Elf Training #8 – Parents

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Elf TrainingHi all. Today’s training is on a topic of deep seriousness: parents.

Your parents are going to need your help. You should be prepared to show them anything they want to know and to encourage them to apply and become elves themselves. (We have many, many older tracker elves among us).

When it comes to your parents there are two things in particular Santa wants you to do: first, make sure your parents can access your account and can see everything you are doing. We want to make sure your parents know that this is a safe place to be.

But more importantly, we want to make sure you do what you do here on SantaTrackers.net and especially what you do at Christmas in helping track Santa for Santa is something they understand and want to do WITH YOU as much as possible.

We have many tracker groups that are made up of only family members. That’s a good thing.

But we understand the challenge that training parents can be. They are so busy and do not have much time. Some have, if you can believe this, lost their belief in Santa Claus. Others just can’t handle all the technology.

Be patient with them. Teach them a little at a time. If you ever cannot answer their questions don’t be afraid to ask one of us for help.

With time, your parents can become good elves. But you need to bring them along at their speed.

Elf Max

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats to Newly Promoted Elves

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Elf BulletinWe are pleased to announce the promotion of two important elves — Elf Max and Elf MerrySuger.

Chances are you know Elf Max pretty well. He has been a fixture on SantaTrackers.net since the beginning because, well, he’s the elf who built and runs the site. He has been named the Head of Site Support & Tracker Elf Training Manager.

Elf MerrySuger has also been around for a while and you might know him. His efforts have focused largely away from this site to help with social media in places like Facebook and Instagram. He will continue with those social media duties but really he’s been hired as part of the staff from the Department of Elf Resources. He has been named Community Manager at SantaTrackers.net and will lend a hand to Max in providing site support. He also will work to process new elf hires, promotions and assignments.

Both of these elves have now been added to the Supervisors Page here at SantaTrackers.net.

Elf Training #7 – Recruiting Elves

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Elf TrainingHello Trackers!

Thanks for your questions and comments about our last Elf training post. Don’t worry — we have lots of time left to get your setup just right. And please don’t worry about what you have and what you don’t have. Do the best you can with what you have.

Today I’d like to talk to you about another duty you have: recruiting new elves.

We have a good start on meeting our tracker elf goal for 2020. There has been a lot of great activity already and it’s not even Halloween. I’m proud of you guys. Some of you have done a great job of telling your friends and spreading the word of the need for more elves. We have never seen this many elves sign up in September and October before. More and more are coming every day.

When every elf does their part isn’t it something? Look at what we can do!

Recruiting new elves is not hard. All you have to do is to talk to people you know.

I have some ideas for you.

  1. Don’t think that just because someone is older than you that they don’t want to be an elf. Tell them about what you are doing. Point them to this website. They may even say they don’t believe you but trust me — they come to this website later when they are alone because of what you say.
  2. Try to recruit one of your parents or older siblings. They may need a lot of your help to know what to do. But they will thank you later and it’s always easier to have more than one elf in each house. Sharing the duties of tracking Santa is not only more productive it is also more fun.
  3. Don’t forget grandparents and older neighbors. You wouldn’t believe has many older folks we have as elves. They are EXCELLENT elves.
  4. For those of you who are old enough and have social media accounts on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, Snapchat, etc — don’t be afraid to share these images found on this page. They are good for Instagram as well.

We are trying to reach out to different people online, too. We are doing interviews with radio stations and podcasts. But if you know anywhere that wants to help us or wants to interview one of us about this, don’t be afraid to let us know!

We keep a countdown, or count up in this case, of how we’re doing. As I write this, it appears we just passed 32 million so far. So you can see we have a little ways to go. If we need to make a big push with this I’ll let you know. Right now, I think we’re on target and I think if everyone does their part we should be okay.

Thanks for all you do to help Santa!

Elf Max

Elf Training #6 – Your Tracking Center

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Elf TrainingHello elves!

First of all, welcome to October! It is going to be a busy month.

Today’s training memo is more important than you know. You are an elf. This training is about something you maybe haven’t thought of: the Environment of Elfing.

Being an elf is more than just saying you’re an elf. To be an elf you actually have to think like an elf, breathe like an elf and speak like an elf. That’s not easy to do when you’re not around other elves or at the North Pole or have never shown how to actually be an elf.

Not your fault, friends. Don’t feel bad and don’t blame yourself. This is why we have elf training.

The Environment of Elfing is a happy place. A peaceful place. A hopeful place. A place filled with Christmas Spirit. It is a place where work gets done when it doesn’t really feel like work.

How do you create such a place?

Think about it: if you were an elf at the North Pole what would you see? What would it look like? What would it feel like?

Those are the kinds of questions you need to ask — and the challenge that you have — as you prepare for setting up your own tracker elf center at home. You gotta make it like an elf would have it.

So I want you to give it some thought. This is why we talk about these things in October. Getting your home Santa tracking center ready is a big, big part of doing your part as an elf.

Now, I’m not saying this is going to happen but I guess it COULD happen: but what if your home tracking center were to be used by…another elf? What if some sort of weird emergency happened and you ended with with two or three other elves in your home tracking center on Christmas eve? You’d want to be ready, right? You’d want to have the right environment for them, right?

So just what should be in your home tracking center? Well, there are a lot of right answers to that. Here are some things you COULD do…but as Santa always says, “it’s up to you”:

  • A Christmas tree — it doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be small. Or fancy. But a Christmas tree goes a long way to bring the Christmas spirit into your elfspace.
  • Two screens – one for the Santa tracking map, another for communicating with the North Pole and reading the news.
  • Your elf hat. Of course.
  • A nice supply of eggnog in the fridge, and some extra Christmas cookies on the side.
  • Christmas lights.
  • A good comfortable chair for you…and one for a visitor.
  • Something to write on. You might be making a list of things you need to do.
  • Extras: a flashlight, a pair of binoculars, and your winter shoes, coat and gloves (if it is winter where you are), just in case you need to go outside quickly.

Of course, you will want to customize your elfspace with other Christmas things that make you feel good. There are no set rules here.

Questions?

Fire away.

Elf Max

 

Elf Training #5 – Tracker Elf Check In

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Elf TrainingHowdy, Trackers!

Let’s talk about the Tracker Elf Check-in, shall we?

The tracker elf check in is a special process that we NEED to go through right around December 22nd-23rd. I know it might be odd that we never ask you to be here or to check in with us any other time of the year. Elves are independent that way. Santa doesn’t like supervisors always breathing down your neck.

He figures, that as elves, you’re smart enough to get the work done you need to do without being told when to do it.

So please understand that when we say we want you to check-in that it has nothing to do with telling you how to spend your time.

But here’s the deal with this: if you take the time to check in with us when we ask on those dates then we have a good idea of how many elves are out there working.

Look, we know it’s Christmas. You’re busy. Santa does NOT want your elf work to get in the way of your family. Your family is more important. So, instead of trying to guess how many of the 40 million elves out there are actually on the job…we ask that you tell us when you’re there.

After all, if we need to get hold of you we need to know that you’re there. We don’t want to interrupt you when you’re doing other things with your family.

So we will sent out a call for elves in each sector to check in at certain times.

You will see the link to that page. It is important that you DO NOT check in for you sector until we ASK you to? Do you understand this? Come December 23rd North Pole Flight Command is one crazy place. We really need to you follow instructions on this day and try not to do things out of order.

It’s my job to make sure all the instructions are very plain to you.

So what happens when you check in? Glad you asked! When you check in, your name is added to what they call a “queue”. By checking in we can see at just a glance how many elves we have in any given area.

Say there’s a big storm brewing close to where you are. We MIGHT ask you to do something special — to report on the weather or something — because Santa or ANOTHER North Pole sleigh could be in the area. If we need information quickly we turn to you, our elves, to help. We can’t turn to you however if we do not know if you’re there. So do you see why check in is so important?

On December 22nd, December 23, and December 24th you are going to want to be here as much as you can. Please check in when you are available on those special days.

Thanks!

Elf Max

Elf Training #4 – Roof Reports

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Elf TrainingHi Trackers!

Santa spends a lot of time on roofs. You know this.

The problem Santa sometimes runs into on Christmas Eve is that some roofs never get any attention. Not every roof is safe to land a sleigh on. More importantly, not every roof is big enough to hold a sleigh and 8 or 9 reindeer.

It is very helpful to Santa if tracker elves, just before Christmas, actually get a look at the rooftops of their own homes and of others nearby to report any problems they can see.

Now: here’s the important part of this. Never, EVER, get on a roof or even a ladder or step stool or other object to look at a roof. Santa does not want you doing that. You MUST remain safe.

But, from the ground, you can tell a lot about a roof by just looking at it.

This report, as simple as it is, should NOT be done now. The information months and weeks before Christmas will not do Santa any good. A roof inspection and report would be best to do just before Christmas.

The MOST important part of this report is to report on an alternative landing location if a roof is not suitable. You know your own neighborhood better than anyone. Don’t be shy in telling Santa your opinion.

Santa takes these reports very seriously. The sleigh is equipped to receive reports so Santa can see than as he flies and before he lands. The North Pole receives them from you and formats them for Santa’s viewing right on the sleigh.

The link to submit a roof report is right here.

If you have any questions about this report, please post them in the comments below and I will try to answer them for you.

Elf Max

 

Official North Pole Websites

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Hi Trackers!

We have seen there is some confusion with what are official North Pole websites and how they all work together. Let me briefly explain:

SantaUpdate.com — The main website of the North Pole. Santa tracking on the Internet started here — long before anyone else even thought of it online. This is the news hub. You can get not only Santa news but also news of the North Pole and elf life. Radio news reports, too.

NorthPoleFlightCommand.com — This is the website run by the Tracking Department and it is all about Santa and his flight. Excellent source of news for trackers.

ElfHQ.com — The website to send people to if they want to become an elf, run by the Department of Elf Resources at the North Pole.

SantaTrackers.net — This site. It’s a special, elves-only venue for receiving news and information about tracking Santa for Santa.

JingleKringle.com — If you want to get text updates from the North Pole, this is where you sign up.

Santa’sVoicemail.org — If you want to call Santa, go here.

Maybe some day we’ll have a website to explain all of our websites.

Elf Max

Elf Training #3 – The Red Zone

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Elf TrainingIf there is one moment out of the year that every tracker elf lives for it happens when they enter the Red Zone.

What is the Red Zone?

The Red Zone is a time when elves go on high alert. It happens when the clock ticks past midnight on December 24th. From that moment on, it is all hands on deck.

Why is it called the Red Zone? And why does the rest of the world not really know about it?

The term “Red Zone” applies to anyone working in the Operation Merry Christmas effort. Sleigh pilots use it, Flight Command uses it, all the news elves, the workshop elves, the wrapping elves and even the reindeer use the term “Red Zone”. Why? Because it means “high alert”.

It means Santa is on the way.

It means you could see sleighs in the skies near you at any time. It means things are happening and you need to be heads up.

Going into the Red Zone means that there are a hundred things in motion in your area. For example, the Weather tracking team in Flight Command has elves that are dispatched by sleigh to different parts of the world to gather high altitude weather data. They do this because Santa will need to know how conditions are when he flies through an area. The sleighs taking their weather elves on their missions fly night and day — so the chances of you seeing one are actually quite high.

There are other sleighs in the skies too — scouts, freighters, transports — and they are most active in the Red Zone, those crucial hours before Santa actually arrives in an area.

The Red Zone means that folks need to hang their stockings and to be aware of incoming bedtime advisories.

We have been receiving a lot of questions lately about the bedtime warnings. They are not a complex thing. Direct from the sleigh Santa will sent out a heads up to folks who he will be visiting soon. Santa does this because customs on Christmas Eve vary around the world. Especially in places like Sector 1 where it is summer at Christmastime. Folks in that part of the world often stay up late in the night and many are outdoors during late hours. Santa will send them a bedtime warning so they know when to get to bed.

The bedtime advisories usually flow through NorthPoleFlightCommand.com and many of them get posted at SantaUpdate.com.

They usually will not show up here. But as trackers, you should already be keeping tabs on the other sites. You are expect, as elves especially, to respond appropriately to Santa’s bedtime warnings. They are for you, too.

Many trackers are tempted to stay up past their scheduled times and this you must not do. It has been a problem for many elves, especially in Sector 3 for some reason, who want to stay up to see what happens even AFTER Santa has visited them.

We understand that. Tracking Santa is fun and the news is exciting. But it just can’t happen, elves. You need to get to bed when Santa requests it. You can always read the news here and on the other Official North Pole websites later.

More Elf Training on the Way

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I went to a big meeting today. This elf training thing is getting pretty serious.

I’m not even kidding. I was handed a pile of work and from what I can see these training posts are going to go up every few days between now and at least November sometime. Maybe longer.

In the meantime, the number of new elves is really starting to pile up.

I don’t know why I was ever worried about the tracker elf goal. At this rate, we’ll have more than 50 million by Christmas. I don’t know what is so different about this year but, good golly, it seems to be quite the popular thing to become a tracker elf all of a sudden.

Don’t get me wrong. I love you guys. I’m glad you’re here.

But there seems to be a lot more work earlier than ever.

We have had some elf promotions happen. Not sure if we will announce those or just tell those who are getting promoted and let them tell you. But they are happening.

Feel free to comment on the training posts as they come up and ask your questions. I will be your answer guy…er, elf.

Elf Training #2 – Know Your Time

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Greetings, Elves!

Time for Elf Training #2 — which is about time. I don’t mean its about time we talk about time. I mean, it’s about time.

A lot of new elves get confused about time. It is hard for them to understand that while it is daytime perhaps where they are that it is actually, at the same time, nighttime for someone somewhere else. The world is a big place and it gets confusion.

The best place to start to understand time and where you fit in with it all is to take a look at this sector map:

Sector Map

If you can understand where your sector is you can begin to understand time.

Let’s say, for example, you’re a tracker elf in New Zealand. That’s sector #1.

If you have a friend who is an elf working in sector #5 you know that they are in a completely different time than you are. Way different time. In fact, it may be September 22nd for you in New Zealand, but it’s still only September 21st for your friend in Sector #5.

Time is different for everyone.

That is why, when Santa flies, you can always hear what time HE is operating by through the Santa Updates, the news from North Pole Flight Command, and by listening to the radio news reports on Kringle Radio.

All of that stuff is available right here for you to follow.

What you need to concentrate on is knowing what sector it is you are in and keeping up with where Santa is. Oh, and doing as your supervisors instruct you and other elves in your sector at the time. All that stuff happens right here.

Questions?

Fire away in the comments below.

Elf Training #1: Secrets Keep You Safe

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Greetings, Elves!

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Elf Roger Star. I am the International Director of Santa Trackers for NorthPoleFlightCommand.com.

This is the first of several training lessons you will be receiving over the course of the next couple of months. Our goal is to help you succeed as an elf and to show you how to both work and have fun in your duties.

Like all jobs, there are rules. Rules are there for many reasons. Some rules are about maintaining a certain kind of look or style or standard to an effort. Rules are also there to protect you in some ways or to protect Santa or the North Pole. Rules are necessary.

Today I want to you to learn about keeping secrets.

Secrets are a big part of the Santa effort. Everyone knows, for example, that Santa will fly around the world on Christmas. Most understand even when he will take off. But they don’t know his exact flight path or when he will arrive at any given location.

Some of those things are kept highly secret. Many elves even here in Flight Command don’t know those secrets.

Letting those secrets out would be bad. If a bad person had that information they could do bad things. So we keep some details secret.

There are things you should keep secret, too.

When you became an elf you had to come up with your elf name. Why do you need an elf name? Because your real name should be a secret. It’s ok for people to know you as Elf Jingles (or whatever your chosen elf name is). If they know Elf Jingles did an elf thing, that’s good. But if they also know it’s Elf Jingles who is really Janey Peterson (or whatever your real name is) that would NOT be good.

Your real name needs to remain a secret. When you are in the course of your duties, you should never use your real name. On this website, for example, you go by your elf name. Not your real name. You understand? This website is where you do elf stuff. Elf work. You need to use only your elf name here. When you talk to other elves they should use their elf name and you should always use your elf name.

Other things about you should remain secret too: where you live, how old you are, where you go to school or work, etc. Nobody here needs that information. It should be good enough for them to know that you are an elf.

Some of you like to organize into tracker groups. Those groups might even meet locally. That’s ok. Just use your elf names when you do elf work — even together.

If you have a hard time keeping secrets you need to work on that. We talk a lot of secrets here in the course of tracking Santa here that the rest of the world does not need to know. What you see here, what you say here, stays here. Secret.

That’s lesson #1.

Any questions? Okay, respond below but use your elf name!

 

New Tracker Elf Resources Coming Soon

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Elf UpdateGreetings, Elves!

Now that we have passed the 100 day mark to launch it is time to focus on recruiting, training and organizing of the Tracker Elf Nation, as I like to call you. Here are some things you can look forward to in the weeks ahead:

Tracker Elf Training

It’s one thing to become an elf, take the oath, learn the code and take on your elf name. That’s all done at ElfHQ.com, courtesy of the Department of Elf Resources. That’s the easy part. The fact you are all here is proof that you have done that.

Now comes the harder part: actually doing elf stuff. That will take some time to learn. We are developing online courses for you to work on over the months of October and November. These courses will teach you how to prepare for the things you need to do before and during Santa’s  flight.

New Communication Tools Exclusive to Trackers

This website is private, an exclusive place for elves and elves alone. What you do here is between you and the North Pole. As you may have seen on the other Official North Pole websites the North Pole Post Office has put up special capabilities for improved communication with the North Pole. That same kind of thing is coming here, too.

Also, you may have noticed that JingleKringle.com, an Official North Pole website, launched their Tracking Santa By Text features last week. We as elves will likewise have our own text features for use this Christmas. That announcement is coming soon.

Tracker Group Announcements

Also, at North Pole Flight Command we are accepting applications from Tracker groups who run websites or social media channels to make use of Santa tracker maps, news feeds and radio streams for their Christmas tracking activities. Our first announcements of those groups will be coming soon and that news will be shared here. You’ll see them around, for sure.

So it is an exciting time to be an elf. I hope you check in often.