Once upon a snowy December, when the North Pole was already awake and transformed into the most overworked place on Earth, Santa faced an unexpected problem. The workshops hummed day and night. Elves rushed between conveyor belts, reindeer tested sleigh upgrades, and the Aurora Borealis flickered in the sky.
But inside Santa’s office, something was very wrong. Scrolls of wishes lay scattered across the floor. Some were handwritten, some printed, some glowing with enchanted QR codes. Santa Claus leaned back in his chair and sighed. Elves were trying to organize all the lists.
“Once,” he said softly, “all I needed was a list and a sack.”
Mrs. Claus placed a cup of hot cocoa on the table.
“The world has changed,” he said gently, “Children now can send wishes through apps, voice assistants, and magical portals. Maybe, we also need to optimize our processes.” He tells it by looking at exhausted elves.
“We need a system,” Santa said, “But who could manage to create it so quickly?”
Suddenly, the wizard appeared before them. He arrived in a swirl of purple smoke that smelled faintly of coffee, ozone, and big promises.
“Santa Claus!” he declared, stepping into the workshop.
“I am Merlinus — Wizard of Digital Transformation. And I can save your Christmas.”
Santa looked up from his desk. Around him lay lists of children’s wishes, glowing scrolls, and elves running back and forth trying to keep everything in sync.
“What do you mean?” Santa said carefully.
“Your operation is running on legacy systems. Manual processes and no scalability,” Merlinus replied.
The wizard’s robe shimmered with glowing symbols: AI, Blockchain, Agile, Optimisation.
“I can plan how to optimize your processes and what MVP solution will be best to start with,” he said, “In just three days.”
The workshop went silent.
“And in return?” Mrs. Claus asked.
“One wish,” Merlinus smiled. “Granted after delivery.”
Three days before Christmas is not the time to be picky. Santa hesitated – then nodded.
“Very well. Three days.”
Merlinus vanished.
The elves gathered immediately.
“In three days?” asked Jingleberry.
“Did he ask what needs to work?” asked Tinsel.
“Did he ask who the users are?” added Sparkle.
“No,” Santa admitted. “But he sounded very confident.”
The elves exchanged knowing looks.
The moment the words left his mouth, the candles flickered. The fire crackled. Snow began to swirl inside the room.
The First Day: Discovery (According to the Wizard)
The first day should be dedicated to discovery. The Wizard locked himself in a crystal chamber labeled “Strategy & Vision.”
Inside, he walked in circles, waving his staff.
“I see… scalability,” he murmured.
“I see… future features.”
“I see… version 12.0.”
Outside the door, an elf timidly raised a hand.
“Should we explain how gift allocation works?”
“No need,” the Wizard replied, “I already understand Christmas.”
By evening, he emerged briefly to announce:
“Discovery complete. Alignment achieved.”
No one knew what that meant, but it sounded important.
The Second Day: Invisible Progress
The Wizard worked from afar, sending magical messages through shimmering mirrors.
“The architecture is elegant.”
“The foundation is pure.”
“Trust the process.”
When asked for a demo, he shook his head.
“A result should not be rushed into visibility,” he said.
“It must feel ready before it exists.”
The elves exchanged worried looks.
Mrs. Claus whispered, “Have you seen anything?”
Santa stared at the falling snow and said nothing.
The Third Day: Delivery
At dawn, the Wizard returned. Trumpets sounded. Elves gathered. Reindeer peeked through the windows.
With a dramatic gesture, the Wizard placed a glowing parchment on the table. It unfurled slowly. It was a README. Two lines, written in neat, confident handwriting:
# Santa MVP
TODO: Implement Christmas Logic
The room fell silent. A snowflake drifted to the floor.
“This,” the Wizard declared, “is the purest form of an MVP. Limitless. Unburdened. Ready for growth.”
An elf fainted. Santa picked up the parchment and read it twice.
“You promised a working product,” Santa said quietly.
“I promised to plan how to optimize your processes,” the Wizard replied, “Now we can see that you need to add more logic to your processes. That’s it, my part is done.”
The Wish
Santa stood up.
“I keep my promises,” he said, “What is your wish?”
The Wizard smiled widely.
“I wish to be remembered as a great software wizard.”
Santa nodded, “So be it.”
And so the wish was granted. To this very day, whenever someone promises:
– an MVP in record time
– without question
– without demos
– without responsibility
The elves tell this story. They whisper of a Wizard who delivered nothing but a README. He is remembered.
The True Christmas Lesson
That Christmas, Santa learned what every business eventually learns: If someone offers miracles without asking questions, you won’t get a product – you’ll get a fairy tale.
As to their process optimization, once they delivered Christmas gifts to the development team. Elves tell them the story about a Wizard, and developers decided to make a present for Santa and his helpers. It was not just an MVP. It was a huge system that solved all the needs, including inventory management, gift tracking, and many others. How is this not Christmas magic?
🎄 Happy holidays. May your MVPs be real, your estimates honest, and your magic transparent.
