The Petty Elf Daily | North Pole Gossip Blog by Red Alpha — Northpole

Christmas arrived on schedule. Deliveries were successful. Spirits were high. And afterward, in a room without decorations, Santa told me what comes next. This is where the calendar stops helping.

Christmas preparations continued as usual today. Smiles, schedules, rehearsals. Then Stupid asked me to follow him. He said Santa wanted me to see something. He was wrong about who wanted it—but not about the room.

Jack Marrow returned today. Not to argue. Not to evaluate. To report. I saw him speak with Santa about containment, boundary strain, and holidays that were never meant to cross over. Then Santa sent him back to work.

The first official report was compiled today. It listed names, roles, and statuses—but left out conclusions. The Holiday Alliance exists on paper now. The Unlikelies exist everywhere else.

Cupid rolled out the evaluation schedule. Everyone received a time slot—except Jack Marrow. When asked to participate, he declined. Santa allowed it. Nothing else needed to be said.