About a month ago I got a text from Elf Meg Nogg, who writes for North Pole Flight Command. “I got a hot tip for ya”, the text said.
That’s kind of a code we use for “let’s do lunch”.
So the next day we met at Curly’s Pickle Emporium, one of the most popular eateries in North Pole Village. Meg loves Curly’s pickle salad and I love their frosted mug root beer floats.
Meg told me, “I really do have a hot tip for you” and she proceeded to tell me about the Sleigh Traffic Controller thing that she posted about on Flight Command’s website yesterday.
She advised me then to look into it. So when the training this week started I was there for the first class.
To be honest with you, I’ve never been so bored with a North Pole event in my life. I could never be a sleigh traffic controller. There is just too much math involved.
But while there I spotted right there in the front row one of the most incredible elves you could ever want to meet – Elf Beverly.
Elf Beverly is an older elf, meaning she has a ton of experience and has been around a long time. I don’t really know how old she is.
Mrs. Claus first told me about her. She advised me to seek her out and become her friend.
I first saw her in a class at Southern North Pole University. She’s kind of hard to miss. She’s short – about 4’ 10” – and her hair is all white.
I had no idea how long her hair was until seeing her later at the North Pole Halloween party. For that event she wore her hair down, which is something she almost never does.
Everyone was in awe of her hair that night. They thought it was fake but, of course, it was totally real. She danced just once, with Big Sled Ted. Their extremes in height made for an interesting pairing and the shimmer of her hair made it all quite the spectacle.
Why was Elf Beverly at the Sleigh Traffic Controller training?
Elf Beverly could run any department at the North Pole. She has worked for most of them — at the workshop, the Post Office, in Wrapping, over with the reindeer – you name it, and Elf Beverly has been there at one time or another.
She’s a legend here, as big as any elf legend at the North Pole.
They were talking about her one day on the radio and one of the smart aleck test pilots laughed when it was suggested that Elf Beverly become a test pilot.
Beverly caught wind of it and sign up for classes at Southern North Pole University to prepare her for the big math test you have to take to get into the test pilot program.
One just does not laugh at Elf Beverly.
She took the classes, aced the tests and got into the program. Last year before the season she passed all her certifications and she spent most of last year as a test pilot. Then, on Christmas Eve, when the test flight program for the year closed, she resigned.
Beverly asked to be transferred back to the Elf Training department, the last real elf job she claims to have really loved.
When asked why she put in all that time in to certify and become a test pilot only to quit after her first successful season Beverly said she only did it to prove to herself that she could do it.
Nobody challenges Elf Beverly. She does what she wants.
That is not to suggest that she does not keep rules or work in places other than where Santa wants her. Just don’t tell her she’s not up to doing something.
Mrs. Claus once told me that Santa has asked her many times to run a few different departments.
Elf Beverly always says she is more effective as an elf without a title. Santa respects her wishes. But he also knows she can do anything and everything.
At the class at the University when I first met her I went up and introduced myself. Beverly gave me a sideways glance and said, “Girlie, who told you to talk to me?” (She always calls me Girlie).
I confessed that Mrs. Claus had given me that advice. That got her attention. “You know Mrs. Claus?” We have been pretty good friends ever since.
Beverly has given me the best advice an elf can ever get:
#1 – You don’t have to do as you’re told.
That rule does not mean being a disobedient elf. It means you can blaze any kind of path you want as an elf and as a woman.
If someone tells you that, for whatever reason, you cannot follow your dream to become, say, a workshop elf you should not listen.
If you want to become a workshop elf, go out and do what you need to do to become a workshop elf.
Don’t let anyone stop you. Don’t give up. Ever. Keep working until you get it.
It’s good advice, and I’ve listened to #1 in my heart many times when I have been too scared to do something. As a rule, it has helped me a lot.
But rule #2 is even better.
#2 – They don’t know that you don’t know.
This rule is all about confidence.
It is about not trying to think what other people must be thinking. They don’t think what you think they think and they certainly don’t know how anxious or scared you are.
So don’t let them know that you don’t know.
Hold your head up. Be confident. Own your mistakes, laugh, and learn from them.
Such excellent elf advice. Well, it is even excellent life advice.
Elf Beverly and I do not talk a lot. She is a busy lady and is into a lot of elf life. But I know she watches me and when I do bump into her she usually has something to share with me.
After sleeping through most of that sleigh controller class the other day she looked at me and said, “Girlie, you have them watching you.” I believe she was referring to my recent columns here on SantaTrackers.net that have caused so much trouble. She didn’t say anything more.
But believe me, even before seeing Elf Beverly this week, I thought a lot about rules #1 and #2 from her. They have so applied to all I have been through.
I could not help asking her why she was there at the Sleigh Traffic Controller training this week. Her eyes got all big. “You don’t KNOW?” she asked.
I said no.
In fact, I confessed, the whole thing is a mystery to me. There are 700 elves getting that sleigh controller training.
700.
That is a lot of elves. And they are elves from all over. Some are test pilots, others work in various places in Flight Command, a whole bunch come from the North Pole Post Office and even some of the accountants at the Department of Redundancy Department are there.
But I cannot figure out why all these elves need this training.
In fact, I know there’s only room for about 40 such controllers in the tower at the North Pole Sleigh Port.
Just where are all these elves going to work?
And Elf Beverly?
None of it makes any sense to me.
I was bored in that classroom but after talking to Elf Beverly my interest took another turn. Something is happening here.
On the way out of that class I ran into Elf Harold in the hallway. He said, “Trixie, I want you to go to Costa Rica to report on the Elf Supervisor’s meeting.” Just as I was going to tell him I would and to ask him a few questions, Elf Roger Star appeared out of nowhere.
“Sorry, no – she better not,” Elf Roger said. “We don’t need news coverage of confidential stuff. Trixie can stay here and report on Easter eggs”. I did not know enough to understand that was a compliment to a reporter.
It kind of cheesed me off.
I guess I raised my voice. I guess I turned all red. And I guess I said some things to Roger that maybe were not nice.
I don’t know, I don’t remember now.
Anyway.
Santa walked right by in the middle of my, uh, commentary, and casually asked what was going on. Roger simply said that Elf Harold wanted me to go to Costa Rica.
Santa just nodded and said, “Good!” – and just kept right on walking.
Well, that iced it. I’m going to Costa Rica.
Elf Beverly saw all this happen from a distance. As she walked passed us she winked at me, smiled and said, “See you there, Girlie”.
Why is Elf Beverly a sleigh traffic controller and why is she going to Costa Rica?
Once Elf Blabbermouth here figures it out I’ll let you know.
