Hello again lovelies,

So we’re already another month closer to Christmas, can you believe it?

Since my last post many of you have asked this website for an update on Caran, the new reindeer. I had so much going on in July I completely forgot to tell you more about him, so let me fill you in! Caran has grown into a beautiful, mischievous little boy; I think he gets that from his Dad along with his shiny red nose. But he has also inherited his mother’s graceful moves and strong legs and Santa thinks he will make a fine addition to the sleigh team some day. I cannot wait for the day he makes his first flight, Rudolph and Dancer will be so proud.

I had to take computer lessons the other day as technology has developed so much and yet I have not been keeping up to speed. My Desktop PC in the study of our grotto is ancient and can no longer keep up with the level of work I do for the North Pole. With so many of our systems now being computer operated and our website really taking off it was time for me to pull up my socks and get to grips with modern technology. So a charming little elf by the name of David came to teach me everything I needed to know about uploading photos, downloading information and using the North Pole interface. He also kindly helped to select my new computer - we decided on a notebook so that I could take it around the workshops with me. So Mrs Santa is now the proud owner of an iMac, can you believe your ears my little friends?!

One of my favourite things to do on the World Wide Web is to understand how different children all over the world live and what they enjoy doing. Did you know that in Japan they eat rice, soy soup and sometimes fish for breakfast? And in the Philippines it is common to have garlic fried rice with either caramelised pork or dried beef. I think I might treat the elves to a morning where they can try different foods from all over the globe, it is always fun to try new things especially when it involves cooking in my new kitchen!

I also use the internet to find out more about the toys that are being tested at the Workshop this year. Not only can I learn about the other toys available in a range, or read the manufacturer’s information, I can also read reviews of what children and parents from all over the world think of them. This really helps me and the testers decide what toys make the final toy list and which don’t. I am waiting for Disney to send us through the new High School Musical 3 film and toys that we can test. I have promised all the elves they can some and see the film in my movie room when it arrives, we are all such big fans of Troy, Gabriella and the gang here at the North Pole! I hear there are new books, accessories and toys to go with the film so it should be a very exciting week for us.

Merlin the wizard has just sent me an e-mail with the photos from his latest holiday, the lucky fellow. I have found a clever new website that allows you to choose a photo and have it printed on to anything from a mug to a t-shirt and I think I’ll make Merlin a personalised Christmas gift this year. It is always so hard thinking of presents to buy a man who has lived so long he has everything! But I am sure even Merlin has never thought to have a calendar made with his very own holiday pictures adorning each month. I think it is such a clever idea that I might even make one for Santa too.

Well my dearies, it really is time for me to say goodbye! I still have a lot of research, hard work and cooking to do today so I best dash.

Toodle pip!

Mrs Santa.xx

31st August 2008

Well hello there dearies!

In my campaign for turning the North Pole green (environmentally speaking anyway!) I was made aware that the boiler at HQ has definitely seen better days. Thinking back that old thing has been here almost as long as Santa and I and given how often we use it it’s no wonder it is on its last legs. Thankfully we have a little elf by the name of Luke who has just trained to fit heating systems; he said he would be delighted to put his training to use helping me. So with a lot of hard work, plus a biscuit or two, Luke had our new boiler fitted without too much disruption to the rest of the Pole. Now Santa and I will spend less on our heating bills and be helping the planet too.

Santa also found out that his sleigh was going to need an upgrade before this Christmas too, it does always seems these things all come at once. With so many extra children each year for him to deliver to it is essential the sleigh is running on top form and can complete the trip within 24hrs. So Peblo, a cheeky little elf obsessed with going fast, came down to the garage to see if he could help Santa out. Who knows what they were doing in there but after a few hours of tinkering the two of them appeared from under the sleigh claiming that this years delivery time would be the quickest ever – we’ll have to wait and see on that one!

I also caught up with MJ, do you remember my little researcher elf that I mentioned to you before? Well she’s been updating me on current trends in children’s toys and it seems like some of her predictions were right. Wall-E, that lovely little film about a cute little robot looking for love, has been a hit at the cinemas and so Wall-E toys are already in high demand. Books, games, back packs and bubble baths are all flying off the shelves and we need to make sure Santa has enough to meet with demand. Bigger children (or adults as they often like to be called) are apparently going crazy for a new toy too. The Flip Ultra is this fantastic little gadget that allows you to capture videos anywhere and then simply load them onto your computer. I’m not exactly sure how it works but it certainly looks very exciting to me!

Can you believe it; one of the elves from our nursing station fell over and broke her leg! Poor little Leanne can’t put any weight on it for at least six weeks which means she is not allowed to go to work. I know that might sound like a lot of fun to some people but elves enjoy working and poor Leanne was getting so bored that I asked her to help me with a special project. I have bought Santa one of these clever little SatNav thingies and I need her to programme in the addresses of all the good little boys and girls who he will be delivering gifts to on Christmas Eve. It is a very important task and would never get done if I was doing it by myself as I never seem to have much spare time, how lucky Leanne is now available to help.

One of the most exciting things for me this month was the surprise instillation of a movie room to our living quarters. Santa and the elves know how much I love to curl up and watch a good film and this was their little treat for me, it really is the most amazing thing! There are lots of red chairs just like you find in old cinemas and there is even a popcorn machine so I can make my own yummy snacks. Last night I invited all of the female elves in for a girly film night (I think chick flicks is what they call them these days) and we watched all my old favourites; Pretty Woman, Sleepless in Seattle and of course Miracle on 34th Street. It really was a perfect evening.

Well I really must dash now, still so much work to be done and it’s almost August already! Take care my dears and be sure to come back and check my updates for more secrets from Santa’s Grotto.

Mrs Santa.xx

31st July 2008

Hello Dearies,

Can you believe we’re now halfway through the year? The last six months have simply whizzed by in a blur of research and preparation. Well here at the North Pole it’s time to go up a gear as we need to make sure everything is ready in time for December!

You may remember that last month I decided to remodel my kitchen, well since then I’ve been bitten by the DIY bug! Two of our largest workshops and all of the elve’s accommodation has since been made over and it’s all thanks to the dedication of one little elf named Geoff. Geoffrey Bubbles-BumBum is possibly the hardest worker I have ever met and that means a lot coming from someone who works with elves. He does not stop until the job at hand is finished and thanks to him our workforce can now make more toys in less time and have lovely new homes to rest in afterwards. That clever little elf deserves a medal.

But he is not the only one who has been working hard as all over HQ the team have been pulling out all the stops and going that extra mile to make sure this Christmas is the best ever. One little elf called Maisie is in charge of our Disney range and no-one takes their job more seriously than her. Maisie makes sure every toy and film to leave her workshop is in perfect condition and she gives every single item her own personal stamp of approval. Can you imagine how long that must take her? But Maisie loves her job and tells me that her favourite Disney character is still Minnie Mouse. However, the most popular toys this Christmas seem to come from the new films like Wall E and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. With so many new films released each year there are always new things to make!

Speaking of new things there has also been a new arrival in our stables. At the beginning of this month Dancer gave birth to a beautiful baby boy reindeer! Our good friend Dr. Dolittle came by to oversee the birth and thankfully all went well and both Mother and baby are healthy and happy. Rudolph, who is the new baby’s Dad, was delighted at having a son especially when he realised he had inherited his red nose. They decided to call him Caran which means red in Elvish. I think it is a beautiful name and cannot wait to see baby Caran grow into it.

This month I’ve also been encouraging everyone in Christmas Village to think about other ways that we can help the environment. We already recycle all of our paper, tin cans, glass bottles and plastics. Plus Tel, the elf who looks after our fir trees, uses all of our food waste as compost. I’ve been trying to conserve as much energy as possible by turning off lights and appliances when leaving a room and Santa has even suggested we look into switching to an energy supplier that uses green, renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power. I believe that every little helps so this is definitely something we will look into.

Well I’m afraid that is all I have time to write this month as Caran needs to be checked on and someone has to make Santa’s dinner – he wants a Madras tonight!

Until next time dearies, stay safe and well,

Mrs Santa.xx

30th June 2008

Hello my lovelies, what a month it has been!

After taking such an interest in my own garden last month I decided it was also about time I went and checked up on the progress of our Christmas tree garden. The person in charge of planting, growing and felling our magnificent firs is a hard-working little chap elf called Tel. What he doesn’t know about our firs is just not worth knowing and he ensures that every year we have enough trees and that they are all delivered to their correct destinations. Last year Tel decorated the entire garden with beautiful fairy lights the week before they were due to be taken away, the result was breathtaking and absolutely magical! I do love outdoor lights.

Each year we provide some of the most glamorous and prestigious venues with their fir tree, hand decorated by either me or the elves here at the North Pole. Last year we were asked to supply the tree for Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End, that was such a treat. In fact they were so impressed with the tree we delivered that myself and Santa have actually been invited back to see The Phantom of the Opera at the theatre, what a wonderful treat. Santa and I do enjoy going out to either the theatre or the movies but with such a hectic schedule it can be hard to find the time to do. Thank heavens for our home cinemaand popcorn maker, at least at the end of a hard day we know we can sit down with the elves and have a well deserved rest!

Talking of hard work, I went down to HQ the other day to pop my head in the door and say hello to our Toy Testers. Their job is extremely important as once our Research Elves decide what is going to be popular our testers must make sure that it is a safe and fun toy that can be replicated in our workshops. They can often be up until all hours making sure they have tested every element of a toy, although I can’t help but think that they actually choose to stay up late with the toys they like! For example one of our chief testers, a cheeky little elf known as G, did a 48hr testing marathon when the Mario Kart game came out on the Wii. I think this was half due to his dedication and half because he loved playing the game so much! The latest gadget to hit their shelves is an Outdoor Gnome Bowling Game which is not only so funny to look at but also an engaging garden game. I only hope our neighbours the Gnome’s don’t get the wrong idea!

One thing I have tried to make more time for this year is cooking. As well as helping me relax, cooking with the right foods can also help improve my diet and so I have been taking culinary lessons from a lovely French elf called PP. She has taught me how to make some wonderful dishes including bruscetta, risotto, paella, steamed salmon and more! To celebrate my new found love of the kitchen Santa even treated to a beautiful new set of saucepans and a wonderful French Cookbook. I think he is looking forward to some of the new meals I will be preparing for him, although I have heard the occasional grumble that I’m not learning how to make a ‘proper curry’! Maybe once I have mastered the basics of French cuisine, Indian food should be my next challenge, after all Santa does love his curry.

The only problem with all of this cooking is it means I’m desperate to get a new kitchen! I need more storage space, a bigger food preparation are and ideally some lovely new appliances, at the moment I only have the basics in our personal kitchen as I tend to join the elves in the huge workshop kitchens. So I’ve been having a look around at fancy coffee machines, built-in dishwashers and new cabinets. There’s actually a very clever little online tool on the B&Q website that I’ve been using to help me visualise new styles, the Kitchen Planner, and it really is so clever! I’d highly recommend it to any one who, like me, just isn’t quite sure what they are after. It allows you to preview stylers before you spend your money, how smart.

Well now May is all tied up I’ve really got to decide what to get done this month; so much to do and so little time to do it in dearies!
Stay safe and remember to check back with me again next month for another update.

Take Care,

Mrs Santa.xx

31 May 2008

Cooey, it’s me again.

And with Spring truly here I decided to give mine and Santa’s home a good spring clean, heaven knows it gets messy enough across our busy period! So I treated myself to a whole host of new cleaning accessories from my new favourite store, JML Direct plus Santa also let me buy one of those very clever new Dyson vacuum cleaners. Do you know the one I mean? It’s the clever one with the ball that allows you to go around corners? It really is so fantastic!

With the house done I then took on the help of Jan, one of our green-fingered elves, to help spruce up my garden. Many years ago Santa built me a magical dome under which I could house my plants without fear of the North Pole freezing them all to death so Jan and I went about replanting and trimming back for the summer. One of my favourite things about the garden are the noises it creates and so to add to this I invested in a new Alan Titchmarsh Glencar  water feature. And to encourage my dear little winged friends to come out of hiding I bought a Glass Bird Feeder too! Now my garden will look and sound beautiful and will provide me with a beautiful space to escape too when the workshop gets too much.

Once my cleaning was out of the way I then decided that my home was not the only thing that needed to get into shape, I did too. Although I am always on my feet, rushing here there and everywhere to get things done, I realised that I never really got time to exercise. At my age it is very important to stay in shape; hundreds of years of work plus a sugar-heavy diet will take its toll on anyone! So I had a little chat with Santa and we agreed that the most fun way to stay healthy would be to treat ourselves to a Nintendo Wii along with that amazing new game Wii Fit. That balance board is trickier to use than you might think but once I got the hang of it I was mastering yoga moves in no time!

So with a tidy house and a beautiful garden and an action plan to keep in shape I realised the only thing that needed an overhaul was my wardrobe. I know most of you think I wear my gorgeous red velvet dress all the time, but the truth is it’s just too thick and heavy for me to wear all year long. In fact as the months get warmer it becomes more and more unbearable. However, I do like to keep to our festive colours and so Hayley, one of the very stylish designer elves, helped me choose some new clothes for the coming months. We agreed that at my age you can’t be too exposed, but still managed to find some stunning dresses to help me feel comfortable and glamorous all at the same time! By far my favourites are a gorgeous Red Linen dress and a Green Silk Print skirt, now I just need Summer to arrive.

Well a tidy home is a happy home and indeed Santa and I and all the elves are happy working on the plans for Christmas 2008. I’d better head back to the workshop now and make sure everything is on schedule but I promise to write again next month so make sure you come back and take another peek!

Until then, 

Mrs Santa.xx

29 April 2008

Hello again my Dearies,

it’s been a very busy month here in the North Pole! We celebrate Easter here at the workshop too and as a special treat the Easter Bunny popped in for lunch. The poor thing was exhausted after delivering all his eggs but he made time to come and see myself and Mr Claus and even bought us a gift! We are now the proud owners of a Rainbow Maker which is a fantastic little device which adds an extra bit of magic to our home, we love it. I have hung it up in the Elf Nursery as the little elves seem to be fascinated by the mini rainbows it creates, one little elf Ethan says it look like fairies dancing on the walls.

I have also been hard at work helping one of our researcher elves, Jody, look into anything that might be popular this Christmas so we can get a head start in the factory. Definitely one of the most exciting things, she believes, will be the release of the new Harry Potter film in November this year. Mr Claus and I have watched Harry Potter and The Flight of the Phoenix so many times and we are very excited about the new release. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was a fantastic book and we think, just like the other five books, this one will be just as exciting on the big screen. Maybe if we are very lucky we can arrange a screening of the film for all of the elves once the Christmas rush is over.

MJ, a very clever elf that oversees all of the toys we produce each year, also thinks that portable music players will be popular again this year. I still remember when Santa and I use to dance to the records we played on our Gramophone, but MJ tells me that these days people use mp3 players to take their music around with them. She thinks the new iPod nano and iPod touch will still be very much in demand around Christmas. I certainly hope we have enough technical elves to build these new-fangled music players, we don’t want to disappoint people at Christmas. When I first became Mrs Claus we still made almost all of the toys out of wood!

So with all systems go in the workshops I decided to plan a little working holiday for myself. I really want to learn more about modern fashion and for me there is only one place on earth to do this, Paris. Home to some of the most prestigious fashion houses (and some great cake shops for Mr Claus’ present) I really think it’s time I took a trip to France. Our travel elf, Dade, has been helping me look at my options; I really wanted to go on the Euro Star but sadly it does not pick up passengers from the North Pole.  However he has helped me find a charming little Bed & Breakfast for a couple of nights plus he has bought me a ticket to Disneyland Paris which should be so much fun! I’ll be sure to pack my camera so you can take a look at some of my holiday snaps.

Well I had better dash, so much work to do and I haven’t even thought about what I’ll pack for Paris!

Be sure to come back soon and read my next letter,

Mrs Santa.xx

31 March 2008

Hello Dearies!

I’m sure you’re all wondering  what I have to write about in the Spring, I’m sure you think Santa and I are on holiday until at least the Autumn, but sadly that is no longer the case. With the Earth’s population increasing every year Santa and his team have to start preparing for Christmas earlier and earlier and this year was no exception. The only break we had was a fortnight in Disneyland Florida starting on Christmas Day!

Now it’s noses to the grindstone as we get back to the workshop and start what I think is the best job in the world – getting all the presents ready for Christmas Eve! The first job on Santa’s list is to ensure all of the Elves know their job for the year. Many people think that all Elves make toys but that is not the case, the Elves have many special talents and it is part of my role to help Santa choose the right Elf for each task.

One of the most important tasks that can be given to an Elf is compiling the Naughty List; this is the list that tells Santa which little boys & girls have been naughty or nice, it’s how he decides who will get a gift from him each year. This year, after some very serious consideration, we gave the job of Chief Naughty List Writer to an Elf named Ryno who last year did a great job baking cakes in the North Pole Patisserie. Santa loves his cakes and was so impressed by how hard Ryno worked and how light and fluffy his sponge was that he decided to hand him this prestigious title. At only 200yrs old many of the other Elves have been mumbling that Ryno is too young for the job but Santa and I have never been wrong before!

So whilst the list is being compiled I work with some of our designer Elves to decide what wrapping paper and ribbons we’ll be using this year. One little Elf named Pammy has a particular talent for this and makes the prettiest gift bows you have ever seen! This year she is talking about using fairy dust to really make the snowflakes on our gift wrap sparkle, I cannot wait to see her ideas come to life on paper. No-one wraps presents quite like we do here at the North Pole. : )

And one of my final jobs this Spring is to work with our PR Elves to ensure that the spirit of Christmas is kept alive; without this magical feeling the North Pole would simply cease to exist! Luckily we have a wonderful Elf named Sassy who works with everyone from Hollywood film producers to Nursery school teachers to ensure that the magic of Christmas is not forgotten. If it wasn’t for her then even Santa and I might not be here anymore!

Well it’s all go, go, go so I must dash my Dearies. I’m off to make Santa his supper, he does love a good curry so I think that’s what I’ll have the Elf Chefs help me create tonight. There’s nothing like a bit of Indian Spice to keep the joints moving nicely!

Bye Bye for now and I will post again at the end of March so please call back then.

Mrs Santa.xx

26th February 2008