For those who celebrate the holiday, Christmas is looming fast approaching. But if grownups are feeling festively stressed, how do you think things are going up at the North Pole? I hope there’s lots of hot chocolate and cookies to keep the elves on task (and these Holiday High Notes books). 

And speaking of elves…during a masked and socially distanced walk/meeting, Elissa and I visited one of the Boston area’s newest attractions: Elfland. Legend has it that Elfland is the creation of an imaginative eight-year-old boy, who says elves “requested that he build them homes” in an empty lot in his Somerville, MA, neighborhood.  

And since August 2021, friends and strangers have added all sorts of amenities, including a grocery store, Dunkin’ Donuts, a skating rink, a camp site, and hedgehog stables. Elissa and I were especially pleased to see there’s a public library and a community bookshelf. 

Not a creature was stirring during our visit. Perhaps all of elfdom is up north helping make the magic happen.