Greetings from the North Pole, Part XVI

Christmas 2018

My dearest children,

How very Strange it must feel to age as swiftly as Your Kind! We elves mature slowly, live long, and are by and large born into our Trades, which we Practice and Perfect for decades stretching to centuries, all here at the North Pole. But you: You must grow up and decide in No Time at All what to do with yourselves, learn All You Can in a few short years, and do your best to make a Way for yourselves in the Wider World. It brings a Tear as much as a Twinkle to my eye, as it must for your Dear Parents, to see you grow and leave the proverbial Nest.

But my, what Fine Fledglings you are! Master Brendan, woolly and bearded as old Lewis’s Tumnus, nearly finished with your first degree and with dear Miss Wilke by your side, on the cusp of so many Possibilities and Horizons; Master Gabriel, tall and straight as an aspen, traveling the roads and sharing the Good News like the Apostles of old; the beautiful Miss Emma, ever the elf, spreading Holiday Cheer throughout the year just as We do: with thoughtful Gifts, kind Words and only the best Baked Goods; and Master Trevor—in High School already?—with such talent and love for Music that all the Day-Watchers prefer Seamus Farseer to check in on you in the morning, before School, to hear you play and progress on the piano!

And then, of course, is Lovely Miss Lily: sharp and smart and quite Elfin yourself, with your Pixie cut and eyes like Dark Pools beneath a moonlit sky. It is a Blessing for me and your parents both to have a youngling with such enthusiasm for All Things Christmas as well as a Love of Toys, which are still very much in Our Wheelhouse, as your Father would say. You sent no questions with your Note to Santa, but you mentioned to your Dad that you wondered whether that white-bearded Wonderworker would know you wanted a Vikings shirt even though you forgot to mention it! Your parents took care of that for you, but the answer is, Of course He knows! He always knows!

Not only is the Watcher Corps well aware of all such Wants and Conversations, but should Things change drastically in the Last Hours before Christmas (or Heaven forbid, we Elves make a mistake—for we are no more Perfect than you Big Folk!), the Swifters sweep into action. These the most fleet-footed and stealthy of Elves make Emergency Switches and Last-Minute Deliveries, unseen by even the keenest of eyes of night-bird or -beast! The first Swifters were Flit Golightly, a skilled and silent Hunter with bow and blade, even on the open tundra, and his fiancée, Feather Fletcher. Late in your 19th Century, the two delivered several forgotten Gifts one Christmas morning even as the Sun rose in the East, and No One below the Circle was the wiser! Their firstborn, Flint, was as lead-footed and clumsy as our Kind come, but remains a master Bowyer and Arrow-wright in his Mother’s line; his younger twin siblings, Felix and Felicity, now handle last-minute deliveries in the Wee Hours!

Such stories I could tell, had I the time to Ramble—but alas (and at last), it is Christmas Eve! Perhaps your Father and I should collaborate again on a story? A Pipe and a Pint would help matters, but we are Not Allowed to meet Your Kind face-to-face, or what would it mean to Believe? Faith, then, children, and a Very Happy Christmas to you all!

Yours Still and Always,

Q

Siberius Quill

Greetings from the North Pole, Part XV

Christmas 2017

My dearest Children,

Has it been Another Year already? Your parents have no doubt shared how quickly Time Flies as one gets older—imagine, then, the heady speed for one as Old as I am! And human Children grow and change so fast: Master Brendan, as steadfast, woolly, and bearded as a Bison; Master Gabriel, sharp and penetrating as a Hawk; Emma, lovely and joyful as a Lark in spring (even in winter!); Master Trevor, as shaggy and ravenous as a winter Wolf—and Miss Lily, as fickle as Reindeer calf, now bucking with your herdmates, now gazing wide-eyed at the Auroras, now nestled near your mother as the Wild World goes by. Ah, but it does my Heart good to see your Family flourishing!

And you’ve added a puppy to the mix! A brave thing, to be sure—puppies (and Airedales in particular) are not for the Faint of Heart! But Eugenia and Hawthorne Mushardy assure me that with patience, a firm hand, and lots of love your Bruno will join the ranks of Boomer and Puck as the very Definition of a Good Dog—and I know of no better judge of Canis familiaris than they! Gee was a Deervermer before they married and worked with Doc Vendy to keep our working packs healthy, while Haw mushed, hunted and trapped alongside Spurius Longwind, the Woodsman and Teller of Tall Tales you’ve no doubt heard about!

You asked no questions of me this year, Miss Lily, which must mean your Siblings and Parents are doing a fine job explaining All Things Christmas! Nonetheless, I will share a bit more with you: On the Feast of St. Nicholas, you left a note and picture for the Old Man, assuring him you had been Good this year and sharing a lovely picture you drew. While we always love notes, letters, pictures and other Handiwork from Your Kind, let me assure you that you needn’t worry: our Watcher Corps has seen you from afar and Knows Well the content of your Character. Indeed, your family—having achieved a certain age and stability—has recently been assigned to one of our Watchers-In-Training. Currently a first-year, Iris Stargazer, keeps tabs on you, Lily. Young Iris has a keen eye and a good heart, but a wandering mind, which makes a generally Good Girl like yourself the Perfect Charge until she finds her focus!

And now I must go: My maternal great-grandfather, Papyrus Parchment, is not long for this World, and with our work done tonight, the entire Clan will be gathered for his Passing. It was old Pappy who began the Wrapping of Presents, and it was he who founded our Paper Mill for the production of everything from list-rolls and gift wrap to boxes and tags! He even began recycling paper well before your pulpwrights Down Below, and for long decades now, has sent elfin Separators south to glean and gather reusable wrap from trashcans and dumpsters Down There. Oh, you may still tear into your presents, Young Ones—we even recycle the scraps and tatters…but it’s not entirely true when they say, “We aren’t going to save the paper.” Perhaps you aren’t, but We are!

Old Pappy—we will miss him, but he was as faithful and true as they come; the divots in the kneeler match those in his knees, as they say. He is bound for Heaven, I am sure—if I leave this World and miss him still, it’s my own fault.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Yours Still and Always,

Q

Quill

Greetings from the North Pole, Part XIV

Christmas 2016

My dearest children,

Joy and Peace to you on the Feast of the Incarnation! It is a Wonder that, in a world of glitz and gadgets, a lone candle burning bright can still draw our gaze, and the mystery of the Babe in the Manger can still make the most restless heart skip a beat. Such is the power of Our Lord, which exceeds even St. Nick’s.

And what Child is this, whose curiosity about All Things Christmas has yielded not one, not two, but four Questions this year—and two of which I’ve never answered before for your family! Lovely Miss Lily, you have at last arrived at the age at which the Magic of the Season bubbles over and colors everything it touches a bright red and deep green. I shall do my best to answer, and may Santa find no fault in my explanations.

You only actually wrote down two of your questions, and the first is the hardest: Does Rudolph really guide Santa’s sled? Your Dad believed so when he was young and was almost ready to come to blows over this question, so I do not take it lightly! But you should know that parts of this Tale are debated even here at the North Pole!

The short answer is No: the young buck called Rudolf (technically a bull, not a buck) lived many years ago, but has long since died and gone back to grass. He would be an Old Deer, indeed, were he still pulling the sleigh today! Others have since taken his place, as they have for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, et al—but all of this, of course, is lost to your world in the Timelessness of Christmas!

Was there ever a Rudolf? Certainly!—and all elves agree that one dismal, damp, and gray Christmas Eve long ago, when visibility was almost zero and navigation nearly impossible, this particular reindeer manifested a peculiar light from his snout, which pierced the gloom so that the other Reindeer and the Man in Red could find their way. Being quite young and not full-grown, he was not among the Eight planned to pull that night, but was added at the front by our harness-maker, Theodore Doubletree, who had his work cut out for him making a collar and harness on short notice. (Hence the shorter spelling of Rudolf, with an F instead of a PH—no one had ever written the name until old Tuggs hurriedly stamped it in leather!)

But according to Rangifer Deervermer, Santa’s original herdmaster, he was not an outcast as the Song and Film suggest. He was indeed the most playful of reindeer—strangely fond of games, in fact—and as a young deer would chase and kick a red ball all around the yard and encourage the other reindeer calves to do the same! And he was always drawn to light—Christmas lights, lanterns, candle-light, fire—you name it, he was there at a run. So it made sense that, when this sort of Miracle was needed, Rudolf would be the one to deliver!

This story might raise a final question: was he born with a glowing red nose? This, my dear children, I cannot answer precisely. Some say his nose always glowed—they swear to have seen it!—while others claim it was the work of the Miracle Corps on that particular Christmas. Old Jiffy (Rangifer, that is) won’t say, and neither will Buoyancy Castor, whose incantations are responsible for getting our reindeer off the ground. Both wisely say that there is no explaining Miracles, or they wouldn’t be Miracles!—and both hint that if a glowing nose is needed, whether to help Kris Kringle see or to help a child believe—it will be provided. So if you see a red glow in the sky some Christmas Eve, it may well be your very own Rudolf, come to visit!

Onward, then! Your second question, Miss Lillian, was, Does Santa have a telephone? In a word, no—at least, not one he regularly uses or that children like yourself may call. However, there are many phone lines (like the one you’ve no doubt heard about on your Father’s radio) by which we elves and Father Christmas gather information about the wants and needs of children like Yourself—so phone calls to our many “Santas” in your world certainly help the real Gift-Bringer know what to bring!

Your final two questions, Little One, were spoken, not written—and have been answered by me in past letters. You asked how Santa gets into people’s houses, and how we know what your Questions are. I will give you the quick answers, and leave the longer explanations for Master Brendan to look up in past letters. St. Nicholas goes where he wills, in whatever form is required: a tall and saintly bishop, a plump and fur-clad toymaker, a wisp of Christmas Spirit swirling on a winter breeze. Doors and locks are no obstacle for him—a chimney, a vent, or even a keyhole is as good as a doorway if he wishes to enter! And Santa has an entire Corps of elfin Watchers, whose sole job is to keep an eye on children and families and track their behavior, questions, and needs. They never miss a trick, those Watchers, so always be on your Best Behavior!

And you have! Once again, the entire Thorp Gang has been nothing short of a Joy and Pleasure to behold this year—oh, each of you have had your Moments when the sweetness of Life seems sour and you spit it back at each other or your Parents. But you are only Human, after all, and even we Elves bicker at times! Master B, it is as your Father says: the University in Bismarck is magnifying the best in you, and diminishing the worst. Let Monsignor and Company continue their work! Master Gabriel, know that Fr. Lamplighter and all the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Winter are praying for your vocation, whether priest or husband—and asked me remind you that God wills only the Good for you. (Remember that, when young Master Trevor passes you in height!) Miss Emma and Master T: do continue to make Music and raise a Joyful Noise unto the Lord—I have no doubt He loves it, as do we Elves, when we tune in!—and continue to spread joy and laughter wherever you go. Both are in short supply in this tilted World!

Finally, Miss Lillian: thank you, Dear One, for sharing your tremendous Christmas Spirit with those around you—both as a five-year-old Lover of Santa and Presents and as the Virgin Mary in your Christmas Play the other night. Always remember that even St. Nicholas kneels before the Babe in the Manger—this Great Day marks the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and no gift is greater than He!

Merry Christmas, my friends, and a very Happy New Year!

Yours Still and Always,

Quill