A Word from the Archives
Filed by Quill, Storykeeper of the North Pole
Oh!... You found us. Well, this is slightly awkward.
You see, the North Pole Archives aren't exactly secret. That would be the wrong word.
But neither are they the sort of place we generally put on maps.
For centuries — considerably longer, actually, but who's counting? (I am. It's part of my job.) — the North Pole Archives have been the place where the stories, records, lists, letters and curious happenings of Christmas are carefully kept.
And I am Quill - Storykeeper of the North Pole.
It's my responsibility to look after them.
Every Christmas leaves a story behind. Some are enormous...
The year the reindeer disappeared three nights before Christmas was certainly one of those.
Some are rather embarrassing - We don't discuss the Great Mince Pie Incident anymore.
And some are so small that nobody notices them at all. A child's first letter to Santa... The name of an elf who did something extraordinarily kind when he knew nobody was looking... A little act of Christmas magic that happened somewhere in the world and was forgotten almost as quickly as it occurred.
We remember them all.
What Exactly Are the North Pole Archives?
Imagine the biggest library you have ever seen.
Now make it larger...Much larger!
Add endless wooden shelves, enormous leather books, thousands upon thousands of letters, rolled-up maps, dusty boxes, mysterious locked drawers, bottles of ink, piles of parchment and at least one cupboard that nobody has been brave enough to open since 1897 - You're getting close!
The Archives contain the recorded history of Christmas and the North Pole.
There are records of Santa Claus.
Records of the elves.
Reindeer records.
Workshop records.
Christmas traditions from around the world.
Stories of extraordinary children.
Reports of unusual Christmas events.
And, of course...
The Lists.
Yes - Those lists.
But we'll come to those another time.
Why Have the Archives Been Opened?
That's a very good question.
For generations, most of what we kept here remained safely inside the North Pole.
But something has been happening.
The world has become faster... busier... noisier.
And somewhere amongst all that rushing around, people have begun forgetting something terribly important.
How to believe.
Not only in Santa Claus.
Believing is much bigger than that.
It's believing that impossible things might still be possible. - That kindness matters.
That imagination isn't something you're supposed to leave behind when you grow up.
And that the world is considerably more magical than it sometimes appears.
So, after much discussion, several meetings, seventeen forms and one surprisingly heated disagreement with an elf from Records...
permission was granted!
Selected documents from the North Pole Archives could finally be released into your world.
The North Pole Archives Collection
What you find here isn't simply a collection of Christmas books - At least, I hope not.
Each book, story and document released by the Archives is presented as something that has travelled from our shelves to yours.
Some tell stories that have never previously left the North Pole. Others explore the people, traditions and mysteries surrounding Christmas.
And occasionally, we may even release something that perhaps wasn't entirely intended for public viewing... I shall deal with the consequences of that when the time comes.
Every official release is given its own North Pole Archives reference number, so that its place within the collection can always be traced.
Because if there's one thing we take seriously around here...
it's filing.
Well.
Filing and Christmas.
One Last Thing...
If you're a child reading this, welcome.
There are extraordinary things waiting for you inside these Archives.
If you're a grown-up reading this...
welcome back.
Because perhaps you haven't stopped believing after all.
Perhaps you simply haven't visited the right place for a while.
So pull up a chair.
Mind the stack of books.
And whatever you do, don't touch the red folder on my desk.
I'll explain that one another day.
Welcome to the North Pole Archives.
Somewhere, a new story is already being written.
And when it's finished...
I'll be here to make sure we remember it.
Quill
Storykeeper of the North Pole
The North Pole Archives
Our Most Important Duty
A note from Quill, Storykeeper of the North Pole
There is something you should understand about the North Pole.
We make toys.
We answer letters.
We care for reindeer.
We prepare for one particularly busy night every December.
But none of those things is our most important job.
Our most important job is much simpler.
We keep people believing.
Because belief is a peculiar sort of magic.
You can't wrap it in paper.
You can't put it beneath a Christmas tree.
And you certainly can't store it in one of my filing cabinets.
Believe me. I've tried.
Belief lives in stories.
In imagination.
In kindness.
In traditions passed from grandparents to parents, and from parents to children.
It lives in the excitement of Christmas Eve, in footprints beside a fireplace, in half-eaten carrots, handwritten letters and the moment a child looks into the night sky and wonders...
Could he really be up there?
We believe those moments are worth protecting.
Our Mission
The mission of the North Pole Archives is to preserve the stories, traditions, characters and wonder of Christmas — and to share them with new generations in ways that make the magic feel real.
Through our books, stories and discoveries from the Archives, we hope to encourage children to wonder, imagine, explore and believe.
But our mission isn't only for children.
It's for the grown-ups too.
Especially the grown-ups.
Because somewhere between childhood and adulthood, people are often told that they must stop believing in impossible things.
We respectfully disagree.
Rather strongly, actually.
We believe the world needs imagination.
We believe kindness should be celebrated.
We believe traditions matter.
We believe stories should be passed on.
And we believe growing older should never mean growing out of wonder.
So long as there are children asking questions...
So long as families gather together at Christmas...
So long as someone, somewhere, looks towards the sky on Christmas Eve...
the North Pole Archives will keep the stories safe.
And I shall keep writing them down.
That's a promise.
Quill
Storykeeper of the North Pole
The North Pole Archives
Meet Our Magical Team
The North Pole Archives is brought to life by a dedicated team of Christmas enthusiasts led by Quill Evergreen, Santa's Chief Storykeeper. Each member of our team is passionate about sharing the joy of the holiday season and is here to ensure your experience is filled with wonder and delight.