My wife and I were having our breakfast in the dining hall when we noticed a little commotion among some of the elves. “What is that all about?” Anya wondered aloud.
Suddenly, a loud voice announced, “I don’t understand why everyone acts like Santa’s job is impossible.” Elliott, one of our newest elves, stood up and placed his hands on his hips. “I could do it!”
My wife gasped.
Dishes hit the tables.
Angry mumbling flowed from table to table.
“Impossible!” Carter, the mailroom clerk, exclaimed. “He delivers presents to every child in one night!”
“With the help of the reindeer, a lot of us elves, and magic!” the young elf responded.
When Bernard started towards the elf, I put my hand on his shoulder. “I have this,” I whispered.
“So, you believe I have an easy job?” I said as I walked up to Elliott.
“Absolutely! I’m sure I could do it. After all I am organized, fast, and great with people.”
“Hmm.” I stroked my beard and nodded. “Okay then. Tomorrow you can be me for a day. Show up in my office at 5:00 a. m. sharp.”
Even though scoffs and jeers flooded the dining hall, the young elf grinned so hard his ears wiggled. “You’re on Santa.”
The next morning, Elliott arrived promptly. I chuckled when my replacement for the day entered wearing a cotton ball beard, oversized boots, and a small red coat, with a pillow stuffed under his shirt to make his belly bigger.
I handed the elf my schedule and waited.
When the new Santa looked at the list, I watched his smile turn into a frown faster than an elf can eat a chocolate chip pancake.
5:00 a.m. — Review overnight letters
5:30 a.m. — Settle workshop supply dispute
6:00 a.m. — Help reindeer team with training issues
6:30 a.m. — Review and approve toy safety updates
7:00 a.m. — Meet with Fixens about production breakdowns
7:30 a.m. — Breakfast
Scratching his head, Elliott asked, “All this before we get breakfast?”
“Just a typical morning. The letters are on my desk. I’ll be right here if you need any help.”
“I best get to it then.” The young Santa took a seat behind my desk and began reading letters.
“This is easy,” he told me as he placed gift requests from boys and girls in two different stacks.
Suddenly, Elliott, looking lost, leaned back in my chair and stared at the letter in his hands.
Dear Santa,
My little brother is scared of the dark. Could you bring him something to help him be brave?
Mia
“Problem?” I asked.
“Something brave?” he muttered. “That’s not even a toy category.”
He shook his head and placed the letter in a new pile. Then picked up another.
Dear Santa,
My dad lost his job this year. I really don’t need anything. Maybe just something to make my dad and mom happy again.
Jimmy
“The Wish Lists are not just about toys,” he mumbled. Clearing his throat, he read the letter aloud. My little friend shrugged. “How do you deal with these requests, Santa?”
“It’s not easy sometimes, but …”
Before I could finish, my office door flew open, banging into the wall. Two elves entered, arguing with each other.
Confused, Hanfin looked back and forth at me and Elliott sitting behind my desk.
After I nodded towards Elliott, the furious elf looked at my stand-in and shouted, “I need the silver glitter for rocket ships!”
“No, I need it for the snow globes!” yelled Sully without hesitation.
My replacement waved his hands. “Calm down! We’ll just split it evenly.”
Both elves put their hands on their hips and groaned loudly.
“That won’t work,” Hanfin said. “Rocket ships need more.”
“And snow globes can’t be half-glittery!” Sully said.
Elliott looked helplessly at me.
“I think if you both go down to the supply room, you’ll find a crate of glitter by the dock. It just came in yesterday,” I informed the elves, rescuing my replacement.
“Thanks, Santa,” they hollered and hurried off.
“That wasn’t as easy as I expected. I guess you need to know more than I thought,” the youngster said.
“Yes, you do, if you want to solve problems.”
Elliott agreed sheepishly and looked at the schedule. “Guess we should head over to check on the reindeer training.”
When we arrived at the barn, the two of us headed into the pasture behind it. Guacho stood there shaking his head gently.
“What seems to be the problem?” Elliott asked.
“Dasher refuses to practice his takeoffs. When he does, he always veers to the left.”
My apprentice walked over to the reindeer, grabbed his bridle, and looked him straight in the eyes. “Dasher, you need to straighten out and fly properly!”
I chuckled softly. “You might want to try asking Dasher what’s wrong first.”
New Santa sighed, as if to tell me he already knew that. “Dasher, what’s the problem?”
The reindeer nudged his harness.
The rookie Santa took a look and found that one buckle on the harness was twisted and rubbing Dasher’s side.
After Elliott straightened the harness, Dasher snorted and leapt into the air with a joyful whoosh.
I patted the novice on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Leadership isn’t always about telling others what to do. Sometimes it’s noticing what they need.”
By the time we joined the others in the dining hall at 7:30 for breakfast, the novice Santa was exhausted.
Collapsing into a chair next to me, he began shoveling chocolate chip pancakes into his mouth.
“How do you do this every day?” he asked between bites.
“I have help,” I said and poured him some hot cocoa.
“But everyone comes to you for answers. Where’s your help?”
I smiled. “They don’t always come for answers. Sometimes they come for encouragement, or maybe just to be heard.”
The young elf hesitated, then asked, “It’s not just delivering presents, is it? You’re taking care of everyone.”
I nodded. “That’s the real job.”
When we finished breakfast, Elliott took off his red coat and syrup-stained cotton beard.
“I’m sorry, Santa. I thought being you was easy. I only saw the sleigh and presents, you know, the fun stuff. I didn’t understand how you listen, solve problems, or even push others to be their best. And all the little decisions you make every day is way too much. Jeez, I’m worn out.”
I laughed and patted the elf on the back. “Thanks, Elliott, but you did better than you think.”
“I did?”
“Yes! You discovered that if you support and encourage others, they grow and do even better in their work. That’s an important lesson for anyone, even a Santa-in-Training, to learn.”
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story (#202). Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday, July 4, 2026. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until the next time . . .
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