| By Elf Magic | Christmas Edition |
Hi friends! It's hard to believe that most of my Elves have been on "Christmas Vacation" in your homes for a couple of weeks now, but, as they say, time sure does fly when you're having fun. Indeed, Mrs. Claus and I, when not visiting our North Pole Supply Posts, have been spending most of our time catching up on your Facebook and Twitter posts, and photo submissions to my favorite website, of course. Judging by the pictures and videos we've seen, my Elves have certainly been enjoying their trips!
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Speaking of photos, Mrs. Claus wants me to remind you to participate in her 1st Annual Photo Contest! Remember, from now until December 27th, we're asking that you submit your best photos on our website. As Elf Vanessa reported in the Thanksgiving SNN, the photos can basically cover any piece of the Elf Magic experience, " ... from Elfcapades, play-dates, family vacations, community service projects, school outings, Elf Magic-themed parties ..." and more! The winners will receive some great prizes, so please participate! It's very easy. For more on the contest and prizes, click here and read Vanessa's story.
Please also remember that if your Elf has yet to arrive, he or she is probably still here at the North Pole helping me finish all the tasks that go into a successful Christmas Eve toy delivery. There's so much that goes into traveling the world over in one night and I couldn't possibly be prepared each year without the help of my Elves and Reindeer. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing your Elves to stay at the North Pole a little longer than their friends! Please know that I have given them special permission to stay a few weeks after Christmas to make up for the time they missed visiting with you while working here at the North Pole. However, you may need to plan something special for them on New Year's, because they're going to be missing the annual "Snow Ball Dinner and Dance" that Mrs. Claus puts on every year!
As you know, the Elf Magic tradition isn't just about fun and adventure, though. More importantly, it's about sharing in the true meaning of Christmas and remembering that Baby Jesus was born on Christmas Day — a gift more precious than any in my sleigh. Since the beginning, Mrs. Claus and I have taught the Elves to consider others before themselves and to show one another kindness and goodness. It is this spirit that sent several of us to Children's Hospitals recently, and also to participate in a parade in Miami, which sought to raise awareness about Leukemia. Elf Zach has reported on these trips below. I hope the pictures he's included touch you as much as they have Mrs. Claus, the Elves and me!
You won't want to miss our other stories, either. Elf Malone has assembled a round-up of some of our favorite testimonials from Elf Magic families that have submitted content on our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as my favorite website! And Elf Sally has detailed several of the great blog posts that have run in recent weeks, documenting the travels and Elfcapades of some of my Elves with delightful words and pictures.
The Elves at St. Nick's News work hard to deliver the latest-and-greatest reports from the North Pole, so we hope you'll read the whole edition — there's no better way to stay up-to-date on all the magical happenings!
As always, we are "Thankful" for your time and for sharing the Elf Magic Tradition with us each year - it is such a blessing to Mrs. Claus and me. Until next time, please remember to continue sharing your Elves' adventures (and what you're thankful for!) on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and if you know a friend or family member who would love Elf Magic, please forward this SNN! (If you don't want to receive future editions of SNN, simply click the 'SafeUnsubscribe' link at the bottom).
I hope you find the magic of Christmas in your everyday!
Santa and his Elves "Share the Love" at Children's Hospitals and Santa's Parade of Elves in South Miami
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Every year, many new Elves graduate from training school at the North Pole, though, not before they learn some very specific skills that help them become the high-flying, crafty Christmas visitors that they are.
But, as Santa mentioned, an Elf's training involves another piece, more important than the rest. He teaches the Elves that the best gifts are those that can never be bought, saying, "Christmas is brighter and dreams will come true if you share love and kindness in all that you do." Indeed, Santa always wants the Elf Magic tradition to be a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas!
With that in mind, Santa and his biggest Elves, Jingle and Jangle, recently boarded his Sleigh Express and took magic Elves to Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama. Santa wanted to share the magic of his Timeless Christmas Tradition with over 600 patients at three Children's Hospitals, ensuring that each patient received one of his Elf Magic Elves!
"We forget how fortunate we are most of the time, so I'm really glad that Santa allowed me to go with him on this special adventure," said Jingle, when I interviewed her after visiting the hospitals. "It brings me so much joy to know that I helped others ... and, I had so much fun!"
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Jingle and Jangle did such a great job at the hospitals that Santa also sent them to South Miami to participate in "Santa's Parade of Elves," where they represented all the Elves of the North Pole. They even got to ride on the float sponsored by "Play Yard" to make a wish come true for a 3 year old boy with Leukemia. And to top it all off, thousands of children participated in the parade dressed as Elves!
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The parade route ended at Santa's most southern North Pole Supply Post, Paper Boutique, where a huge "Elf Party" was thrown. There, Jingle and Jangle enjoyed getting hugs from all the children in attendance and were so excited to see many of their Elf friends who were currently on "Christmas vacation" in South Miami! They especially loved meeting the children and families who are hosting their Elf Magic friends.
"I sure hope Santa lets me go back next year," said Jangle, upon returning to the North Pole. "My Snowflake heart almost melted to see so many children loving our Elf Magic friends — and the snow cones and cotton candy weren't too bad either!"
Santa and Mrs. Claus were so excited to see the pictures that Jingle and Jangle brought back to the North Pole of the children and parents who have forever touched our hearts on these visits. It's my great pleasure to share just a few of the pictures from this event. To see many more, please visit our Facebook page, where Santa has also posted photos of our visits to Elf Parties held at various North Pole Supply Posts this holiday season.
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Elf Magic Headquarters Sees Record Number of Great Story Submissions in 2010
For the few of us Elves who stay at the North Pole during the holidays, the return of our friends and the stories they bring from time spent in your homes is one of our favorite parts of the year. But, in recent years, as the Internet has become more common around the world, this experience has been combined with hearing the stories straight from families themselves, who not only describe their Elf's adventures, but usually include photos, as well. It is so much fun for us to receive the stories so quickly!
Since there are so many great submissions, we could only include a few in this story. But, please know that we appreciate each and every one, and hope you'll continue submitting them on Facebook, Twitter and our website! And, once again, don't forget to participate in Mrs. Claus' 1st Annual Photo Contest! Who knows? One of your entries may even WIN!
We trust you'll enjoy these as much as we do:
Santa Cruz, CA
"Penny shows up year after year, sharing her sense of humor and tolerating the crazy stuff we do with her ... The degree of mischief she gets into is truly incredible. Other dolls and creatures are jealous of her, and try to one-up her.
Here is a link to a short animated movie that shows the jealous little leprechaun coming to life during the night and being especially bad":
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Weaver, AL
"This is the first year we have done Elf Magic but it has been a blast!!! My girls Aubree and Kynslee are so delighted every morning when they get up to see what the elves have been up too!!! We love our elves Patti and Libba."
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Edison, NJ
"We got the elves several years ago for our two daughters. They love the elves and look forward to their crazy stunts every night. Their best friend has an elf who just plays hide and seek and every year they try and figure out why our elves are so crazy!!!
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Dublin, GA
"Dottie and Vaugh had a snow ball fight with my cotton balls ... sneaky elves!"
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Birmingham, AL
"Last year our elves made our daughter's birthday cupcakes ... she wanted donuts for her class tomorrow so the elves saved me a trip and got them together for her special fun at school :)"
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Decatur, AL
"Margaret and Worley read the Christmas from Luke Chapter 2 with friends."
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Stop the Presses! Elf Magic Featured on Major Mommy Blogs Across the Country
Santa started his Elf Magic tradition over 50 years ago and has been formally finding homes for his Elves all over the world for the last twenty. During this time, the Elves have been no stranger to writers saying good things about his Timeless Christmas Tradition. Indeed, the Elves have been featured in national and regional magazines, newspapers and TV reports for awhile now! This year, however, Santa and Mrs. Claus have been able to follow his little friends' Elfcapades in a new way: on Mommy blogs. New to the Internet, the Clauses had no idea how crazy some of the Elf adventures can get — Santa may need to have a talk with a few of them when they return!
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This new online world is very exciting to Santa. We respect journalists, to be sure (I'm a journalist for crying out loud!), but there's something extra special about a real parent describing the impact of an Elf Magic elf on his or her family. And with more Elves making the trip from the North Pole this year than ever before, there have been plenty of opportunities to read about Elf Magic in the online "pages," so much so that Santa and Mrs. Claus have been holding hot cocoa dates once a week to sit with his laptop and read all the great stories!
Here's just a sample of what the Mommy bloggers are saying:
"She [a toddler] woke the little elf up by gently shaking her and gave her a great big hug and said, 'Mommy Santa sent my friend!' Seeing her so excited brought happy tears to my eyes." — Jennifer, The Dirty Shirt
"Murray has also gone with us on trips to Grandma's house and most recently shopping for groceries. I will miss his ability to entertain Jake when he leaves to go back to work for Santa. However, elves have been known to return during the year for special occasions which I know Jake will love." — Kari Ellen, A Giveaway Addicted Mommy
"Can you believe Tyler flew into the shower last night? He did! It was shocking and funny. We are having so much fun with our curious and mysterious little Christmas friend from the North Pole. Make this season even more memorable by introducing your child to Elf Magic!" — Baby Elan Daily
"The kids love Jess and he goes everywhere with us ... If you're looking to start a new tradition with your family, Elf Magic is a great place to start." — Dee, Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House
"... Finally, it was time. The girls both sprinkled Clarke with the Elf Magic. Aiyana got Clarke nice and cozy and both girls went to bed. This was by far the easiest bedtime to date. There was no, 'one more story' or last minute 'but, I’m hungry'. They simply went to sleep because they were both eager to find out what Clarke has up his sleeve tonight." — Michelle, Flying Giggles & Lollipops
"... Every morning Lucas finds [Elf] Sherman doing something funny or special for Lucas. Like the other morning...we woke up to the sounds of a train and Christmas carols. We all ran downstairs to see what was going on and...there was Sherman sitting on top of a train going around the Christmas tree! We have always wanted one of these trains so we were delighted at Sherman's generous gift." — Piera, Jolly Mom
Special Note about Christmas and What's to Come
After delivering toys to children all over the world and returning to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, Santa and his Elves will gather together to remember the real reason for the Christmas Season. As the yearly tradition continues, Santa, with Mrs. Claus by his side, will read the Christmas story to all the Elves before they go to bed. Together, they will reflect on God's gift of Baby Jesus to the world:
Luke 2:1-20 (New Living Translation)
The Birth of Jesus
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
The Shepherds and Angels
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Also, as Christmas approaches, the Elves who run our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts will be taking a little time off to enjoy the holiday with their friends and families. So, if you send a message or comment that's not immediately responded to, please don't be upset! As always, we appreciate your feedback and will respond when the holidays come to a close. The same goes for the Elves in Santa’s Elf Magic Head Quarters, who will be out of the office from December 24 (Christmas Eve) — January 5th. Santa and the Elves will be checking messages and emails, but will not be in the office everyday, as they are taking a few days off to celebrate Christmas with their families. Before we go, though, we want to give you a preview of the coverage that's to come in the January edition of SNN:
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The "Snow Ball and Dinner Dance"
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The Annual Reindeer Games Round-Up
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An Announcement of the Winners of Mrs. Claus' 1st Annual Photo Contest. (Remember, the contest doesn't end until December 27th, so KEEP those photos coming!)
Make the Most of your Elf's Visit, Friends! And Merry Christmas!
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