Sauna elf

When the sauna elf hears the sauna door he pricks up his ears. In the dusk under the platform of sauna he listens, how people greet sauna and its warmth. The elf can easily stay unseen because he is very short and small, although he has a remarkably round belly. The elves have always a clothing that is suitable for their tasks  - you know well the red-jacketed Christmas elf. So is the sauna elf appropriately clothed for his chores. He has a brownish grey jacket and a cap of the same colour. No wonder it is not easy to see him when he is hiding under the platform or behind the stove. The sauna elf  watches attentively when the folks of the house are bathing.

They must bath in proper time, silence and devotion in order to get the warm protection of the elf. But if people are noisy or they are loitering in the sauna too long, the elf can loose his temper! He can let the sauna become peculiarly hot and steamy, even smoky. If the elf becomes very angry, he can leave the house for good. Especially it is not proper to stay too long in Christmas sauna - the elf wants to have his bathing turn in due time, too. When the master of the house leaves the sauna, he throws a scoop of water on the stones of the sauna stove. The air of the sauna becomes properly hot. Now it is the elf’s turn to climb up to the platform. How nice it is to loll there and enjoy the soft warmth of your own homely sauna!

Christmas elf

In the dimness of the days before Christmas you may hear the tinkling of a little bell. Then you know that a Christmas elf is somewhere near you. This little being with a red cap hides himself carefully, but sometimes the little bell in the top of his cap tinkles a little. Some evening  near Christmas you can even see a shadow of an elf passing the window. One important task of the elves is to look after the welfare of the children. At the same time they make sure that children can wake up refreshed, have their breakfast, brush their teeth and behave nicely in general. At Christmas time everybody should treat all animals kindly. The animals have very good relationship with the elves. The elves understand animal language and they will find out if somebody treats animals roughly. On Christmas Eve the elf expects that he will get a full bowl of porridge, and he likes to get some other food, too. He is happy if the dishes are put

to some dim, shady place, for instance in the attic, where he can enjoy the delicacies at peace. On Christmas Eve the elves have a good reason to eat a lot: they must work hard helping Santa Claus deliver presents to children all over the world, big and small alike.

Home elf

The home elf is very busy in the days before Christmas. He has a lot of jobs to do. People are hurried, they have not enough time for their chores. In his considerate way the home elf helps them. He cleans the walls, tables and windowsills with his duster. The duster has been made of feathers which have dropped from the wings of crows. At the same time he watches that children do not peep to the hiding places where Christmas presents are. Although Santa Claus brings his presents from Korvatunturi mountain and gives them to children, many parents, friends and relatives want to give their presents, too. The home elf has very quick feet. It is not easy to see him, although he has that reddish cap of his. But he knows the human beings very well, especially those people who are living in the same house with him. He has experiences from hundreds of years and he knows thoroughly the habits, trends and crazes of his house folks. The elf is very well acquainted with the traditions which are easily

forgotten by people. So, when the yards and roads are slippery in October, he is very happy and smiles behind his beard. He knows that if the courtyard is slippery in October, the corn fields are rich next summer. He really knows the signs of  weather, although he lives in a warm house. Sometimes a little bird may bump the window. The elf knows: that is a sign of coming dense snowfall. People have a habit of burning candles when they have a reason to celebrate. But they also have a habit of forgetting those burning candles when they are doing their preparations and when they are celebrating, and especially after the party. The home elf knows, that also the greatest fire begins from a tiny spark. That is why he steps around the household looking after the candles. But he knows also that the gingerbread cookies made for Christmas are very tasty. He also knows where the lady of the house keeps those delicacies. It is his right to visit there every now and then and to take a bite or two.

The Mail Elf

In Santa’s Main Post Office at the Polar Circle there are a lot of quick and smart mail elves.  If you see an elf who is running rapidly but determinedly hither and thither, you can be sure he is a mail elf. They are always coming and going and they know many languages. It is important because they deal with the letters of children from all over the world and help Santa Claus to write the answers. They have to carry parcels and letters to innumerable places. The mail elves know all those mysterious inhabitants of Lapland and their dwelling and hiding places  - how else would it be possible to find the right addresses? All fairies and brownies and elves must get their letters and parcels.

The mail elves have red caps and jackets – just as all Christmas elves have. Sometimes those mail elves who are busiest of all, have put red-white-striped shirts on. So it is possible to see where they are, in the middle of all that throng and bustle. The most careful and precise mail elves wrap presents into many-coloured decorative paper. The same elves have often aprons on, because they are the ones who decorate the gingerbread  cookies with sugar frosting. The mail elves are especially busy when Christmas is coming. All those Christmas presents have to be wrapped and the addresses must be checked, every single one. Then it is easy for Santa Claus and his helpers to load the sledges and start their journey. The sledges are full to the brims of glittering and rustling parcels with the right names and addresses.  The communication connections from Santa’s Post Office reach all corners of the world, even the Moon. Santa Claus’ communication satellite makes it possible for Old Man Moon to listen to the elves’ choir singing Christmas songs on Christmas Eve.