Elf Trixie’s Elf Journey is not an easy story. She never intended to become an elf.
Many do want to become elves. But many are not fully aware of what it takes to learn to become an elf.
As part of the Tracker Elf Conference held during Christmas in July Santa wanted Elf Trixie’s story told.
Why? Well, Trixie is a college student. She is young for an elf. And she is not from the North Pole.
Santa felt that a lot of new tracker elves out there could identify with Trixie’s story.
She had a hard time becoming an elf until she really learned what the Elf Code is all about.
The Elf Code is made up of the letters of the word “Christmas”. Each letter means something. What Trixie learned is that “Christmas” is at the heart of being an elf. A lot of people assume they know what that means.
But Trixie only learned what Christmas really means by actually becoming an elf and doing elf stuff.
We hope by reading what Trixie has to say you might learn a thing or two as well.
Chat Transcript
| Elf Crash Murphy | Hello everyone and welcome to Elf Chat today. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | My name is Elf Crash Murphy and today we will discuss “Learning to Be an Elf” with Elf Trixie. Trixie, thank you for doing this today. |
| Elf Trixie | Crash? Really? I get to do this with YOU? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Sure! |
| Elf Trixie | I’m a little shocked. I love talking with you! |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Why thank you! I love talking with you too. |
| Elf Trixie | I thought Ernest or maybe Max was going to do this. No offense, but why you? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I think you let it be known pretty well that you were not ambitious to chat today. |
| Elf Trixie | True. This is kind of a personal topic. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Right. I get you. I know exactly how you feel. |
| Elf Trixie | Huh? You’re a big famous dude, Crash. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I mean our experience in becoming elves just may be similar. |
| Elf Trixie | Really? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Yeah, you know, I never planned to become an elf. It wasn’t on my radar. It just kind of happened. |
| Elf Trixie | Same. I’m kind of glad to hear that. Gol. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Learning to Become an Elf is our topic today and it is one Santa wanted on the agenda for this weekend’s Tracker Elf Conference. But you had your hands so full yesterday waiting til today was okay. |
| Elf Trixie | I’m part of the Tracker Elf Conference? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well yeah. You’re an important elf, Trixie. Since you started writing those countdown posts on SantaUpdate.com a lot of folks have come to know you. They like you. And the elves here at SantaTrackers.net want to know more. |
| Elf Trixie | I don’t like that, Crash. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I know. You’re a newsperson. It makes sense you don’t like it. |
| Elf Trixie | Thank you. A lot of elves don’t get that. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well, I do. But I’d like you to think about something here. You’re not talking about yourself today exactly. |
| Elf Trixie | What do you mean? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You’re talking about your experience — what you have gone through in becoming an elf. That’s what we are trying to accomplish here today. |
| Elf Trixie | Hmmm-kay. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I talked to Ernest and to Max and even to Santa about this a little bit. |
| Elf Trixie | You did? (gulp) |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Yeah. |
| Elf Trixie | I feel like I’m on the spot now. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | No, no. Please don’t feel that way, girl. |
| Elf Trixie | Crash…. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Look, do you know there are a lot of new elves out there who feel like they’re not really elves? They don’t know what to do. What to say. What to feel. They feel a little out of place. |
| Elf Trixie | Well I can relate. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well, there you go! That’s why Santa wants you to share — if those elves out there who feel that way can hear your story then maybe you can help them. |
| Elf Trixie | Gol. Really? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Yes! Relax. Tell us what first comes to mind. How did you end up at the North Pole? |
| Elf Trixie | I got a scholarship. Well, I was put in a program. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Where did you think you would be going to school? |
| Elf Trixie | I applied at several colleges and I was thinking I’d end up maybe at Texas Tech or somewhere like that. I was also considering the University of Oklahoma and a counselor there called me up one day and said she had been contacted by a program manager who was interested in having me apply. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Apply for a program — is that like a class? |
| Elf Trixie | It was a summer intern position. As a journalism major they try to place you in jobs that give you experience. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, so this program was in Oklahoma? |
| Elf Trixie | No, it was here. At the North Pole |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Really? At the university here? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah. I had no idea the North Pole had a university. But I thought it was cool. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You did? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, I thought I would be up here hanging out with scientists and biologists and people like that. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Not elves? |
| Elf Trixie | I never considered elves. Or the North Pole, as in Santa and stuff. I was thinking like summer camp with seals and penguins and such. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh I see. We have those exploration groups and stuff here. I could see why you thought that. |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, so when I got here and they started in with all the Elf Code stuff I was like huh? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | When did you realize you were dealing with something different? |
| Elf Trixie | I met with the counselor here, an elf named Harriet Star. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I don’t think I know her. |
| Elf Trixie | She’s wife to my boss, Elf Herald Star. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ah, I see. |
| Elf Trixie | Harriet explained to me that even to be an intern I had to become an elf. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, got it. I guess that makes sense. |
| Elf Trixie | It didn’t make any sense to me. I was an intern — a temporary, unpaid employee. I was only supposed to be here for about six weeks. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | So you had to think this whole thing was crazy. |
| Elf Trixie | Looney tunes, Crash. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You didn’t believe in Santa? |
| Elf Trixie | Of course I believed in Santa. I just didn’t think I’d end up working for the guy. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You sound like you were not happy about all this. |
| Elf Trixie | I wasn’t mad. Just confused. Why didn’t someone tell me before I got here? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh, I see. So you felt like you were not informed? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, I mean the point was to learn to be a reporter. That’s what was in it for me. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | But aren’t you, in fact, doing that? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, but I had no idea it would be as an elf. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok. So did you want to leave? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, I tried to leave. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Wow. |
| Elf Trixie | Harriet stopped me. She was very patient and I decided to stay and give it a try. I’m very glad I did. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | That was all about two years ago. And you’re still here. What happened to school? |
| Elf Trixie | I’m still in school. I just transferred to SNPU. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh. How did that happen? |
| Elf Trixie | Well, I like being an elf. I asked to transfer. They had never done that before and didn’t know what to say. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | So you had to talk to someone special? |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah. Santa. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh boy. |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, so that’s college. Let’s go back to you becoming an elf. What was that like? |
| Elf Trixie | Horrible. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Really? It wasn’t fun? |
| Elf Trixie | Yes, it was fun. But it was not in my plan. I’m a planner, Crash. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | What’s that mean? |
| Elf Trixie | It means I make lists. I do things on purpose. I make a plan and I attack it. That’s how I got through high school, my summer jobs and everything. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Gosh, that sounds like a really good elf to me. |
| Elf Trixie | That’s what Santa said. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | No kidding? |
| Elf Trixie | For reals |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well, how did you get past all that? Were the requirements to become an elf really that hard for you? |
| Elf Trixie | No. I look back on it now and it’s silly how stupid I was being. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | How so? |
| Elf Trixie | Well, being an elf is all about thinking of others. You don’t get taught that in college. In fact, quite the opposite. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh – that’s really interesting. What made you realize that? |
| Elf Trixie | One of my first elf assignments was to visit an orphanage. Elf Harold Star accompanied me because I was both suppose to write a story and participate in the event. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, makes sense. Duty as an elf and duty as a reporter. |
| Elf Trixie | I know, right? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Which did you do first? |
| Elf Trixie | I read books to the kids. That’s elf work. And I found that I really loved it. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Did it change the way you wrote your story? |
| Elf Trixie | YES! Writing that story helped me see that I really liked elf work. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ah, I get that. You had an epiphany. |
| Elf Trixie | I sure did. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You know, that happens I think to all of us. |
| Elf Trixie | It does? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh yeah. Someone gets a chance to become an elf and they think, “Cool, I get to be an Elf!” and all they can think about is working in the workshop or riding in Santa’s sleigh |
| Elf Trixie | Oh gol, me too! Totally that was me, Crash |
| Elf Crash Murphy | People don’t realize that being an elf means thinking of other people first. |
| Elf Trixie | Right — or how to help others. It never occurs to a new elf. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | How do you get them to understand that? |
| Elf Trixie | I don’t know, Crash. For me it was a process. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You mean you were educated by your elf experiences? |
| Elf Trixie | Totes. The more they had me do elf stuff the more I wanted to be an elf. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, now we’re getting to the nitty gritty. |
| Elf Trixie | We are? LOL |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well yeah. You actually had it easy. |
| Elf Trixie | I did? I thought it was hard. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Well I mean easy in that you came to the North Pole and got to learn to be an elf by doing elf stuff with real elves. Most people don’t get that chance. |
| Elf Trixie | Dang. I never thought of it that way. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | So imagine you’re a new tracker elf out there. Alone. In your own home. By yourself. Maybe even living with older siblings or other family members who don’t believe in Santa. |
| Elf Trixie | That would be hard. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Sure it is. Some even get bullied for believing in Santa or admitting they are elves. |
| Elf Trixie | I know. I have heard stories. I’m not sure I could handle that. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I thought you were going through some of that. |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah — a little bit. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You wanna talk about that? |
| Elf Trixie | Well, it was my Mom. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | That’s tough. She didn’t think you were an elf? |
| Elf Trixie | Well I was writing letters and sending pictures. Me with Harriet. Me visiting the reindeer. Me on a sleigh. Me visiting the workshop. All fun Christmasy elf stuff. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Most elves don’t get to do stuff like that. |
| Elf Trixie | Yes, that’s why I was taking pictures and sending them to Mom. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | She didn’t like them? |
| Elf Trixie | She liked them fine. But at one point she sent me a letter telling me to stop the elf stuff and focus on my school work. She said that she and Dad were not paying good money for my education just to see me mess around. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Oh boy. She didn’t realize this was all part of your schooling? |
| Elf Trixie | Nope. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | So..what happened? |
| Elf Trixie | I went home and tried to explain it all. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | And? |
| Elf Trixie | It was a disaster. They didn’t understand. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | That all sounds normal to me. |
| Elf Trixie | Yes, I understand that now. But I didn’t at the time. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | So what did you do about it? |
| Elf Trixie | What could I do about it? I didn’t do anything. I came back and started a new semester and kept working as an elf. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | But by this point you like elf work? |
| Elf Trixie | I love it, Crash. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Ok, so what changed? |
| Elf Trixie | I just did the work. I just focused on others. Now I see everything I do as helping others. It’s a good feeling. |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Trixie, I think you just made the point today that Santa and Ernest wanted you to make. |
| Elf Trixie | I did? What did I say? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | You just said that working for the good of others is what you did. That’s the answer. |
| Elf Trixie | I have answers? |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Of course you do. Thanks for sharing your story. Let’s open up for questions now. |
| Elf Trixie | Okay. |
| Elf Max | Trixie…Max here. |
| Elf Max | You moved up kind of fast |
| Elf Max | I mean, I’ve never been to the North Pole yet |
| Elf Trixie | Yeah, I know. My whole story is weird |
| Elf Max | Do you think it would be hard for me to get into the University? |
| Elf Trixie | Gol. No. |
| Elf Max | What do I need to do? |
| Elf Trixie | Do you need to go? I thought you already finished school |
| Elf Max | I did. But I really want to go to the North Pole. |
| Elf Trixie | Hmmm. Who’s your boss? |
| Elf Max | Ernest |
| Elf Trixie | I’d talk to him |
| Elf Crash Murphy | Good advice. |
| Elf Max | Good chat today. Trixie. I think you’re great! |
| Elf Trixie | Awwwww |
| Elf Max | No. Seriously. You should do more chats |
| Elf Crash Murphy | I agree |
| Elf Trixie | Thanks you guys. |
This is so cool! I was upset about missing the chat- but this was super informing! Thanks!!
Thanks for recording it! It was helpful!
Thank you for posting this I was in the chat but the words kept going by so fast I was having a hard time reading it all so now I can read everything!