WHO WILL BE ELF OF THE SEASON?

The Elves were all gathered in the great hall. With only five days until Christmas, it had to be something important to have them all stop working, and it was very important. Today's the day Santa and Mrs Claus were announcing the finalists for the Elf of the Season!

The room was buzzing with excitement, and everyone broke out in a cheer when Santa and Mrs. Claus walked in. They laughed and shook hands with as many Elves as they could as they worked their way to the center of the room.

Once their, he raised his hands, and the Elves all fell silent. "This Christmas Season has been a very good one for us here at The North Pole," he began, "Smitty Elf has told me that, as of today, ninety-eight percent of the children are on the Nice list!" And the Elves all cheered. "This means that we have been busier than ever, making toys and wrapping presents for such a large number of children. I've been watching you all work, and I must say, you make me proud!"

With that, the Elves cheered and threw their hats in the air. Santa sighed. "I wish they wouldn't do that." he said.

"Why?" asked Mrs. Claus.

"Because now we'll have to wait five minutes while they go around looking for their hats. Elves are very particular about their hats."

Five minutes and one second later, Santa continued. "Today, we announce the finalists for Elf of the Season. The Elf of the Season award goes to the Elf that does the best job of showing us what the Spirit of Christmas is all about!

"This is a very important award, and in my opinion, I could give it to each and every one of you," said Santa. "That's why I've also had Mrs. Claus and all of you give me your suggestions as to who will win the award. And now, Mrs. Claus will announce the finalists!"

Another cheer rose up from the Elves. This time, they didn't throw their hats.

Mrs Claus smiled nervously, and read the list off of a piece of paper.

"Our finalists are:

• Elvin Elf, The Editor In Chief of the North Pole Times, for his willingness to tell the stories of all the Elves at the North Pole, and for allowing people away from the North Pole to see what's going on here at the North Pole Times-dot-com website.

• Holly Elf, Santa's Chief Wrapping Elf, and undefeated Hide-and-Seek Champion, for her tireless work in wrapping hundreds and thousands of gifts, even when suffering really nasty paper cuts.

• Louis Elf, Santa's Designer Elf, for his ability to make every toy as attractive and functional as possible, all with great color schemes..."

Mrs Claus took a deep breath, then continued.

"And finally,

•Waldo Elf, for his constant good humor, his cheerfulness, and his inventiveness in getting those 418 fake Santas back home from the North Pole!"

And another cheer went up from the crowd! "What a great group of Elves!" said one Elf. "They all deserve to win!" said another. "I'm glad I don't have to pick!" said a third.

Santa looked at the Elves and smiled. But he looked a little worried, too. Because he was the one who had to pick!

Who would YOU pick for the Elf of the Season? Keep reading The North Pole Times and you'll see if you were right!