'There are only three jobs available to an elf," revealed wise old Papa Elf in Will Ferrell's Christmas movie Elf back in 2003. They make shoes at night while the old cobbler sleeps, they bake cookies in the treetops and then, "the big dance – the profession that every elf aspires to", they build toys in Santa's workshop.
A sure-fire way for ambitious elves to catch Santa’s attention is to secure a Christmas posting at Rathwood, the award-winning furniture store, home department and garden centre pitched in the beautiful countryside outside Tullow, Co Carlow.
Rathwood first began recruiting elves in 2007, since when the elfin population has exploded across the region. Aspiring elves are shortlisted from hundreds of applications from all around the ancient kingdom of Leinster.
The quest is to find elves brimming with a zest for life.
“We want confident, enthusiastic, fun-loving elves, full of Christmas cheer and a great love for the festive season,” explains James Keogh, the 30-year-old manager of the family-run Rathwood, and winner of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2015.
“Those well versed in the Elfphabet and Elf and Safety have an advantage but all successful candidates go through our Elf Training programme to prepare for the coming season.’
The lucky elves are also awarded a luxurious elf costume hand-made by a Rathwood seamstress, possibly while everyone else is asleep.
And what a busy season it is. This Christmas, the number of elves at Rathwood is expected to reach a record-breaking 120, as well as the 70 local staff. Among them is an elderly elf whose role is to help Santa compile his Naughty and Nice Lists, while Rathwood’s youngest elf celebrated his 100th birthday last year when Mrs Claus baked a cake, complete with 100 candles, followed by a lively elf party in the workshop.
The elves will help the Christmas team cater to visitor numbers that will frequently exceed 2,000 a day. Most of the 50,000 who will visit Rathwood over the next four weeks are booked in for a journey on the celebrated Santa Train. As they voyage towards Santa’s Woodland Cabin, deep in the Enchanted Forest, elves help the children to outwit the mischievous Jack Frost, who also rides along.
For many children, the highlight is a sing-along and game playing with the elves in Santa’s Cabin. Other elves can be spotted scampering about Rathwood’s giant new 1.2 acre Maze of Ireland, but children are advised to keep their eyes peeled at all times, as elves could be lurking around any corner, gathering vital information for Santa, or sniffing the air in the Chocolate Garden.
As Santa prepares to cross the skies from the North Pole, it’s deep-breath time for the Keogh family who have lived at Rathwood as far back as the records go. Patrick Keogh, the family patriarch, was a potato farmer who supplemented his income as an accountant to farmers throughout the area. In 1994, after 16 years of potato farming, he decided to convert the potato shed into a garden shop and homeware store. Just over a decade later, the family were thrilled to learn that Santa wanted to visit, and visit he has every year since.
Backstage, the show is now chiefly run by James Keogh and his younger brother Thomas, although their parents are still very much hands on, greeting customers and assisting elves as and when required.
It’s going to be very busy, but a lot of fun is also expected and, for elves, this might just prove one notch up on building toys in Lapland.
