A Final Word On Christmas

Merry Christmas, Everyone! I sure hope you had a great Christmas. I know I did. Each year it seems to get better and better. I was very pleased with how well our Christmas Eve Operation went last night given all of the unexpected challenges. We ended up with 100% delivery success and initial polls show that overall satisfaction was around 97%. That's up about 4% from last year (note: last year was actually the lowest we have had since the 1940s) and back within our historically normal range.

It was a very pleasant Christmas for me. It took us about 3 hours after I landed back at the North Pole to wind down the operations. Mrs. Claus and I then had brunch together at the house. Some of the elves were kind enough to prepare it for us so that neither one of us had to cook... it was very nice of them. After brunch, Mrs. Claus and I both took a 4 hour nap. We awoke around 2pm NPT but only because I had set the alarm. Its a good thing I did because we had to get up and prepare Christmas dinner. We invited about a dozen of our closest friends over for dinner. It's nothing fancy but its one of my favorite things about the season.... we (read: Mrs. Claus) make good food, its a great atmosphere, and we share laughs with good friends. We just use the dining room but on Christmas, with the dining room tree (it's a 10-footer, decorated with multi-color lights and hand-made ornaments we have received as gifts from children all over the world... every country is represented) glowing, tens of candles flickering, and the floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the snowy scene outside, and a huge fire roaring in the stone fireplace, the atmosphere was hard to beat. We sat for hours after dinner drinking coffee, sharing memories, and making plans for the future. I hope all of you had a chance to connect with friends and family the way Mrs. Claus and I were able to tonight.

After everyone left and Mrs. Claus went to bed, I retired to the den and took a seat in my recliner. I turned all the lights off except the Christmas tree lights and the lights in the garland that draped all the windows. The fire was burning low in the fireplace and about a dozen candles on the mantle were lit. I started to turn the TV on but then decided not to... instead I turned on the sound system and tuned the satellite radio to the Christmas music channel. I grabbed one last cup of Christmas Blend coffee (I won't drink anymore until next year) and settled in my recliner. I just sat there and enjoyed the moment... soaking in every last precious moment of Christmas. I didn't think about old memories or make plans for the future... I was just truly in the moment. I don't know about you but its rare I do that. I am always thinking about what's next... two, three, four moves down the road. I don't think much about the past other than to consider what I can learn from it but thinking about "what's next" often keeps me out of the moment. So tonight was special. It is something I need to apply more often. If you haven't taken time to just sit and enjoy a quiet, still moment during this very special... even magical... time of year, I encourage you to do so. You will be amazed at the pure joy it provides.

It's time now for me to "hit the hay". It's been an amazing run to and through Christmas this year. As we close this season, I want you to know how much I appreciate all of you. I hope that my role as Santa Claus serves to provide you with joy, hope, and belief. I pray the spirit of Christmas and its true meaning will be with you through out the year ahead. May God bless you and all of your loved ones.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a very blessed night!

Love,
Santa

Merry Christmas!

...and to all a Good Night!

The last presents have been delivered, the last cookie eaten, the last glass of milk consumed, and the last stocking filled.

I just recieved the "All Clear" signal from the North Pole Headquarters. We are pointing the sleigh due north and returning home. I hope everyone has had as much fun this Christmas Eve as I have had tonight. Tomorrow is going to be the best Christmas yet!

I will not update my log until late in the day to day as I plan on enjoying Christmas brunch with Mrs. Claus and taking a nap.

Good night, all!


"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21

Alaska

I am just entering Alaska. It feels like being back home at the North Pole. Talk about cold! Brrr. I am still behind schedule but we will easily finish our work this evening before the sunrises and kids wake up. It's been a good night... even with a few unexpected challenges along the way.

From here, I will head south to the Hawaiian Islands. I'll make a few stops between but I can shed the jacket for a few minutes and swap out my Starbucks Christmas blend coffee for some 100% Kona coffee while I'm cruising through the Islands. I love it down there!

Mrs. Claus and I will be back in the Islands for our annual vacation in a little more than a week. Can't wait!

To all of you now awake across Europe, Asia, Africa, & Australia/Oceania... Merry Christmas!

Back to BC

I am still tracking behind schedule but the weather is much, much better. I am currently in the Damascus, Oregon area after spending some time in western Canada.

Once again this year, I spent a little extra time in Vancouver, BC with a little girl I know that is fighting cancer as well. I'll spend time with her sister as well. Regrettably, I can't let them see me... but I am so proud of both of them that I want to take a little time and make sure they are tucked in and sleeping well. It was a tough year for both of them as there were additional follow-up surgeries. Life seems to be a roller coaster when you are battling something like this.

All I can say is that I really admire the entire family for how they handle this along with all the other challenges life brings us. It is not easy but they are doing it. Day to day they are making life go on. As I said last year, I never cease to be amazed by the strength and character of children that face cancer. They are wise & strong beyond their years. And they are truly an inspiration to me. Its well worth spending a few extra minutes with them.

I have deliveries to make so I'm going to sign-off for now. I'll post again soon.

Behind Schedule

I am behind schedule and experiencing some technical difficulties as I move towards the west coast. I have crossed the Rocky Mountain range in North America and am experiencing much better weather conditions; however, due to the storm across the mid-western United States, I am about an hour behind where I would like to be.

A Perfect Storm

The weather in the midwestern United States is very challenging right now. We are approximately 30 minutes behind schedule already. The reindeer are having to work very hard as we press against gusting headwinds. Its been very difficult to control the sleigh. I am carrying a fraction of the normal payload or otherwise I don't believe we could keep this thing in the air.

On the ground, due to the sheets of ice, we are having to land in front yards and on neighborhood roads and have me hike (with a pair of crampons on my boots) up to and into the houses. The winds are almost blowing me sideways and snow is falling at the rate of about half a foot an hour where I am at currently.

We'll be headed back for yet another replenishment stop here in a minute. With the lighter load maximums, we are having to stop many more times than normal. The reindeer are looking forward to the break though as they are working hard!

Ok kids... I might be a bit behind schedule and I might have a few challenges, but I am - without question - coming to town. So get to bed!!

Oh.. one last note... given the weather, my posts may be a bit delayed and not just because of technology issues but also because I am going to be largely pre-occupied with navigating this storm, surviving the night, and finishing my deliveries. Don't worry if there is a bit of delay... I am ok.

Home of the King...

No... not THAT one. Elvis. I am currently looking down at the blue lights of Graceland. What a beautiful sight!

But I can't look too long... we have to clear this airspace quickly. And that is going to be challening given the current weather conditions. This has already been a very difficult night. I anticipate it only growing more challenging as I head into the heart of the storm.

Our friends at FedEx are holding their routes so that we can deliver our presents across the Memphis metro area. I'll be zig-zagging across from Lakeland, TN to Hernando, MS over the next hour or so. I need to stay on time so that I can clear the airspace and let our partners at FedEx (we do a lot of business with them... they help with distribution from our North Pole, China, & India production facilities to our replenishment centers) get back in the air. We definitely don't want them missing their deliveries! So kids... if you live in the mid-South of the United States, its time to get to bed!

Retirement Paradise

The weather is nice here in Miami. Unfortunately I can't stay very long. I will be headed west and into the storm pretty soon.

As you know, I am constantly getting updates from the North Pole Headquarters. I regret to tell you that once again this year, almost a 100 addresses have been removed from my list of places to stop. The Naughty & Nice list is changing even as we speak.

Kids - please make sure you are behaving your parents tonight. You don't want your address to be removed from my list!

I'll post again soon.

Return To The Scene Of The Crime

I am back in Manchester. And specifically, I am sitting on the roof of a row of flats where I had a reporter try to catch me last year. He was sneaky guy. And you can bet he was on last year's naughty list and he is on this year's as well. What he did was NOTHING like the girl did this morning in Can Tho... completely different motivation and intent.


I just got back from inside the flat. I must admit I was a little nervous going in again but everything was fine. It was quite interesting to go back in and see everything as it really is supposed to be.


Ok... I'm headed out across the Atlantic soon. Keep following me cause I'll be talking to you soon!

Bad Weather Looms Ahead

I just got off the phone with Candy, our North America GM, Jingle, my Chief of Staff, and Mrs. Claus who is leading the entire operation tonight from the North Pole Headquarters. The weather across central North America is beginning to worry me. The snow and ice I can deal with... it would be silly to think different... I do live at the North Pole after all! But I am worried about the wind. Winds are beginning to gust at speeds that will cause significant issues for our reindeer.

The logistics team back at the North Pole is currently running scenarios where I could carry a much lighter load (as little as 25% of my normal load) as I travel through the worst of the weather. That means I would have to make multiple (up to 4x as many) replenishment stops. But they are worried the reindeer can not handle the high winds with a full load. They'll keep working on it. I am sure we'll have something figured out by the time we get there. One thing I know for sure... I'm going to replenish my hot coffee before I cross the Appalachian mountains.

Ok kids on the east coast of North, South, and Central America... particularly those of you in Brazil... you need to be going to sleep. I'll be there before you know it.