February 3, 2006
To all my dear friends,
Just a little more than a month has passed since Christmas and to most of you it's probably already a fading memory. Except for that favorite toy you're still playing with or the practical sweater your Grandmother bought you that you're still wearing to keep warm, you might not even be reminded of it.
But not here at The North Pole!
Things are already in full swing for the planning of next Christmas. As you can well imagine, it takes a full year of building toys and keeping track of who's naughty and who's nice to make sure that one special night each year comes off without a hitch.
You might think it's Christmas every day here, but we do celebrate other holidays. The elves and reindeer are all very excited about this upcoming Valentine's Day. There will be a big party in the Grand Hall of Santa's house. And Mrs. Claus will serve her famous peppermint cookies and vanilla snow ice cream.
Two of the local polar bears, Frostflake and Chattertooth, will provide entertainment. Frostflake will play the piano and Chattertooth will sing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." It is very difficult for a polar bear to play the piano, since their paws are quite large. When Frostflake tries to play one note, sometimes he plays seven. And although the polar bears at The North Pole have decent enough singing voices, I must admit they're raspy sounding.
I will let you imagine what their performance will sound like. But everyone will sit politely and listen and applaud afterwards. It is worth enduring just to see the two of them smile and take their bows. If you have never seen a polar bear smile, you are missing one of the great pleasures of life. Of course, the applause will encourage them to do an encore. That will probably be "I Couldn't Hibernate Last Year Because I Kept Dreaming Of You", which is an old polar bear song that most of you wouldn't have heard...unless your father is an Polar Explorer and you went on an expedition with him once.
After Frostflake and Chattertooth are done with their concert, Santa will bring out his sack, but today it won't be filled with toys. Instead Santa will play mailman and pull out bundles of Valentine's Cards for everyone. The mistletoe will be hung before the Great Fireplace and many a young elfin girl will be seen loitering there.
Then there will be dancing! Vixen, Comet and Dasher comprise the Top-Flight Trio, a real old-fashioned musical band with banjo, fiddle and washboard. (I'll let you try and guess who plays what instrument.) Mrs. Claus will push together the boy and girl elves she knows have been making eyes at each other, but who now somehow are suddenly too shy to dance together.
All the songs the Top-Flight Trio know are fast ones and soon everyone will be tired and panting from all the twirling and twisting and reeling they've been doing. At some point, someone will call out "Slow Dance!" and then everyone will be shouting "Slow Dance!" together. Vixen will become vexed and say "We don't KNOW any slow dances!" as she does every year and Mrs. Claus will suggest they take a break. Then she'll bring out the record player.
Some of you might be surprised that Santa doesn't own a CD player, but the record player is part of an old tradition. In fact, the record player is so old, you have to crank it to get it to play. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask your grandparents, but even they may not be old enough to remember this kind of machine. Anyway, the record that Mrs. Claus will play is thick and heavy and only plays one song which sounds very scratchy.
As soon as Mrs. Claus places the needle on the record, the Grand Hall will become silent. The only sound you'll hear is the voice of the famous elf tenor Enrico Evergreen singing the words:
"It was cold outside
as the North Wind blew,
but then I looked up
and I saw you.
Now I'm no longer shiv'ring,
though it's twenty below -
for the warmth in your sweet eyes
is melting the snow..."
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be the only couple waltzing to this song - it's their special song - while everyone catches his breath. Then the Top-Flight Trio will kick it into high gear again and everyone will party into the night.
There's something to be said about traditions. There are certain things that happen here every Valentine's Day. I always look forward to those things.
I hope you enjoyed my little dispatch from The North Pole and I look forward to writing more to you next month. If you have any questions about life with Santa, please feel free to e-mail me and perhaps I'll be able to answer them in my next letter.
Your friend,
Mr. Jingeling
Keeper of the Keys