Now that’s a clever question! There are stories and movies about human children that come to the North Pole to live and work as elves. But, just like many Christmas tales, stories of children living and working in the toy shop are built on a sparkle of truth and a whole lot of imagination. It’s a little different from what life is really like at Santa’s Village

You see, elves are magical beings that are very, very real — thousands of them live and work alongside me at Santa’s Village (15,348 to be exact). Elves are small, quick, cheerful, and very good at building toys. Most elves are perfectly happy staying at the North Pole, baking cookies, wrapping gifts, and singing songs. They don’t usually move to big cities or ride elevators. But the spirit of such stories — a big and gentle heart, the love of Christmas, kindness, and joy is exactly what real elves are all about.

Some elves even giggle when they hear the stories about humans living and working at the North Pole. They giggle because the stories remind them of a few of their own cousins — especially the ones who are a little extra silly, a little extra curious, and sometimes get themselves into funny situations. And, the characters in these movies and stories are just like the elves in so many ways — the feelings of belonging, laughter, love, kindness, and the magic of Christmas are as true as snowflakes falling on Christmas Eve.

So, are these stories true? Well, the stories may be make-believe but the Christmas cheer and kindness shown in movies and stories are as real as the jingling bells on my sleigh.