Around Brookhaven, Santa has his own elves, and they’re calledthe Les Belles dé Hospitalite.

The deadline for selections is Oct. 9, and organizer Rita Richsaid this year the guidelines have changed just a little, as thisyear’s crop of Les Belles will be younger, all freshmen in highschool. In the past they’ve all been seniors, Rich said.

“We moved the age down because at that age the girls, we used tohave high school seniors, but a lot of them have jobs and are veryinvolved,” Rich said. “We moved it down thinking girls will havemore time to participate.”

Meanwhile, applications are also being taken for the Miss MerryChristmas pageant, which will take place on Oct. 26. Rich said inboth the case of Miss Merry Christmas and Les Belles, thecandidates must be good citizens and active in the community.

“We’re looking for good citizens, as far as academics, theyshould be average or above,” Rich said of Les Belles. “We also takereferences, we want them to be someone who will take responsibilityand be a good ambassador for the chamber. They have to be someonefriendly and outgoing and likes to meet and greet people.”

Miss Merry Christmas is expected to be someone who embodies thetrue meaning of Christmas, Rich said.

“We have lots of young ladies with special abilities, and thisgives someone else a chance to let the public know how outstandingthey are,” Rich said. “The qualities we look for are the ability tomeet and greet, and someone who has the spirit of Christmas. Youhave to be able to show the judges that the spirit of Christmas isin you.”

Les Belles serve as ambassadors at all chamber of commercefunctions during the holiday season, including but not limited tothe Tour of Homes and Christmas Open House, Rich said. Miss MerryChristmas appears at any of the Open Houses that request herpresence, and leads the annual Christmas Parade.

“She’s the official ambassador during the Christmas season,”Rich said. “It’s a short reign for her, so we want her to get to doeverything she can.”

Anyone interested in applications for Les Belles or Miss MerryChristmas can contact the Brookhaven Lincoln County Chamber ofCommerce at 601-833-1411.