Elf Training #2 – Know Your Time

/50 Comments/in /by

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

/92 Comments/in /by

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

/75 Comments/in /by

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.

See the New Website for Flight Command

/56 Comments/in /by

The official announcement has not been made yet but I suppose it will come in the next day or two — North Pole Flight Command has an all-new website. It has also received a new name, NorthPoleFlightCommand.com.  Click here to see it.

While there are many of the same features as the old site there are many new features too. The site is live but there are still a few little things they are working on before it is announced.

Changes to that website also portend to some changes in this website. They will be minor for us.

I think the more important thing is that the news is starting to roll in now and we’re beginning to get an idea of what this season will be like.

I know some of you are concerned about having enough tracker elves. I’m not too worried about it. I was in a meeting with Santa this week and the topic came up. Everyone here seems to feel we are right on track.

I am also aware that many of you are concerned about elf promotions — especially some of you who have been here a few years. I will try to get an update on that for you this week.

 

Tracker Goal Set for 2020

/54 Comments/in /by
The North Pole Podcast
The North Pole Podcast
Tracker Goal Set for 2020
Loading
/

We all just got the announcement. Some are really stunned.

40 million!!!!!

I’m not sure what to think myself. Most elves are kind of cool with it after they heard this on Kringle Radio:

As for me, well, give me a few days to get used to this idea.

Last year was crazy. The year before that was crazy. The year before that was…nuts.

All I can say right now is they had better get an elf in here to help me out. I’m exhausted just thinking about this.

I’ll touch base in a few days when we know what the plan is going forward.

Thanks!

 

Big Rumors Swirling at the North Pole

/6 Comments/in /by

Greetings everyone! I have good news and I have bad news for you. First the bad news:

There is no real news to report from the North Pole. Nothing has yet officially happened. We don’t know how many tracker elves Santa will need this year, the reindeer have not returned and, most importantly, we cannot yet tell you how things are going to work with this virus thing going around. A lot of you are asking and…well, I don’t know what to tell ya other than Santa is aware of it and we’ll know as things get closer, I suppose.

Now the good news: there are rumors swirling all over the North Pole among the elves this week. Nothing is official but many here think it is going to be a very special Christmas in July here at the North Pole this year.

You see, production is way, way ahead. We could have Christmas in October before Halloween, that’s how far ahead things on in Santa’s workshop.

None of us can travel anywhere so nobody is taking time off. Every department is ahead of schedule. Things are looking really, really good.

There was some big meeting with Santa this week and a lot of the hot-shot elves who head up all the departments. They emerged from that meeting with big smiles on their faces.

Trust me when I tell you that is not normal.

They must of had a lot of sugar cookies in there or something. Anyway, nobody in these big meetings can keep their mouths shut. One elf talked to another and the word has gotten around: Santa’s going to be giving the elves some bonuses this month. We think something special and big is going to happen.

This is really, really good news because, frankly, nearly every elf I know is a bit bored right now. It’s all work-work-work all the time. I think it is time to shake it up a bit.

Also, there was ANOTHER big meeting with the radio news elves this week too. When those guys get together, there is sure to be news to break soon.

So pay attention. I think you’ll hear/see somethings being announced via SantaUpdate soon.

 

Getting Ready to Track Santa Again

/13 Comments/in /by

Tracker Elf UpdateHello all,

Elf Max here checking in for the first time in 2020. There I was, working on flight plans for 2020, when I got a call from my supervisor to “get on over there and flip on the lights” in the recruitment center (that’s what they are calling my little office now).

So here I am. By myself.

This is how Santa tracking begins every year. With one elf. Me.

Here is how it will go: later this month there’s this thing called Leon Day. We mark it here at the North Pole on the 24th and 25th of June. “Leon” is the the word “noel” spelled backwards. I know it’s weird but for whatever reason here at the North Pole we do everything backwards on those two days. Don’t ask me why.

Leon Day is the official halfway mark to Christmas. That’s why it is important.

I’m not sure yet if we’ll have any “official” tracker elf activities for that day. But I do know that Santa, because of the virus lockdown around the world, will be holding a “chat” on June 25th. Read the details about that here.

But instead of anything happening here, I suspect the real action won’t begin for us here at SantaTrackers.net until Christmas in July.

I haven’t received any official word yet on Christmas in July. I mean, yeah, I know it is in July. I just don’t know when.

But that will begin for us when Santa announces the new tracker goal for 2020. Last year, he set the goal way, way high at 20 million tracker elves. I don’t have a clue what this year’s goal will be.

Maybe lower. With all the elves quarantined at the North Pole things are really far ahead there. The workshop, the sleigh — everything is ahead of schedule. We’re all feeling super prepared. I mean, look how early they sent me over here to flip on the lights.

Anyway, just so you know, you might see some weird things here on this website over the next couple of weeks. It’s routine. We’ll be clearing out some of last year’s data (don’t want any elves out there to get confused) and updating the site with new graphics and features.

Things worked out pretty well last year, don’t you think, elves?

This year will be even better. Just watch.

It is going to be a great ride up to Christmas this year!

 

 

Santa Launches

/0 Comments/in /by
Read more