During this festive season most of the focus that is not on the birth of Jesus Christ usually falls on Santa Claus and his amazing gift-giving powers. Depictions of the legendarily jolly old guy in a red suit is everywhere, making him the de facto non-religious symbol of Christmas.
The longevity and relevance of Santa Claus despite the changing times could be credited to him having done a pretty good job at being the non-religious and semi-commercialized face of Christmas. After all, the guy who knows when you are sleeping and awake, and if you’ve been bad or good, has been successfully encouraging kids all over the world to be good for goodness sake, at least during the Yuletide season.
Another factor that has greatly contributed to Santa’s success as an icon of Christmas, which we rarely give enough credit, would be his elves.
These are the little guys who probably work at less than minimum wage at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole, churning out the toys that children all over the world wish for. Aside from toy-making duties, we could also assume that elves are responsible for a host of other things that make every Christmas a success.
They should also maintain the sleigh, making sure it is in tiptop condition for its annual transglobal journey, which is a must for the reindeer-powered vehicle and its senior citizen driver to deliver all the gifts for the world’s good boys and girls safely and on time and, despite traveling at unimaginable megasonic speeds. There is also the maintenance and upkeep of the North Pole and its toy workshop, which has to produce millions of toys every year. Any production manager knows that seasonal production runs are harder to maintain, making that job particularly challenging for Santa’s elves.
Their role in ensuring the success of every Christmas is underrated yet critical, making them the ultimate support crew for one of the world’s most beloved holidays. And yet, we don’t really give them that much credit, mostly keeping the focus on the big guy himself.
In our own Christmas celebrations, our families and social circles also have their own elves who are crucial in keeping the festivities going, year in and year out, and maybe it is about time that we recognize their efforts and give them the credit that is due.
These Christmas elves are the ones who organize the yearly gatherings, often from behind the scenes, so that all we have to do is show up and enjoy ourselves. They arrange the food, source the funds, send the invitations, decorate the venues and even clean up after. Without these selfless people who embody the spirit of Christmas, family traditions would most likely die off and there would come a time when we wouldn’t have anywhere to go during this most wonderful time of the year.
Families have the Santa, or the patriarch who just sits in his chair and hohohos and greets the visitors and gives away presents for the young ones, but all the magic that goes with any Holiday gathering would not be possible without the elves who work and spend for the celebrations behind the scenes. After all, any celebration with only a Santa figurehead wouldn’t be any fun or memorable if it weren’t for all the effort that was put in by the family’s elves.
Getting a group together, whether it is made up of family or friends, especially considering those who visit only a couple of times a year, can be a challenge. There are schedules to match, venues to arrange, food to cook or order, activities to plan. An organization without elves will never be able to successfully pull off these kinds of gatherings that can be a continuing tradition, or if successful, the start of a new one.
The only reason Christmas traditions survive the test of time is because of the elves. Most of the time, there is that unifying Santa figure who keeps the group together, and it doesn’t become a challenge until the Santa is gone, and no elf steps up to do what must be done to continue the tradition. If no one elf steps up to do the work of keeping the tradition, it will most likely disappear within a couple of years, especially as new traditions are formed among the remaining groups.
Because Christmas is a season of festive gatherings, there is also a lot of competition from other groups when it comes to such events, even among family members or in-laws. That means if a day or meal that has traditionally been reserved for a certain group is suddenly left open, a replacement can be easily found. So, if a family or group wants to maintain a tradition, its elves have to do the work because if they forget or fail, visitors that end up joining other groups may not come back next year, which could threaten the continuity of the tradition for their particular family or group.
As we start to go into peak Christmas season this year, let us take time to identify and appreciate our elves. They are the silent but consistent workers who make our celebrations, gatherings, and traditions special. Because without these people, our Christmases would never be the same. We have to remember that even if it is the most wonderful time of the year, it still takes a lot of effort to make something wonderful happen. Our elves won’t always be there to make that possible, so let’s make sure they have reason to keep elfing.*
