It all began one day in early December of 2020 when our soccer-obsessed 7-year-old announced that our Christmas elf, Rufus, wasn’t just any ordinary elf. Rufus was the captain of North Pole United, the most famous soccer club in the North Pole, and he had recruited our son to coach the team in the legendary Christmas Cup Tournament. This was a big deal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

If you’ve ever had a Christmas elf visit your home during the holidays, you know how much fun (and work!) it can be to keep the magic alive. Our son is a “practical believer” - he loves all things magical, but the evidence needs to hold up. I was determined to make this coaching adventure as real as possible and help him lead his team to Christmas Cup glory.

Lucky for me, I was hired as the team’s official Computer Wiz! Using my brand-new computer wiz skills, I built a simple website so he could track his team’s progress. I spent many late nights designing custom printouts for secret plays, scouting reports, and official elf communications. I even helped him look the part with custom monogrammed Manager Pajamas. But our crowning achievement was the invention of NoPo Tech. Powered by the Christmas Spirit, this groundbreaking technology allowed my son to “teleport” to the North Pole to guide the team through every critical match. With his steady leadership and my computer wiz-ary, Rufus and his team became Christmas Cup champions! In a gesture of gratitude, the team let him keep the priceless trophy.