North Pole assistant (3)
I believe the answer is:
elf
'north pole assistant' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for elf that I've seen before include "Mischievous sprite" , "1 ac fairy" , "Woodland fairy" , "Imp-like being" , "A small sprite with magic powers" .)