It's that time of the year again, when Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Elves are working overtime at the North Pole to make sure they are ready for Christmas. But what few people may realize is that Santa's Elf Network is not confined to the North Pole. If it were, how could Santa access such delicious semi-tropical citrus fruits that are gifted to so many on the "nice" list? No, Santa has elves everywhere, including our very own orange groves, where every fruit is hand-picked!
As many of you may know, different elves have different jobs and specialties. Some elves take care of the reindeer, some build toys in Santa's Toy Shop, and some do the maintenance on Santa's sleigh. Across the board, all elves seem to have two things in common: they work hard and care about what they do.
Citrus grove elves have adapted to conditions quite unlike the North Pole, and can find themselves working for many long hours outside underneath the bright hot sun or drenching cold rain. They are very strong, responsible, reliable, friendly, caring, kind, and knowledgeable. In fact, we don't know what we would do without them! You see, while machines called "harvesters" have been invented to mechanically shake citrus trees and collect the fruits, there are many advantages to hand-picking the citrus that ultimately ends up on your table and in your tummy. Citrus grove elves are well-trained to quickly identify only the ripest, highest quality fruits, while the mechanical harvesters to not differentiate between prime fruits and lower quality or less ripe ones. This also ensures that the less ripe fruits be left on the trees so that they can still come to full maturity, thus maximizing the yield of each tree. Hand harvesting is also very gentle compared to mechanical harvesting, which can easily bruise the fruits. And of course, the citrus grove elves are part of our local communities; working with groves that utilize hand picking creates jobs and helps our economy.
To see a video of the amazing citrus grove elves in action and learn more about the critical work they are doing, check out this blog.
This year, Santa reports that the "nice" list is especially long, and as he has done since the nineteenth century, jolly old St. Nick likes to reward those who have made it to this auspicious category with oranges and tangerines. As such, we've received word that any orders that need to arrive by December 25 be made well before December 15!
Last year, citrus fruit production was reduced by twenty percent due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Fortunately for this year, the trifecta of Saharan desert dust, wind shear, and a phenomenon known as the Bermuda High worked in cahoots to keep the 2025 hurricane season high and dry. This was a good scenario for the citrus groves, where trees could bask in ample sunshine and moistened soil from last season while avoiding the sometimes extensive damage of hurricane winds, floods, and salt intrusion. As you might expect, then, the citrus grove elves have been especially busy this year.
Likewise, post-COVID, folks have become especially health-conscious, and are "picking" (pun intended) healthier and better quality choices for holiday giving and feasting. As such, the demand for hand-picked citrus is greater than ever.
Give Our Elves a Hand!
As Christmas approaches and 2025 draws to a close, we at Florida Fruit Shippers wanted to give a special thanks to the citrus grove elves, who work very hard to harvest the premium quality, juicy and delicious hand-picked fruits we love and enjoy.
From our groves to your home: Happy Holidays!
Sources:
https://elfhq.com/apply-to-become-an-elf/
https://mymerrychristmas.com/x/do-elves-have-normal-jobs-like-policemen/
https://blog.orangesonline.com/2021/02/how-are-oranges-harvested.html
https://himalayas.app/career-guides/citrus-picker
https://agriculture.institute/post-harvest-mgt-principles/comparing-hand-mechanical-harvesting-techniques/
https://blog.orangesonline.com/2021/12/the-tradition-of-giving-oranges-for.html
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=112666
https://scienceblog.com/african-dust-acts-as-natures-hurricane-shield/
https://www.campustimes.org/2025/11/17/why-this-hurricane-season-felt-off/
