‘I felt like a celebrity as the children’s faces lit up when they caught a glimpse of me’
As I entered the Hole in the Wall pub beside Dublin’s Phoenix Park, with the glow of lights and the scent of mulled wine in the air, I was about to find out.
When you think of elves, you probably imagine the ones at the North Pole surrounded by snow, and jingle bells. You’d never imagine a five-foot elf from Cavan.
That’s the helper Santa got stuck with as I traded my job as a news reporter for an afternoon as a real-life Elf on the Shelf.
On Saturday morning, I put on my elf uniform of green and red stockings with jingle bells, a cosy knitted cardigan with a Christmas design, a novelty headband and a badge that said ‘Santa’s Helper’.
I was all set to greet the children and families who made their way to the festive Hole in the Wall haven for some Christmas cheer.
It was a magical feeling walking into the 150-metre long building decorated with twinkling lights, giant nutcracker dolls, fluffy snow, a boundless number of baubles and a tonne of teddies.
I felt like a celebrity as the children’s faces lit up when they caught a glimpse of me, with their parents saying: “Look, that’s one of Santa’s helpers.”
Then the big man arrived, my employer, Santa Claus, who made the day as jolly as possible for all the adults, children and dogs.
Martin McCaffrey says the festive display is about making the Hole in the Wall ‘a community pub’. Photo: Arthur Carron
Mr Claus spoke to the Irish Independent exclusively to reveal whether the boys and girls in Dublin were good this year, and he also revealed who is on the naughty list.
“The boys and girls in Dublin and all over the world have been good, especially when you consider how it’s not easy to be young nowadays, they’ve stayed on the good list,” he said.
“It’s normally the dads on the naughty list because they don’t do enough around the house. But the children are amazing.
“I love the start of Christmas to the end. I’m busy non-stop now. The best thing about Christmas is that we forget our troubles for a few weeks.
“It’s a bit of craic and everyone is in a happy humour, that’s the special magic of Christmas.
“After Lapland, the Hole in the Wall is my favourite place to spend Christmas. It’s perfect. Every problem you have will disappear when you see this magic.”
Even elves are allowed lunch breaks, and this gave me time to step outside and take in the beauty of the Phoenix Park, catching sight of the wild deer.
It made me feel like I was in Lapland, soaking in the winter landscape and recharging with a mocha and sausage roll from DASH Container Cafe.
An afternoon as an elf was a reminder of what the Christmas season is all about: spreading joy, laughter, and kindness.
Hole in the Wall pub owner, Martin McCaffery, is also hoping to raise enough money this year to buy a minibus for the local school for children with disabilities.
“Already this year, we’ve had people from Norway and America here. They fly in just to see our pub and they have a ball,” he said.
“It’s the kids’ faces when they come through the door. We have a magical toy for each day coming up to Christmas. When a kid finds the toy, we give them a hot chocolate or an ice-cream.”
