Origins of Santa Claus - Part 3

Welcome to day 3 of 3 in the telling of the "Origins" trilogy. Today, I complete my re-telling of three classic stories that are intended to give you insights into how I became Santa Claus. There are many other stories through out the 4 years of my blogging, like how I met Mrs. Claus, that also give you much deeper insights into my personal history. As I resume my regular updates tomorrow (which I hope you will read faithfully and will bring you a little Christmas cheer), I encourage you to read back through the years past as well... particularly if you are new follower.

I hope you have enjoyed the series. Merry Christmas, my friends.

As you read in yesterday's "Origins" post, Blitzen saved my life. He found me on the verge of freezing to death after I had been caught in a major snowstorm, deep in the forest, and in the middle of the night. That was my first encounter with a talking and flying reindeer. Before that fateful night, I had believed such things to be the superstitions of old men and creatures of fairy tales. But Blitzen was real. And he opened up a whole new world for Mrs. Claus and I.

Blitzen returned me that night to Mrs. Claus. Later he told me that he didn't think I would make it through the night. He stayed with us in our home in Drobak, helping Mrs. Claus nurse me back to health. By mid-afternoon the following day, thanks in large part to Blitzen, I was beginning to feel myself again. I tried to re-pay Blitzen but he would have none of it. He said that my recovery was a priceless reward for him. But I did make him promise to stay in touch.... I knew he would be a life long friend. Blitzen did stay in touch. Over the course of the following year, he dropped by once a week to visit with us. He accompanied me on my commutes to and from Oslo. We became close friends.

I knew that if there was one talking and flying reindeer, there would certainly be more. But I never asked Blitzen. I understood his need to remain discrete about his abilities. I wanted to respect his privacy. So it was almost a full year later before he ever mentioned anything about his friends or family. And it was another few months before he finally introduced Mrs. Claus and I to all of the other reindeer. What a treat that was!

And eventually, several years later, I was able to re-pay Blitzen for saving my life. The reindeer were being threatened by new development as Oslo expanded and logging increased. Once Mrs. Claus & I became aware of the situation, we promptly used some of my inheritance to buy several hundred square kilometers of land in the northern most part of Norway so the reindeer could live safely & peacefully. That purchase was the first parcel of what is now the full North Pole territory. Mrs. Claus and I fell in love with the land and built our own cabin that we used as a weekend retreat from the shops in Drobak and Oslo. It allowed us to visit regularly with the reindeer.

It was during these weekend visits that we first noticed what we thought to be young children milling about amongst the herds of reindeer. Whenever I would go out to check on the children... concerned because no people lived within a hundred kilometers of our property borders... they would disappear quickly into the woods. The reindeer all assured me that I must have been hallucinating. This happened several weekends in a row. If Mrs. Claus had not also seen the children, I surely would have thought I was going mad. As winter set in, we did not see the children again. By spring, I thought no more about them. But Blitzen, my trusted friend, had not forgotten about the children...

Blitzen knew about my family fortune. And more importantly he knew about my desire to share my good fortune with the less-fortunate. He knew about how I followed my father's tradition of anonymously leaving small bags of gold coins on doorsteps on Christmas Eve. He knew that I had expanded the tradition to secretly pay-off debts of those that had suffered misfortune and to leave some of my hand-crafted toys with their children. I had shared with him how I wished I could extend my reach beyond the Drobak & Oslo areas to help the many others across Scandinavia. And that is why that following Christmas season, on the verge of winter, he told me about the elves.

The elves are human despite what many people may think given their small stature and the rumors of their magical powers (By the way, they aren't anymore magical than you are... it is the stuff of urban myths). They are a race descended originally from the same Siberian-based tribe as the eskimo people. A thousand years earlier, they had migrated north, deep into the Arctic Circle, before turning west and southward and settling in the forests of present-day Norway & Sweden. Living in the forest, they quickly became skilled craftsmen capable of making virtually anything from the timber they cut to make their homes, fuel their fires, and craft their tools. They adopted the reindeer and the reindeer, in turn, adopted them. They forged a deep and critical partnership. It is likely without each other, neither would have survived some of the winters they were forced to endure. For years they were a lost and forgotten tribe altogether; however, a hundred or so years before Mrs. Claus and I built our cabin in this remote land, a missionary... hopelessly lost and on the verge of starvation... stumbled upon the elf village. They nursed the missionary back to health. During his stay, he shared his faith and after hearing the Good News for the first time, the elves were so excited that they immediately broke into celebration. A feast was prepared, music played, elves danced & sang, and gifts were exchanged as was the tradition for all elf celebrations. The missionary told them that it reminded him of how Jesus' birthday was celebrated in other parts of Europe and the Middle East. Hearing this, the tribal elders declared that the birth of Christ would be celebrated in such manner every year. The missionary, fully recovered, set back on his quest and eventually found his way to Oslo. He shared the story of the elves but no one believed him, discounting it as the hallucinations of a starving man. The elves remained forgotten for another hundred years... until Blitzen introduced me to them.

Blitzen knew the elf traditions of celebrating the birth of Christ. He knew about my Christmas Eve traditions. And he knew that with the help of the elves and the other reindeer, I could realize my desire to help even more people. That first Christmas together with the elves, Mrs. Claus & I celebrated with the elves who hosted us in their village. We shared in their traditions. I shared my vision with the tribal elders. And that very Christmas night, we all - the reindeer, the elves, and I - made a commitment to deliver gifts - money, food, tools, & toys - to the deserving and less fortunate people of Norway the following Christmas Eve. From there, the tradition grew....

Origins of Santa Claus - Part 2

Welcome to day 2 of the "Origins" trilogy. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow I am re-telling classic stories I have posted in the past. These stories are designed to give you insight into how I became Santa Claus. I hope you find the series entertaining & informative. I will return to my normal updates on Tuesday, December 1st as the Christmas Season kicks into high gear.

Today's tale is of how I first met the flying reindeer. I first shared this story in December 2005... I hope you enjoy it as much now as you did then.

The first flying reindeer I ever met was Blitzen. It was years ago. It was well before I ever knew reindeer could fly, or knew of elves, or built the North Pole Village.

I was a humble toy-maker in the town I was born - Drobak, Norway. A few years earlier I had met Mrs. Claus, we married, and shortly after opened a toy shop. Our business was starting to take off and I had just expanded into the markets of Oslo. It was a long trip by sleigh in the winter months. I would fill my sleigh with a week's worth of goods so that once I made the trip, I could stay for a full week before returning back along the seldom travelled trails. It was on my trip back late one night in the dead of winter. Even though it wasn't particularly wise to travel the forest alone at night, I was rushing back to be home in time for Mrs. Claus' birthday the next day. I was hoping to arrive just before dawn so I could be there when she woke up. The toy sales had been particularly brisk and I had used the money to buy Mrs. Claus an emerald drop that I had noticed her secretly (or at least, she thought it was secret) admiring in the window on all of our trips to Oslo. As I headed out of town, I noticed the wind picking up and snow beginning to fall. An hour or so outside of town, the storm had arrived. I was unable to see beyond the front of the sled and was forced to stop. It was obvious pretty quickly that I was not prepared. My only shelter was a blanket I huddled under, curled up in the floor of the sleigh. I could feel the life seeping out from me as the cold set in. After a few minutes, I was no longer cold but I could feel my eyelids getting heavier. Deep down, I knew I was going to die yet my only thoughts were about taking a nap. I don't know to this day if it was minutes or hours later... but I suddenly felt an extremely cold blast on my face as the blanket was pulled back. A warm nose brushed against my face. I was certain I was hallucinating... surely I wasn't talking to a reindeer. Surely he wasn't offering to fly me home. Even the next morning, when I woke up in my own bed back in Drobak, I thought for sure it was a dream. Or it was a hallucination. But it wasn't. It was Blitzen.

After that day, Mrs Claus and I both grew very close to Blitzen. Over time, he trusted us enough to introduce us to the other flying reindeer that lived in the woods of Norway. He was also the one who introduced us to the elfs and their tradition of selfless gift giving. Without Blitzen, it is conceivable that their never would have been a Santa Claus.

To this day, Blitzen remains my lead reindeer. Rudolph may be the most famous of all.... and we love him like we do every one of the reindeer... and he is in front of the team on Christmas Eve but Blitzen is my favorite. Even at his age, he remains the fastest, smartest, and most cheerful of the reindeer.

Origins of Santa Claus - Part 1

Welcome to the "Origins" Trilogy. Today through Monday I am going to re-tell three classic stories about my past that will help you understand how I became Santa Claus. I hope you enjoy the stories. I will return to posting my regular (and original) updates on Tuesday, December 1st as the Christmas Season really kicks into high gear.

The first Christmas I remember was when I was 3 years old. I lived with my father and mother near the small village of Drobak. My father was an exiled king. Before I was born, he had ruled a kingdom that stretches across much of what is now Germany. S oon after my mother became pregnant with me, my father's younger brother, who had been the next in line for the throne, conspired with a neighboring king to overthrow my father. Fearing for the life of my mother and me, my father fled to Norway. Though my father remained extremely wealthy, having escaped with much of the family treasures, we lived like paupers so as not to draw attention to ourselves.

Our house was just outside the Village. My father had built it with his own hands. It was probably the first thing he had ever built. It was small, drafty, and almost perptually dark as it sat under the deep cover of the forest... the only warmth coming from a stone fireplace and the only light from that fire and the candles my mother had made. Yet when we were all there together, it somehow seemed to glow with warmth. Back then, there was no Santa Claus (obviously!) to bring presents, no Christmas parades, no Christmas parties, no Sales at the mall, no TV Holiday Specials, no Christmas carols, nor gift giving. There were certainly no Christmas lights. In fact, the only semblance of a decoration for most families at that time was a small tree. Traditionally, a small tree was cut each year and brought inside on Christmas Eve to be decorated by the family. As you can tell, our Christmases were pretty "bare" by today's standards.

From that 'first' Christmas, aged 3, I remember getting in the sleigh right after we finished decorating our tree on Christmas Eve. We traveled several kilometers through the woods to the closest church. I remember my father crying - a small tear running down his cheek - as the priest told the story of how God had sent His only Son to the world - not as a prince but as a poor baby sleeping in rags in a stable - in order to save the very people that no longer believed in God. After the service, he knelt and prayed for the longest time. I do not know until this day what he prayed but as I now look back, I can imagine that he gave thanks and prayed that he would have the strength to be an example of that kind of love. It was dark by the time we started our trip back home. We stopped several times. Each time my father would jump out of his seat, pull something from the sleigh, and bound through the snow towards a nearby cabin. As I grew older, and after many years of the same stops, I figured out that my father was leaving small bags of gold coins at the doors of those most needy. The next morning, the residents would wake up to find the coins at their doorstep and their quality of life changed forever. Never again would they wonder where the next meal would come. No one ever expected it to be my father and that was exactly how he wanted it. I fell quickly asleep once we returned home. As I would every Christmas after that until I moved out, I awoke to the sounds of people chattering excitedly about Christmas morning. The smell of pancakes and hot cider permeated the air. Most of the villagers were gathering at our house. We didn't have much space, but somehow, almost everyone squeezed into that small, 1-room home for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast that my mom had stayed up all night to prepare. She did not want anyone to be alone on Christmas Day. She told me that morning that she believed Christmas was a day of Hope, intended to be spent rejoicing with friends and family rather than focusing on every day trials.

I will never forget that Christmas, though I was merely 3 years old. At the time I did not know it, but this was our annual Christmas tradition. My father never stopped weeping at the Christmas story. And he never stopped giving anonymously to those in need. And my mother never stopped hosting the village in our home on Christmas Day. As I grow older, I realize that my parents lived life, and approached every decision, with that same spirit of Christmas every day. The lessons they have taught me, will never leave me. I only pray to set the same example of selfless giving that my father & mother set before me.

Merry Christmas, all!

They Call It Black Friday

I ended up and didn't sleep much last night. After I posted, I went to bed but laid there wide awake for two hours before the alarm went off at 3am. I was so excited about the official start of the Holiday season I just couldn't sleep. It's much the same feeling that I suspect you have when you go to bed on Christmas Eve... the excitement and anticipation are just too much, even for an exhausted body.

So when the alarm went off at 3am, I quickly shut it off to keep from waking up Mrs. Claus and I gleefully hopped out of bed. I put on my running shoes and headed out for quick run through the Village. When I got back, I brewed my first pot of (decaf) Christmas Blend coffee and the first cup was ready when I got out of the shower. I slammed the coffee along with a protein smoothie I had put in the fridge the night before and headed out the door for my 5am (NPT) staff meeting. I checked my iPhone (I am using both iPhone & Blackberry... I interchange them based on how much email I am going to do that day. I prefer Blackberry for email and the iPhone for viewing reports & applications) on the way to staff meeting for the Naughty & Nice Executive Scorecard. It was there. North America had the typical post-Thanksgiving "bump" in Nice by almost 10% since last quarter... it happens every year. Central & South America and Europe & Middle East regions were both slightly up in the Nice category. Central & South America up 1.2% and Europe & Middle East up 0.3%. Africa was virtually flat (down 0.02%). Asia-Pacific was disappointing, down almost 5% (i.e. Naughty list up 4.7 points).

Staff meeting was focused on reviewing overall readiness. From there, my Senior Team and I all went over to the Operations Center for an all-Employee meeting at 6am NPT. The teams based in other locations like China and India all watched on video we streamed over the web. After Jingle welcomed everyone, each of the regional GMs briefly reviewed their goals for this Holiday season, and then I officially kicked off the countdown to Christmas Eve 2009. And as soon as the meeting was done and the Christmas carols began to play, everyone quickly scurried out to their workstations and Christmas Season 2009 was underway.

I caught a sleigh to Brussels, where I made a morning show appearance and met with NATO officials regarding air security on Christmas Eve. From there, I flew to the east coast of the US where I made a number of morning show appearances before spending the day criss-crossing the US and Canada for mall appearances, parades, and the occasional local news interview. As I finished up afternoon mall appearances on the US West Coast, I made a quick trip to Asia for a number of public appearances before returning back to the US where I participated in 3 different parades.

Then it was back to the North Pole for a tour of the Production Facility, to the Operations Center for the first look at long-range weather forecast models, a brief tour of the Distribution Center, and to the all-Reindeer meeting where I gave a brief presentation. At 11pm NPT, I met with my staff again for a brief end-of-day status report. I am happy to say that after our first full shift of operations (its not a full day yet, we'll be running 24x7), all areas remained "green".

Mrs. Claus and I then had a late dinner together. She went to bed immediately after dinner but I came back into my home office here to catch up on emails. There was definitely a jump in my email traffic today. I get that every year on Black Friday. And those increased volumes sustain through Christmas Eve. As I started to write this post, I had just finished two hours of reading & responding to those emails. At this point, its time for me to go to bed and try to get a couple of hours of sleep... Saturday is going to be just as busy, maybe busier, than today.

Good night, All. And Happy Holidays!

What A Thanksgiving Day!

Wow. What a day! I had a lot of fun but I must admit I am very happy to be sitting here in my big leather recliner, laptop in hand, roaring fire beside me, a cup of steaming Starbucks Thanksgiving blend coffee resting on the side table next to me, snow falling outside the window, Mrs. Claus across the room reading her latest book club assignment, and - most of all - silence. It is quiet. It was a wonderful day but it was go, go, go! And with the Holiday season really kicking into high gear tomorrow, I am keenly aware that these are my final moments of relaxation for about 6 weeks. So I am enjoying it! And I am very happy to share some of this moment with you... well, at least virtually through my blog posting.

I actually slept in a little this morning. Mrs. Claus had to trick me to get me to sleep in but I'm glad she did. Apparently, after I crawled into bed last night, she woke up and slipped over to turn off my alarm clock. I slept until she came in to wake me up around 9am NPT... almost 5 hours later than I will sleep most days from here on through Christmas. She had prepared breakfast, lit the fire place in our bedroom, and brought breakfast in. Oatmeal, pancakes, two eggs over-hard, bacon, fresh cheeses, German-style pork sausage, and of course a decaf latte. It was way more than I needed but it was really good. After a fairly leisurely breakfast, I showered just to wake myself up and then went for a walk around town with Joe (that's my dog). I made a point of stopping in to the reindeer quarters to wish them all a Happy Thanksgiving. Almost everyone has the day off today except crucial emergency personnel but Joe and I also made our way over to the hospital, fire & police stations, and the NPI operations center to visit with the elves that are having to work. I brought Starbucks Thanksgiving blend coffee, hot chocolate, and doughnuts with me to hand out to everyone. By the time I finished visiting with everyone, I had just enough time to hurry back home, change clothes, and go for a brief run. The run felt great! Very energizing but I was running late so I rushed through my shower and off to North Pole Flight Center, leaving Mrs. Claus behind in the middle of her Thanksgiving Dinner preparations. Blitzen, Comet, and Rudolph then flew Jingle, Candy, and I down to New York for the parade. From the parade, it was off to Detroit for a brief appearance at the NFL game there. Then it was a quick flight down to Dallas, where I stayed to watch the entire game Cowboys game. Mrs. Claus was not happy I had stayed for the game because I was really late getting back to the North Pole. I made it just in time to change clothes for the big Thanksgiving Day dinner.

The dinner was, as always, fantastic. Mrs. Claus made just incredible food. And it was great to see everyone. We had literally hundreds of guests as all the elves and reindeer joined us along with about 50 guests we had invited from outside the North Pole. I think this may have been our biggest Thanksgiving ever. Regardless, I know our guests had a great time. After dinner, Taylor Swift performed for about an hour. The crowd just loved her... particularly her rendition of Ava Maria which she sang in transition from her original songs to a number of classic Christmas carols. After the concert, most of the guests mingled around for another couple of hours. Almost half of them even took advantage of DJ Elroy's presence (he is widely regarded as the best DJ amongst the elves) to dance to his club mix tunes as he took center stage after Taylor was done. Mrs. Claus and I even danced a little. I am not a dancer... not at all... but I had a blast. It's going to be hard to top this party next year.

It was a fun day. I really am excited about this upcoming Holiday season. I believe this will be our best Christmas ever. I certainly hope & pray it will be your best. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas, All!

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For those of you in the USA, Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your football, feasts, and time with family & friends.

For everyone else in the world, it is still a good day for you to take some time to reflect on all of your blessings and give thanks. I encourage you to take a moment and tell someone you love how grateful you are for them. Enjoy the day!

Thanksgiving Eve 2009

For most of you out there in the US, I should say "Happy Thanksgiving!" because its past midnight and technically into Thanksgiving for you. I am on North Pole Time and it is long past midnight for me as I write this post.

While it has been a very long day, I am not in the least bit tired. I have caught the "Christmas fever". I am SO excited for the Holidays. Its a good thing too since the Holiday season kicks off tomorrow for me on a personal basis as Mrs. Claus and I host our annual Thanksgiving banquet and then it kicks off on a professional basis on Friday as our Operations swing into full gear.

I think the Christmas spirit really hit me today because of what I did. First, I started the day especially early, around 4am, with a run. The snow was falling as I ran and that always gets me in the Holiday mood. I finished the run at the Village Starbucks, where I had coffee with Jingle to discuss tomorrow's morning appearances across North America including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and at NFL games in Detroit & Dallas. The egg nog latte was superb! By the way... I have to confess... I have gone decaf for the most part but I did cheat and have a regular, fully caffeinated latte this morning. From there, I had breakfast with Mrs. Claus at the house. Afterwards, I flew with Jingle down to Tennessee to pick-up the fresh turkey's for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner.

We were back around lunch time so I pulled together my staff for an impromptu, informal discussion over lunch. We chatted for awhile personally - sharing things from our weekend, etc - and then discussed the status of the re-org transition and its impact on the team's morale. Overall, everyone was very pleased with how well the re-org has been accepted by the team members. Obviously, we still have some "kinks" in the roles & responsibilities to work out but we are ahead of where we thought we might be.

After lunch, I joined Mrs. Claus to see if I could help with set-up for tomorrow's big Thanksgiving Day dinner. As always, she insists on cooking all of the food and she refuses help from me. So I wandered over to the Hall in which we'll hold the dinner. And let me tell you, I got over there at the right time. Amongst all the elves scurrying to hang decorations, set tables, and generally position everything for tomorrow's event, I found Taylor Swift on stage doing her sound check. Mrs. Claus specifically requested her for this year's banquet and now I know why after seeing her perform. What a voice! Especially for someone so young. It's going to be a real treat for our guests tomorrow to hear her sing. She will perform some of her original work but she is also going to sing a number of classic Christmas Carols.

When the sound check was over, I had Rudolph and Blitzen fly me down to Heidelberg, Germany for the opening of the Christmas markets there. What fun! Even though it was a Wednesday night, there was a great crowd out. I made sure I had a crepe with Nutella before I left. And of course, I sampled all the food that was available in the various booths. The town was beautifully decorated too with lights on practically every building, Christmas trees in every open space, and lights on the street lamps. It was magical.

After the markets in Germany, I rushed back to help Mrs. Claus. She sent me out on a grocery run. Of course, by then it was late and many of the things she needed, like pumpkin pie filling, were sold out at the Village market. I had to scramble around on my sleigh to multiple places to finally find everything she needed. She and I had a snack together after I returned... we had both skipped dinner we were so busy. Ok... maybe you can't call me skipping dinner when I grazed my way through all the Christmas markets, but it wasn't a proper meal either!

Post-snack, I just dove into helping the elves prepare the banquet room. We finally finished a few minutes before I sat down to write this post. I must say it was a good day. And it definitely sparked the Christmas spirit in me. But its time for me to crash... I have a long - but exciting - day ahead tomorrow.

Have a great Thanksgiving, all!

Europe For The Pre-Season

If you have been following me on Twitter.com (@NorthPoleCEO), you know that I spent last week in Europe. All of the sleighs were in for the annual pre-season service. The reindeer were also taking their annual "rest week" prior to the start of the very busy Holiday season. So I was confined to travelling commerical airlines. And to make matters worse, because of the economic situation, flying "economy" rather than business or first class. Given all of the logistics, I decided to contain my travel over the past 10 days to Europe.

I have to tell you, it was a great few days visiting all across the European continent. Christmas decorations were out in most town centers. In many cities, the Christmas Markets had already opened and I enjoyed visiting them. In fact, I may have enjoyed them a little too much.... they all had those crepes with Nutella. I can't resist those. I am guessing I put on about 5 lbs. Normally that wouldn't be an issue but right here on the cusp of the busy season, I need to be in peak shape.

I did see some really good football while in Europe. I went to the Ireland v. France World Cup Qualifier. Wow! Thierry Henry is without question on my naughty list. I also saw Manchester City take a 2-2 result at Liverpool and Manchester United keep 5 points back of Chelsea with a 3-0 win over Everton. It was quite fun to have a little time to take in football. By this time next week, I'll have no time to attend football games, or any other non-Christmas event, for that matter.

On Sunday and Monday of this week, I returned to Germany. I spent much of my time in and around Heidelberg, where my father had once been King. Stay tuned for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday posts where I will explain about my father being a king. Anyway, I had a great time & great food in Germany and am looking forward to the Christmas Market opening tomorrow in Heidelberg.

But I am back now from the Holiday and ready to go! Stay tuned the next few nights for new posts and more information on my Origins as Santa Clause.

Origins Trilogy Planned

By popular request, I am going to be posting the "Origins Trilogy" this next weekend. I will have original posts for the day before the US's Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after Thanksgiving; however, beginning this weekend, I will run a 3 part series that outlines my origins as Santa Claus. These posts will be the re-tellings of classic tales from years prior, but with additional insights introduced into the stories. It also will represent the first time these tales have been told together and in chronological order.

The posts will run on consecutive days beginning Saturday, November 28th through Monday, the 30th of November.

I hope you enjoy the Origins Trilogy!

North Pole Inc. Re-Organization

I am pleased to announce a significant milestone today in the continued evolution of North Pole Inc. Effective today, just in time for the start of the Holiday season, we are implementing a new organizational structure designed to keep us relevant with the new hyper-connected, global generation. To be very clear... our mission remains to make the world a better place than we found it. I believe that this re-organization will make us more effective in achieving that mission.

It is important to note that there are no job losses associated with this re-structuring. This is not about efficiencies, though efficiencies are important, but rather about being more connected with the world's children and more effective in spreading joy.

Our previous organization was functionally focused. To be closer to the markets in which the world's children live, we are re-positioning the organization to be regionally-focused. We will maintain functional centers of excellence and a process organization to ensure the appropriate level of consistency is maintained and best practices are applied.

My new direct report senior team will now consist of the following:

Jingle will remain as Chief of Staff but also assume the duties of Chief Operating Officer. The responsibilities of the COO are different than previously defined when the role was held by Candy. The COO is responsible for oversight of the various functional centers of excellence (Marketing, PR, Procurement, Production, Merchandising, Logistics) as well as Internal Communications, Legal, Government Affairs, Flight Operations, and the newly formed Process Excellence organization. The functional centers of excellence coordinate across various regions and drive best practices; however, each region is fully self-sufficient with their own dedicated functions. The regions retain full decision rights.

Candy will assume the responsibility of the North America General Manager. She will be responsible for Merchandising, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Marketing, and Public Relations for the United States & Canada.

Snowflake, previously the Chief Information Officer, will assume the role of General Manager for Central & South America. She will be responsible for Merchandising, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Marketing, and Public Relations for the Americas minus the US and Canada.

Ollie, former Logistics Director, has been promoted to General Manager of Europe and the Middle East.

Jolly, former Chief Marketing Officer, will serve as the General Manager for Asia-Pacific.

Merry, who recently served as Corporate Controller reporting to Jangle, will take on the role of GM for Africa.

Melody has been promoted to Chief Information Officer, leading the Information Technology function. She replaces Snowflake, who assumed the Central & South America GM role.

Star has been promoted into the newly created role of Global Design Vice President. She will be responsible for the design of all new products as well as the creation of the global line from which the regions will merchandise product.

Jangle will continue as the Chief Financial Officer. North remains the Vice-President of Human Resources as well as Reindeer & Elf Affairs. Both will continue to report directly to me.

I am excited about these changes. I believe that we now have the organization required to move forward into the next decade. As always, we will remain open to change and evolve as the world's children continue to change and adapt to the world we live in. The one thing that will always remain constant though at North Pole Inc is this... we are committed to leaving the world a better place than we found it.

Friday the 13th

Let me be clear at the beginning -I am NOT superstitious. Well, at least I wasn't. I am re-considering my position on the subject after today.

The day started with me spilling coffee on myself just as I was about to walk out the front door for a big meeting. All over the white shirt and tie. By the time I changed shirts, I was behind schedule. I rushed as quickly as I could to the meeting. As I stepped into the elevator I caught a whiff of something foul. Very foul. I was afraid I knew what it was... I lifted my right foot and stared at the sole. Clean. I lifted the left foot... ugh! Reindeer poop. Already late for the meeting, I ducked quickly into the men's room and used a towel to clean the bottom of my shoe. I walked into the meeting 15 minutes late and smelling slightly of reindeer poo.

The meeting, despite being late, went fairly well. I thought the day was turning around as I went to lunch with an old friend. Thai food. In Bangkok :-). But that thought did not linger as I checked a new text message from the North Pole HQ. "Severity Level 1 System Issue - All Systems Completely Down". I immediately called our Chief Information Officer, Snowflake. Snowflake informed me that the systems had been down for an hour, there was currently no known root cause issue and therefore there was no estimated time for recovery. And the systems failure had practically brought the entire North Pole operation to its knees. Every thing was shutdown. If this had happened in January, February, or even as late as October, I would not have been so worried. But by mid-November, even with being merely in "pre-season mode", every day matters.

After lunch, I called Snowflake again. Still no information. I decided I had better head back to the HQ. As we flew over northern Germany, Blitzen informed me that we were going to need to make and immediate emergency landing. Comet had started to cramp up. As we approached the landing area, several hundred miles shy of our destination a t the North Pole, we began to list to the right. Comet could no longer fly. I was afraid a few times that we might roll over.. but Blitzen and crew held it together for a safe - but very rough - landing. I radioed HQ and asked for assistance. Star flew down to take Comet's place. The medical team arrived before Star and transported Comet back to the North Pole. Btw - Comet is going to be fine. He just needed some additional fluids.

When I landed some 3 hours later than planned, Jingle met me at the landing pad. I could tell he had a worried look. I was afraid to ask but I did anyway. Jingle let me know that our airspace rights for Christmas Eve over the EU countries had been revoked. There was no explanation as to why or who made the decision in the notification we had received from the EU office in Brussels. As of the writing of this email, we do not have resolution. I will be going to Brussels personally next week to lobby for the re-establishment of our Christmas Eve airspace rights.

Before I knew it, I was 4 hours behind schedule and already late for dinner with Mrs. Claus. I was still looking at a pile of work and still no system to support me. I called Mrs. Claus and asked if we could re-schedule dinner for tomorrow night. I suggested a few friends she might call for dinner in my stead. She was not happy with me at all.

Finally, by the time I left the office around 10pm NPT (North Pole Time), I was exhausted. The good news is the system was at least partially recovered... hence my ability to make this post. I decided I would stop for a quick decaf egg nog latte on my way home. I figured a nice warm drink would help me sleep. But... of course... they were out of egg nog. So I asked for a sugar-free decaf caramel latte. No luck. Out of sugar free & regular caramel both. I decided a that point that it was time to call it a night. I headed back home, made a beeline for my home office, and began to write this post.

As you can see, it was a rough day. I don't "blame" it on Friday the 13th but I am exhausted. I am going to sleep now and hope for a better day tomorrow. Good night, all.

11/11

11/11. The 11th of November. Across the world it is known as Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, Armistice Day, or Poppy Day. It is the day that many nations recognize those who have served, and particularly those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, their countries in the pursuit of freedom, liberty, and justice. It originally began in 1918 when the Allied Forces reached a cease fire agreement with German forces, thus ending World War I. In the following year, Great Britain, France, Australia, Canada, the United States, and several other countries declared November 11th as "Armistice Day"... a day to recognize those who fought so bravely and honorably in the first World War. It remained Armistice Day until the conclusion of World War II, when it was changed to honor all veterans.

Today I will go to the church here in the North Pole Village where I will kneel in prayer and remembrance. I will pray for peace. I will pray for justice. I will pray for the souls of those that want to commit evil. I will give thanks for those that have served in the cause of freedom. I will pray for courage, wisdom, and a safe return for those that serve today. I will pray for comfort for those that have lost loved ones to the fight for freedom. I will pray for rest & a quiet confidence for the families of those who are serving today. I will pray for our kids and future generations that they will know freedom and peace.... I will pray that they never have to go into battle to protect either. And I will thank God for my freedom. May I never, ever take it for granted. May I never forget the sacrifice that so many have made in order for me.. and for you... to enjoy that freedom.

May God bless our veterans, the men & women around the world who serve for freedom today, and their families. Thank you.

A Busy Pre-Season Weekend

I hope all of you had a great weekend. I certainly did, though it was very busy and exhausting. Since I only have a few weekends left before I am in the midst of Holiday season, I took this one as a personal weekend to have some fun. Mrs. Claus also took the weekend off but she did her own thing with her friends.

If you were following my tweets, you know it was a sports weekend for me. My sports passions are football (the global version) and American football. On Saturday, I went to the biggest college game of them all... the Alabama-LSU game. If you live in North America, you may have seen me on TV as the national network twice turned the camera toward me. I will never grow tired of the atmosphere & excitement of a big-time college football game. Sunday was particularly busy as I was in attendance at Stamford Bridge for the Manchester United-Chelsea match and then rushed to the Cowboys-Eagles NFL game in Philadelphia. I was really disappointed with the ManU result. Terry was clearly off-sides. The linesman and referee are both on my naughty list. Unfortunately, that won't change the fact that ManU is five points back and not looking nearly as strong as last year. At least the Cowboys game went the way I wanted it too and Dallas is in good position for early November.

My weekend really started on Friday with a very nice and unexpected surprise from a dear friend of mine. She showed up at the office with an extra-large decaf egg nog latte... the first of the season for me! And it was fantastic. It was from Dutch Brothers. As much as I love Starbucks, this was better. Right now, my only retail choice in North Pole Village is Starbucks but I am checking into acquiring a Dutch Brothers franchise for the North Pole. A little competition is good for everyone, right?

Saturday it was good to get down to Alabama. All of that heavy snow we had been getting at the North Pole turned to rain as a warm front came through. All the fresh clean powder turned to a gray slush. After I came in from my morning run, I was soaked head to foot and freezing. In fact, we had some minor flooding in parts of the village. Making matters worse, by the time I returned from the football game, the temperatures had dropped below freezing again and it all froze. Elves and reindeer were slipping and sliding everywhere. It wasn't even worth trying to take your sleigh out... it was best to just stay home if you were already there.

By Saturday night late and into early Sunday morning, the snow resumed. When I awoke Sunday morning, we had a good base of powder snow.. almost 0.5 meters... covering the ice and providing some traction. And that was good because I had to take a couple of my buddies to the airport in Oslo at 3:45a Sunday my time. As you can imagine, I didn't get much sleep the night before. And in case you are wondering... yes, my buddies flew back home from Oslo via commercial airlines. I did not fly them up or back in the sleigh. Reindeer and elves union rules are very strict about use of the sleighs for non-business flights. Mrs. Claus and I can use them for personal use but we have restrictions as to who & when we can take with us on non-business related matters.

Anyway, it was busy weekend and I am exhausted! I am going to hit the sack here soon but before I do, I want to make sure you check out the blog headlines. I am going to be sponsoring a contest in which you can win a sleigh ride with Rudolph! Keep checking in for details on how to win.

Have a good week. It's snooze time for me.

Never Take Yourself Too Seriously

About this time of year I start to hear all the "Santa jokes". Usually folks are whispering them under their breath so that I won't hear and be offended. Well... remember... I know if you have been naughty or nice. Do you really think I didn't hear that?! Really?

The good news is I think they're funny, so I want to share a few with you. I hope you get a good laugh out of it.

Why does Santa always go down the chimney?

Because it soots him.

Where does Santa stay when he's on holidays?

At a Ho-ho-tel!

What does Mrs. Claus sing to Santy on his birthday?

Freeze a jolly good fellow!"

An honest politician, a kind lawyer and Santa Claus were walking down the street and saw a $100 bill. Which one picked it up?

Santa! The other two don't exist!


Why does Santa like to work in his garden?

Because he likes to hoe, hoe, hoe!


What do you get if Santa comes down the chimney while the fire is still burning?

Crisp Kringle!


What do you call someone who doesn't believe in Father Christmas?

A rebel without a Claus!


What does Santa use when he goes fishing?

His north pole!


What's red & white and red & white and red & white?

Santa rolling down a hill!


What's red and green and flies?

An airsick Santa Claus!


What is red and white and black all over?

Santa Claus covered in ashes.


What does Santa get if he gets stuck in a chimney?

Claustrophobic!


Why won't Santa eat Twinkies?

He would rather eat Ho-Hos.

The Commercialization of Christmas

Ugh! I have to admit I am frustrated. The last two days I have been scouting malls around the world... from Dubai to London to Los Angeles. And while I found some great new locations that I will add to my normal schedule, I also grew more and more frustrated at how virtually every retail outlet is already decorated for Christmas. Can they not wait for at least mid-November?!

Please do not misunderstand... I am very glad that folks are excited about Christmas and that they want to celebrate it. I also appreciate the fact that the Christmas season is "make or break" for most retailers across Europe and North America. In fact, most of them lose money all year and make a enough during the Christmas period that they are profitable for the full year. Think about that for a moment... it is staggering. I do appreciate that. If it were not for that fact, I would call for a boycott of any retailer displaying Christmas decorations or advertising prior to November 20th. But we all need the retailers to be profitable. A bad Christmas season at retail and our global economic recovery may see a major set-back. That would not be good for anyone.

All of that said though.... the earlier we see Christmas decorations up each year, the more commercialized Christmas becomes. And the more commercialized, the greater the tendency is for us to forget the true reason for Christmas. So I am going to ask you to battle the commercialization of Christmas - not by boycotting retailers (please don't) but by making a point to spread the true Christmas spirit. You can do that by taking the time to:

• Read the Christmas story yourself. Don't wait until Christmas Eve, read it now.
• Make a point of sharing the Christmas story with at least one child.
• Tell someone you love exactly that... make a point of saying "I love you" everyday through Christmas.
• Buy mistletoe, hang it up, and use it.
• Donate to a charity of your choice. The amount doesn't matter... just give something. In many countries, your donations are tax deductible.
• Make dinner for someone you know that is unemployed.
• Commit to one random act of kindness each day.
• Play like me for one day. Be a "secret Santa" and leave a gift for a neighbor or co-worker.
• Take time to reflect on your blessings and give Thanks no matter how big or small those blessings are.

Do these things and I promise, you'll have the best Christmas ever. And you will likely make someone else's the best ever as well.

November Already?

The first 10 months of 2009 have really flown by for me. I can hardly believe its November already. But I truly am starting to get in the Christmas spirit. Maybe its because it has started to snow here at the North Pole. We have had fresh snow the past 3 days in a row and it really looks like a winter wonderland. Yes... here in the northern most part of the our property, right at the pole, we have snow on the ground year-round but we sometimes go months without fresh snow. The snow does get old, crunchy, and more of an "off-white".... especially in the reindeer run areas, if you know what I mean :-). But new snow changes all that. And there must be at least 2 feet of fresh powder.

It was a busy off-season for me. Lots of travel for both work and pleasure... and sometimes a mixture of both. I spent large amounts of time Europe, China, India, Japan, and the USA on business. Mrs. Claus and I made a few trips to Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya on a volunteer basis to help with various humanitarian efforts. And Mrs. Claus and I took a few breaks as well. As I get older, I find I need a little bit more rest & relaxation time during the off-season. Our break times included trips to Maui (1 month), the Six Senses Hideway in Vietnam (1 week... unbelievable place), and simply staying around the North Pole.

Now things are starting to gear up for the upcoming Holiday season. I am excited about it. Pre-season preparations are already underway. I have toured production facilities, met with the team, presented orientation to all of the new hires, etc. Later this week I'll make my annual mall scouting tour to determine which malls I'll personally visit this year (as opposed to sending a delegate. Yes... sometimes it is a delegate and not me. Don't broadcast that to your kids though, ok?)

One thing I'm concerned about though with the upcoming season is my physical fitness. I am definitely getting older. And to some degree I feel I have plateued with my current regimen. That combined with all the work dinners, holiday dinners, parties, etc. that I'm required to be at this year... not to mention my Christmas Eve indulgence of milk and cookies... I feel I have to do something different. Beginning yesterday (Nov 1st), I'm stepping up my exercise routine. I am going to maintain a more intense workout schedule through the end of December. So far so good as I ran hard yesterday (in the snow... it was great) and I have already lifted weights today. Hopefully all of you can watch my blog and if I seem to be slacking off, bug me to get back on schedule. In fact, maybe some of you can join me in committing to staying healthy through the Holiday season...?

Ok... I gotta get to it. The day is calling... and more specifically, Mrs. Claus is calling. The eggs are ready and she's not going to wait on me for breakfast.

Have a great day, everyone! Happy November.

Santa Blog To Resume Holiday Schedule

Press Release
For Immediate Release

BLOG TO RESUME HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Effective immediately, Santa Claus will resume regular updates to his Christmas Blog (http://www.clauschronicles.blogspot.com/). Santa plans to return to providing weekly updates through November and near-daily updates through the month of December.

"Santa suspended off-season posts this year after the first few months had disappointing results. Instead, we focused on 'tweeting', which turned out to have a very positive response. Santa will continue his tweets in addition to his daily posts," stated Jingle, Chief of Staff for North Pole Inc.

Jingle reminded visitors that Santa's Christmas Blog is "ad-free". It is purely a labor of love from Santa. Santa hopes the blog serves to further the Magic of Christmas and add a little bit of joy to the lives of all who read it... children and adults alike.

Again this year, you can subscribe to receive updates via RSS. In addition to adding comments to Santa's posts, he can now also be reached via email at SantaNorthPoleCEO@gmail.com.

And finally, in Santa's effort to remain as connected and accessible as possible, look for him on GoogleTalk as well.

Enjoy the blog! We hope you share it with your friends and family.

Please Direct All Media Inquiries To Melody In Media Relations & Corporate Communications.

FOLLOW SANTA ON TWITTER

Hi everyone! It is going to be a great Christmas this year. I am already in the Christmas spirit... are you?

This season I'll be 'tweeting' in addition to blogging. If you want to keep up with me, you can sign up to follow me at www.Twitter.com. My screen name is NorthPoleCEO. I'll be sending tweets regularly.

Love,
Santa