Trackers of Sector 5,

Over the past 15 hours or so we have received a good number of sleigh sighting reports. This has mostly come from the Northern USA and Canada.

The test flights of Santa’s sleigh have ended (for now) but there are plenty of sleigh aloft due to Operation Airlift. (Not as many as will be airborne on Christmas Eve, but still there are many sleighs up there). We really appreciate you keeping an eye on the skies.

But in researching these sightings and trying to match them up with flight records at North Pole Flight Command we have determined that some of these sightings are actually of meteors and not of sleighs. In fact, we have it on good authority that right now – from the last several days until at least December 24th – areas of our sector are experiencing the last Ursids Meteor shower of the year. This is a picture of what that meteor shower looks like in areas that have clear skies:

Something like that could easily be mistaken for a flying sleigh.

We have no criticism for those sending in pictures like this or reporting a sleigh sighting. We appreciate, in fact, your diligence right now in watching the skies.

How might you be able to distinguish between a meteor and a sleigh?

Honestly, you might not. It just depends on how close or how far away you are from it and maybe even the equipment you’re using to try and capture an image.

If it is close enough, you may see actual lights on a sleigh or even hear sleigh bells.

Of course, you’d get none of that with a meteor.

I’m not sharing this with you to dissuade you from watching and documenting the skies. I’m just letting you know some of these things you’re seeing might not be actual sleighs.

The odds of seeing a sleigh in flight is going up. By the time Santa launches there will literally be thousands of sleighs in flight and that continues all during the 30+ hours of Santa’s flight. So if you WANT to see a flying sleigh and you WANT to dedicate the time to doing it the chances of getting good results only improve over the next couple of days.

You might want to see what local weather forecasters are saying about the visibility of meteor showers in your area before you look to the skies. Be informed.

Thanks and happy hunting!

Greetings, Trackers.

In our daily bulletin from North Pole Flight Command the Elf Supervisors received a weird request for pictures of home tracking centers.

Evidently a surprising number of elves showed up at the Community Center at Southern North Pole University to hear a lecture by Elf Dr. Grant Smedley about the “History and How-To of Home Santa Tracking”. Elf Flip Beanz was there to share the current status of remote working elves like you and the class got a little off track when they started asking questions about tracking Santa away from the North Pole. Those elves in attendance were fascinated by the work you do and want to see the environment in which you track Santa.

So they’ve asked for pictures.

If you can snap a photo of your set-up home tracking center and share it via the Elf Wall, that would be great. You can also send it in via a Photo Report.

Also, one other little reminder. We have NOT asked for “official” tracker check-in for this weekend YET. But some of you are finding the page and checking in early.

Please do NOT do that. During this week of launch it is critical these reports come in when we call for them. Sometime on Friday, when authorized by Flight Command, I will post a call for all trackers to check in (each Elf Supervisor is going to do that). There is an order to this. In fact, there a whole launch sequence that our check-in is part of. So its real important you only check in when I tell you to, okay?

Thanks guys! Make it a great day!

North Pole Flight Command has just informed me of some concerns in our sector that they are detecting. We need a Local Christmas Report.

While this is a general concern and we will accept reports from any area we are seeking reports specifically from the following localities:

New York City, NY USA
San Francisco, CA USA
Layton, UT USA
Preston, ID USA
Colorado Springs, CO USA
Snowflake, AZ USA
Moses Lake, WA USA
Battle Mountain, NV USA
Redding, CA USA
Everett, WA USA
Moore, OK USA
El Campo, TX USA
College Station TX USA
Monroe, LA USA
Midvale, UT USA
Eastman, GA USA
McMinnville, TN USA
Shippensburg, PA USA
Garden City, NY USA
Concord, NH USA
Glens Falls, NY USA

Blainville, Quebec CAN
Pembroke, Ontario CAN
Elliot Lake, Ontario CAN
Moak Lake, Manitoba CAN
Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan CAN
Manning, Alberta CAN
Campbell River, British Columbia CAN
Roy, British Columbia CAN

The Local Christmas Report can be found here

If you are out and about, please remember this report. Upload pictures of Christmas where you are if you can.

Thanks!

Hi Gang,

A little Sector Update for you, just in case you’re interested. As we head into December we have some things to both celebrate and to work on.

As of today, we’re sitting at about 36,719 North Pole Elves in the Sector versus 22,457,232 freelance elves.

That’s a huge different, probably the largest our history.

Do we want or need more North Pole elves? Hard for me to say right now. I’m just grateful for the ones we have, especially those who chose to be active in the Elf Community.

As of today, we have roughly 69 million reports submitted so far this year. That number will double in the next 3 weeks. And the reports we get in the next three weeks are the most important for the year.

North Pole Flight Command has developed a system that scores the information we send them. They are trying to give Santa one indicator about the quality of the reporting we have so far. We are rated at 91%, which doesn’t sound great but actually it’s the highest in the world.

To raise that score, and I think it will go up in the next few weeks as reporting increases, we need to be as detailed in our reports as possible.

The idea behind all of our efforts is to help Santa fly safely through each sector to help improve his accuracy in delivery and his efficiency in moving around.

With all the attention on the sleigh you know the expectation and biggest hope of tracking Santa this year will be the setting of an all time speed record. That record is for Santa to complete his mission in under 30 hours. That’s the goal. That’s the record.

The new sleigh is great and it will help Santa’s overall speed.

But honestly it is the information that will win this race. And it will be information that comes from us.

We need to be rock-solid in our reporting, as detailed as we can be. Santa needs to know about every obstacle, every cloud in the sky, every danger and every little thing that might possibly slow him down. He needs to know about people, traffic, weather, and buildings.

That’s all on us. Nobody is going to report that but us. Nobody is going to relay that information but us.

Many of you are wanting to know what to do right now to help. And that’s easy.

As of December first I want you to report when you see something. Use the right report – but persist in sending in reports without waiting for me to ask you.

By all means, if I get something from Flight Command that they want, I’ll relay that request to you. But right now we all need to be smart elves and just report something when we see it.

Is there a problem with a chimney? Report it.

Is the weather taking a bad turn? Report it.

Does a roof look damaged or changed in some way? Report it.

How’s the Christmas spirit where you are? Report it.

How’s the traffic? Report it.

Don’t wait for me to ask you for a report. When you see something, say something.