North Pole
Tree Trimmers

The Elves Who Make Christmas Happen

The North Pole Tree Trimmers series launched in 2013 with a concept rooted in a simple question: what if you could see the elves at work — not the gift-making, but the tree-decorating? Each annual entry shows one of Santa's helpers engaged in a specific, named task in the preparation of Christmas. Not "an elf" doing generic elf things, but an elf with a job title — the candy cane painter, the glitter elf, the lights elf, the tinsel hanger, the bow maker, the cookie elf, the bell elf, the nutcracker elf, the star placer, the stocking filler, the candy elf.

The concept was Tracy Larsen's, and it drew directly from his own relationship with Christmas trees. One of Larsen's most vivid childhood memories is the annual family outing to select a fresh Christmas tree — a tradition he continues today with his own children. His connection to the specific rituals of tree decoration, the particular sequence of tasks that turns a bare tree into a Christmas tree, is the emotional foundation of the series. He knows what it takes to trim a tree because he does it every year.

Thirteen entries across thirteen years, the series ongoing. The elves have handled the candy cane stripes, the glitter, the lights, the tinsel, the popcorn garland, the bows, the cookies, the bells, the nutcracker ornament, the star, the stocking, the candy — and the next task is still being assigned. The North Pole tree-trimming operation is well-staffed and has very high standards.

Tracy Larsen — The Elf Manager

The Invisible Labor of Christmas

The North Pole Tree Trimmers series documents work that usually goes undocumented. In most Christmas mythology, the tree is simply decorated — or Santa does it, or elves do it in some unspecified way, and the result is a fully trimmed tree without any account of who painted the candy cane stripes or who made sure the glitter was properly applied or who spent an hour getting the tinsel to drape correctly. The series makes that invisible labor visible, one task at a time, one elf at a time.

This is, at its core, a tribute to the people in any family who actually do the work of trimming the tree — who untangle the lights, who glue the broken ornament hook, who keeps the elf with the popcorn garland from eating the popcorn before it's strung. The series recognizes that work. Each ornament is a small portrait of a job that makes the season happen, handled by a small, cheerful, very competent elf who takes the job seriously and does it well.

Thirteen elves across thirteen years. The North Pole tree-trimming operation is now thoroughly documented. The 14th elf has not yet reported for duty, but the task is already assigned.

Tips for the Collection

• 01
  Arrange all thirteen in the order they would appear in tree-trimming sequence. Lights first, then tinsel, then ornaments, then the star at the top — the series can be displayed in the logical sequence of actual tree-trimming, which adds a narrative layer to what might otherwise be thirteen individual ornaments. The 2016 Lights elf and 2023 Star elf become the opening and climax of the sequence.
• 02
  The Star #11 (2023) is the series' most universally resonant entry. Every family has a tradition about who places the star — a child, the eldest, the youngest, the person who earned it. The ornament depicting the elf preparing for that moment speaks directly to any household that treats the star placement as a significant moment in the December calendar.
• 03
  The Candy Cane Paint #2 (2014) is the series' most technically specific entry. An elf painting candy cane stripes is an elf engaged in the most precise and exacting task in the North Pole operation — the stripes must be exactly right. The ornament's detail of the elf applying red paint to a candy cane while more canes await their stripes is the series' most workplace-accurate scene.
• 04
  Gift the entry that matches the recipient's Christmas tree job. The North Pole Tree Trimmers series works as a personalized gift when the entry matches the recipient's actual tree-trimming role. The lights person gets the Lights elf. The bow-maker gets the Bow elf. The person who always places the star gets the Star elf. Thirteen entries means thirteen specific gift matches.
• 05
  All 13 entries from 2013 through 2025 are at Already Christmas. The complete documented workforce of the North Pole tree-trimming operation — every elf, every task, every year — is in the collection. The 14th assignment is pending.