Eco Santa's Diary 2053

Eco Santa’s Diary 2053 by Guernsey Gwen
Eco North Pole Santa
He has patched up his moth-eaten
jacket and made a new pair of
trousers from an old curtain. The
lining of his reversible hat is made
from a tea towel he got when he
went on holiday to Guernsey.
Eco Fiji Santa
He took this picture when he went to
visit Eco Santa two years ago. His
trousers are made from an old sulu,
and his hat is made from a roll of
material he found in a charity shop.
He normally wears shorts and a Bula
shirt when he is back home.

25th November 2053
Gosh. We moved in a year ago today. It was sad to leave the old cabin at the North pole, but
with the melting ice, it was too dangerous to live there. Greenland is great. I now have air
conditioning and central heating in the new cabin and factory.
Checked on the new pine forest today. It’s looking good. The woodland elves chop down the
bigger trees so that the worker elves can make wooden toys for the children. Don't worry–we
replant tree for tree. It’s much easier to have everything on the doorstep. When I think what it
was like trying to import raw materials with those global supply issues and the air miles of
flying in all the goods. Anyway, the children now demand that their toys have a low carbon
footprint. I don't do plastic anymore either. The children refused to accept presents made of
that nasty stuff. They taught me all about the harm that plastic is doing to wildlife. I saw huge
islands of plastic in the middle of the oceans, and it was awful. I want to be kind to the planet.
I am a plastic free Eco Santa.
I must tell you about my garden. Years ago, this land was covered in snow, but due to global
warming, the weather here is now warm, and we have an extended growing season. I have
greenhouses that contain grapes for making wine and distilling for brandy, orchards full of
fruit trees, a fig tree, beehives, and a vegetable plot with poly tunnels. The reindeer poo
makes fabulous fertiliser.
I lit a log fire today in the lounge. The ground heat pump doesn’t quite heat the entire cabin.
The solar panels are useless today because we get no light in the middle of winter and there is
no wind today, so the turbine isn’t generating any electricity.

Mrs Santa made some Christmas puddings earlier. All homemade with ingredients from the
garden. She picked grapes from the greenhouse a couple of months ago and they have been
drying in the sun to make sultanas. With apples, honey, figs, and some home-made distilled
honey brandy, these puddings are going to be delicious. Can’t wait to try some; apparently,
they will be ready in a couple of weeks.
A Guernsey pouque
holding a Christmas
pudding that has had
brandy set alight.
10th December, 2053
Got my suit out today. Would you believe it? The pesky moths have nibbled holes in it. I
took it to Mrs Santa to see if I could mend it. I used the material from one of my old jackets
and she showed me how to patch up the worst of the moth holes.
The trousers were also full of holes. I have used most of my old trousers to cover up the patch
where I sit. My bottom rubs a hole in that area as I wiggle about on the sled. I found a jolly
piece of material to use, but apparently that was the “posh” Christmas tablecloth. Mrs Santa
said I could have her old curtains. Neither of us had ever made a new pair of trousers from
scratch–we have just been patching up the old ones each year. We googled how to make
some, and it was quite easy. It was so slow though, sewing it all by hand. I think I will put a
sewing machine on my Christmas list this year.
Grandma Santa knitted me a soft new woollen hat for this season, but it needed a lining. I
found an old souvenir tea towel and made it into a reversible hat. Go me!!

15th December 2053
Had a zoom call with Fiji Santa today. I send him a Christmas card every year, but we haven't
really spoken for ages. I told him all about the ice melting and my new house. He said his
home island has disappeared under water due to sea level rises. One of the bigger islands had
a vacant mountain, and he now lives halfway up it. He says he has got a magnificent view,
and he also has lots of forest which he uses to make toys from. He said they were short of
workers this year to cover the South Pacific. One hundred vacancies! He has had bring some
worker elves over from Tonga (by boat of course). It’s very hot over there now. They have
increased their forests and planted trees in all the villages for shade. In the principal city,
Suva, they have underground cool rooms for those people who can’t afford air conditioning.
He says they have lots of fierce hurricanes, but the humans don't mind them so much now.
They just go into the shelters and wait for it to pass. They harness the power from the
hurricane and make electricity from it. You know–we should do that with our storms.
Although, with the amount of rain we get, the dams won't dry out anytime soon, so the
hydropower will be fine to make electricity for the town. I suppose I ought to get the house
connected to the mains supply, but it is so much more expensive than generating your own
electricity.
25th December 2053
Oh, my goodness! What a night it has been! I set off in good time to get my sleigh loaded up
with presents to do deliveries. I went to the stables only to find that the reindeer were all
snuffling and sneezing. They had caught COVID from my chief elf. I called the satellite help
line and managed to download the solar array app. Up in space, orbiting the planet, are huge
solar power stations. They send the energy down to Earth as radio waves which then gets
turned into electricity. The Earth Electricity Company (EEC) were able to give me a direct
link into the power station that is providing Europe with power. I have a mini radio device
which captures the radio waves before they hit Earth and converts it to electricity to power
the sleigh. As the power stations are above the atmosphere then they get sunlight
continuously.

That was not the only problem. There was a huge tropical storm over the Atlantic and I had to
make a detour up into space to avoid it. The new radar is brilliant though. It directs the sat
nav around all the storms, so the ride is not too bumpy.
The children are very tech savvy and most of them have CCTV in their rooms and houses to
try and get a picture of me. Good job my magic makes me invisible to cameras. Most houses
do not have chimneys anymore, but my sonic key is very good at opening any doors. This
year I had to make a delivery to the International Space Station. I had to dock in one of the
rocket ports and then I handed over the presents through an airlock.
There is not much snow around now, so my ground sleigh has adapted runners to move on
any ground.
The Guernsey pouques try out the one-horse open sleigh
Next year there will be some children living on Mars. That is just too far to go, even for my
sleigh. We are recruiting at the moment for a Mars Father Christmas who will be based there
with two elves. He will need to live underground. We are going to get him to Mars on the
Spacex rocket that is doing some deliveries later in the year.
Good news to report anyway. Loads of happy children on Planet Earth, with eco presents that
have not harmed the planet. I’m worn out now. I’m going to roast some chestnuts on the fire,
put my feet up and read a good book. Good night!