shows the value in asking really good questions, something a news guy like me should know.

We also spent some time talking about some not-so-good questions and why it is important not to waste time of anyone at the North Pole by asking about things that don’t relate to the North Pole.

We do try to be friendly. But we have an obligation to our entire audience to keep things on topic. We hope you remember that when you ask questions. We know a lot about Christmas and Santa and elf life. We don’t know much about the mysteries of science, the wonders of nature, the timing of a 1968 Chevy Monte Carlo or the batting average of Ted Williams in 1958. We hope you’ll keep that in mind when you ask questions.

This episode talks a lot of non-belief in Santa and the role parents have with Santa Claus. Good honest discussion.

This is just part one of a two part episode dedicated to these questions. We can’t answer all 4000 questions that we received but we can certainly answer more by adding an extra episode dedicated to these questions from teachers this year.

Elf Crash shares some things that happen at the North Pole for Christmas in July and some thoughts about what people around the world can do to celebrate it:

Elf Petey is part of a team of special elves charged with tracking Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. But they aren’t tracking Santa like everyone else does. They are tracking Santa to see the sleigh in action. Using special equipment they try to record the sleigh in flight to learn about how it performs.

Elf Petey, you see, is part of the sleigh design team. It is their job to work to continually improve Santa’s sleigh. That means he not only has to know how to see Santa in high-speed flight but he has to be a sleigh pilot himself. In fact, every member of the professional Santa tracker elf team is a pilot, a sleigh designer, an expert is aeronautics with years and years of highly technical education.

Elf Crash talks with Elf Petey about his experience tracking Santa in this capacity. He talks about why these trackers head out to dark, remote locations only to wait for the split-second moment of time that they can catch Santa in flight. Petey has a number of experiences along the way to share.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Feel free to post any comments or questions you might have below.