Hi Elf Friends – I send you greetings from Mistletoe, Kentucky where the regional tracking center is getting ready for the first flight activity over Sector 5. It’s coming very soon.

I’m writing today to let you know that we will be activating as a sector very soon. That’s because North Pole Flight Command has informed us that the test flights of Santa’s sleigh are headed for Northern Mexico and the South West of the United States very soon.

Once I have more concrete information I will activate the sector. With that status I can begin receiving reports from you.

That means you need to be paying attention. DO NOT SEND ANY REPORTS YET. I’m just letting you know it is happening very soon. Like, within a few days. So stand-by. Okay?

A new era of tracking Santa has begun.

Starting in the next few days your Elf Supervisor is going to ask you to file a new report – and this one counts. This is the time we have been talking about all year. This is when you really need to be paying attention.

Today was posted a new report, titled Elf Status. This new report will tell Flight Command and your Elf Supervisor whether or not you are on the job.

Traditionally, we have done in the past something we called the Elf Check-in, which was a way to indicate your readiness before Santa took flight. That old way of doing things is now gone. Tracking Santa is now different in every way and it begins with this new report.

This next week, all Elf Supervisors in each sector will call for your Elf Status report.

It is important that you respond by filing that report when the Elf Supervisor asks for it. It does not matter what your Elf Status report says at this point. But the fact that you respond to YOUR elf supervisor within the window of time called for matters a great deal. This will be one of those reports that applies to your elf evaluation score later next year.

If you file that report that you are on the job it will lead to other very important reports that will count between now and Christmas. This is definitely the time to start paying attention to what is happening.

Also, today and over the next few days – changes have been implemented to our elf registration process. For all new elves coming aboard, as previously announced, a 90-day working period as a FREELANCE ELF is now required BEFORE a new elf will be allowed to become a part of the Elf Community here at SantaTrackers.net and classified as a NORTH POLE ELF.

A freelance elf works by contract for one full season. You can read the contract at this link. All new elves will need to abide by the contract, do their jobs as elves and gain the endorsement of their elf supervisor. This is another way in which tracking Santa is different. No more can an individual sign up as an elf and do no work. They have to actually be an elf tracking Santa for Santa.

A freelance elf still files reports. In fact, the reports are even MORE critical to a freelance elf because a review of their reports over their first 90-days is key to them becoming a North Pole elf.

Regardless of your class as an elf, reporting is now active and it all counts. We are attempting to get 1 billion tracker reports this year. Starting today, those reports count.

But they only count if you file the reports needed when your elf supervisor asks for them. Please do not just send in reports willy-nilly.

In fact, if your reports are not applicable, on-time, and comprehensive they will not help you at all. The point behind all of this is to do a better job of reporting the right information at the right time when Santa needs it.

Right now, Santa’s sleigh is in the test flight period. Your reports during this period matter because we are testing all systems, including the reporting system, as part of the test flights. If your reports show snow where there is really dry heat, it hurts the effort and could count against you.

We also remind you that many reports have changed and some new reports are yet to come out. Please pay attention.

Thanks and happy tracking, elves!

Hey gang – I just received word that Sector 5 will soon be the location for the first heavy weather test flights of Santa’s sleigh. We believe these test flights will begin in about 10 days to 2 weeks.

That gives us more time to recruit weather tracking elves in our sector.

Of particular focus will be the American Southwest, where seasonal monsoonal moisture typically arrives in early August each year. Additionally, far Northern Canada above the Arctic Circle will also be the scene for test flights focused on cold and frosty conditions.

We may even see some test flights centered over the North Atlantic and, later during the month of September, over the Gulf of Mexico as hurricane season arrives.

These diverse locations will require the time and reporting skill of weather tracker elves. Please let me know if you are interest.

Attention elves of Sector 4! The Santa Tracking Map goes live tomorrow and starting then you can track the progress of the test flights of Santa’s sleigh.

Please note that we will need a few days before we start requesting information from you. It all begins here in Sector 4. We’ve been up and running for a few months, so they are starting flights here. Also, it is winter in many parts of our sector and that’s great for test flying sleighs.

There are 12 prototype sleighs here now. They are, with the reindeer, based for the moment at one of Santa’s reindeer ranches. That is in Argentina. But they will not be based there long.

In fact, by the time all the other sectors are set-up and ready, there will be a “base” in each one. For the first several weeks the reindeer will train together but in time there may be test flights going on in more than one sector at a time.

The season of test flying Santa’s sleigh is a long one. In fact, it goes right up until just a few hours before Santa’s launch in most year. We expect this year to be no different.

What WILL be different is that we will be collecting local information from you, our tracker elf team, for months ahead of Santa’s actual flight. That means we need you paying attention and ready to report as the needs arise.

This is an exciting time and we’re glad you’re here for the ride with us!

Test flights of Santa’s sleigh are scheduled to begin in Sector 4 starting sometime on Monday, July 26th, North Pole Flight Command has announced.

We are not sure yet if the tracking map for those first flights will be ready or not by that date. We are expecting an announcement from Elf Tubby Ryder, elf supervisor for Sector 4. Since that tracking center was the first announced and thus the one center most ready we are thinking the odds are pretty good that the map will be ready.

12 prototype sleighs have already been positioned at a reindeer ranch in Argentina. Two full teams of test flight reindeer are already in South America at the same ranch to be readied for the launch of the sleighs. We are awaiting word to know if the flights will work around the clock or if they will only be scheduled at certain times of the day.

Because of the late start to the test flight program many assume the flight schedule will be aggressive.

Once we know the first few weeks of the schedule we will share that information with you.