Greetings, Fellow Elves!

It was a good week for Sector 3. Here is how the numbers look for last week:

North Pole Tracker Elves: 8,315
Freelance Tracker Elves: 1,765,991
Total Tracker Elves: 1,774,306

But here are the really impressive numbers, the reports:

North Pole Tracker Elf Reports: 40,744
Freelance Tracker Elf Reports: 5,651,171
Total Tracker Elf Reports: 5,691,915

Many of you have written in asking about our Sector Lead opening. Yes, I’m still taking applications. We do not yet know if we are going to fill this one. We’re watching how things go for the new Lead in Sector 5. Elf Crusader is kind of pioneering this for us. Santa is well aware of those of you with interest and we appreciate your patience as we work this out.

Feedback from Santa:
Great week, Sector 3. Elf Rolf sent me some of what he considers the best reports from your sector. I have to tell you, I’m very pleased with how the reporting is improving. You do know that your reports not only help me but they also help the elves in Flight Command and at your Regional HQ in Bethlehem, South Africa. They get to know your area better and the things that make it unique. I can tell they are improving in their knowledge and this is very useful. I have some concerns about Christmas in your area, specifically in Europe. I hear many weird things. That is why I would like you this week, if your schedule and the weather permits, to get out and about and observe things here and there. How are people acting? Are they Christmas shopping? Are they being nice to each other? Are there good feelings, happy countenances and Christmas spirit? Rolf will direct you in reporting about this but I’ll just say to take your time with that report and to be sure to give thoughtful answers. I have some worries about that part of the world and I’m very interested in what you think. Some of you in your reports suggested concerns about the weather. By all means, keep up the weather reports. But rest assured, there is nothing in the weather, especially in coastal areas and in the Alps, that I can’t handle. Good or bad, I’m coming to Sector 3 without any reservations about the weather. It’s just good information to know. Make it a great week! – Santa

Please follow this direction and send in this information for this week:

• Local Christmas Report
• Roof Report
• Ground Report
• Weather Report

Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comments below.

Thanks!

Chat with Santa Claus this Sunday in North Pole Chat at SantaUpdate.com.

This event has been posted at SantaUpdate.com for about a week now but I wanted to make note of it here as well. Santa has very limited availability this year due to all of his travels before Christmas so we want to make sure everyone is aware of this event.

We have already received many questions for Santa via the other website. If you cannot make this scheduled event for Sunday, please leave your question for Santa in the comments below. We will try to get as many of them answered as we possibly can.

Friends and Trackers in Sector 3, hello!

I am pleased to report that as of this date, our sector is on track for our goals for 2022. Operation Merry Christmas is depending on us and we have done very well so far. Congratulations!

Here is where we are by the numbers:

North Pole Tracker Elves: 7,894
Freelance Tracker Elves: 1,238,673
Total Tracker Elves: 1,246,567

I know we have de-emphasized the number of elves in our area. I understand as well the need for better and more information for Santa as he flies on Christmas Eve. But, common sense and some amount of math tells me that in order to grow our Tracker Elf reports we need to grow in tracker elf numbers. From the “elf purge” earlier this year we LOST more elves than any other sector. By the week of Christmas, I figure we’re going to need better than 5 million elves overall to do our part. So, spread the word. Let’s get some of those elves let go from earlier this year BACK. And let’s find some new elves, friends. Surely there are many others out there who want to be an elf. Show them how to become an elf.

Here’s our report status so far:

North Pole Tracker Elf Reports: 23,682
Freelance Tracker Elf Reports: 3,468,284
Total Tracker Elf Reports: 3,491,966
Tracker Elf Ratio: 2.8 

That tracker elf ratio is an important number. It basically tells us how many reports have been sent in from each tracker. We need that number to get to 8 by the time Santa flies. So we have a LOT of reporting to do. Our goal for the season is 40 million reports. That’s the second highest goal on the board.

So as you can see, we have a lot of work to do.

Feedback from Santa:
Trackers of Sector 3, hello! Thank you for your many efforts. Sector 3 is always a very supportive and festive group. We have many believers from North to South in this Sector. But they live in very different kinds of areas and their homes are all different. In the North, there are more chimneys in this part of the world than any other. So our needs for chimney inspections are great. The chimneys in Europe especially are really old and some are in poor condition and falling apart. I don’t want any of you getting on a roof top to inspect these chimneys but if you can get pictures from an upper window or other safe location it really helps me. In the South, chimneys are fewer but the wildlife is much greater. We may have to develop a new report about stray animals in places in Africa. But for now, Elf Rolf will instruct you on how to report on this issue. I have a lot of worries about Sector 3 and most of the time it is centered on the weather. Do you best to keep Flight Command of what the forecast is in your area. Thanks! — Santa

Please follow this direction and send in this information for this week:

• Elf Status Report
• Weather Report
• Chimney Inspection Report
• Photo Inspection Report

Have questions? Just ask them via the comments below. I’ll do my best to get someone to answer them.

Thank you for your hard work!

Hello fellow Trackers of Sector 3!

I just received word from Flight Command that the test flights of Santa’s sleigh are headed back to our sector. I’m am also told the schedule will include a special emphasis on night flights (after all, Santa flies almost exclusively in the dark).

The track record of seeing sleighs in flight is always better at night. We have about 10 reports from night flights for every 1 report we get during the day. I think the sun makes a flying sleigh really hard to see.

As of right now, I have no reporting assignments for you.

However, as the test flights get closer I might. So pay attention to the map.

Thanks.

I have reviewed the progress so far in each Sector. I have met with each Elf Supervisor. I am pleased to report that thanks to change initiated by Santa after last Christmas that we find ourselves way ahead of last year in terms of information we have and the preparations we are making for Santa’s flight around the world.

We are doing this with fewer elves but with greater reporting.

So far, freelance elves outnumber North Pole elves by a factor of 12 to 1. That is why we have seen such a rapid increase in reports in the past four weeks. Freelance elves, which are the only new elves we are allowing this year, have started joining us, as they do every year, in massive numbers in every sector.

Even though most of them are new and relying on Elf University for their training the quality of reports coming from freelancers is vastly improved over a year ago. We are seeing very good results in every sector so far. On the whole, freelance elves have sent in 84% more reports with an average quality score of 5 (on a scale of 10). The number of reports per elf so far received from the freelance ranks is about 3.1.

But the real progress is being shown among experienced North Pole elves. Those elves have sent in a whopping 231% more reports and their quality score is over 8 (on the same scale of 10). The average number of reports from our North Pole elves is 7.3.

I can tell you now, based on these early reports, it has to be a big goal after this Christmas to turn more freelance elves into North Pole elves.

Each Sector Elf Supervisor reports they are working with many candidates. None of them will make it before Christmas, but several have the opportunity to be invited into the Elf Community in the New Year if they keep up the work they are doing now.

Quality remains our watchword. If you put forth good information in your reports you WILL advance in your elf career. It’s as simple as that.

We are only in the tens of millions of reports Santa says that he wants. The target this year is 1 billion reports. We are just getting started.

But for where we are at right now, as we near the end of October, things are going very, very well.

What will November and early December look like for trackers?

Just follow the lead of your Elf Supervisor.

All of this is happening just as Santa said it would.

Thank you for your efforts.

Elf Chat on Sunday, October 2nd, featured Elf Moe, who’s usual role is that of standards enforcement here on SantaTrackers.net. He also has served as a backup to Elf Max on administrative duties. In this important chat Elf Moe discusses with Elf Ernest the current situation with Elf Max, who has been ill these past several months.

Elf Max is on medical leave at this time, meaning other elves will be here on SantaTrackers.net to help out for a while. Here is the recap of the chat: