Ep. 74: Elves Unfiltered: Tales from Santa's Helpers.

[00:00:00] Mall of America, it's home to world-class shopping, great dining, and amazing attractions and events.

[00:00:05] And these are our stories presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.

[00:00:12] Hello everyone and welcome to So Much More. I am your host, Chris Gropp. Wait a minute,

[00:00:19] I'm not Chris Gropp. Chris was going to do this episode and he's not feeling well today,

[00:00:23] so I am his substitute, Dan Jasper. And joining me today is a gaggle, well, maybe not a gaggle,

[00:00:30] a couple of Santas Helpers who help make memories and create magic for all of us, and more importantly

[00:00:36] for the guests here at Mall of America and the Candy Cane Institute. And with that, I want to welcome

[00:00:42] my special guests, Trinket and Garland, as well as the head of the show, the person who wrangles all

[00:00:50] the elves, Mae Kiaproth. And did I even say that right? No. I was close, but Mae, welcome. I get that a lot.

[00:00:57] Thank you so much.

[00:00:58] So, Kiaproth, Kiaproth.

[00:00:59] And I still won't say it right, so I apologize.

[00:01:02] Thank you.

[00:01:03] Welcome everyone. Garland, what's your full name?

[00:01:06] Yes, my full name is Garland Beautiful Judith.

[00:01:10] Oh, I love that, Garland. And where does the accent come from?

[00:01:14] My mouth.

[00:01:15] Yes, of course it does. I should have known that. My apologies. And Trinket, what is your full name?

[00:01:22] My full name is Trinket Nutmeg Mittens.

[00:01:24] Oh, very cute. How do you get those names as elves? Can you share that with us?

[00:01:31] Yes.

[00:01:32] How is it?

[00:01:33] Oh, our parents give them to us. But of course, you know, somewhat like human names, they also

[00:01:39] do have meanings and lore. So my family, Nutmeg, as you might know, because I know even here,

[00:01:48] there's a lot of pumpkin spice interest. And Nutmeg is in a lot of the wonderful things we

[00:01:52] bake. So there's a lot of bakers in my bloodline. And also mittens, there's a lot of knitters

[00:01:59] in my bloodline too. Trinket is just because I am small and fun.

[00:02:05] I love that. Garland, what's the history of your name?

[00:02:08] Well, mine's a little bit different. Now you see, my mother was hanging Garland. And as she took

[00:02:13] back, she was like, this is so beautiful. And she was like, let's name him Garland Beautiful.

[00:02:19] Now, Judith, if you know, you know.

[00:02:21] I don't know.

[00:02:23] Garland? Judith?

[00:02:26] Judy Garland.

[00:02:27] Exactly.

[00:02:28] I love it. It just dawned on me, I need to go to elf school or something.

[00:02:32] Yes, you do.

[00:02:32] I love it. Before we actually started recording today's episode, Garland was like introducing

[00:02:38] the news or something. Would you mind doing that quickly?

[00:02:41] Of course. Welcome to EL Elf News. My name is Garland. Here with me today, we have Trinket

[00:02:48] the elf.

[00:02:49] I love that. And just ignore Mae and I.

[00:02:51] Yeah.

[00:02:51] We're fine.

[00:02:52] We're not here.

[00:02:53] What is EL Elf News? Are you an elf? Are you an elf, Mae?

[00:02:57] I might be. You don't know.

[00:02:59] Well, I haven't seen you at any of the meetings.

[00:03:01] I love it. I skipped all of them.

[00:03:04] Mae, I'm going to start with you if I may. Your job actually is wrangling the elves here

[00:03:09] at Mall of America, right? Can you talk a little bit about that? How long you've done

[00:03:13] it and what some of the biggest challenges are?

[00:03:16] Where do I start?

[00:03:17] At the beginning.

[00:03:18] At the beginning. It's going to be a long, long story. But I'm wrangling them. They're

[00:03:24] pretty independent. So I let them go crazy sometimes, but sometimes I have to sit down

[00:03:31] with them like, no more cookies for you or no more candy canes.

[00:03:36] Wow. You hold them to task, don't you?

[00:03:39] Yes. Or don't tell kids this.

[00:03:42] What functions do our elves serve here at Mall of America? Can you share that with us? What

[00:03:48] will our guests see them and interact with them?

[00:03:50] You can see them at CCI, the Candy Cane Institute. We're there till December 24th. You can come

[00:03:58] visit us if you want to meet Garland and Trinket. They're great.

[00:04:02] Who else is in there?

[00:04:04] Santa Claus, of course.

[00:04:05] Santa's there? Is he really?

[00:04:07] Yes.

[00:04:08] Oh, yeah.

[00:04:08] That's awesome. Trinket, for those who don't know what CCI, the Candy Cane Institute is,

[00:04:13] where do you find that at the Mall of America? And can you explain what happens in that very

[00:04:18] special place?

[00:04:19] I would love to. The Candy Cane Institute is located in the North Atrium on the first

[00:04:26] floor. So when you come in the North side, just past the star, you will see our beautiful

[00:04:32] entrance. And the Candy Cane Institute, our motto is reindeer.

[00:04:38] Bear may pull the sleigh, but data drive it. Because we're making a list and we're checking

[00:04:43] it 24,527 times for variations and statistical outliers. That's right. The Candy Cane Institute

[00:04:51] was founded in 1972 when elves from the North Pole realized that human children were getting

[00:04:59] technologically advanced in a way that we weren't really keeping up with. So we decided we needed

[00:05:06] outposts down, you know, among the, in the malls and the places where the kids were hanging

[00:05:11] out, where we could actually do experiments to find out how we could improve Christmas for

[00:05:18] everyone.

[00:05:18] And when guests come to the Candy Cane Institute, not only do they get to meet you and your

[00:05:24] fellow elves and Santa, but they see these experiments. Is that right, Garland? What experiments

[00:05:29] do they see?

[00:05:30] Yes. So one thing we've been working on is our naughty and nice machine. So Santa does

[00:05:35] still check the list twice, but we want it a faster way so everyone knows if they are

[00:05:39] on the naughty list or the nice list. Because if they're on the naughty list, there's usually

[00:05:44] still time to figure it out and be nice and to be kind.

[00:05:47] There's hope.

[00:05:48] Yeah, there's a lot of hope there.

[00:05:50] And tell me about that machine. How does that work? And is it accurate?

[00:05:53] Well, it is accurate maybe about seven out of 10 times, but that is still a good cause.

[00:06:01] Now, you've been to an airport, right?

[00:06:03] Of course I have.

[00:06:04] You know, like the little machine you walk through to scan you to see if you have anything

[00:06:07] on you?

[00:06:08] Yes, of course.

[00:06:09] No, we have made one just like that. So we can sense if you've been naughty or if you've

[00:06:14] been nice.

[00:06:15] I love that. What other machines are in there?

[00:06:17] Oh, so we've also been working on a brand new Santa suit for Santa. You know, everyone

[00:06:23] loves these superheroes, so it's more of a superhero themed Santa suit.

[00:06:27] I like it.

[00:06:28] With some great new features. Also, a brand new Santa sleigh.

[00:06:34] What does the sleigh look like? I gotta hear this one.

[00:06:36] Well, have you seen a Lincoln car back in the 70s?

[00:06:40] Yeah, well, they're classics. Of course I have.

[00:06:42] And you know we elves love classicness.

[00:06:44] Yes.

[00:06:44] So it is based off of that. And it has some fun, what they call, hoopty songs to play.

[00:06:49] Oh, very fun.

[00:06:50] Yes.

[00:06:50] Oh, I love that so much. And you know, one of my favorite things may, during the holiday

[00:06:55] season, is wearing sweaters. I'm not wearing one today that's a holiday sweater, but some

[00:07:00] of them are kind of outrageous. Do you have anything in Candy Cane Institute that tests

[00:07:04] sweaters?

[00:07:04] Yes, we do. What do you call your station that tests, analyzes sweater?

[00:07:10] It's the ugly sweater analysis station.

[00:07:12] And it analyzes if it's too funny or too ugly.

[00:07:15] Okay.

[00:07:16] And we ask guests, what can we do to make it more ugly?

[00:07:20] I love that.

[00:07:21] Yes.

[00:07:21] Well, I've actually found, and my theory is, there is no such thing as an ugly holiday

[00:07:26] sweater.

[00:07:26] That's true.

[00:07:26] Because somebody loves that sweater. The grandmother who made it with her heart.

[00:07:32] Oh.

[00:07:32] The granddaughter she gifted it to.

[00:07:34] The person you agree gifted it to. The person you donated it to as a white elephant.

[00:07:39] The charity. Somebody loves that sweater, don't you think?

[00:07:42] Mm-hmm.

[00:07:42] I do.

[00:07:43] It's a great idea.

[00:07:44] It's beautiful to everyone, right? And tell me about, really quickly, Trinket, if you would,

[00:07:49] what happens when our guests, especially the younger ones, get to visit with the big

[00:07:54] man in red?

[00:07:55] Well, first, I think it's important to note that they are not obligated to. So if they

[00:08:00] are only interested in delving into the science of Christmas, that is okay. But if they decide

[00:08:06] they would like to visit the jolly old elf himself, then he is actually in his office.

[00:08:13] Mm-hmm.

[00:08:13] So it's a private room where they get a private audience with Santa Claus, and they can talk

[00:08:20] about whether they've been naughty or nice this year and how they might work on that.

[00:08:25] And of course, dreams they have for Christmas. And those could be presents, but also they

[00:08:29] could be goodwill that they want to spread and all sorts of wonderful surprises they're

[00:08:34] hoping to have on the dinner table.

[00:08:36] It's so much fun. For those who have not visited Santa's office inside Candy Cane Institute,

[00:08:40] it's awesome. There's a little conference table where I understand he meets with his head elves,

[00:08:45] right? And his big chair is in there. And then he also has a desk with his little laptop where

[00:08:50] he does his team's meetings, I'm assuming, right?

[00:08:52] Yes, of course.

[00:08:53] And Zoom, right?

[00:08:54] That's where you have to do that, right?

[00:08:55] He has all of them.

[00:08:56] I love that so much. So I would love to hear, May, how many elves, how big is your crew?

[00:09:03] Can you even share that information?

[00:09:04] I can't. That is a secret.

[00:09:07] And what are some of the other elf names that are here? Maybe just a few examples.

[00:09:11] My favorite is Sprinkle.

[00:09:13] I like Sprinkle.

[00:09:15] Sprinkle. I've met Sprinkle. Sprinkle is amazing.

[00:09:18] Yeah, it's true. It's true.

[00:09:19] Sprinkle. I love hearing Sprinkle's job at the North Pole. What she does is she collects all

[00:09:28] the sprinkles and make sure they're small enough and big enough that you can chew them.

[00:09:34] Small enough and big enough.

[00:09:35] It's very specific.

[00:09:38] That's not easy.

[00:09:38] I know.

[00:09:39] No, not at all.

[00:09:40] So imagine.

[00:09:41] I love it.

[00:09:41] Imagine the sprinkles.

[00:09:42] I can't imagine that. Now, Garland, can I ask how old you are?

[00:09:48] Yes, I'm 639 years old.

[00:09:51] And how long have you been an elf?

[00:09:54] 639 years.

[00:09:55] Oh, sorry. I should have corrected that. I'm so sorry. How long have you been an elf

[00:10:00] at Mall of America?

[00:10:02] Yes, I've been here four years working in the Candy Cane Institute. As soon as we opened

[00:10:07] it, I was there.

[00:10:08] I love that. From day one.

[00:10:09] Day one.

[00:10:10] And what did you do in the elf world prior to this?

[00:10:13] Well, I'm actually a fashion designer.

[00:10:17] Are you really?

[00:10:18] Anything I may have seen?

[00:10:20] Well, all these elves outfits I have designed.

[00:10:23] Oh, awesome.

[00:10:24] Yes, yes. I was part of the design of the Santa suit, the superhero idea.

[00:10:28] I love that.

[00:10:29] So anything with beauty and clothes and even some of the decorations around. You see me there.

[00:10:33] Those are not my socks.

[00:10:36] Thank you for not designing those socks. I like that.

[00:10:39] Trinket, how old are you?

[00:10:41] I am 727 years old.

[00:10:43] So, young one.

[00:10:44] Yeah, well, I mean, it's true, but the thing that's cool about elf age, you know, in case

[00:10:49] you met me a different year and maybe thought I said something else is, is it's kind of a

[00:10:53] state of mind.

[00:10:54] It is.

[00:10:54] You know, like we've existed all through time. And so when I wake up in the morning, I just

[00:10:58] know. I just know how much wisdom is in me that day.

[00:11:02] Wow. And today you're 700 and how much did you say?

[00:11:05] I just haven't.

[00:11:05] Okay, wonderful. Is that what you said?

[00:11:06] I think.

[00:11:07] Good enough. That sounds really good. And how long have you been an elf at Mall of America?

[00:11:12] Oh, goodness. I have been visiting Mall of America as an elf. I guess this will be my 23rd

[00:11:18] season.

[00:11:18] Wow.

[00:11:19] It is true that some seasons, I guess I'm not entirely sure how many times we were not

[00:11:27] asked to be here. There have been a couple of years where they thought that the elf influence

[00:11:32] was a little disruptive. And so they tried it without us and then discovered, not fun

[00:11:37] enough, why are we even doing that?

[00:11:39] So brought us back.

[00:11:40] Big mistake. Big mistake. You got to have elves at the holiday season.

[00:11:44] I first met you, Trinket, in 2006. You were an elf for the world's largest gingerbread house.

[00:11:53] That's right. That's right.

[00:11:54] Do you remember that?

[00:11:55] I do. I loved it. It was beautiful. That was on the West Market Square. And it was built

[00:12:01] to break a Guinness World Record for the biggest indoor gingerbread house. And it did.

[00:12:08] And it did.

[00:12:08] Yeah.

[00:12:09] Do we still hold that record?

[00:12:11] No.

[00:12:12] Not anymore.

[00:12:12] Thanks for bringing that up, May.

[00:12:14] Sorry.

[00:12:14] We'll move on. No. I'm kidding.

[00:12:18] But it was great while it lasted.

[00:12:19] It was, which was a year.

[00:12:20] Okay.

[00:12:21] So anyway.

[00:12:23] That'll do it for this episode. I'm kidding. No, we're not going to end there.

[00:12:27] I do have a question.

[00:12:28] Yes.

[00:12:28] In CCI, what's your favorite experiment? Because I want to know.

[00:12:33] Mmm. Well, we actually like the most in CCI.

[00:12:36] That is a great question.

[00:12:38] It might be the Rap-O-Matic machine.

[00:12:41] Ooh, tell me.

[00:12:41] You know, I'm of mixed feelings about it because I do love just getting my mitts into all the crazy,

[00:12:48] like colored paper and the tissue and the glitter and the ribbons.

[00:12:54] But the Rap-O-Matic eases the mind of the human person who doesn't enjoy the challenges of wrapping.

[00:13:02] You can place a present within.

[00:13:03] And by using the elf magic we've imbued it with, it is wrapped through the machine's own powers.

[00:13:12] Amazing.

[00:13:12] Even odd-shaped packages?

[00:13:14] Oh, many odd-shaped packages.

[00:13:14] Like what?

[00:13:15] Yes.

[00:13:16] Like cats.

[00:13:17] Oh.

[00:13:17] Hockey sticks.

[00:13:18] Wait a minute.

[00:13:19] Teapots.

[00:13:20] We don't wrap.

[00:13:21] Teapots.

[00:13:21] Cats.

[00:13:22] And hockey sticks I get.

[00:13:23] A cat.

[00:13:24] Stuffed cat.

[00:13:25] Yes.

[00:13:27] Can people see this there in the Candy Cane Institute?

[00:13:30] Yes, yes, yes.

[00:13:31] We have an exhibit of it, yes.

[00:13:32] Oh, I love that.

[00:13:33] And what, Garland, is your favorite experiment?

[00:13:36] I think my favorite one is the snack table.

[00:13:39] Oh, yes.

[00:13:40] I love that.

[00:13:40] Exactly.

[00:13:41] I love it the most because we get to taste the different snacks.

[00:13:43] Well, us elves do because we're professionals.

[00:13:46] Unfortunately, the guests cannot, but we can.

[00:13:48] We have so many different flavors of Candy Canes there as well.

[00:13:53] We also have a Candy Cane, what is it?

[00:13:56] Oh, crutch.

[00:13:57] Crutch, yes.

[00:13:58] A crutch.

[00:13:59] No.

[00:13:59] Just to see a different experiment instead of the cane.

[00:14:02] Oh, I love that.

[00:14:03] I get it.

[00:14:04] And then, Mae, what's your favorite experiment inside Candy Cane Institute?

[00:14:08] I think the Rappomatic as well.

[00:14:10] Because I don't have time to wrap gifts.

[00:14:12] I wish I had that at my home.

[00:14:13] I actually wish I had that at my home too.

[00:14:15] That would be so much better and would do a much better job.

[00:14:18] Yeah, I'll help you.

[00:14:19] Will you really?

[00:14:20] Yeah.

[00:14:20] Have you ever seen one of those guys who takes the paper and he just kind of crumples it

[00:14:24] and just uses a lot of duct tape?

[00:14:26] No.

[00:14:26] Oh, yes.

[00:14:27] That's me.

[00:14:28] Oh.

[00:14:29] It's not very good.

[00:14:30] That's all I've got to say.

[00:14:32] My favorite is probably, well, I love the Naughty and Nice Machine, but I know one year

[00:14:36] I went in there and by the fireplace, I think it was, you had like different stockings.

[00:14:41] You were testing different stockings.

[00:14:43] Yeah, we have experimented with different forms of stockings there.

[00:14:47] That year we had a fishing style wader boot in case you wanted to like give hot chocolate,

[00:14:53] but already mixed, you know, not just the mix.

[00:14:55] You could just have it in their liquid form.

[00:14:57] Fish nets.

[00:14:58] So for people who just couldn't stand surprises, they could see what was coming and get excited

[00:15:03] about it.

[00:15:03] You know, a variety of, there were some yoga pants too, but actually Dan, it's topical.

[00:15:09] You should bring that up because the Candy Cane Institute has a new feature this year where

[00:15:14] guests will get digital downloads of photos and the fireplace has been redecorated as a

[00:15:21] photo opportunity this year.

[00:15:23] Oh, how nice.

[00:15:23] And guests will get a picture that is, you know, flown into the internet and then they

[00:15:29] extract it from the internet using a special dots, special dot code.

[00:15:35] A QR code.

[00:15:36] Thank you.

[00:15:36] Okay.

[00:15:37] I love that.

[00:15:38] You guys are so technologically advanced.

[00:15:40] I love that so much.

[00:15:41] Thank you.

[00:15:42] I have another question.

[00:15:44] In your many, many, many, many, many years as elves, are there, is there a story that you

[00:15:50] find funny or heartwarming that you've come across, either of you, with a child or a family?

[00:15:56] What's a really good one?

[00:15:57] This is my favorite.

[00:15:58] I want to hear stories.

[00:15:59] Trinket has a great one.

[00:16:01] Oh, do you want me to tell the one like, well, okay, I will save that because that's

[00:16:05] a little bit naughty.

[00:16:06] That's not a heartwarming one.

[00:16:08] We're going to save that for the next question.

[00:16:11] Okay.

[00:16:12] Okay.

[00:16:12] But I think my favorite was a young female child who said that she had, she was born

[00:16:20] a scientist and that making her way into the Candy Cane Institute, she really felt seen

[00:16:26] and heard and like she could explore the side of herself that felt most natural.

[00:16:30] And she was, you know, sharing with me her feelings about the different experiments and

[00:16:35] how we could improve.

[00:16:36] And it was really a beautiful thing.

[00:16:38] Wonderful.

[00:16:39] Wonderful.

[00:16:39] What's your favorite memory, Garland, from the Candy Cane Institute or as an elf anywhere?

[00:16:44] Well, mine is just of last year.

[00:16:46] Oh.

[00:16:46] We had two little ones come in with their grandparents and the Candy Cane Institute wasn't very packed

[00:16:51] that day.

[00:16:52] So they got a lot of special individual elf love that day and the kids loved it.

[00:16:58] And it was just so fun because the little boy had a little attitude and I was like, well,

[00:17:01] what did you do today?

[00:17:02] And he was like, I'm not telling you.

[00:17:04] And I was like, oh, I see you.

[00:17:06] I like you.

[00:17:07] And they just loved everything that they did.

[00:17:09] And they went to go see Santa and love Santa.

[00:17:12] And afterwards, the grandmother came back and she was in tears because it was just such

[00:17:17] a special, enjoyable experience for her and the grandchildren.

[00:17:20] So that's at the top of my list.

[00:17:22] Our goal is to make people cry.

[00:17:24] That's all I'm saying.

[00:17:26] Every holiday.

[00:17:26] In a good way.

[00:17:27] In a good way, right?

[00:17:29] May, do you have any memories of watching your elves of anything funny that may have

[00:17:33] happened?

[00:17:34] I don't have a specific moment, but something I look forward to when I'm at CCI is meeting

[00:17:40] a lot of curious kids.

[00:17:42] And when they tell you their ideas and they're so excited about it, it really keeps you, I

[00:17:49] feel like it triggers something when I was a kid because I was such a curious kid to see

[00:17:54] that.

[00:17:55] Keeping the kids curious, I'm feeding their imagination.

[00:17:58] I love when they're interacting with the elves.

[00:18:01] Absolutely.

[00:18:02] It's magical.

[00:18:03] Well, sometimes, sometimes they don't think we're real elves.

[00:18:09] What?

[00:18:09] And it's really a beautiful thing when you explain to them that, you know, yes, their

[00:18:15] elf on a shelf is a real elf and is a small elf and that is the size we are at the North

[00:18:20] Pole.

[00:18:21] But have you ever heard your elf on a shelf talk?

[00:18:24] No.

[00:18:24] Good point.

[00:18:25] Because when our vocal cords are so small, we can only really talk to other elves and

[00:18:30] mice and things.

[00:18:31] But so when we come down here, we use elf magic to be more human sized.

[00:18:37] So when you meet elves around, you know, sometimes you might see those pointy ears and things.

[00:18:41] It depends on how good our magic is.

[00:18:44] That's very true.

[00:18:44] You know, but that's what allows us to be able to speak to, you know, the human children.

[00:18:49] And also is why it's easier for Santa and us to go down the chimneys and things because

[00:18:54] we're much smaller naturally.

[00:18:55] Well, that makes total sense.

[00:18:56] I hadn't thought of it in those terms before.

[00:18:58] And you just brought up a really good challenge when a child may not believe you're an actual

[00:19:02] elf, which we know you are.

[00:19:04] What other challenges or do you have a time when maybe a family or a child posed a challenge

[00:19:13] for you in Candy Cane?

[00:19:15] You shared a story a little earlier.

[00:19:17] Yeah, this was actually pre-Candy Cane Institute because as I said, I have been visiting all

[00:19:22] of America for many years before various incarnations of Santa Land, which have moved.

[00:19:27] It used to be actually inside Camp Snoopy before we had Nickelodeon Universe.

[00:19:31] And then we've been out at, we were over by where Lego is now.

[00:19:37] And we were in the Sears, the Cinnabon Court now.

[00:19:43] And then over, of course, in the beautiful atrium after it was built.

[00:19:47] But one year in the atrium when Santa was in the middle, which was challenging because

[00:19:52] sometimes people do throw soda pops over the top from the food court and pennies and things.

[00:19:58] So it's nice for him to have a more private office because there are occasionally, you

[00:20:03] know, challenges like that.

[00:20:04] But also, Santa needs to be able to leave at some point.

[00:20:10] He gets tired.

[00:20:11] He does.

[00:20:12] He does.

[00:20:12] And he's in there for a long time.

[00:20:13] And so when we have to say no to people at the very end, then it is a challenge for the

[00:20:22] elf who was in charge.

[00:20:23] And this night I was the elf in charge to back up the elf who initially said no, which was

[00:20:27] Sprinkles in this case.

[00:20:29] So Sprinkles had said no to a family.

[00:20:31] And she had definitely explained to them two hours earlier that they needed to come

[00:20:39] back in about an hour if they were going to get in to see Santa.

[00:20:42] But they came in an hour and 45 minutes later, at which point it was no longer possible because

[00:20:47] Santa needed to get off and, you know, work on some of the present preparation and things.

[00:20:53] So I was called and came down to back up Sprinkles.

[00:20:57] And I, of course, we always try to yes and whatever the elf has said.

[00:21:01] And our elves are a very independent crew.

[00:21:04] But sometimes people just want to speak to a manager.

[00:21:07] And so they do.

[00:21:08] And so I explained that to them.

[00:21:10] And they said, so you're not going to let us in.

[00:21:12] And I said, I'm very sorry, but we're opening again at this time tomorrow.

[00:21:16] And then the four of them and the two of us stood in silence for a very, very long time.

[00:21:26] And eventually they again said, you're really not going to let us in.

[00:21:30] And I said, no, I'm really not.

[00:21:33] I'm not going to be able to change my mind about it this night.

[00:21:36] And it was really just one of the adults that cared.

[00:21:39] The children did not appear to care.

[00:21:40] They were eating ice cream.

[00:21:41] The other adult, you know, was sort of just saying nothing at all.

[00:21:45] And eventually they did indeed walk away.

[00:21:48] And as they walked away, they called out a disingenuous thank you.

[00:21:52] And I, every guest instinct in me wanted to say you're welcome.

[00:21:56] But will it sound disingenuous?

[00:21:57] What should I do?

[00:21:58] So there was a strange sounding pause.

[00:22:00] I guess a normal sounding pause.

[00:22:02] But a longer, a longer pause than I would normally have left.

[00:22:05] But at the point when my mouth starts to form you're welcome.

[00:22:08] And it's about to come out in a way you can't take back.

[00:22:12] That guest called out for being a.

[00:22:15] It was the word I'm not going to say on the air.

[00:22:17] Thank you.

[00:22:18] I heard about this.

[00:22:19] And then I called back, you're welcome.

[00:22:21] Because I couldn't stop.

[00:22:23] Because I'd already started.

[00:22:24] And it wasn't great.

[00:22:25] It was one of my worst guest service moments.

[00:22:28] And for those guests who are listening or watching us on So Much More.

[00:22:32] You know who you are.

[00:22:33] To avoid this, you can make your reservation at Candy Kate Institute at mallofamerica.com.

[00:22:38] Yes.

[00:22:38] And come and visit us.

[00:22:39] We would love that so much.

[00:22:41] We're going to have a couple of final questions here, if that's right.

[00:22:43] But I'd love to ask both of you, what do you think elves make the holidays more magic?

[00:22:50] Why do they make the holidays more magic?

[00:22:52] We'll start with Trinket and then Garland and then May.

[00:22:55] People want to believe.

[00:22:57] And no matter what age they are, there's a natural skepticism inside them.

[00:23:03] And there's also, I think in pretty much every person and really every elf too, a desire to look good and to be accepted and liked by your peers and the people around you.

[00:23:15] And when you see an elf and you can tell that elf likes you and wants to chat with you and find out what's in your heart, then it frees you to just enjoy the holiday season and to goof around back if that's the kind of person that you are.

[00:23:32] And giving people permission to be free like that is a great joy for me.

[00:23:37] I think you just said the word I was going to say, which is joy.

[00:23:41] We're the embodiment of joy.

[00:23:43] It's always like when, you know, you see someone and you're having a bad day and you see them smile and you smile.

[00:23:49] And that's what elves bring.

[00:23:51] They just bring this automatic joy for people.

[00:23:53] We kind of brighten up your day if it's gloomy.

[00:23:56] I love that.

[00:23:56] Thank you.

[00:23:57] May, what do you think they bring?

[00:23:58] Just tailing off of your answer.

[00:24:01] When you see an elf, you can't help it, but smile, right?

[00:24:05] And that's what we need during the holiday season.

[00:24:08] It can be a stressful time.

[00:24:10] So what we need all the time is more joy.

[00:24:14] I'm going to ask one more question before I do.

[00:24:15] Garland, for those who are listening and maybe not watching, can you describe very briefly your outfit and Trinket's outfit?

[00:24:22] And did you design them all?

[00:24:23] Yes.

[00:24:24] Yes, I did.

[00:24:24] Minus her socks.

[00:24:25] I am wearing our, both of us are wearing our lab coats, our green lab coats.

[00:24:30] I am also wearing a Garland Original red satin shirt with my velvet green pants and my red and white candy stripe tights and my boots for the snow.

[00:24:43] Trinket has, both of us have on matching hats.

[00:24:46] She has on a candy cane blouse and a red quilted skirt and her not garland socks.

[00:24:53] And you look amazing, both of you.

[00:24:56] And May looks amazing as well.

[00:24:58] If you're, you can design something for me for the holiday season.

[00:25:01] What would you, what color, what holiday dress would you design me?

[00:25:06] Well, you're wearing sparkles right now and I will stick with sparkles.

[00:25:09] I will have them be pink, a little blush color to bring out your undertones to make you really shine.

[00:25:16] And then I will give you some great jewelry as accessories so you look rich and radiant.

[00:25:21] I love that.

[00:25:22] Let's make that happen.

[00:25:23] I know that you work with Santa and Santa is busy and busy and he gets wore out.

[00:25:28] If you can give Santa one piece of life advice, what might that be, Trinket?

[00:25:35] Santa, just like I do whenever I'm feeling sad, it's good to let go of the things that are troubling you and walk out in the world and see the joy on people's faces when they see you.

[00:25:47] Sometimes when I'm walking, I forget I even am an elf and I bet he does too.

[00:25:51] And when other people see him, they light up and smile and they wave and they say hi and it buoys you right away.

[00:25:57] So just get out of yourself and with other people when you need a boost.

[00:26:00] Garland, what advice would you give Santa?

[00:26:02] Santa, I would give Santa the advice of listen to Mrs. Claus.

[00:26:07] Oh my goodness.

[00:26:09] That's my answer.

[00:26:09] Yes.

[00:26:10] Listen to Mrs. Claus.

[00:26:11] She has some great wisdom and he gets surrounded by so many elves and presents that Mrs. Claus is always there as an anchor.

[00:26:17] So listen to your wife more.

[00:26:19] Very good.

[00:26:19] Love that.

[00:26:20] Thank you for that.

[00:26:21] Advice me for Santa.

[00:26:22] I think lay off.

[00:26:24] Don't eat a lot of cookies.

[00:26:26] Not too much.

[00:26:27] Well, on Christmas Eve he can.

[00:26:28] Yes.

[00:26:29] But he eats a lot of cookies throughout the years.

[00:26:32] So, yes.

[00:26:32] We're going to close this episode really quickly with some rapid fire questions.

[00:26:37] Oh yeah.

[00:26:37] Don't even think about it.

[00:26:38] You just have to give me your first answer.

[00:26:40] Okay.

[00:26:40] And we're going to start with May.

[00:26:41] Your favorite holiday cookie.

[00:26:44] What is that thing with chocolate kisses and peanut blossom?

[00:26:48] Yes.

[00:26:48] I like more of a lemon cookie to palates.

[00:26:51] Oh, love it.

[00:26:51] Classic chocolate chip.

[00:26:52] And your favorite holiday movie, Trinket.

[00:26:55] Oh, Pee Wee's Holiday Adventure.

[00:27:00] I think it is.

[00:27:01] Yeah.

[00:27:02] Yeah.

[00:27:02] Home Alone.

[00:27:03] Home Alone.

[00:27:04] Polar Express.

[00:27:04] Very good.

[00:27:05] And your favorite holiday song, May?

[00:27:07] Um, all I want for Christmas is you.

[00:27:10] Oh, very good.

[00:27:11] This Christmas.

[00:27:13] Very good.

[00:27:14] Very good.

[00:27:14] And Trinket?

[00:27:15] Um, um, oh, the All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth.

[00:27:18] Very good.

[00:27:19] I love those holidays.

[00:27:19] How about you?

[00:27:20] And finally, oh, I love any kind of cookie, any kind of holiday music, and any kind of

[00:27:24] holiday movie.

[00:27:25] Ha ha ha.

[00:27:26] That's cheating.

[00:27:27] And one final question.

[00:27:29] If you could wish one thing for the children of the world, what would that be?

[00:27:32] Trinket?

[00:27:33] Oh, that they are surrounded by love.

[00:27:36] Empathy.

[00:27:38] And not be hungry ever.

[00:27:40] Those are good wishes.

[00:27:41] For all of our friends that have tuned in today, thank you so much for joining us on

[00:27:45] this episode of So Much More.

[00:27:47] I want to thank Trinket and Garland and May for sharing their expertise and bringing joy

[00:27:52] to so many people.

[00:27:53] And if you haven't before, please follow us, give us a rating, and tell all your friends

[00:27:58] about So Much More.

[00:27:59] And thank you so much for tuning in.

[00:28:03] Thanks for listening to So Much More, a Mall of America podcast.

[00:28:06] Subscribe wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

[00:28:09] This show is presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.