Why September is Important

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I got a little note from an elf that concerns me.

She writes: “Being an elf is boring. There’s nothing going on!”

I think Elf Moe has dispatched her by now. She was stirring up some other trouble.

Besides, if she cannot see all that is going on then she’s blind and should not be an elf anyway.

There is a ton going on.

In fact, there’s SO much going on that we’re missing the point about September.

September could be our busiest month of the year.

Think about it. Your elf supervisors have been doing a very good job instructing trackers all over the world about long range reports. They changed things in this regard a couple of years ago. By doing things like roof and chimney inspections now that leaves more time for things like weather reports later.

Of course, some things will never change. Like elves reporting for duty at the last minute.

I commend those of you who are here – and have been here – all year. It speaks to your willingness to really help Santa.

Santa, you see, is a prepper. He always works in advance. That’s the only reason why Christmas ever happens. Santa is organized.

And he too would be the first to tell you that September is important.

We usually know, you see, by September if we’re going to be doing things last minute as Santa takes flight.

It doesn’t look like that will be the case this year.

Santa’s workshop is way ahead. The reindeer returned early and will be holding their games next month. They are going to be super ready. Santa’s sleigh is flying well in the test flights and it’s coming off a record year. The Post Office is on top of things. The Wrapping Department is ahead. Everyone it seems is ready….and it’s only September.

Readiness is just one reason why September is important.

There are other reasons though. Tomorrow – Saturday the 21st – is the first day of fall.

That first day of fall is like a starting gun for elves. Just watch. All of a sudden people will realize it’s less than 100 days until Christmas and they come swarming back.

I was talking to Elf Ernest, my boss, and he told me that the Official North Pole websites are all seeing huge spikes in visitors.

Because it’s September.

What about you? It’s September for you too. Are you more ready this year than last year?

I asked that question of the Elf Supervisors. They all agreed that the elves they have talked to are doing very well and are prepared for what’s ahead.

And here’s a weird thing: freelance elves so far in September are signing up at a rate of 50 to 1.

That’s incredible. 50 freelance elves for every new North Pole elf sign-up here at SantaTrackers.net.

What’s that mean?

That means the elf world is exploding. And it is happening a little early.

So don’t tell me things are boring or that nothing is going on. That’s the feeling you’re going to get when everything is in control.

It’s going to be a busy season. But it will be a successful one, too.

I hope you are here for it.

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Chinese Speaking Elves Needed

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We have a real need for elves who speak Chinese in Sector 2. China is a huge country and we are starting to see some good growth in our elf numbers. However, these are mostly freelance elves who cannot come to this site because it’s not in Chinese.

I do not know how big of a job it would be to get the community to be inclusive of those who speak Chinese but I believe we need to start by finding elves in Sector who speak both Chinese and English to help get this project off the ground.

If you are a Chinese speaking elf who also knows English, please reach out to me personally. This will take us some time but I feel it will be worth the effort.

 

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Test Flights Coming to Sector 3

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In our weekly meeting with North Pole Flight Command we were informed that the test flights of Santa’s Sleigh will be in our Sector through the end of the month.

This will be an excellent opportunity to see flying sleighs, especially since the weather will be pretty good still over the next few weeks. The test flights are scheduled to be running both night and day.

If you see sleighs in flight at any time please report it as soon as you can. So far, we have NOT yet had any sleigh sightings this year. I have it on good authority that a prize of some sort will be awarded to the first elf in any sector who files a valid report with verified photos.

I sure hope an elf in Sector 3 can snag that prize.

Thanks, elves!

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Air Traffic Report Requested

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North Pole Flight Command is testing some new equipment and setting up new routines and they are requesting from our Sector submissions of the Air Traffic Report.

The test flights of Santa’s sleigh is far away from Sector 1 at this time but this test is not about sleigh traffic. It is about all air traffic. In fact, Elf Buck Sanchez tells me that the test is vital precisely because sleighs are not in our skies at this time.

So please go ahead and do it.  Buck wants these reports from as many in our sector as can send it – no matter where you are located.

Let’s help him if we can.

Thanks.

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Classroom Sign-Ups Surge

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After a tip off from Elf Moe, I looked at the numbers and sure enough, it appears sign-ups by school teachers are surging. This happens every September.

Spurred on by a post at SantaUpdate.com last week for questions from teachers it stands to reason why so many are finding their way here to SantaTrackers.net to track Santa for Santa as a class. Elf Moe tells me he is working with Elf Max to reach out to these special groups of tracker elves.

School teachers have long embraced news from the North Pole as presented at SantaUpdate.com. Elves Frank and Crash are soon to release the annual question-and-answer North Pole Podcast episode that feature questions these school classes send in.

Elf Crash reports that questions so far this year have come mostly from Sector 5, which is normal, but this year it appears they have heard from many in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and from classes in the US Virgin Islands, Iceland and from Fiji.

Elf Crash expressed concern that the episode will run a little long because of the number of questions received.

We’re not sure yet when that episode will be released but Elf Crash says they have needed a few days in the studio to record the conversation.

Elf Moe says he expects the sign-ups from teachers to continue to escalate through Christmas.

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Roof Reports by the End of September

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Ok, Elves. After discussions with Elf Roger Star we have determined that the best plan is to get all roof reports in Sector 3 completed by the end of the month.

This is for all roofs in all areas of Sector 3. This goes out to all elves everywhere in Europe and Africa.

This is the earliest we have ever targeted this for completion. The roof report is found at this link.

Bear in mind, YOU might see a local need for additional roof reports before Santa flies. And that’s fine. You can send them in at any time.

But please remember our guidelines for doing roof reports. You must remain safe. STAY ON THE GROUND. If you suspect damage that needs closer inspection, please report that to Flight Command in your report and we will send a team of elves to your location to do an in-air inspection, by sleigh or by drone, depending upon the availability of equipment and elf power in our sector.

The sooner we can act on these situations the better.

Thank you.

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Status Report Requested

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Howdy Elves in Sector 5,

I am pleased to report that Sector 5’s regional tracking center in St. Nicholas, Minnesota is now fully operational. We’re open for business completely.

Our thanks to the crack crew of elves from Flight Command and Santa’s Workshop for getting us up and running.

All things considered, we feel like we are in good shape.

Some of you are writing in asking “what about us?” as you see requests coming from other Elf Supervisors for their sector. This is especially true of chimney inspections which have been kind of a hot topic.

We do NOT feel the need to put out a similar request at this time. HOWEVER, if you have NOT yet done chimney inspections in your area please think about doing them soon. I’m targeting November 10th for this task in our sector.

I did check with Elf Roger and he tells me the forecast, especially for Canada in our Sector, is not the same as what we’re seeing in other Sectors. Elf Roger did advise “a regular schedule” for our region.

I think, just to stay organized, we’d like to request at this time an Elf Status Report for all elves in Sector 5. If you can get that done it would give us an idea of how many elves we have active right now. That may determine what we ask to have done.

We might also be asking for this same status report in the months and weeks ahead. So please check in here frequently.

The Elf Status Report can be found at this link.

Thanks. You guys rock.

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Chimney Inspections in Sector 2

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Hi Sector 2 – we’re going to piggy-back on the call for chimney inspections in Sector 3 by asking all elves in any northern area of Sector 2 to do the same.

Elf Roger and Elf Seymour reached out to me after talking with Sector 3 and encouraged us to do the same.

If you haven’t yet done the chimney inspections we urge you to do it soon. Here’s the link.

Thanks!

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Special Reporting Needs in Greenland

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Hello my fellow Elves!

A lot of people forget that Greenland is a part of Sector 4. That is largely because there are very few people who actually live in Greenland. It’s kind of a unique place.

But it is a critical part of Santa’s flight. He has to go there and it is fraught, frankly speaking, with dangers for him.

We reviewed our needs in Greenland with Elf Roger Star, who had some special requests from Santa.

We can either get more elves there or solicit the help of elves who might travel there to help report on conditions in Greenland.

We do not believe it is possible to get many new elves in Greenland. There are a few. But their are far apart and their reports are not adequate to meet the needs there.

So we are asking folks who may travel there on business or on pleasure, for their work in the military of various nations and such, and others who have reason to go there between now and Santa’s flight time, to take on these reporting needs if possible.

Please reach out to me personally on this project and I will direct you with what we’d like you to do. For security purposes, we cannot outline our needs in Greenland a this time.

Thanks!

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Chimney Inspections Now in Sector 3

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Hi Elves!

Elf Seymour Snow in the Weather Department at North Pole Flight Command just shared the weather forecast for Northern and Eastern Europe through the end of October. They are predicting cold and unsettled weather.

After conferring with Elf Roger Star, we have determined to push up chimney inspections in those areas. We want you to get those inspections in now while it is safe to do so.

To file a chimney inspection report, please go to this link.

We have a lot of chimneys in these areas, so we know this is a big job. You only need to inspect the chimney on your own house and the ones on either side of your home. If you can do more, we appreciate the information.

If you have already completed the chimney inspections, thank you, you do not need to do them again.

Thanks, elves!

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Growing Needs for Elves in Russia

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Hello Elves of Sector 2,

Russia is a very big country, the largest in our sector by physical size. It also has a lot of people.

We need more elves in Russia. A LOT more elves.

I’m asking all elves in Sector 2 to please reach out to your friends in Russia and to recruit them to be elves.

We have about 100 days to improve our numbers there.

I know we can do it.

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Planning a Landing Zone for Santa

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Hi Elves,

We have been getting some messages from elves about landing zones for Santa. Since we are still quite a ways away from Santa’s launch we thought we’d talk about this now, just so those of you who want to do this have time to plan.

We actually see quite a lot of landing zones for Santa set up in Sector 1. In fact, more in our sector than any other out there. We think that may have more to do with the good weather in most places of Sector 1 than anything else. Here are some things you need to know.

  1. You don’t HAVE to have a landing zone for Santa. Santa has been to many homes many times. He has a good idea where to put the sleigh. But if you want to identify a spot, Santa will be glad to use it. Santa does admit that sometimes he lands the sleigh in places that people do not appreciate. He doesn’t mean to damage the flowers or run over things left laying around. The sleigh is a big vehicle and Santa sometimes can’t see everything on the ground or on a roof. So if you have a designated spot, Santa is happy to use it.
  2. Santa’s sleigh is huge. What most people do not realize is the sheer size a landing zone needs to be. And just because you clear a spot doesn’t always mean Santa can use it. Last year, for example, an Elf named Elf Trevor in Australia had a landing zone for Santa set up on the side of his house. The weather was good and the zone was huge. But there were trees all along the side of the house that made flying in too steep for the space that Elf Trevor selected. We think Trevor also had a couple of web cams set up to capture Santa on video, which Santa doesn’t mind. But being as close to the house as it was just wasn’t a safe option for Santa to use the zone, especially with the trees so close to it all. Remember, Santa does not only have to think about potential damage to the house and the yard, but also potential dangers to the reindeer, the sleigh and himself.
  3. The roof is a much preferred spot for a landing zone. But it is most often very problematic, mostly because many roofs are too small for the sleigh. In those cases, the reindeer and the sleigh will actually just hover over the house and not actually land. Santa descends from the sleigh from a rope when this is the case. If you do think Santa’s sleigh will fit on the roof, he’s okay with lights set up there as long as it is safe to do so and that the home owner (usually your parents) agree. It’s not required by any means.
  4. Food for the reindeer or for Santa should NOT be kept in or near the landing zone. Santa prefers to retrieve this stuff while in the house. That is because local dogs, cats and other wildlife will wander into the zone, attracted by the food, thus putting them in harms way.
  5. If you feed the reindeer, as always, remember to use natural seeds, nuts and fruits and vegetables. Again, keep them out of the zone.
  6. Picture of the zone, before and/or after, are fine. Videos are cool. Just be willing to share them with North Pole Flight Command or right here on SantaTrackers.net.
  7. If you have a landing zone, please report it. Santa would like to know in advance if possible.

And that’s about it. If you have other questions don’t be afraid to ask about them in the replies below. If you are in another Sector and have questions you might want to post them to your Elf Supervisor. Different Sectors may have different conditions that require additional direction.

Thanks!

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