http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog en-us Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:43:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/78-signing-off http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/78-signing-off Hello, Friends! Santa here, popping in one last time before Mrs. Claus and I head for the islands! Our bags are packed and my dear wife has our whole itinerary planned out for when we get to Maui: (Ready?) Get up late, lie on the beach, go swimming, and come home for dinner. The next day, do it all over again. Perfect! This has been such a great Christmas -- 2007 was one of the best I can remember in a long time. I've had such a wonderful experience blogging, keeping in touch with you kids and your parents this way! Thanks for all your lists, your videos, your great suggestions about topics and questions for my blog! I felt more in touch with everyone than ever before. While Mrs. Claus and I are gone, Thessaly Tinselcom will be upgrading the North Pole Network, so neither the reindeer nor Mipps, our resident house mouse, will be posting. But we'll be thinking about you and hoping to talk to you again later in the year! I know *you* may not be thinking about Christmas, but your old friend Santa will be...and 2008's will be here before we know it! I think my favorite addition to this year's activities was the arrival of William K. Beakman -- a.k.a. our sweet penguin pal, Bill -- who made us all laugh a lot and understand that the holidays were all about friendship and being nice to other folks. I'll never forget [when he arrived](http://admin.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/18-a-special-guest-), and the good news is he's planning to stay with us an extra three months, until summer! Hooray, Bill! In the meantime, Candice and Canin will be replanting the Candy Cane Ranch, and Thessaly, once she finishes the tech overhaul, can concentrate on new kinds of presents at her R&D lab. And Bear Bryan will be making plans for next Christmas training. As for you, I hope your year is wonderful, filled with good cheer in every season, loads of friends and fun, and presents for every occasion! Think of us, starting tomorrow, eating pineapple, watching sunsets, and dancing the hula! All my love to each one of you, THANKS for reading my blog, and we'll talk to you later! Ho, ho, ho! *Merrrrrrry*....er, I mean **ALOHA**! Love, Santa Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:21:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/76--mele-kalikimaka- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/76--mele-kalikimaka- Hi Everyone! After the holidays are done, we do a thorough inventory of everything at the factory, and take a final count of the orders we had from everyone's Christmas lists. The final numbers aren't in yet, but Wiis and iPods are clearly near the top of the list. We also had a *huge* call for stuffed reindeer, penguins, and polar bears! I'll bet you can guess who was excited by that! Once the inventory is done -- hopefully later today -- Mrs. Claus and I will pack up our suitcases and take a nice, long, vacation. As you can imagine, we love taking a break from all this cold and snow, so we've lately been going to places that have great beaches! This year, we're flying to Hawaii! We're going to Maui, to a quiet little town on the opposite side of the island from all the tourists. Mrs. Claus has about ten books already packed up to read, and I'm going to catch up with my magazines, which have been piling up for a couple of months now. And yes, we're bringing plenty of sunscreen! o<|;^D Thanks for asking. I know that with kids going back to school, and the holidays turning into memories as they slip from everyone's mind, that your old pal Santa will do the same. Truth is, except for those "Christmas in July" sales you see every now and then, folks don't think much about me during the rest of the year. Honestly? I don't mind; years ago that used to hurt my feelings, but not anymore. I'll be thinking of you, though, and hoping the year is prosperous for you in every way. And when the year rolls around again, I'll be here again, same as ever. One thing that always makes me happy is the idea that no matter what time of year it is, to *act* like it's Christmas: being nice to people, giving gifts, taking time to be thankful for whatever I have. I always think about how good it makes me feel to be generous and loving -- for any reason at all! It doesn't have to be Christmas to treat people well. Okay, that's enough philosophy for now -- there are Hawaiian bags to pack. I'll blog once more tomorrow, before we head for the islands, but in the meantime, have a wonderful day! Love, Santa Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:48:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/73-polar-resolutions http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/73-polar-resolutions Hi, Everyone! Well, the power is back on, the snow is shoveled, and the Pole is hopping with activity again! I asked everyone what their New Year's Resolutions were, and I got some pretty interesting responses: **Thessaly Tinselcom**: create a GPS device that increases the efficiency of my Christmas Eve deliveries by 48%. (I'm not sure how she came up with 48%!) **Rob Ronderbaunt**: rebuild the original SledGT, my original classic sleigh he's been keeping in the back of the garage. Cherry! **Coach Bear Bryan**: wants to learn to water-ski! This might be an impossible dream, but Mrs. Claus and I told him we'd try to fly him somewhere he could do this. **William K. Beakman, III**: Bill wants to extend his stay! He's supposed to return to the South Pole the middle of this month, but his resolution is to stay through spring. We'd love to have him stay! **Kevin** the elf: eat a little more. **Sally Ann** resolved to start donating her hair (remember she has to get a haircut once a DAY) to a wig company, for kids who lose their hair because they're fighting cancer! I thought that was pretty considerate. **Spooky** has resolved to audition for the Met, the New York Metropolitan Opera. How excellent is that?! Related to this, **Snoop "Puppy" Dogg** wants to send his mix tape to a producer in Hollywood to see if he can get a rap deal. Where did all these talented musicians come from? o<|;^D And finally, **Rufus Instubble**, our animal keeper, wants to become fluent in Spanish. He loves learning languages! He knows French, Icelandic, and and Pig Latin! He doesn't know any Spanish right now -- when I heard his resolution, I said, "Feliz Navidad!" and he thought I said "fleas are evident." He has a lot to learn. What a great year so far! More soon... Love, Santa Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:43:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/72-snow-day- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/72-snow-day- Hi Everybody! So sorry I haven't blogged for a few days, but we had a major storm and a power outage! It's funny to call them "snow days," since every day here at the North Pole is a snow day, but a howling winter blizzard shut everything down for a little while. I asked Thessaly to help me get my Internet connection up and running, but most of the rest of the Pole is still in the dark. When bad weather hits, the elves have a special team, the Showshovelers, that swings into action, clearing paths and sidewalks and the sleigh's landing strip, repairing electrical lines, and fixing things that get damaged with the snow. We got nearly ten feet this time! We're lucky that it didn't happen right before Christmas because although we have generators and plenty of backup supplies, the factory is put under a tremendous strain. The only thing under a strain today are the candles. Mrs. Claus outfitted our house with dozens of them in every room, and the rest of the Pole took the blizzard as a sign to hibernate for a while. I saw Kevin the elf fixing himself a sandwich in the elves' kitchen a while ago, but all the other elves are snoozing. The reindeer are a little restless, I think -- they never sleep as much as the elves -- and I think they're getting tired of playing their Reindeer Games over and over and over. But I saw Comet and Cupid reading books, and Blitzen even offered to help the Snowshovelers with some road-clearing! When it's necessary, Rob Ronderbaunt can outfit the Sled3000-GT with some gnarly, extra-wide snow runners and a snow-plow, but even the garage was snowed in with this storm. So the Snowshovelers had to do everything! Afterwards, Mrs. Claus and I made them a heaping tray of grilled cheese sandwiches and some potato soup, and that seemed to cheer everybody up. I just saw Bill zoom past on a tobaggan! More soon! Love, Santa Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:36:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/70-spluglers-and-resolutions http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/70-spluglers-and-resolutions Happy New Year, everybody! I can't believe it's 2008 already -- I was just getting used to 2007! Oh well, another December 31 passed, and I just wanted to wish everyone the happiest of New Year's, with good health and success and everything you hope for in '08!. It was a wonderful New Year's Eve here at the Pole. As always, the decorating crew outdid themselves: This year it was the garage team's turn, and Rob Bonderaunt got some help from Thessaly Tinselcom to create *spluglers* -- Hand-held Sled3000-GT spark plugs, modified (Thessaly called it "hacked") with special batteries to shower sparks non-stop! They were great! The elves woke up from their four-day nap in time to catch the festivities, and loved the spluglers -- writing their names in the air, racing downhill with different-colored spluglers tied to their sleds and toboggans. They really lit up the night! Then, last night, Mrs. Claus and I watched the [Aurora Borealis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Borealis) -- the Northern Lights! Up here they're pretty spectacular most of the year (although they peak in fall and spring) but last night we took our folding lounge chairs along on a long walk to a clearing in the forest where we could sit and watch them. They were beautiful -- incredible changing patterns of rainbow-colored lights, like the most amazing silent, full-color thunderstorm you ever saw! Serpentine colored rivers, curtains of gold, slow explosions of red and green, the whole sky in constant motion. It was an amazing New Year's Day present! Sometimes there's not much to look at up here except ice and snow, so we love to sit and watch the Aurora when we can. Earlier in the day Mrs. Claus and I had talked about New Year's Resolutions. I resolved to "eat less and exercise more" and Mrs. Claus resolved to learn how to surf! I think that's pretty awesome... and a lot more fun than mine! I'll let you know how it goes. What are your resolutions? Did you make any? Talk to you soon! Love, Santa Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:13:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/68-year-end-reflections http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/68-year-end-reflections Hello Everybody! Wow, what an amazing Yule Feast we had! The whole event was a treat to behold -- the movies showing in the reindeer barn (I think "Elf" with Will Farrell was my favorite! Very accurate historical film!), Thessaly Tinselcom's huge snow slide, the great karaoke contest, and the food! As always, the food was off the hook. Mrs. Claus caught me in the kitchen last night enjoying one more helping of stuffing -- and I felt guilty until I realized she was having one more sliver of pie! With everything cleaned up after the feast, it's time to take stock of how things went for Christmas 2007. We were lucky this year that so much that could have messed up Christmas (the malfunctioning Present Compressor, the whole Blitzen drama, the fact that the reindeer weren't *sleeping* for nearly a week) worked out so smoothly. We were lucky to have Bill, the penguin, here helping! He was a valuable asset to the team. The elves, too, were spectacular this year. Snoop "Puppy" Dogg with his recycled wrapping paper, Thessaly's technologies, Candice and Canin from Candy Cane Ranch -- everybody did a great job! The elves are all on hiatus right now, enjoying a four-day nap. They worked hard and deserve a long luxurious break. (We'll wake them up for New Year's Eve.) This moment every year -- Christmas over, New Year's about to happen, no real responsibilities -- is a special one for me. I figure I must be the luckiest guy in the universe, to have my job. I live in a beautiful place, have Mrs. Claus at my side, and am surrounded by well-intentioned, hard-working folks I love, with my only responsibility being to make millions of people happy once a year! It's a pretty sweet deal. I was reading the other day about how top CEOs always expect astronomically high bonuses every year, and realized my bonus has always been a clear sense that I did a good job and made people smile. That, and a few thank-you cards, are all I need at the end of the year. What are you doing New Year's Eve? Mrs. Claus and I are making plans to enjoy the Aurora Borealis -- the Northern Lights. I'll tell you about them soon! Love, Santa Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:54:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/65-day-after-christmas http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/65-day-after-christmas Hello Everyone, Santa here, *finally* feeling rested up from Christmas Eve! Before I forget, I wanted to thank everybody for the delicious snacks you left out this year! It was a smorgasbord -- everything from the traditional milk and Christmas cookies (you know I love those!) to apples, popcorn, and potato chips! One of you put out a tasty peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, and someone else even left a square of lasagna! Yummy! (There were treats for the reindeer, too -- some of you even made your own versions of reindeer moss! How thoughtful!) I can attest to the fact that between the ten of us, we loved it *all*. Thank you! Here at the Pole, we've started our Yule Feast, which means everyone is eating and drinking and laughing and relaxing for three days. The reindeer's parents come to visit again, everyone exchanges presents, the elves take turns sleeping, and we play cool games and basically take it easy. We deserve it! It's our reward after working so hard. Speaking of presents, I got each of the reindeer beautiful thick new fleece blankets for their stalls, plus a version of ReindeerGames 2.0, for their players. Years ago, when the 'deer were younger and Rudolph first arrived here at the Pole, they wouldn't net him play any ReindeerGames -- they even called him names! -- but we cleared all that up right away. Now they're all good friends. This morning I had a long talk with Blitzen, whom as you know is in the "penalty box" for his actions over the past few weeks. I asked him why he was acting up, and he said he was sorry, that he's just been feeling more and more pressure as Varsity Leader to be, well, the leader; he said the pressure had made him lose confidence in himself. So he hid contraband food to make himself feel better, and he short-cut the course last week so that he would look better in the eyes of Coach Bryan! Blitzen clearly felt bad about it, and we talked about how everybody looks up to him, and what kind of pressure that much responsibility requires. Then we agreed that maybe it would be better to share the leader position so that in the future he won't feel so much weight. He smiled, finally, and said that would work great for him. So Cupid will stay Leader for a while longer, then the position will rotate. Speaking of rotation, it's almost my turn at the karaoke tournament, and I have to brush up on the lyrics to "Winter Wonderland." (It was either that or "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"!) I love the classics, but my singing voice is *terrible*! o<|;^D Talk to you soon! Love, Santa Tue, 25 Dec 2007 20:19:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/60-safe-sound-and-sleepy http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/60-safe-sound-and-sleepy Good Morning Everybody, Well, it's Christmas morning, and I'm exhausted! But I'm in a great mood, tired but happy. Last night was crazy! We took off as scheduled, and flew around the *whole world* in one night! Even though I've done it for many years, I'm always amazed we can pull it off. Everything went pretty smoothly, except in a couple of spots: Some time after midnight, high over China, I was feeling a little sleepy, and was rummaging around inside my magic bag for a dry pair of mittens when I accidentally dislodged a bowling ball! Aaaaggh!!Somehow, in the process of escaping from the bag and *out of the sleigh*, it automatically de-compressed (from the Present Compressor), and suddenly we had a fifteen-pound bowling ball plunging towards earth! Like stunt pilots, the reindeer team immediately shot into action, swooping low and dropping quickly, aligning the Sled3000-GT with the falling ball to gently slip it effortlessly back into the bag. Whew! What a save! Needless to say I was WIDE AWAKE after that! The only other incident was on a roof in Albany, California, where some folks had mounted SO many holiday inflatables (one was of me and the reindeer, plus a snowman, a tin soldier, a snow globe and a Christmas tree) where one of the reindeer (I think it was Dancer) accidentally popped the snowman with her hoof! ***POP!*** Luckily, I had an extra set in the bag, too, so we quickly inflated another snowman and tied him to the roof as best we could before taking off again. Everything else went off without a hitch, though, and I got to bed just as the sun was coming up. But then, about an hour ago, Mrs. Claus woke me up with a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee, and I thought I'd write a quick post before going back to bed for a couple more hours. Ahhhhhh.... It feels good to have another Christmas delivered safe and sound. Hope each one of you has a wonderful day, and dinner, and remember how much I love every one of you! Ho, ho, ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............. Love, Santa Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:49:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/55-a-wish-from-mrs-c http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/55-a-wish-from-mrs-c Well hello there, boys and girls! This is Mrs. Claus again, "blogging" to you one more time on Christmas Eve. Mr. Claus and the reindeer have just taken off for their Flight Night deliveries, and I thought I'd take a few moments to give you the details of his send-off, and wish each one of you a wonderful, warm, Merry Christmas. Their departure was very special. All the elves who were still awake, and all the animals who help us here at the North Pole, all gathered around to watch. Mr. Bonderaunt, Ms. Tinselcom, as well as our delightful little penguin friend from the South Pole, Bill, all watched as Mr. Instubble harnessed the reindeer to the sleigh, then festooned them with lovely bells and holly sprigs. Rudolph took his place at the front, where his very shiny nose shone like a crimson comet. Then Mr. Claus climbed inside, checked his instruments, and with a thumb's-up to Mr. Bonderaunt and a wink at me, he shouted his command, the same thing he calls out every year: *Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!* *On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen!* *From the top of the world to the kids large and small,* *Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!* And with that the ten of them lifted slowly up and into the gathering night. It was truly lovely. It always brings tears to my eyes to see my beloved Mr. Claus doing the single thing in the world that makes him the happiest. I'm so proud of him, and filled with delight every Christmas that he can make so many people, young and old, so happy. It's been such a special year for us, with so many adventures. I heard from Cupid before they departed that she placed the tiny alpaca hat I knitted for the mysterious Mr. Mipps in the secret place by the barn, and that when she looked again later, it had been received. This is wonderful, since it means the little mouse won't have cold ears on Christmas Day. I'm going to finish my cocoa and head off to bed now, while Mr. Claus is at work. But I'll be thinking of each one of you, and hoping your Christmas is as special as each one of you are. Mr. Claus and I love you all so dearly! Merry, merry Christmas. Love and Kisses, Mrs. Claus Mon, 24 Dec 2007 19:12:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/54-the-big-night- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/54-the-big-night- Hello, Everybody!! It's here! Christmas Eve is finally here! I can't believe it! Every year I always wonder if I'll get this excited again, and every year I always do! The sleigh-loading is complete, the Present Compressor put away, the reindeer rested up, and we're ready to roll! In a word, the Sled3000-GT looks awesome. It's completely maxed out, with my bag taking up *every available inch* of space. Rob Ronderbaunt is so proud -- he's been tinkering and tightening and tuning it up for weeks now! I got some last-minute letters from a couple of you, worried that with the crazy snowy weather happening in certain parts of the world right now, we might not be able to fly. Well, I appreciate your concerns, and I've been monitoring the skies from our own station here at the Pole, and I can tell you, I've flown in weather much, much worse than this! I've flown in blizzards so blinding I could barely see the reindeer butts in front of my face! So don't worry! o<|;^D For the parts of the world that aren't snowy, I'm overjoyed to be flying with a moon that's one day past full! It'll make navigation and landing on rooftops much easier. Here at the Pole, now that all the toy-making and wrapping and loading is done, the elves are exhausted! Right now they're lying around like slugs, curled up by the fire or sleeping on benches and tables in the workshop. You remember elves can sleep for weeks, right? So we may have to gently wake them up for the Yule Feast, which happens the day after Christmas and goes on for three days. It's like Thanksgiving, only bigger, and we get the chance to exchange presents with each other, the reindeer can eat whatever they want, and everyone has fun! But that's in a couple of days. Right now I gotta get a move on -- I have a job to do. A BIG job. Since I won't see you all tonight in person (you'll be sleeping!), let me be the first to wish you a very **Merry Christmas**! Tonight is what I live for! I'm so excited! Let's get this snowy show on the road!! HO HO HO!! ***Meeeerrrrrryy Chriiiiisssssssstmas!!*** Love, Santa Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:54:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/52-gearing-up- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/52-gearing-up- Hi Everyone, Just popping in after a busy day to say hello and let you know the Inspection of the Presents went great! Spooky got a chance to get his voice back in shape by testing karaoke machines; Sally Ann looked over thousands of dolls, and only discovered one or two that had been packed with the wrong clothes and another tagged for the wrong little girl. (Today her haircut was at 4:31 p.m.) Right now we're loading the sleigh! Thessaly helped us roll her Present Compressor over to the garage, and region by region we're starting to compress every single gift and stuff it into my magic bag! The reindeer and I fly from east to west, so it's important to get the order right! I had Bill, our exchange penguin, helping us, but he got a few details mixed up -- he thought South Korea was next to South Dakota, and that "Florence" sounded a lot like "Florida." He was also *very* excited that there is a place called "Turkey." The reindeer are back from Finland, all refreshed and thoroughly excited to fly tomorrow night. They get to take tomorrow *day* off, for obvious reasons! You're probably wondering what I've decided to do about Blitzen, our varsity leader who (as you recall) didn't 'fess up to hoarding candy in his stall during the deers' strict nutritional training a few weeks ago, and took a shortcut on the running course last week. Coach Bryan and I had a long talk about it and I've decided to put him (as Coach, a longtime hockey player) puts it, "in the penalty box" this year. He'll still fly with us, of course, but I've also decided that because Cupid has worked so hard and shown such improvement at each level of reindeer training, that I'm going to promote her temporarily to Varsity Team Leader! It's unprecedented (usually a junior reindeer would never qualify for such a position) but she has *such* a great attitude, -- plus the fact that she single-hoofedly handled the whole situation with Rudolph's nose-cozy -- made her a shoo-in for the role. I'll announce this tomorrow. One more thing before I go: Last night's Solstice Parade was really beautiful. There were about 500 animals, each one of holding beautiful candles, or light orbs, or bells, moving in slow, elegant procession across the snowy landscape. For an hour or so everybody just stopped, and watched, and relaxed. It was super special and gave everybody a nice chance to breathe deeply before the Christmas craziness started back up again. I'll blog again tomorrow before we take off! Congratulations, Cupid! Love, Santa Sat, 22 Dec 2007 19:15:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/49-last-minute-gifts http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/49-last-minute-gifts Hi Everybody, Santa here again. You know, I've been thinking about something for a few days now, while the Present Inspection is underway and things are craziest here at the Pole. I haven't talked about it since I began this blog, back in October, but here goes. Everybody knows I'm famous for bringing presents to people, and that's fine with me! I'm good at it -- got the best technology and top-notch elf and reindeer teams helping me. I'm happy to be known for that. But I want to gently remind everyone that presents are only a small part of what Christmas is really about. Christmas (and Hanukkah, and Ramadan, and Kwanzaa, and all the other holidays folks celebrate this time of year) is also about taking a moment (or a few days, actually!) to notice the good things about our lives: our families and friends, our health, the mystery and beauty of nature, and of just being alive. Everybody loves presents, but if you think about it, the "things" you have -- things bought in a store or online -- are really only a small part of what makes you happy. (Remember how the Grinch noticed how "...Christmas doesn't come from a *store*..."?) Many, *many* years ago, the world's first people noticed how the days this time of year were getting shorter, and they did the same thing: stopped what they were doing and got together to acknowledge how incredible it was that they were alive and that the Earth was moving through its cycles. Noticing that -- *just* that -- was the only present they needed. (All this stuff has a basis in astronomy. The Earth's shift, when days in the Northern Hemisphere start getting longer again, is called Winter Solstice.) What got me thinking about all this was a letter I got the other day from a little girl who said she didn't want any presents this year. She had enough things, she said, so instead, she asked me to give any presents I had picked out for her to other kids who didn't have as much. How cool is that? That's the other side of all this -- many people discover that *giving* things to others actually makes them feel better than getting things themselves! Tonight, in honor of Winter Solstice, the Arctic foxes lead a magical, candle-lit parade of all the animals, an event filled with beautiful singing and music. It doesn't cost anyone anything to take part, and its sole purpose is to acknowledge the beauty of community and the mystery of nature this time of year. It's a gift from the animals, and it's one of my favorite events. Don't get me wrong -- presents are wonderful. But on a night like this, I'm reminded that there are other things to be thankful for. And, like the little girl who wrote, I'm reminded too that sometimes giving something to others is the best gift of all. Love, Santa Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:51:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/48-greetings-from-mrs-claus http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/48-greetings-from-mrs-claus Well *hello* there! Yes, this is Mrs. Claus writing to you on this cozy, wintry, snowy day. I thought it was time I took advantage of this "blog" technology that my beloved husband has been talking so much about. So I'm settling down here at Mr. Claus's computer, with a hot cup of tea, and a very happy cat in my lap. Oh! And look ... now Hexagon has also come upstairs to join us. (After all, Hexagon and Snowflake get along quite well together.) Mr. Claus has told me so much about each and every one of you. And yes, I keep track of you, too, in my own special way, just as I lovingly kept track of your parents when they were children. Mr. Claus and I love you all so dearly. Oh yes, ... and I wanted to respond especially to the beautiful young girl who's posted a [Christmas video](http://www.santa.com/top-christmas-videos) asking Santa what his favorite cookie is: it's gingerbread! Mr. Claus *loves* gingerbread men. I know you're all counting the days until Christmas as closely as we are here in Santa's Village! And we have only a few days to go until the big night! It is always so very exciting. We never tire of the hustle and bustle this time of year. Each year it's a delight. The elves are practically bouncing with joy, the Factory is overflowing with goodies, and everyone's bustling around making sure that all's ready for Christmas Eve. Today has been a lovely day indeed! I spent most of the day baking many, many batches of cookies: double chocolate-chip, oatmeal toffee, snickerdoodles, butter rocks, shortbread -- all the elves' favorites. I do this every year as a hearty "thank you" to the elves, from both Santa and myself. The elves work so hard for us, and we appreciate them greatly. Which is why, on December 23rd every year, Santa and I personally deliver to the Factory platters upon platters of home-baked cookies. I also spent a good deal of time with my knitting today. I'm finishing up a very special project indeed. I believe Mr. Claus has told you about our heroine Cupid, and her solving of the mystery of Rudolph's missing nose-cozy? Actually, I think Cupid herself may have [blogged](http://www.santa.com/users/reindeer/blog) about it. (She very well may have saved Christmas single-handedly this year.) Well, it appears we have *another* hero here at the Pole: one Mr. Mipps the House Mouse. And it also appears that the poor dear is without a beanie in this icy winter weather. So I've been knitting a small hat for our mysterious, small friend -- and I'm just about finished. I'm using my size-zero circular needles -- almost the smallest I own; and I'm using a delightfully fluffy, soft yarn known as alpaca. Alpaca wool is a special fiber that comes from llama-type animals (Alpacas) who live in the Andes mountains. Alpaca wool is incredibly soft, light weight, and incredibly warm: perfect for our tiny little friend! I've chosen a very fine-gauge skein (that's a ball of delicate, thin yarn) that has been dyed a rich shade of garnet. (Garnet is a deep red-burgundy, the color of pomegranate juice, which I also love fondly.) It is indeed the season of gift-giving. And nothing could make us happier! Giving gifts to those we love, as gestures of affection and gratitude -- no matter what the gift -- is one of the many ways to spread joy and happiness in the world. It is a practice we can adopt *any* time of the year, whether it's Christmas time or summer time. Well it has been *lovely* to speak with you like this! I've finished my tea, Snowflake is purring, and Hexagon has fallen asleep at my feet. Tonight, I'll finish Mr. Mipps's hat, and then I'll have to ask Cupid how to deliver it to him as soon as she and the rest of the Team arrive home from Finland. (Mr. Claus tells me that Coach Bryan reports things are going quite well indeed! We couldn't be happier.) Have a merry evening! And perhaps I'll post again sometime soon. Love and Kisses, Mrs. Claus Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:47:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/47-inspection-time- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/47-inspection-time- Howdy Everyone, We're getting down to the wire! Just like the song says, I've been going over all my lists, checking them twice, making sure I know who's been naughty and who's been nice! Most of you have been very, very nice. Speaking of lists, one of my favorite ways to get your Christmas lists has been [via video](http://admin.santa.com/top-christmas-videos). I love the little movies because I can finally connect your list with your voice and face! Normally, of course, you and I don't actually get a chance to meet unless it's at the mall or a store where I'm appearing. So to those of you who have sent in your videos, thank you! If you sent your list in via email, or regular mail, or even if you just told one of your parents what you'd like, please don't worry: you're not at any disadvantage. Everybody's list gets here safe and sound. Today begins the final Inspection of the Presents, which means a final going-over of our inventory and meticulous matching up of names with presents. Bill has been helping with that, and he's been doing a great job! He spent nearly half the day putting AA batteries and testing electronic toys to make sure they work properly. Ingmar and Katherina, the elves with extra fingers, have been testing out musical instruments and tools and gifts with keyboards. Their extra fingers come in handy! I gave Spooky the responsibility of testing out all the karaoke machines, and it's been wonderful to hear his new, big, deep voice booming out across the factory. Josie, a sweet little girl elf you haven't met, is in charge of carefully folding clothes -- cool T-shirts, sweaters, coats, warm socks and hats, shoes of every kind -- and placing them carefully inside their boxes. Sally Ann is in charge of dolls. (Her haircut today was at 1:00 p.m.) Many packages are already wrapped, of course, and Thessaly Tinselcom has made us a simple x-ray machine that can make sure their contents are correct. As we head into the final days before Flight Night, everyone here is keenly focused on getting everything right -- we want to make sure everyone's Christmas is special! Okay, more tomorrow! Don't forget to send in any last-minute [videos](http://admin.santa.com/top-christmas-videos)... Love, Santa Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:17:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/46-a-new-toque-for-mr-mipps- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/46-a-new-toque-for-mr-mipps- Cheers, Everybody! Ho, ho, ho! I'm in a great mood today! Rudolph's nose-cozy has turned up! It's a complicated story -- evidently Cupid met a snow-rabbit who had indeed seen a mouse (a *mouse*!) here at the Pole wearing it as a hat! I heard this through Rufus, who heard it from Dancer, who heard it from Cupid herself. Normally I'd treat that like gossip, but sure enough, last night Rudolph's nose was covered up and the reindeer team slept like Yule logs. Today I saw them doing their final running run-through before heading to Finland, and they looked 100 percent better. Amazing what a full night's sleep can do for you! I have to say, I'm really impressed with Cupid: Not only has she been the hardest-working deer on the team (and shown the most improved times), she has proven to be the most responsible, by taking the initiative to solve this whole nose-cozy problem. She may have single-hoofedly saved Christmas! She's young but definitely a leader among the reindeer! I wish I could say the same for Blitzen. And I have to weigh in about this mouse, the one they call Mr. Mipps. For a long time I didn't believe in him, despite the proof (disappearance of pumpkin and other seeds, and the absence of crumbs around the table in the morning) and despite elves and others at the pole who seemed to believe in him. But it sounds as though he really exists, and has a real impact on what happens around here. You'd think that ME -- Santa Claus, of all people -- would believe in something I saw clear evidence of, even though I hadn't actually seen with my own eyes! I've asked Mrs. Claus to knit Mr. Mipps his very own tiny cap, one to replace Rudolph's cozy. We obviously know what the right size would be (we can measure it on Rudoph's nose!), and even though I haven't seen or met this Mr. Mipps, I can imagine he would appreciate such a gift to keep his tiny mouse-ears warm. Mrs. Claus said she was happy to knit one -- it'll only take her an afternoon if she uses regular yarn! Okay, back to work. While the reindeer are in Finland, we'll be doing a final Inspection of the Presents...I'll tell you about that tomorrow! Love, Santa Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:01:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/44-what-spooky-saw-on-the-m http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/44-what-spooky-saw-on-the-m Hello Everybody, Santa here. We've begun the final countdown to Christmas, with less than a week left! Crates of beautifully-wrapped toys and presents are spilling out of the warehouse, and the Sled3000-GT is all waxed and ready to fly! Rudolph's nose-cozy remains missing, and the poor reindeer are still suffering from lack of sleep. Rufus Instubble tried to cover Rudolph's nose with a sock last night, but Rudolph couldn't breathe, plus the light was still leaking out. We need that cozy back! Speaking of reindeer, Coach Bryan has arranged for the team to spend a two-day intensive training in the snow tunnel in Vuokatti, Finland! It's really quite an honor -- it's where the Olympic athletes train -- and hopefully it will spark the team back into prime condition. One more thing happened, this morning during run training, that has me unhappy with one of the reindeer. Blitzen (whom you remember hadn't kept to his training diet by stashing candy in his stall) took a shortcut on the training course yesterday! One of the elves, Spooky, who had gone into the forest to gather mistletoe, saw the whole thing. Coach Bryan had the reindeer all start from a clearing in the woods, running a long looped trail up a ridge, down and up another, and then back down again. It's called the M trail, because it's shaped like an M. Now you remember Spooky is the shy elf who never says anything to anyone (even though he's very friendly and has a great smile). But when he saw what Blitzen had done on the M trail, he knew he HAD to tell someone, so when he came out of the woods with his arms loaded with mistletoe, the first person he saw was ME! I was heading towards the R&D lab when Spooky dropped his crop and came running. It turns out his voice is absolutely *incredible* -- deep and sonorous, like a professional opera singer's! He has a beautiful voice, and he's been too shy to use it around us! But the bad news was the information Spooky gave me about Blitzen. I'm so disappointed in him -- our varsity leader! Maybe the sleeplessness has gotten to him, or maybe he just wants to look good in comparison to all the other reindeer. In any case, I need to confer with Coach Bryan and make a change in the order of our reindeer lineup. I'll let you know what happens. Love, Santa Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:26:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/40-nose-so-bright http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/40-nose-so-bright Hi Everybody, So much to report this morning! First of all, yesterday's test ride was... How can I put it? ...*Unsatisfactory*. Okay, the truth was that it went pretty badly, with almost every one of the reindeer lagging, tired, or performing at a fraction of their usual ability. Mechanically, the sled ran just fine, but there were a couple of times when the team abruptly lost altitude, nearly crash-landed, and once, near the end of the test, we couldn't even get off the ground! This with only a half-loaded sleigh! And specially-trained reindeer! I was flummoxed. But then, later, after dinner, Rufus Instubble, the animal keeper, came to me with information that explains a lot, if not everything about the reindeers' performance. Turns out that Cupid had just come to *him* and explained that the poor things haven't slept for nearly a week -- since the 12th, in fact, the night of the elves' birthday party, when Rudolph accidentally lost the little knitted cap that covers his nose! His nose, just like the song says, is SO bright, it's been keeping the other reindeer awake at night! Now, you'd think it would be easy to find something to cover his nose with, but because of the particular light frequency of the color his nose emits, not just any old strip of duct tape will do! Years ago, Mrs. Claus knitted him a special nose-cozy (you know, like a tea cozy) using extremely rare, magical fibers we could only find in a special yarn store in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Somehow *that* yarn was the *only* yarn that could block Rudolph's nose light without disintegrating! But we bought all the store had, and it's closed now, and it'll take months -- i.e., *much* longer than the time left before Christmas -- to find more. I know, because ever since Rufus told me, I've been frantically searching for it online. Even if we could find the yarn, the thread is so fine (it requires size 00000000 knitting needles) that Mrs. Claus couldn't possibly knit a new one in time for Flight Night. (And she's a fast knitter.) I feel bad for the poor reindeer, yet I'm worried that somehow we won't figure out a solution before Christmas. We have to find that cozy! I'll keep you posted what happens. Love, Santa Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:52:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/38-sleepy-deer http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/38-sleepy-deer Hi Everyone, The sleigh test ride is tomorrow, and I'm genuinely worried about the reindeer! Something is keeping them from performing up to their abilities. Donder is back, and says he's feeling better, but in general they're clumsy and grumpy and tripping over themselves. This could prove to be a problem, since the test ride is just that -- only a test; for the real thing they have to pull much more weight and keep the pace up all night. There's no rest, and any weak members of the team mean more work for the others! For my present-delivery navigation system, the Sled3000-GT comes equipped with a state-of-the-art GPS programmed with location information for every child in the world. (Google Maps would love to license our software!) In the driver's seat, I'll also have a device that quickly matches a particular request for a certain present with folks whose house we're landing on -- like a UPC scanner, basically. All the presents will have been minimized by the Present Compressor, which will de-activate immediately after I slide down the chimney. I'll only be in each house for a few seconds -- just enough time to leave the presents and grab a quick snack -- and then back up the flue to the next stop. But all that can't happen if the reindeer aren't ready to leap back into action the second I'm back in the sleigh, to dash and dance and prance and blitz from house to house to house. What's happening?! They're just not themselves, and as we zoom towards the test ride and Flight Night, I'm getting very concerned. Mrs. Claus tried to cheer me up at breakfast today by telling me a joke: Why did the elf push his bed into the fireplace? I told her I didn't know. He wanted to sleep like a log! It was a great joke, but the only problem was that it reminded me about how sleepy the reindeer are acting. Hope we can figure this out *soon*. Love, Santa Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:56:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/36-snoop-s-paper-bill-s-letters http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/36-snoop-s-paper-bill-s-letters Helloooooo Everybody! *Eleven* days 'til Christmas, and a quick check of the departments around the Pole: Rob Ronderbaunt says the sleigh is ready for its test drive, with only a slight shimmy at light-speed that he's working to correct. The toy factory is running at full tilt, with elves working time-and-a-half shifts to accommodate all the necessary manufacturing! Over at the wrapping department, Snoop "Puppy" Dogg has his team working at 200% capacity. (I don't know how he does it! Elf math!) Here's a cool thing I learned about Snoop and the wrappers: This year, they're using only recycled paper! You and I both know how holiday gifts require a HUGE amount of paper, which only gets used once. This year, at the request of many kids and parents, Snoop's team has made rolls and rolls of paper out of other paper! Snoop was showing me how plenty of paper is beautiful nowadays -- magazine pages, posters, old wrapping paper, even the comics section from your Sunday newspaper -- and so they decided to repurpose it. It looks awesome! So if you get a package wrapped in something weird and interesting this year, you'll know why. No sense in cutting down extra trees when there's plenty of paper to be found! In other news, I noticed yesterday that the [reindeer are blogging](http://www.santa.com/users/reindeer/blog), too -- plus a couple of special guests! I love reading their perspectives on everything going on. (And no, I have never seen a mouse around here. I think it's too *cold* for mice!) Finally, with swim training over and the reindeer on to running, we've moved Bill over to the mail room (which is *overloaded* right now), where he's sorting letters by region. Poor Bill -- being from the South Pole, he gets everything upside down: Patrick, the postmaster, asked him to alphabetize the cards and letters, but didn't tell him how. So Bill made a big pile that included IdahO, ColoradO, OhiO, OntariO, and New MexicO, and another with IllinoiS, MassachusettS, and Northwest TerritorieS! Patrick set him straight, and Bill was happy to realign his alphabetizing system. More soon! Love, Santa Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:42:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/35-all-shook-up- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/35-all-shook-up- Cheers Everyone! Santa here. Wow, the birthday party was amazing! The elves really out-did themselves this month. Everyone knocked off work about 4 p.m., and went over to the plaza where the elves had set up a huge winter picnic with outdoor seating, a stage, and twinkling lights wound around everything! There was a huge snowman in the center, and after everyone had eaten dinner, Stella Berrybloom came out and sliced it up! It was a cake! Everyone got a piece in the shape of a slice of watermelon. It was delicious! But that wasn't even the best part of the party. While reindeer and elves and animals and Mrs. Claus and I were all enjoying our cake, who should appear onstage but...*Elfis Presley*, the Elvis impersonator! He was awesome. He performed a whole set of classics -- "Blue Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Silent Night," all Elvis- (or I guess I should say *ELFis*-) style. His pompadour and sideburns and diamond-studded white coat were all perfectly authentic...except elf-size! His voice was pretty good, too! He dedicated a special medley to me: "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and an original, "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me." Everyone loved it and sang along and danced. The elves' favorite was "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear." The only one missing from the party was Donder, who as you know was recuperating in Dr. Balmer's infirmary. Dasher and Dancer took him a tray of food and a piece of snowman cake, and his room was close enough to the plaza that he was certain to hear the music. He's doing much better; I saw him back with the other reindeer today. Okay, I'm off to the garage to check on the Sled3000-GT. The test ride is in three days! Don't forget to send me your current Christmas list... Love, Santa Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:48:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/33-a-close-call http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/33-a-close-call Hi Everybody, Santa here, feeling a little anxiety. Yesterday was the final day for the reindeers' swim training, and Donder had to be rescued! The poor guy -- he had just swum a record time but had trouble getting out of the pool, and Coach Bryant and Bill had to help him out! It was touch and go for a moment, but he seems to be doing okay. He's currently in the infirmary, under the care of Dr. Balmer, who seems to think he'll be ready to go in a couple of days. But I have to confess: I'm a little worried about my reindeer team this year. You recall that Blitzen had been hiding his cache of candy in his stall, after the reindeer had been put on a strict training diet. Now this! It's less than a week away from the Sleigh Test Drive, which we do seven days before Christmas, and I'm concerned that the 'deer won't be up for the challenge. Still, some of the other reindeer are doing great. I noticed that Cupid -- again! -- looked very strong during the swimming, and her performance during the run last week down to Candy Cane Ranch was also impressive. But I've never had a junior reindeer at the head of the team. Tomorrow, they start their run training. We'll see what happens. I also feel bad for Donder since it looks like he may miss the elves' birthday party tomorrow afternoon! They're baking a HUGE snowman cake, and putting up a million lights all around the plaza, and I heard they have invited a celebrity impersonator to entertain the crowd. That's right: *Elfis Presley*! I can't wait to see him! In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the progress of my nine trusty reindeer, whom I'm counting on to pull the sleigh on Christmas Eve. They've got to be ready! I'll keep you posted. Love, Santa Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:37:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/31-christmas-mix-ups http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/31-christmas-mix-ups Hello Everybody, A quick post today, because we have a busy week ahead of us. The reindeer are completing their swim training, the elves are hosting the big monthly birthday party on Wednesday (the twELFth), and the factory is running at tip-top speed! With only two weeks before Christmas, we have no time to waste.... Yesterday we had a major screw-up in the baking department, however. I'd dropped by to taste-test a batch of sugar cookies (my job is rough, isn't it?) and when I popped one in my mouth, it tasted absolutely awful! I spit it out as gracefully as I could and took one from the batch over to the lab for testing. Thessaly said that instead of being made with sugar, the cookies were made with *salt*! Can you imagine?! Luckily, we caught them before they went into packages. I had a talk with Stella and Harriet Berrybloom, the kitchen elves, who said they were pretty sure what happened: One of the young cooks, Deirdre, had evidently been VERY sleepy on the job earlier that day. As we suspected, she had inadvertently switched the salt and sugar, which were sitting right next to each other in big bags in the storeroom. Things like this have happened in years past: Someone once mixed up a crate labeled "watches" with one labeled "matches" -- hard to light a Yule Log with a wristwatch! -- and a few years ago, one of the elves accidentally switched a box filled with Christmas stockings with one filled with *women's* stockings. We caught both of them before Christmas Eve, luckily! The stockings would have been a strange situation to explain.... Anyway, I gave Deirdre the rest of the week off to take a nap, and taste-tested some caramel popcorn instead. It was excellent! More soon. Love, Santa Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:26:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/30-a-favorite-elf- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/30-a-favorite-elf- Cheers! Several of you have been asking who my favorite elf is, which is difficult to answer since so many of them are so loveable in many ways. But let me tell you about a few who are special to me. You already know about Snoop "Puppy" Dog, who runs the wrapping department, and Stan Levertink, whom we call Gizmo, who oversees the toy factory. I've told you about Thessaly Tinselcom, our chief researcher, who develops new toys. She's awesome! But there's also Harriet and Stella Berrybloom, a sweet old pair of sisters who between the two of them keep the kitchens running, and Jack Snack, the world's fastest dishwasher. They are an amazing team! Bluebeard is a crusty old elf, very tall and *very* skinny, who maintains all the buildings and machinery here at the Pole. He can squeeeeeeeeeeze into the tightest spaces -- I saw him the other day snaking his arm deep inside a wall to fix a leaky pipe! Some elves are well-known for certain characteristics. I already mentioned Kevin, the tiny elf with a HUGE appetite; Sally Ann is famous because she has bright red hair that grows so fast she needs a haircut *every single day*; Ingmar and Katharina are twin elves with three extra fingers apiece, which makes them essential in the nuts-and-bolts-sorting department. They are also very funny. Spooky is a very shy elf who, although he is kind and charming and has a great smile, has never said *one word* to anyone as long as I've known him. Colette is an amazing greenhouse gardener who is also a great source for corny jokes. The other day she told me this one: If Santa rides around in a sleigh, what do elves ride around in? I told her I gave up. *Mini*-vans! Ho, ho, ho! Man, those kind of jokes *sleigh* me! o<|;^D A couple things to know about elves. First, they live VERY long -- several generations of human lives -- and many at the North Pole have worked here nearly as long as I have. Second, they live "lives of service," which doesn't mean slavery, but rather that their mission in life is to help others. (In that way, they're like teachers or firefighters -- anyone committed to helping other people.) I can't say who my favorite is. It's impossible. All I know is there are hundreds of elves here, and without every single one of them, Christmas couldn't happen. I'd be stuck! Okay, talk to you more soon! Love, Santa Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/29-bill-s-confusion http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/29-bill-s-confusion Hi Everybody, You remember Bill Beakman, our exchange student from the South Pole? We've been having fun with him, because as a penguin, the poor thing is completely confused by many of the concepts (and toys) that relate to Christmas. For example, Bill thought Hanna Montana was a town, like Portland, Oregon, or Longmont, Colorado. He thought a Wii was just a happy word -- *Wheeee!!* -- folks exclaimed when they were playing a fun video game. Wheeee! (It kind of makes sense, if you think about it.) He was calling it "Musical High School" until one of the elves politely corrected him. He didn't know how to build a "snowman," but instead made a "snowguin." Bill's very good-natured about his naïveté. One concept he still can't wrap his mind around, though, is the idea of fruitcake -- he gets the "cake" part, but hadn't ever eaten fruit before. Imagine that! Then someone offered him a bite, and he screwed his face up very strangely, took a BIG gulp of milk to wash it down with, and afterwards said he wondered why anyone would *eat* such silly stuff. He preferred chocolate, he said. Speaking of cake, next week is the elves' big monthly birthday party! It works like this: elves celebrate their birthdays once a *month* instead of once a year (sweet deal, huh?) and always do it on the 12th of every month. Why? Well, you have to spell it out: twELFth. So once a month the Pole has a big birthday party, and the elves getting ready for it. (In their spare time, of course!) I'll tell you more about it next week! In the meantime, I have to go explain to poor Bill what a "partridge in a pear tree" is. Love, Santa Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:20:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/28-milk-and-cookies http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/28-milk-and-cookies Hello Everyone, Santa here again, with another quick note about another topic that's recently come up: my weight. A couple of well-meaning letter-writers have pointed out that someone of my size and comportment has no business requesting milk and cookies from every household the night of Christmas Eve. They say (more or less tactfully) that I'm too fat. To which I say: Thank you for your concern. However... My weight suits me perfectly, for several reasons. First, it is *very* cold here at the North Pole. Right now, the temperature is (hold on, let me look) *minus 4* degrees -- and today is relatively balmy! I invite any of you worried about my weight to live in this climate for a few days, and then talk to me about insulation. Second, related to this, consider the polar bear: I daresay no one would feel it necessary to point out to a polar bear that he or she could lose a few. (Bear Bryan, our reindeer trainer, weighs in at just under 1,000 pounds! He thinks I'm downright skinny.) Third, my snack request has been a long-standing one that began back in the days when "milk and cookies" meant milk from healthy cows who ate grass and cookies baked with natural, wholesome ingredients -- that is, long before pesticides, BGH, trans fats, additives, and all the other poisons began appearing in our foods. So it's true that too much of that stuff is unhealthy for me. (And you, for that matter.) So maybe it's time to update my request. This year, for the first time, I'm asking for *healthy* milk and cookies -- or, better yet, some sort of nutritious snack you think I'd enjoy. (My suggestion is to ask your mom or dad what *they* like -- parents have a pretty good sense of what adults like to snack on late at night.) Thank you! Some other things to consider. One, it really isn't polite to point out to people your opinion about whether or not they're the right weight. And two, consider metabolism: different creatures burn food fuel at different rates, and if it works for them, that's all that matters. I myself have a high metabolism, especially on Christmas Eve. One of the elves, Kevin, is famous for eating *two or three times* his weight at *every meal*, and Kevin is no bigger than the average elf. Oops! Speaking of food, gotta run! I'm meeting Mrs. Claus for lunch in the kitchen. (I know what you're wondering...*tomato soup*!) Love, Santa Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:49:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/26-believe-in-santa- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/26-believe-in-santa- Hello Everybody, I was looking over my Naughty/Nice lists this morning, reading a few letters, and I suddenly realized I'd completely forgotten to address an issue that seems to come up every year -- namely, *if I am real or not.* I always think I've covered that one, but evidently it's still kicking around. Let me start by saying that even though I try to counter them by doing more and more and *more* every Christmas, a few folks remain in doubt of my existence. I don't know their reasons -- Cynical? Sad? Hopeless? -- and to tell the truth, it doesn't really matter, because to them, nothing I could do would prove it. But to those of you who may not have made up your minds, let me start by asking you to imagine this: If I *didn't* exist, what would happen at Christmas? Sure, someone would string up some lights, or make a big dinner, even sing a few seasonal songs, or exchange a few presents. But (and I say this without trying to sound egotistic) where would the magic be? The love? The excitement and mystery? Think about when you first learned about Santa. Remember? It was like you had a special friend, one whom you saw only once a year, even though you knew he was around because you saw his picture and heard people talking about him. And you knew that friend loved you *unconditionally* -- that he was always looking out for you, that he had your best interests at heart 100% of the time. What did that feel like? Do you remember? That feeling is what it feels like when something (or someone) is real. There are a lot of things we accept in life, even though we can't prove them: Love, for example, or certain kinds of ghosts, or even stories and beliefs that form the world's religions. Something doesn't have to sit at your kitchen table to exist. If we know it, deep down, it's real. I'm not going to pretend that it's easy to explain how I do my job -- organize the lists, make the toys, load the sleigh, squeeze down every chimney of every house of every boy and girl in the world. (And let me tell you, building codes have allowed some pretty skinny chimneys lately!) Some things I have to accept without an explanation -- I can't really explain how the stock market works, say, nor how black holes work -- and I'm hoping you can, too. The good part is that whether or not you believe in me, I believe in *you*, and believe you love Christmas as much as I do. One more thing: Just because someone doesn't believe in me, doesn't automatically put them on the Naughty list. Sometimes they just need some reassurance. If you DO believe in me, though, you can be assured that I've got you listed under Nice. Hope that helps clear everything up. See you soon, Santa Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:13:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/25-christmas-connections http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/25-christmas-connections Cheers Everyone, The Pole is a hubbub of activity right now -- the toy factory and wrapping facility running at full speed, the reindeer in the hardest part of their training, the R&D lab finalizing its prototypes...even Rob Ronderbaunt over at the garage is busy tightening and waxing and tuning up the sleigh. Most of my days are spent overseeing all this: checking in with Snoop and Rob and coach Bryan, calming the occasional over-excited elf, taking close tabs on the reindeer team to see who's ready and who's not. Any spare moment I've got, I read Christmas lists, double-checking to make sure we've got the right items in stock. To tell the truth, I'm usually pretty preoccupied -- Mrs. Claus always jokes that from December 1st through Flight Night, she can only communicate with me if by writing me a note marked "Christmas List"! But last night I finally had some time alone by the fireplace to relax, to take stock of everything that has to happen in the upcoming month. It was after midnight, and everyone else had gone to bed (except for Snowflake, our black cat, who was purring and crowding me in my chair) and the fire had died down to just one layer of glowing embers. Outside, the snow was thick and silent; no wind, only a few flakes drifting down. As I sat there, warm and comfortable in my chair, really *doing nothing* for the first time all day, I realized the embers were making a sound. It was a beautiful, icy tinkling, like winter rain against a window or a tiny mountain stream over stones. Fire that sounded like water: It reminded me how *connected* everything is -- how one thing can sound like another, how one holiday always seems to remind you of other holidays you've had. And I realized (not for the first time) that those memories are exactly why I do this every year -- go through the craziness of orchestrating everything and managing everyone: because my memories of Christmas are precious to me, and every year I want to make them just as delightful for children (and their parents, and friends) all over the world. I have a big, Santa-sized part in that. It's my responsibility to make those connections. Before I went to bed, I sat for a few more minutes, listening to the fire, amazed to notice more connections that, when I stop and acknowledge them, are always there between everything in my life. Needless to say, when I got to bed, I slept like a rock! Love, Santa Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:45:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/23-acres-of-canes http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/23-acres-of-canes Hi Everybody, Santa here, with excellent news!! The Present Compressor is up and running again! Hooray! Yesterday Mrs. Claus and I took a sleigh ride down to Candy Cane Ranch, and while we were gone, Thessaly got it working again. The poor elf, she was mystified -- she said she'd been up very late the night before, tinkering with the software, and when she came back to her desk the next morning, she tried it again and everything worked like a charm. (Thessaly told me she had the strange feeling something was *watching* her that night; it made us both wonder if that had anything to do with it.) Anyway, the trip to the Ranch was exciting. Mrs. Claus and I left after breakfast, and invited Comet and Cupid to pull the sleigh (it's much lighter without the big toy bag). They made excellent time, whisking us down to the Ranch in just 45 minutes. (Usually it takes an hour.) Once there, we met Candice and Canin, the elves who run the Ranch, who took us out into the cane fields. The tour was amazing! The two of them are experimenting with dozens of variations of canes, which start from the normal, red-and-white, hook-shaped kind and go from there. There were a whole bunch of strange colors (blue and white, red and green, purple and pink, and black and red), weird shapes (straight, spiral, zig-zag, pretzel, Möbius, and even double-ended hooks), and odd flavors (grape, cherry, peanut butter, soy sauce, and even *stinky cheese*, which made both Mrs. Claus and me feel a little sick when we tried it). I'm old-fashioned, I guess, and prefer the traditional canes myself, but I know folks seem to appreciate some variety. Candice and Canin had harvested several big baskets of the standard canes, which they helped us load them into the sleigh. They said the harvest was late this year because Canin had been working so hard on his experimental canes, he'd fallen asleep...and slept for two *weeks*! Candice said she didn't have the heart to wake him up. I said to Mrs. Claus on the way home: "I've been tired in my life, but never *that* tired." Before we left, we showed Comet and Cupid the cane slicer, which is the one machine in the world that makes peppermint candies -- you know, the individually-wrapped ones restaurants sometimes hand out after a meal. The slicer takes the fat, broomstick-sized canes and uses a special laser to slice them perpendicularly -- *Voila!* -- into disk-shaped peppermints. It's pretty cool. Comet and Cupid flew a little slower on the way back; Mrs. Claus whispered in my ear that she suspected a sugar crash. And then, when we got home, the Present Compressor was fixed. Could we have asked for a better day? More soon! Love, Santa Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:31:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/21-frantic-factory-mom- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/21-frantic-factory-mom- Hi Everyone! Mrs. Claus just told me another Christmas joke. This one goes like this: How do sheep in Mexico say "Merry Christmas"? ...Give up? *Fleece* Navidad! Ho, ho, ho! I love those corny jokes! Lots going on around here! With less than a month before the Big Day, things are humming at the Toy Factory. Yesterday I took a walk-through, and it was incredible: room after room of machines and elves cranking out toys of every kind! Dolls and toy trucks and games and books and cool clothes and stuffed animals and sleds and telescopes and Rubik's Cubes and video games and watches and slinkys and harmonicas and bicycles and...it always feels like the place goes on forever! Stan Levertink, the elf who runs the plant (we call him "Gizmo") explained that this year for the first time he's using a device called a Match-O-Matic®, which more efficiently connects items on a child's Christmas list to the inventory here at the factory. I didn't really understand it -- the Match-O-Matic® seems to be something like an automatic text reader crossed with a GPS. Gizmo said the Match-O-Matic® works with all kinds of lists -- email, written, even verbal, in every language, so kids who can write aren't at any advantage over kids who can't yet. Basically, if a particular boy or girl wants, say, a Wii or a basketball, the MOM® automatically builds (or makes) one and reserves it...automatically! It's a pretty cool device! I'm thinking about using the MOM® to find my keys when they disappear. What else is happening? The reindeer have started Swim Training, I haven't forgotten about Blitzen's candy problem, and Thessaly Tinselcom is still trying to figure out the broken Present Compressor (yesterday: a dog dish into a swimming pool). Tomorrow, Mrs. Claus and I are taking a quick sleigh-ride down to Candy Cane Ranch, where the canes are now a perfect size for hanging on trees and inside stockings! I'll give you a full report when we get back. Love, Santa o<|:^D Sat, 24 Nov 2007 10:33:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/20-into-the-chute http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/20-into-the-chute Hi Everyone, Santa here, feeling preoccupied with everything that's going on. We're heading straight into Christmas now, and my brain is full. But first, before I forget, Thanksgiving was a delight! I ran the kitchen, and Mrs. Claus set everything up for the feast. We had guests from all over the Arctic, plus parent-reindeers and a hilarious Talent Show hosted by the elves. The best moment in it was when Snoop Puppy Dogg, the chief gift-wrapper, did a spectacular break dance with Coach Bryan. Picture it -- a foot-tall elf spinning and flipping and moonwalking with a 1,000-pound polar bear! Bill, our exchange student, laughed so hard he spit mashed potatoes out his beak! I wish the whole week could have been that much fun. On Tuesday, someone sneaked Coach Bryan an anonymous note informing him that Blitzen has explicitly broken one of the central rules of Reindeer Training: he's been hoarding -- and EATING, of course -- Halloween candy in his stall. I asked the animal keeper, Rufus, to investigate, and sure enough, he found a cache of M&M's, SweetTarts, and Butterfingers hidden under the straw. Coach Bryan and I had a meeting about it, and we had a long talk with Blitzen, who apologized, of course, but we're not sure yet what to do to get him back in integrity with the other reindeer. Blitzen is our varsity leader, and needs to set a good example; if *he* can cheat, his teammates will figure that cheating is okay! I feel sad because I love Blitzen, but he needs to follow the rules like everybody else. He should be MORE of a leader than one who sneaks around. I'm not sure what to do. I AM impressed by the other deers, however: Cupid in particular has been working incredibly hard and showed the highest improvement of anyone in her Flight Performance times. We'll see what happens. Adding to my worries is the fact that the Present Compressor remains on the fritz! (This morning it turned a toy plane into a 747.) I tell you, when it snows, it blizzards around here! I think Mrs. Claus and I need to take a trip down to Candy Cane Ranch, get away from it all for an afternoon and recharge our jolly juju. Hope we can swing it soon. Okay, I'm off to grab a little leftover stuffing and get back to work. I have a million letters to read! Love, Santa Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:53:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/18-a-special-guest- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/18-a-special-guest- Hello Everyone! Santa here. I've been so preoccupied with Thanksgiving, and the broken Present Compressor, that I've forgotten to tell you the great news: We have a guest for the holidays! He's an exchange student from (literally) the other side of the world -- a penguin! His name is William Beakman, III., but he's asked us just to call him Bill. Bill comes from Antarctica and is an excellent swimmer. He's two feet tall, and partly because of this, has already made close friends with the elves, whom he's staying with in the elf dorms. He'll be with us through Christmas. Mrs. Claus and I almost forgot he was coming! Bill caused quite a stir when he arrived last week, because he'd brought a suitcase full of krill -- tiny, shrimp-like creatures that are evidently some sort of penguin delicacy. I think he was hoping to share them with everyone as a goodwill gesture, but after the week-long journey to get up here (long story: his plane broke down in Miami) the krill had basically turned into a terrible-smelling mess. That didn't bother Bill, at first, but when he presented them to the elves, they were pretty shocked, and a couple almost got sick! Everybody knows elves eat candy and peanut butter and macaroni and cheese! Bill seemed sad that his gift was received so badly, but his gesture wasn't forgotten -- later the elves made him a Welcome cake filled with sardines. He seemed very touched and ate most of it in one sitting. It'll be wonderful to have Bill here for Thanksgiving, and great to have his help around the North Pole as we head into Christmas. I think Coach Bryan is planning ask him to assist the reindeer with the swimming part of their training, which starts pretty soon. Regardless, we're all happy to have Bill here with us. Thanksgiving should be spectacular this year, with guests from all over the Arctic and enough food to fatten everyone for the coming month! Mrs. Claus even said she's going to make a special krill pâté for Bill. Maybe I'll try some myself! (Maybe not.) Happy Thanksgiving! Talk to you in a couple of days. Love, Santa Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:14:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/16-under-pressure http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/16-under-pressure Hello Everyone, Santa here, and I have a problem on my hands. A BIG problem. Yesterday I got a call from Thessaly Tinselcom, the elf who runs the research and development lab. Thessaly said she was noticing some glitches with the software that runs the Present Compressor, which is a magical tool that (just like it sounds) squeezes the millions of toys and presents I carry into my bag on Christmas Eve. She asked me to stop by. Well, it turns out the "glitches" were far more serious than she had indicated. Turns out the whole Present Compressor program is haywire, and rather than shrinking presents, it EXPANDS them, which means a matchbox-sized toy car turns into a full-sized one, and a three-inch tall refrigerator for a dollhouse (and even the house itself!) inflates into the REAL THING. Toy pony, REAL pony. Toy fire engine, REAL fire engine. You get the idea. An additional part of the problem these days is that everything seems to come ridiculously overpackaged with extra cardboard and plastic, so even the simplest gift -- an ink cartridge for a PC printer, say -- requires about four times as much space as it used to. It's crazy. That's why I've relied more and more on the Compressor, and now it appears the Compressor is on the blink. Without it, I can't do my job, and if I can't do my job -- well *everybody* knows what THAT means. I'm genuinely flummoxed with this one. Thessaly is brilliant, and I trust her to come up with a solution between now and Christmas Eve, less than a month away. But still, I'm worried; I had a similar problem two or three hundred years ago, and we didn't fix it until December 23. I think I lost about 100 pounds that year from worry, and I don't feel like going through that again. Speaking of which, I'm trying to distract myself by remembering that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. It's gonna be a great one this year, with lots of reindeer parents and dignitaries coming from all over the Arctic, and the elves' talent show is coming together smoothly, from what I hear. I hope the Compressor is fixed long before then! Love, Santa Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:06:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/12-no-two-alike http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/12-no-two-alike Hi Everybody! Santa here, with a weather update from the North Pole: It's snowing! Sure, I know that may not sound like big news, but around here we're glad to have it. Global warming is affecting the North Pole, too, and in my memories of many, many, *many* Christmases, things definitely feel like they're getting warmer. Today the temperature climbed to a balmy 12 degrees and it snowed all day. I took a break after lunch to read some letters (they're starting to trickle in!), and afterwards stepped outside on the porch to catch a few snowflakes on my tongue. It got me thinking. I've seen snowflakes under a microscope (having plenty of access to both snow and microscopes -- I'm Santa after all!) and can verify the rumor that no two flakes are exactly the same. Depending on where you live and what kind of snow you have, snowflakes can be either columnar, like tubes, or hexagonal, like a six-pointed star. (Now you know why our dog is named Hexagon!) But no matter how long you look, you won't find any two alike. It's the same with Christmases: I've seen *hundreds* of them by now, and every year each one is different. One year everyone will be crazy for some electronic gizmo; the next year: Chia Pets. Sometimes folks are hunkered down for the holidays; sometimes they're flying around like geese. Music changes, toys change, fashions change, trends come and go. What lasts, though, is the good feeling and delight of Christmas -- the good cheer that the old Christmas carols were written about. It's *also* the same with children. I've met and talked to and gotten letters from millions of kids, and if you asked me to describe children in general, I couldn't begin to do it. Each one is unique. You could say they're like snowflakes, and the one thing I've learned is that they melt out of childhood nearly as fast. That's why I do this job, to give them a chance to enjoy every second of it. Okay, gotta go find an elf who's not too busy to shovel my steps! More soon. Love, Santa Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:31:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/10-team-deer http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/10-team-deer Hello! Well, November is finally here, and things are really starting to fly -- especially the reindeer! The elves have helped their coach, Bear Bryan, set up this year's training course for the eight of them, plus Rudolph, in which they improve their skills. They're getting back in shape by swimming, running, and flying. It's like a triathlon for caribou! Christmas Eve, most of what's needed is flying, of course, so we've set up a three-dimensional course where the reindeer practice by themselves, to build their stamina and dexterity, and as a team, to build teamwork. It's sort of a combination of Quidditch, rodeo barrel riding, and airplane stunt flying. The elves have tied six big balloons on long ropes in a high/low pattern along a quarter-mile, and each deer has to fly around all of them in order and return to the starting place, trying to beat the best time set. It's delightful to watch them practice from my office window, brown bodies hurtling up and down across the sky, looping around the balloons in a sort of reindeer ballet. I've noticed that some of the old guard are a little out of shape this year (A*hem*! Rudolph and Blitzen!) and that some of the younger ones are looking great. There was a great moment the other afternoon when Prancer executed a turn too tightly and popped a balloon with his antler -- **kaBOOM!** -- which startled him so much he did aerial somersaults across the sky! The reindeer have a new diet, too: strictly high-protein, low-fat, vegetarian diets (leaves and grass and lichens) because from now till Christmas they need to be in top-flight condition. Literally! I love this time of year, with Halloween just past and Thanksgiving on the way, and yet I'm always reminded that the next two months can be very stressful for parents and kids and families. This year, I beg you to remember that Christmas (or Hanukkah, or whatever holidays you're celebrating) are really about the delight of getting together with friends and family, about being thankful for everything and everyone you've got. My advice is to let the worries go -- let them tumble away like Prancer across the late afternoon sky. More soon. Love, Santa Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:41:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/9-seeds-and-swashbuckling http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/9-seeds-and-swashbuckling Hello! Today Mrs. Claus taught me how to make roasted pumpkin seeds. First we set the oven for 350 degrees. While it was warming up, we gathered all the gloopy shloop from inside the leftover pumpkins (the reindeer had a case shipped up for the Haunted House) and separated out all the seeds. There was a heap! Then we melted a big dab of butter in a big heavy skillet and cooked the seeds in it for a few minutes, until they turned *slightly* brown. I salted them, and tossed in a couple teaspoonfuls of cumin. (That's a delicious spice from India.) Then we popped them in the oven, pulling them out occasionally to stir everything around. 20 minutes later, the seeds were done. It was so easy! They were delicious, although I almost burned my mouth by eating them too quickly. We also have pumpkins for pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins -- enough to last us for *weeks*. We've left the roasted seeds on the counter to cool, and are soon headed off to the Haunted House. Hope nobody bothers them! I've decided to go traditional again this Halloween: A *pirate*! I've made an eye patch out of an old gift box, tied a red (of course!) bandana around my head, and rubbed black dye into my beard. Mrs. Claus says I look 400 years younger! I have the belt and boots, of course, but I don't have a hook for my hand -- I might have to pop by the garage to see if Ronderbaunt has one I can use. Also, I don't have a parrot. How can Santa not have a parrot?? Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes. Ho ho ho -- er, AAAARRRRrrrrr! Avast y'swabs! All hands on deck! Or something like that. Love, Santa Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:34:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/7-nightmare-before-christmas http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/7-nightmare-before-christmas Hello-Ho-Ho! Santa here, feeling better, thanks, and getting excited for Christmas...though this week it's all about Halloween! The reindeer have almost finished their Haunted House (which they won't let me inside 'til it's ready) and the elves are so excited it's hard to get anything done around the factory. It's funny to overhear everyone talking about their costumes. The elves, most of whom are just a foot or two tall, are all planning to be giraffes and giants and basketball players (Snoop Puppy Dogg is coming as Kobe Bryant), while the reindeer are planning high-concept costumes like "smoke and fire" and "a blizzard." Where do they come up with this stuff?! Even my mechanic, Rob Ronderbaunt, is getting into the act. Yesterday I stopped by the garage to check on the sleigh (when Mrs. Claus and I took it down to Candy Cane Ranch last week, I felt a weird wobble) and it turns out Rob is planning on dressing up not as his hero, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (that's who he came as last year), but as Dale's *car* -- that is, Rob's going to paint himself bright red and put a big number **8** on his chest. Last year I came as a ghost. Sometimes I feel a little old-fashioned. I'm worried that my own costume will be one Very Harried Santa Claus, because this time of year I've got so much on my mind. With Halloween in two days, we're headed into the chute, and it's my job to make sure everything's running smoothly, the elves are getting along, the reindeer are healthy, the toys and other presents are being ordered and assembled right, plus I have to watch the weather and keep up on everyone's Christmas list -- it's a lot to keep track of. But I've done it for many, many years, and somehow it all seems to get done. I find my best plan is just do the thing that's *right in front of me*, right now...which right now is have lunch! Mrs. Claus just poked her head into my office to tell me she's made my favorite tomato soup, with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. Sometimes it's the simple stuff that gets me though a long day. More soon! Love, Santa Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:02:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/5-dotty-and-dice http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/5-dotty-and-dice Hello Everyone, Santa here, and I'm sorry to report I've caught a terrible cold -- I usually get only one a year, although with any luck it's rarely around Christmas. Last weekend Mrs. Claus and I took a sleigh-ride down to Candy Cane Ranch, to check on this year's crop, and because my red hat was at the cleaners', I went without, and my head and ears got cold. I think I caught it then. Oh, sorry: Candy Cane Ranch is a 100-acre farm an hour south of the North Pole (though I guess *everything* is south of the North Pole) where we grow candy canes! Early in the season, the farmers (a pair of easy-going elves named Candice and Canin) harvest the tiny canes for dipping into hot chocolate; then, about mid-November, they pluck the mid-sized ones for hanging on Christmas trees. They leave a few to grow into those monster canes you see every now and then -- you know, the size of walking sticks, with enough peppermint to last until *next* Christmas. Anyway, as I said, I caught a cold and yesterday it caused a major malfunction in the wrapping department! The mix-up went like this: I'd instructed the elves very carefully to put extra 'knots' in their wrapping ribbons, so they wouldn't come loose, but with my stuffed-up nose, it must've come out as 'dots' because this morning, hundreds of presents were covered with dots! Gold ones, green ones, silver ones, rainbow-colored ones -- it was a *dotstravaganza*! Mrs. Claus said it looked like as though all the presents had the measles. I was in a panic. I finally found Snoop Puppy Dogg, the Master Wrapper here at the toy factory, who helped me figure out the mistake. We laughed about it, then corrected the problem, and I think we managed to catch all the dotted, ribbon-less boxes. But if your present arrives this Christmas bearing dots instead of ribbon, you'll know what happened! Maybe we could use them as giant dice. Okay, more soon! I'm off to brew up a pot of Echinacea tea. Love and sniffles, Santa Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:22:00 +0000 http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/2-welcome- http://www.santa.com/users/santa/blog/articles/2-welcome- Santa here, just checking in to say Greetings and Welcome to Santa.com! With everybody and their mother (and best friend, and pet dog Ginger) writing a blog these days, I asked the elves to set one up for me, too, and here I am -- my very first post! It’s a wonderful way to stay in touch, to let you know everything about what’s happening around here with only 70 days left until Christmas. Wait a minute...70 days?! I can’t believe it. 70 days ago, Mrs. Claus and I were walking along a sunny beach, not a care in the world except to remember to put on sunblock! Now, back home with only 70 days before Christmas, I’ve got everything up humming along at the workshop, with daily deliveries of toy and gift parts, plus quality-assurance testing and wrapping and keeping track of who gets what. Other than a few glitches in the Naughty-and-Nice software, though, things are running very smoothly. Are you excited about Christmas yet? I am! Be sure to send me your list early, so I can get right on it! And if you're a parent, don't worry: I understand your fears and concerns about the upcoming season, and I'll do everything I can to make it easier for you. That's my job, too. A quick story before I go. The other day, one of the elves asked me how I felt about Halloween -- you know, everyone dressing up as monsters and werewolves and Harry Potter and trying to scare each other. I tell you, I don't mind one bit. Really! I *love* Halloween. There's all the candy, of course, but mainly it’s a chance for people to dress up and get together to have fun, for kids to scream in delight and grown-ups to remember their *own* Halloweens from years past. Everyone has a good time, and really, when you think about it, isn't that exactly like Christmas? Plus, Halloween marks the start of my favorite time of year: the Holiday Season! Imagine a fancy dinner with four courses: Halloween would be the appetizer; Thanksgiving the salad; and Christmas would be the main course -- something incredibly, wonderfully delicious! New Year's Eve would be dessert. Okay, gotta run, but promise I'll write more soon. Take care! Santa PS: Here's a Christmas joke Mrs. Claus just told me. What's red and white and red and white and red and white? ...Give up? Me, rolling down a hill! When she told me that one, I laughed so hard my hot chocolate came out my nose!