The House Fairy and I recently took a trip up to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus and see what’s new in the stocking stuffer department. Mrs. Claus is in charge of that and she was very happy to show us her latest ideas for stuffers.
She starts each season with an empty shoebox for each child and by Christmas Eve the shoeboxes are filled with all the goodies she has collected for each one and the contents fit perfectly into the stockings Santa puts them in on Christmas Eve. She explained this year all good boys and girls will receive gifts in their stockings which please each of the five senses. She told us her husband fills stockings for all ages, so her ideas range from those for small children to those for teenagers and even moms and dads who have been good.
CDs
Earrings
Muffs
Whistles
Mp3 players
Concert tickets
Radios
Ipods
Earplugs
Perfume
Room deodorizer
Candles
Incense
Nose plugs
Breath Spray
Certs
Tic Tacs
Goggles
Sunglasses
Eye make-up
Eye drops
DVDs
Movie Tickets
Kaleidoscopes
Opera glasses
Crayons
Color books
Foot warmers
Gift certificate for a massage
Bubble Bath
Ben Gay
Nuts
Candy
Fruit
Gift certificate to restaurant
Starbucks
The Popcorn Factory 1-888-216-0235
Harry and David 1-877-322-1200
Mrs. Sees Chocolates 1-800-347-7337
Mrs. Fields Cookies 1-800-266-5437
Mrs. Claus told us she wraps some of the gifts, but not all of them. “Wrapping slows down the sock gutting process and extends the length of anticipation which is a gift in itself." She also told me when Santa gives a gift certificate; he puts it inside a balloon, blows the balloon up about the size of a lemon and puts it in the sock. He uses balloons for other small stocking stuffers like jewelry and money. "Balloons help fill up the sock (there is something disappointing about a half-filled stocking) and it’s fun for the sock gutter to have to pop the balloon to get the gift." The Christmas couple told us that filling stockings is one of the most creative parts of their job. They said it’s fun to take the extra time to make the filled stockings one of the best parts of Christmas morning.
As I talked with Mrs. C about her Thanksgiving Day plans, the House Fairy and Santa slipped out of the Toy Shop and headed out to the reindeer barn. The House Fairy is afraid of reindeer and every time she visits Santa he tries to get her to make friends with them.
All of a sudden I heard a gigantic swoooosh sound as dry leaves before a wild hurricane would sound, and to my wondering eyes appeared a sleigh in the sky pulled by nine reindeer and carrying Santa.
I came back home alone on Alaska Airlines knowing the House Fairy would be back when she was good and ready. I think she said she had some inspections to make at the North Pole, so it could be awhile.