The song is over...

Hey there my friends,

 

Sorry this last blog for the season is late. I have to admit I was really wiped out after seeing my fans and, of course, all the deliveries.  So again I am sorry I am late, but here I am.

 

Now on to the good stuff.

 

Numbers. We all just love numbers! As of today, the final numbers are not yet in from the photo company who tracks the total number of packages bought and number of groups seen. But after much conversing, we can show the following:

• 3 dog photos (we are only allowed to do service animals, MI law)
• 3,066 photo packages purchased (estimate)
• 12,359 kids/groups/families saw Santa
• 37,077 total photos taken of Santa over the 2011 season (includes official, personal, and extra family unit shots)

The last couple of days before Christmas were almost a blur they went by so fast! On Dec. 23rd my day included seeing my fans and all the packing up for my departure on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve I saw the last of my fans before the big day and I even took the photo below.

 



The first of the last day fans.

I also took a quick photo of all the letters, wish lists, and art from Santa's fans this year. They are in a 2.5 x .5 x 3 ft trunk that is full to the top! I had to push them down to make room and for easy transportation to the Elves for reading, sorting, and trying to fulfill wishes. Yes, the record breaking 27+ ft list is in the trunk as well. People could not believe it when I showed it to everyone on the last day. I will add a photo of that again for your enjoyment.

 




All 27+ ft of wishes

 


The trunk with all the goodies

 

 

 

 

I also had a visit on the last day from some...well, just look below and figure it out. Santa is at a loss for words other than CUTE!!! (Yes, that could be a first).

 

Love the hats!



And they're even cuter close up!!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would like to thank the mall staff for making me feel right at home.  Randy, Matt, and poor Amanda who had to deal with us every day - Thank you again!!

 

I also need to say thanks to the photo staff who had the easy job of making me look even more wonderful, and getting the kids to smile. I am sure Richard (the boss) will miss picking Santa up everyday, and Noah who snapped photos from 10am-5pm almost everyday. I will say to Kristen that I am proud you shared with me, and I am truly sad I could not be of more help. Yes, folks, Santa can NOT fix everything as much as he would like to. Oh, and Beth I am waiting for my art work. And yes, Santa is patient.

 

Santa would like everyone to know that all the elves have come home from there host familys. They are looking forward to next year when they can come back around Thanksgiving.

 

I didn't want to add the following numbers to the numbers above, but over the past four years there have been just over 90,000 photos taken of Santa. Whew! I think I'm seeing spots!

Next season is only 327 days away. If Santa is needed earlier, please send me an email or call and I will try to respond faster than the time taken to write this last blog.  :)

  



Yep, my better half!



Take care and my God bless you all in 2012!

 

Santa

Some Chubby Lady Is Warming Up Her Voice!

Today, I'll start with the answers to the most recent trivia questions:  1) Rudolph is my youngest reindeer, and 2) The country of origin is present-day Turkey! How did you do? (Lowell, you need to listen more to Gene Autrey.)

You know it's getting near the end when a parent comes flying into the Santa set with her stroller and six kids in tow saying, "Gee, I made it!" and in turn, changes her infant's complete outfit and diaper. In the meantime, the rest of her kids are knocking everything over they touch. Finally, Santa had to have a little chat with a boy who was yelling in Santa's ear out of turn while Santa was listening to another little boy share what he wanted for Christmas. GOOD THING the season doesn't start this way...or Santa would never make it!!!

Any guesses who this is? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Santa has an heir to his workshop. And yes, permanent marker was used.

From the pictures below, I will make special mention of two of them. As most of you know, it is almost impossible for Santa to fly back and forth between the North Pole and the mall every day. It's too hard on the reindeer! So Santa stays at an Inn. Two of the many people who took very good care of Santa are Anne and Sarah. Santa would like to say a special Thank You to them because they made Santa's stay at the Inn very pleasant!




Santa receives a gift! 



Santa Gnome..




Anne.





Sarah.




Even Super Hero's talk to Santa.



Was somebody shy?



Over the last few days I have received many reports of how well-behaved my Elves have been with their host families. In fact, two Elves that are staying next door to each other attached a Zip Line between the houses so they could visit each other when the host families were out of town. And both host families thought it was GREAT!

It's always fun to see excited children! We had one extremely excited little boy today who was jumping like he was on a Pogo stick all the way from the waiting area to Santa's Big Chair. And another little girl who ran so hard with all her might toward Santa that she almost knocked Santa off his chair and onto the floor! (Not kidding!) Those two alone made my day...and I still had many, many other children who were a delight!

In the past two days, I have seen children who live in the following countries: Spain, China, England, Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland and Venezuela. What fun!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and the Elves tell me that my reindeer are in tip top shape and ready to go! Every year that report always makes my heart jump with joy! Don't forget to leave carrots out for them when we stop at your house. They will need a lot of refueling along the way.

I will do one more blog on Christmas Day to wrap up the season. Thanks for being a blog follower!

Santa's going to head off to bed and get extra rest tonight. I will talk to you next on Christmas Day if you happen to be asleep when I stop by on Christmas Eve.

Sweet dreams,
Santa

I've Been Hit! I've Been Hit!

It seems that almost every year some little darling - boy or girl - comes close to wiping out Santa...and when Santa gets wiped out, it's a major ordeal! Yesterday, Santa got nailed good by a little boy. He was too excited to see Santa. Luckily, I had back-up clothes with me. So now Santa has a freshly cleaned uniform for his world tour.

Here's the answer to my Pop Quiz question:  Vixen! (And she does feel slighted that you did not know.)

On a sad note, I just learned from one of my Elves that "Grandma Claus" passed away this summer. Over the past few years you have read about her in my blogs. She was a wonderful, sweet lady who was "Mrs. Claus" during WWII and after, and part of her uniform dated back to 1927. She will be very deeply missed!

Today Santa had a number of young men come in - either by themselves or with a loved one - for their picture with Santa as they are going to be deployed the day after Christmas. Santa told each of them how grateful we all are for their service!

Just for the bloggers who like to play with numbers, it has been determined with some quick figuring that over the course of the past four years,I am extremely close - if I have not yet reached - having over 70,000 pictures taken of me with my fans! That number even astonishes me...because it feels like it should be WAY more!!!

Much to my enjoyment, I'm getting more and more updates from my younger fans on how my Elves on a Shelf are doing. Everyone will be glad to hear that all reports over the past few days prove that my little chat with the Elves the other day has improved their behavior. Maybe part of it is that as we get closer to Christmas, there is less time to be bored.

I have had a couple of questions I've had to clarify regarding my Elves which include, "Can the Elves stay longer?" or "Can the Elves stay all year?" My answer, unfortunately, is "No." The agreement Santa made with the Elves was that I would be willing to let them go to host homes if they would come back either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. They will not be gone forever, though. Every Elf can return to their host homes again next year around Thanksgiving. I know some of my little fans were very disappointed (including some of my Elves), but they understood.

Below is an assortment of pictures from the past few days. Hope you enjoy!


Noah - Head Photogragher



The Few, The Proud, The Brave...

 

Santa in training??  Where's the hat?



Some of my fan mail!



Watch the beard! Watch the beard!




A Snoopy ornament from a fan!

Here's two new trivia questions. (Please contact me or Mrs. Claus with your answers.)

1. Which one of my reindeer is the youngest?
2. In what Country did Santa (St. Nick) start the famous traditions we now have?  Hint: It is NOT the USA or England.

Sweet dreams,
Santa

Another day down!

Hey there,

Well, my friends, it is less than 9 days until the big day and you would be surprised how many kids and kids-at-heart have no idea what they want from Santa. But they sit on the Big Guy's lap for some kind of divine intervention. Unfortunately, I do not read minds...but I do make recommendations - like long underwear (and yes, I have had kids take me up on it), a pink dress or a doll for boys (man that starts the memory to flow!), and a monster truck for girls....

The most requested toys this year include: Legos and Barbies, Batman's Bat Cave, a game called Bakugan, DSI, IPod Touch, Pogo sticks, chapter books, and anything remote control.

Just so everybody knows, it has been announced that the following toys will no longer be produced after this Christmas: #1 the Nintendo DS, and much to my surprise #2 GI Joe's and their accessories. So when kids ask for these items, I tell the parents right away that Santa might have a bit of a challenge fulfilling these requests as they are no longer being manufactured. (Remember, kids. Santa doesn't make all of the toys myself. He has to have help from his friends.)

I do need to say a couple of things about bed time for my younger fans. Santa has been around a long time (and has been around the world, too - no kidding!) and there are no monsters, snakes, or bats sleeping under your bed or in your closet. I am very sure your mom or dad would never let you sleep in a room with something like that in it. So take it from Santa - say your prayers, hug your parents, close your eyes, and have a good night's sleep.

Speaking of sleeping...my Elf on a Shelf Silly told me about his host family and even provided me with photos of Brady and Lucas. (See below - used with permission.) In case you are wondering what Silly looks like, somehow I've got a picture of him in his host family's tree. Silly gave me the note he's holding in the picture that says Lucas would like me to bring him the game "Minnesota Cuke."  I will have to think on that one and let my research elves look it over.

Brady's out cold sleeping with the snowmen!

Lucas is having sweet dreams on his penguin pillow!

Silly being silly!

Today I have a good story to share. A little girl came up to see the Big Guy (me) and I sat her on my left knee. She looked at me and said, "Santa, last year you had me on the other knee." I offered to switch for her but she said, "Nope. Change is good!"  Man, if more people could remember that we'd all be better off!

For all those wondering how Santa is feeling, I am doing MUCH better and should be absolutely wonderful in 8 days! (hee, hee) But really, I am feeling better. Also, some of you are probably wondering why I am not adding in the total number of people seen like I've done in past years. The main reason is that the company helping me out this year doesn't give out daily totals until the end of the season. So I am going to ask tonight to see if they have an approximation. I can safely say that we are for sure in the 1,000s, if not in the 10,000s.

Today I learned from a little boy that his Elf on a Shelf went with his family on a Caribbean Cruise! I guess he scared the cabin attendants a few times because they kept seeing Elf TomTom in different places each day. Other than that, Elf TomTom did very well and did not get sea sick! Now Santa needs to talk to Elf TomTom about not telling Santa about this trip.

Have you purchased any carrots for Rudolph yet? He and Dasher have been asking.

EXTRA CREDIT QUIZ QUESTION:  Of all the reindeer, which one is most forgotten?
Feel free to email Santa or Mrs. Claus with your answer!

Sweet dreams,

Santa

Two Handfuls!

Good evening, dear bloggers!

Santa does not even need a calendar to know when it's time to start getting the sleigh ready for its yearly voyage. All I have to do is wait for some of my helpers to start quitting and heading home for the season.

The first short-timer - Beth - left today. (See her picture below with the Big Guy.) Some of you will remember her. She is the only one hired back from last year. Two more short-timers are leaving in the next few days. Good thing my elves are dependable!

Today, as we were taking pictures with my many fans, our brand new camera decided to fall to pieces. (It FRIED! :\ ) Our back-up camera is "Bohemoth" - the monster of all cameras (see picture below). This thing weighs almost as much as my sleigh does. It's going to be a FUN day tomorrow! Only nine days to put up with this thing.

The following picture is of "Richard the Fearless" again. This time he's actually working! (Hee, Hee)

Today Santa got some more reports from kids about their Elves on the Shelf being mischievious. This time it was Elf Betty who toilet papered a tree! I promised the little boy that I would have a chat with Elf Betty tonight and tell her that she had to behave herself. Then 10 minutes later, I learned that Elf Sasha was in need of some talking to because she keeps turning things upside down. And this time, she got herself stuck under a glass vase.

A little boy came to me very concerned today because he accidentally touched his Elf on a Shelf and was afraid that the Elf Jingles had lost all his magic. I asked him, "How much was Elf Jingles touched?" and the little boy replied, "Twice...today." Santa said, "Don't touch him any more today and he should have enough magic to get to the North Pole tonight so that I can restore his magic for him to finish the Christmas season. But don't touch him again." The little boy thanked me and went home with his mom.

The next two pictures are of Santa during a little break action.

And the last picture of the night - Who says life doesn't have a glass ceiling?

Have a fantastic night of sweet dreams and add "carrots" to your grocery list for Rudolph!

Santa

What happened to manners?

Hey everybody!

Alright, lets just say Santa has a pet peeve he would like to express.  I have seen thousands of kids so far this year and I can truly remember only TWO kids say, "Please may I have..." or "Thank you."  I will admit that a lot of parents make their kids say thank you, but that'is not the same.  I hear all day "I want..." or "Give me...." Trust Santa when he tells you he is THRILLED when kids are polite!  Okay, Santa is done now.

Here's a few highlights from the past several days:

1.  Today we had a special guest come to be the Big Guy (me), and it was quite a surprise. (Why is this a surprise to Santa? Well, children are not supposed to touch the elves as their magic might come off...and only Santa can bring the magic back.) A little girl brought Elf Ralph (from Elf on the Shelf) with her for a picture with Santa and to let me know how Elf Ralph is doing. Well, as Head Elf (me) I thanked Ralph for his hard work, and asked him if he had anything to say. I held him up to my ear and he whispered that he likes his family. Now Santa can say that he is the Elf Whisperer too.

2. This gem requires a little background, so please read along. Last year, a little girl on my lap kept pulling my beard. Not just one time, but MANY!  While talking to me (and after her 4th - 5th yank) her mom walked up to us and yanked the girl's pony tail (and really good, too). The girl yelled "Mom, that hurts!" (as she grabs the back of her head). Mom looked at her and said "Now you know how Santa feels." The little girl just looked at me wide-eyed, hopped off my lap and walked away.  SOOO today this same little girl jumped in my lap and said "Do you remember me? I will not pull your beard this year." I thanked her very much and asked how she was? She said that she was good, but did get in trouble last year even after she left me. The things kids remember!

3.  Yesterday a little girl was just going on about what she wanted...and in "toddler words" to boot. When this happens I usually ask them if they want a Santa tickle. Some say yes, but most say no. However, when I asked her if she wanted a Santa tickle, all of a sudden in very clear English she said, "Maybe in two days!" Well, that brought down the whole place including Santa, the helpers, the girl's parents, and most of the crowd! Everyone laughed!

4. Now Santa knows that it's very exciting to come and see me in person. I do understand that with all the build up...parents prepping the kids...getting lists ready...grandma and grandpa coming...getting all dressed up can be a little mind blowing! At one point on Saturday, Santa was able to stand up and walk for a few seconds to stretch his legs. When I do, I wave at all the kids and the kids at heart. Well, 100 feet away two kids (one of each) were heading my way all dressed up so I did my Santa wave to say , "Hi!" The whole food court stopped chewing to see what happened. Both kids grabbed a lung full of air (at the exact same moment) and let out an ear-piercing scream for all to hear. And it was LOUD!! It even startled mom and dad. As the kids came closer, they went nuts kicking, pushing away from their parents, and crying. I waved my hand over my head and shook my head meaning NO. The parents stopped and one of my helpers went over to them asking if it would calm the kids to try again a different day. Never a dull moment when Santa is in the house...or...that will teach me to stand up!...I don't know which.

OK, now for some pictures...

The first one is of Santa with the Manager of all things photo.

Richard the fearless!

This one is of one of the Elves with 2 of the helpers in my big chair.  I just happened to be at lunch.



OK, what is with the belt?  When the boss is away...

Just a quick HI to my relations who are living it up in MPLS. I hope everyone is having a great time! Santa will see you soon.

Happy dreams, I get to sleep in tomorrow! Yeah!

Santa

Did I Hear 17 Days to Go?

Hello fans!!!

Let me first update you on how Santa's feeling. I am not doing any better, in fact my voice makes me sound a lot like Barry White. I'm hoping tomorrow will show some kind of improvement. Please keep thinking good Santa thoughts for me.

The other day a little boy waited patiently in line to see Santa. As it turns out, he ended up not wanting to talk about presents or anything like that. He was mad and felt that he needed to tell Santa about Jiffy - his "Elf on a Shelf." (For those who are not familiar with Santa's "Elf on a Shelf," feel free to go to www.elfonashelf.com) So when it was the little boy's turn with Santa, he stopped about 2 feet in front of me, put his hands on his hips and said, "Santa, we need to talk about Jiffy!" I said, "We do?" He said, "Yes, he's been very bad!" Now, being Santa I hear a lot of names and places...so I'm running through my brain all the options of what a "Jiffy" would be...and not thinking of any kid that would fit the situation, I asked the little boy, "Well, What did Jiffy do?"

The little boy looked at me with all seriousness and said, "Jiffy toilet papered our tree!"

At this point I'm looking at the mom for some help, and saw that she was just dying laughing. So in my head I go, "Aha, he's talking about his Elf."  So I asked, "Are you talking about your Elf?"

And he gives me this look and said, "Yeah!?!"

"Well, what makes you think Jiffy did it?"

"Well, we looked at the end of the toilet paper roll and Jiffy was asleep holding the roll."

"What tree are we talking about?"

He looked exasperated at me and said, "The Christmas Tree!"

I glanced at the parents again and they are just about on the floor laughing. And I realized that I've got to respond to this very seriously.

So I said, "Now, let Santa get this right. One of my elves from Elf on the Shelf toilet papered your Christmas tree and you caught him?"

He said, "Yes! And I had to clean up the mess!"

So keeping a straight face (which was VERY difficult) I said, "Well, sometimes the elves get bored." Then I reached out and put my hands on the boy's shoulder, looked at him square in the face and said, "Tonight, when Jiffy reports in, I will tell him that what he did was very naughty and he should not do that again because that's not what we do."

The little boy said, "Okay, Santa. You take care of it."

I then asked the boy, "Can I give you a hug?"

He agreed, so I gave him a big Santa hug and told him again that I would talk to Jiffy and tell him to behave. I also thanked him for telling me about Jiffy.

Santa did talk to Jiffy and he promised to do better!

Speaking of elves, I want you to know that Elf Silly reported that Lucas made him an "I Love You" card with a heart on it. Silly thought it was great and so does Santa! I think Silly is very happy with his new assignment at the Franks. (By the way, I did tell Silly not to toilet paper the Frank's tree.)

I don't have a lot of new pictures because my helpers have been slacking off! The two I do have should prove to be interesting:

#1 is a little girl who used heavy brown packaging paper - about 4 feet of it - to make her list. In the photo she is holding only half of this list.

#2 is a group of ladies from the store SHI (a shoe store in the mall). Per their company, they all had to get a picture together with Santa, and they really went all out - including bringing their company mascot, a squirrel.

Hope you have good thoughts tonight dreaming about Christmas!

Santa