Well, guess what? We were misled, misinformed and just plain lied to! But wait, as I discovered not long ago, there is indeed a real Santa's workshop, but situated much further south in eastern Germany near the Czech Republic. Seiffen, a village of around 3000 people is located in a remote, sparsely settled hilly area in the heart of the melancholy forests of Erzgebirge, literally translated "ore mountains." It is here where lights glow in the windows of the traditional half-timbered houses where modern day Santa's elves toil at creating their wooden masterpieces.

A nutcracker soldier, the height of a fairy tale giant stands guard at one of the entrances to the town. Metal lanterns with Christmas designs illuminate the narrow streets and alleys. Everywhere there are larger than life displays of wooden nativity scenes, Christmas pyramids, nutcrackers, smoking men and intricate wooden shaved pinecones and stars, a trademark of Seiffen's artisans.

Woodworking fits well with the ambience of Erzgebirge's enchanting dark and moody forests and most of the residents play some part in the manufacture of these wooden ornaments and toys. There are over 100 wood working operations, most of them small family run businesses. Oft times the skills have been handed down from generation to generation and even the youth have embraced this institution and lifestyle.

This wasn't always so. During the Middle Ages the Knights of Riesenburg moved into the area to exploit the mountains for veins of silver and in 1200 AD they built a castle in the nearby town of Sayda. Silver mining gave way to tin mining. The name Seiffen is derived from "seifen" which describes the process of washing the soil to extract the tin ore. When the tin ore depleted, the miners had to find another way to make a living so they turned to woodworking.

They first made practical objects like plates and utensils. Over time their skills were honed and they developed a talent for making wooden toys and their creations became world-reknowned. When the Nazis came to power some of the workshops switched from making toys to fabricating weapons parts. After World War II East Germany came under Communist rule. Even though it was an atheistic regime, the Communist government promoted the making of Christmas ornaments because they were hungry for U.S. dollars and West German Marks. When the Communist era ended in 1989 many factories and farms in Erzgebirge were brought to ruin.

Since the reunification of Germany in 1990, Seiffen's citizens have traveled a rocky road to face one of their most daunting challenges ever; changing to a capitalistic system after 40 years of Communism. The good news was that families whose businesses had been expropriated by the Communists, had the opportunity to reacquire them from a federal agency that was in charge of privatizing property.

The transition hasn't been easy, and many of Seiffen's toymakers have had to make expensive renovations and upgrades to their workshops as well as finding new ways to market their products, not just locally, but globally. Today more than 40 shops have cropped up and are thriving in this unique industry. Tourists and buyers alike from Holland, Austria, Japan, U.S.A. , France, etc. converge on this tiny town to purchase their wooden specialties like creche figures, barn yard animals, miniature villages, wooden ring ornaments, pyramid carousels, shaved wooden stars and the ubiquitous hand painted nutcrackers.

The Christmas season is perpetual in Seiffen. This tiny village, with an impressive history has successfully survived the roller coaster ride, and with their artisan's indomitable spirit is a testament to the spirit of Christmas. The people of Seiffen are indeed shining examples to this season of hope. Did I find the real Santa's workshop? You bet I did!