The Reason for Father Christmas’ Success

Author - Cerys Watts

The Reason for Father Christmas’ Success

Father Christmas’ working year maybe very short but he has a huge amount of work to do in a very short space of time and a deadline that just can’t be missed.  So how does he do it?

Father Christmas knows what he’s good at and what he needs to focus on.  Everything else has been delegated to a largely unseen but dedicated team of skilled and organised elves that work throughout the year toward their Christmas goal.

We’ve all seen Father Christmas in Grottos asking children what they would like for Christmas but do we always pay attention to the elf by his side making a note of all the relevant details - name, address, gift etc. It is the same elves that are responsible for adding details from the letters sent to Father Christmas to the database making sure that no one is forgotten.

Senior elves check that all the presents are age appropriate and parentally approved.  They also supervise that the elves making and obtaining the presents do so within the allocated time frame.  Presents are beautifully wrapped and clearly labelled with each child’s name and address (and often chimney accessibility).  Postal elves sort the presents geographically into the relevant sacks and load them onto the sleigh which passed its MOT and is flight worthy thanks to the mechanical elves. 

For the months leading up to Christmas the stable elves have fed  Rudolph, Dancer, Prancer,  Dasher,  Blitzen, Vixen,  Cupid,  Comet and, Donner a special diet making them lean, keen and fast and Rudolph’s completed a  refresher orienteering course so that they don’t get lost.  They shouldn’t as the Sat Nav elves have programmed the sleigh with the quickest, most straightforward route taking into consideration adverse weather conditions and atmospheric delays (as advised by the weather and travel elves).

The wardrobe elves have polished Father Christmas’s boots and his outfit has been repaired, cleaned and ironed so that he looks his best; just in case someone catches a glimpse of him (and to make sure that there are no bits to snag on a chimney).

The list of jobs carried out by the elves is endless (only a few of them are listed here) but it’s because of the elves proactive and effective work that nothing is left to chance. When Father Christmas steps into the sleigh on Christmas Eve he is confident in the knowledge that all he has to do is make sure that every child receives their presents before the sun comes up on Christmas Day.  And that is why he hasn’t missed a deadline!

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