9 Months Until Christmas

Elf Ernest News, News 2018
9 Months Until Christmas

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

10 Months Until Christmas

Elf Ernest News 2018, North Pole
10 Months Until Christmas

Hi everyone!

Today marks the ten month mark to Christmas and you wouldn’t believe how busy things are here at the North Pole.

Santa’s new workshop plans have created a big hole in the calendar. He thinks some time in July his new workshop will be finished so they have been trying to figure out how to make the change from the old workshop to the new workshop. Some think it can be done without shutting anything down. Others think that all work on making new things will have to stop for a few days so that they can move stuff like tools and materials.

There is a big ten-day block of time marked off on the calendar and Santa hasn’t yet told us what that time is for or how all this will work. That has some elves worrying.

Elves tend to worry when they don’t know the plan.

But have no fear. If there is one thing Santa is an expert at it is making plans. I’m sure he has it figured out in his head and will tell us soon.

Here in my little world we have been making plans too.

I had my annual review with Santa. That always makes me a little nervous. I want to do my job well and I try very hard. But it is hard sometimes to hear where things might have gone better and I can think of many ways where we shared the news last year and it could have been better.

Don’t worry. Santa was very kind to me in my review.

But his big suggestion — and I think it is a good one — is finding new ways to answer all the questions that people send in.

We have tried many things in the past, even using elves like Ed Zachary and Crash Murphy in the effort. But we are exploring some new things and new ways to do that for this year.

I can’t tell you yet what those news things will be.

But I promise. We will have MORE answers to MORE questions this year than any year we have had in the past. We’re working very hard on that right now and will be making some announcements later this year.

So stay tuned!

Until then, merriest greetings from the North Pole!

— Elf Ernest

11 Months Until Christmas

Elf Ernest News, North Pole
11 Months Until Christmas

Hi ho! Just 11 months from today…it’s Christmas Eve!

Think about it: in just 11 months we’ll be live on the radio, tracking Santa all over again.

I was in a meeting this week and we were talking about the radio program we offer every Christmas Eve from Kringle Radio right here at the North Pole. Did you know it was heard in more than 140 countries around the world this past year?

Isn’t that terrific?

Elves here are very excited to be planning next Christmas already. Everything from toy to cookie production has been discussed this week. Big plans. Big dreams. I can tell it is going to be a great, great Christmas.

As Elf Ed Zachary wrote the other day January has been a period of play time for a lot of us here at the North Pole. Santa sometimes calls it “training”. He just believes that when you work hard you play hard and this has been a period of hard play. There has been a lot of games, a lot of snowball fights, a lot of just enjoying each other’s company.

It’s a good feeling.

But I get a sense that some are ready to get down to work. Our plans are starting to transition into lists. And lists mean tasks. And tasks mean…we need to get busy!

For many around the world a new countdown to Christmas has begun. To us, we love that. The numbers look huge but we know before we know it Christmas will be here again.

And it is exciting. It is always exciting.

Hope your January is going well!

— Elf Ernest