ELF DRIVE: Santa's Little Helpers will be visiting Killarney children until December 22.

By Sean Moriarty

It's not a case of the elf on the shelf this Christmas - instead elves are planning to come to life and visit excited children outside their homes.

At a time when it is not possible for Santa Claus to welcome children to his town centre grotto, his helpers have joined forces with O’Callaghan Coaches so they can visit children in their own homes.

In the run up to Christmas, the family coach firm would usually be flat out ferrying Christmas shoppers to and from Dublin, Belfast and other destinations.

Apart from their school work, their fleet is effectively parked up and with office staff and drivers available to work, but with little else happening, they have come up with a novel idea to bring Christmas cheer to your own front door.

O’Callaghan Coaches are working with Tom Kennedy of Experience Ireland Golf and Travel.

The two companies retrained five of their staff, some drivers and some office workers, as fully-qualified elves with the support from Fiona Crowley of Killarney Stage School, and have adapted one of their minibuses into an elf-mobile.

“I saw the idea in Cork and ran it past my team and they all jumped on it,” Phillip O’Callaghan told the Killarney Advertiser. “We are bringing some Christmas cheer to the town, but is has also helped raise our own spirits too in a difficult year.”

Each visit includes a personal poem read out by the elves, a gift pack and a certificate of good behaviour signed by Santa Claus himself. Full COVID-19 protocols are exercised during each visit including a socially distanced photo and all activities take place outdoors.

Santa’s Helpers will be visiting homes in the Killarney area until December 22. Bookings and further details, including time slots, are available via www.santashelpers.ie.