As my wife and I arrived at the dining hall, we heard the lively voices of the elves. Settling into our chairs at the table by the fire, Anya gave me a weird look. “Don’t the elves sound louder than normal? What’s going on?”
“Ho Ho Ho,” I chuckled. “It’s getting close to June, when they all get time off before Christmas manufacturing and production kick into high gear.”
“Of course, I should’ve known. They’re making plans!”
“While most of the elves go back home to Elfkoti on Korvatunturi Mountain in Lapland, Finland, I’ve noticed that in the last few years more of the elves go exploring like we do,” I explained. “My guess is they are busy planning the kind of adventures that only a group of Christmas elves could dream up.”
When Blanch brought our dinner to the table, I stopped her. “The elves seem really excited this evening. Are they all planning their summer vacations?”
The head of the kitchen looked around the room as she informed me, “Mostly they’re teasing each other for tonight’s Vaca Party.”
“Tonight’s what?” Anya interrupted. “You’ll have to explanation that.” My wife laughed and turned to listen.
“Vaca… tion. The elves decided to get together this year and share vacation plans as well as help others who aren’t sure what they want to do with their free time in June.” Blanch giggled and poked me in the ribs with her elbow. “I’m even serving up a new cookie Santa, and I know how much you love cookies. You and Ms. Claus should come. Starts at 7:00.”
After we finished eating and took our daily stroll around the village, Ms. Claus and I quietly slipped into the Community Room to hear what our elves had to share with one another.
“Maybe if we listen, we’ll get some ideas of places we should visit,” my wife whispered.
I nodded as the two of us sat down to listen to Doheny.
“I’m taking a baking class at the Sugarplum Academy!” she told her kitchen friends. “They’re teaching how to make frozen fudge pops shaped like reindeer.”
“Ooooh, I can’t wait to taste one of them,” said Carter, leaning forward. “But instead of exploring food, I’m going to Snowflake Falls with my cousin! There’s this cave behind the waterfall where the snow glows blue in the summer.”
“Nice,” Fizzlepop remarked, adjusting his fluffy scarf. “I’m going to build a giant snow fort on Iceberg Hill and challenge Santa’s friend, Polar Pete, to a snowball fight.”
The group laughed. “You better have Nippy the Snowman on your side if you want to beat Polar Pete!” Doheny exclaimed.
Anya and I chuckled and bobbed our heads in approval. Soon, we moved on to the next group and heard Berrie, known for her big ideas, explain a trip to Candy Cane Cove. “I heard they do midnight snow-surfing competitions on frozen waves.”
“Midnight surfing?” Jingle raised an eyebrow.
“Yup!” Berrie said, beaming. “Under the northern lights. And I’m gonna win.”
“Sounds like fun,” Judy giggled. “But this June I’m staying home and hosting a Cocoa-and-Movie Night marathon. We’ll watch every Christmas movie ever made, even the bad ones.”
“Count me in,” Tinsel replied quickly. “I LOVE your hot cocoa!”
“After watching all those movies, I hope you and your friends will recommend the top ten,” Ms. Claus suggested. “That way we can make a point to watch them leading up to Christmas.”
“If they even have time,” I laughed and led Ms. Claus to the next group. “Remember, these are their plans for June, not the final weeks leading up to Christmas.” I gave her a side hug as we sat down to hear what Quinten had to share.
“I’m thinking seriously about taking a sleigh-camping trip to the Glitter Glaciers. I’m packing a hammock, intend to roast some marshmallows, and maybe even write up a few new toy ideas while the auroras dance overhead.”
“So, as the head of Research and Development, you are going on vacation to work?!” I exclaimed. “You realize that this vacation is your time to relax.”
Tinsel shook his head. “You know Quinten. Always has to be planning some new toy or how to improve on what we make.”
While Quinten and the group broke into laughter, Ms. Claus and I slipped away to another table just in time to hear Lyra blurt out, “It’s my time to enjoy Reindeer Bay! I hear the snow dolphins come out in June to swim under the midnight sun.”
“That would be cool,” said Jellybean, eyes sparkling. “I’m going to the Ice Sculpture Festival not too far from Reindeer Bay. I’m carving a giant snow dragon this year! Maybe we could combine the trips and do both?”
“YEAH! I like that. Anyone else interested?” Lyra shouted. Several hands went up as Anya and I went on to the next group.
“Yep, that’s right. I’m taking a snow-boarding trip down the Mystic Mountains,” we heard Booker proudly announce. “Got myself a new board with reindeer antlers painted on it!”
“That definitely fits you, but I’m going south for a while to the Gingerbread Tropics.” Pip stood up to describe the 45 degree weather. “Warm enough for snowball volleyball and cold enough for ice cream sundaes. I’m going to build a sandcastle out of crushed candy canes.”
“What about you, Skippy?” Pip asked. “Are you staying here like you usually do?”
Skippy grinned. “Not this time. I’m making plans with Simon, one of the new elves. We’re thinking of going out to the Aurora Fields, sleeping under the northern lights, making S’mores, and maybe telling some ghost stories about the Abominable Snowman.”
“I heard he’s real!” one of the elves said in a raised voice.
“He is!!” I blurted out.
Suddenly I found all the elves looking at me. “Heddy the Yeti is one of Polar Pete’s best friends,” I explained. “Nice fellow, once you get to know him.”
The elves went silent for a moment until Benard asked, “Wait… Santa. Where are you and Ms. Claus going?”
Looking at my wife, I slid my hand over hers. “As usual, we will explore some places where we can watch the children, and make notes for the Nice or Naughty Lists.”
“And of course,” Anya added, “we’ll do some camping while making our observations and also explore Mother Nature at her best. Right dear?” Anya interrupted.
“Absolutely!”
When Blanch suddenly walked in with her new batch of cookies and hot chocolate, a deafening roar of approval echoed throughout the hall.
“Ahhhh,” I said rubbing my hands together. “Saving the best for last. What a way to end a fun-filled night.”
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday June 7, 2025. 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 . . .
To read other adventures involving Korvatunturi Mountain please check out:
Elfkin Festival – November 1, 2021
Visiting Korvatunturi Mountain – February 15, 2022
Find Cincy Santa (@CincySanta) on:
Facebook – Instagram – Threads – Blue Sky – X (Twitter)
Illustration Created with Microsoft Copilot