Mrs. Claus was very concerned that Santa, the “Jolly Old Elf” as he is sometimes referred to, needed a bit of assistance as he became more “Old” than “Elf” but still “Jolly”. Mrs. Claus, (her first name is “Eve” as we mentioned in a previous story) suggested that Santa hire an intern to assist with his annual duties. Santa first considered the idea “preposterous,” but Eve saw how slowly he climbed into and out of the sleigh and other small clues that made clear to her that Santa could use a non-Elf hand or two.

But who would be available to help Santa in the extra cold North Pole? Perhaps a young person from Siberia, Finland or Alaska. She even considered a robot until she remembered elves had to keep all robot presents warm until delivery. As Santa’s assistant, the work would be a concentrated part-time job which caused her to think of a college student who always had off of classes for the Christmas holidays.

Then there was the problem of advertising the job. There might be thousands of applicants. Who would interview them, and neither Eve nor Santa would want to disappoint a single one. What to do? Maybe the answer was not hiring just an intern, but to lighten the Christmas Eve load of gifts that Santa had to deliver.

By the way, all of this happened 20 or so years ago, and we just heard about it during one of our fireside chats with the Claus’. You all know by now what Mrs. Claus did to help Santa and he is still managing to handle his Christmas Eve duties by himself. What? Oh yes…I didn’t remind you of the solution to Santa’s problem…why UPS, FedEX, and all of the postal services of the world.

So everyone have a Merry Christmas, and don’t forget to check your front steps and mailboxes.