After finishing lunch, I headed over to the mail room. This is where elves, under the watchful eye of Ms. Claus and myself, translate the letters of children from all over the world.

The mail sleighs had just returned from collecting letters, and entering the room, I heard several elves already reading them in various languages. To most people it would sound confusing, but to me, it was music to my ears. I knew that when they finished reading the letters, I would get some good notes about what the children want for Christmas.

My wife Anya, was sitting at the desk in the back corner. Approaching her I said, “Looks like another busy day. It is so great to have elves that can translate all the different languages. I wish I could take them all with me when I travel so I always have someone who understands the local languages.”

“That would be nice.” Anya said. She stood up and walked around her desk to stand next to me and continued, “You know, I heard there was a new elf attending the Elf School, that knows several languages. Maybe you should check with Lector, the language teacher.”

“That sounds like a great idea. It sure would be nice to have someone like that. You don’t know what the new elf’s name is do you?”

“I’m not sure. Seems it started with a ‘B.’ Bagel maybe? Sorry I just can’t remember.”

“No problem. I’m sure Lector will know. If you don’t need me, I’d like to go over and check it out. Do you mind?”

“We’ve got this under control.”

“Great! I’ll see you later.”

I entered the school and turned down the hall towards Lector’s office. As I approached, he was coming out and began walking toward me. “Lector, how are you today,” I said.

“I’m doing well Santa. What brings you over here?”

“Ms. Claus was telling me about a new elf that speaks many languages, and I was wonder . . . “

“Babble” the Dean interrupted.

“What?” I said with a quizzical look.

“The elf you are looking for. His name is Babble. I was actually going to call you about him. When I realized his talent, I thought you would have a place for him. Would you like to meet him?”

“You bet!”

“I’m on my way to teach a class right now, and I’m afraid I don’t have time to introduce you to him. Do you want to come back when I’m free?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. Can you tell me where I can find him?”

Looking at his watch he said, “He should be in the library right now. I saw him earlier and he is wearing a purple vest with thin pink lines, and a yellow shirt. But the sure give-away will be his hat. He likes to wear an orange French Beret, instead of the traditional elf hat.”

“Thanks Dean.”

It must have taken me all of three seconds to find Babble among the 35 or 40 elves in the library. Walking up to the table where he was studying, I said, “Excuse me, but are you Babble?”

“Yes I am, what can I do for you Santa?”

Sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the desk I said, “I hear that you can speak several languages. Is that true?”

“It is. I have traveled to many places and just seem to have the knack for learning languages.”

“Can you say ‘Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night’ in Spanish?”

“Feliz Navidad a todos, y a todos una buena noche,” he responded with no hesitation.

 

“French?” I asked.

“Joyeux Noël à tous et bonne nuit à tous.”

 

“German?”

“Frohe Weihnachten an alle und eine gute Nacht.”

 

“Swahili?”

“Krismasi njema kwa wote na usiku mwema wote.”

 

“That’s amazing,” I said. Leaning back in the chair, I continued, “Ms. Claus and I are always looking for elves to help translate the letters we get from all over the world. There are also times when I travel to check up on the children, and could use someone like you to help translate. Do you think you’d be like to do something like that?”

“You bet I would! That sounds like a great job!”

“Then I will talk to Bernard, my head elf, and when you finish your studies at school, I will have him assign you to the mail room. When I travel and need help with local languages, you can go with me.”

We stood up and shook hands on it. I turned to leave and smiled knowing that I found an elf with a talent I really needed. As I was about to walk out the door, I heard Babble say, “Thanks for giving me the chance to use my talent to help you, Santa!”

I turned, and with a smile on my face, waved to him and said, “I’m looking forward to it!”

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

Tatler walked past the stuffed animal toy shop on his way to his job in the reindeer barn, when he heard Stanley and Brixton yelling at each other. It appeared they both thought of themselves as the best at making stuffed animals, and their tempers were flaring.

Thinking that Bernard, the head elf, should know about this, Tatler headed toward his office. When he arrived, Bernard and I had been looking over production reports. We needed to be sure there would be plenty of the most popular toys.

Nearly out of breath and with a concerned look on his face, he stuck his head in Bernard’s office door and said, “Bernard, Santa, do you have a moment?”

“Sure. Come on in,” Bernard replied.

Getting up and pulling a chair over for Tatler, I said, “How can we help you?”

“I really don’t like telling you this, but I just heard Stanley and Brixton, in the stuffed animal toy shop, arguing over their work.”

“Well that’s not good, and certainly not elf-like,” I said.

I then turned to Bernard and simply said, “Temperance?”

“I could not agree more,” Bernard responded. “She would be perfect for this.” Pushing the intercom button, he continued, “Telsa, could you ask Temperance to come to my office?”

“I’ll tell her right away, Bernard.”

All the elves call her Tempe. She’s the calmest elf, has never raised her voice to anyone, and has the unique ability to help others get along. You could ask any elf who their best friend is, and they would most likely say ‘Tempe.’

When Bernard finished talking with Telsa, I said, “Tatler you did the right thing letting us know. Bernard and I will take it from here. You should head over to the barn. Highstep will be looking for you to help feed the reindeer.”

A few minutes later, Tempe knocked on the frame of Bernard’s open door, and said, “You wanted to see me?”

“We do,” Bernard replied. He pointed towards a chair, “come on in and have a seat. We have a special job for you today.”

At four feet, six inches tall, Temperance, is one of the tallest elves. Thinner than most elves, she usually wears long button up dresses, and glasses.

“Tempe, it seems Stanley and Brixton are having a problem getting along with each other today. We heard that their tempers flared up over who’s the best at making stuffed animals,” I said sinking into Bernard’s overstuffed couch.

Bernard leaned forward in his chair, and placing his elbows on his desk, he put his hands together as if to pray. “We hoped you could get them to solve their differences,” he said.

“I would be willing to see what I can do. Would you like me to look into it now or after their shift?” Tempe asked, standing up and smoothed her dress.

“I think the sooner the better.”

Turning toward the door, “Then I’ll go right over and see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Temperance!”

#   #   #

When Tempe walked in the workshop, she immediately heard the two elves arguing. Moving across the room she came to the table where the elves worked and said, “What are you two so upset about?”

Stanley wasted no time.  He explained to Tempe, “Brixton is not pulling his weight! I am making two animals to his one, yet he claims he’s the best . . .”

Brixton immediately broke in at Stanley’s claim, “In your dreams! I can build more animals than you any day!”

“Okay, I think I heard enough,” Tempe said. “You have been friends and working together for a long time, and I don’t think you should let this get in the way of your friendship.” She asked Stanley, “What do you think causes Brixton not to make as many animals as you?”

“He cannot sew the back of the animals up fast enough!”

She turned to Brixton and asked, “What do you think causes Stanley to not make as many animals as you?”

“He is too slow at putting the stuffing in!”

“So, if I understand it correctly, Brixton you are the best at stuffing the animals, and Stanley you are best at sewing their backs up. Do I have that right?”

Stanley with his hands on his hips, and Brixton with his arms folded on his chest, both nodded in agreement.

“I think I see a solution. Instead of you each stuffing and sewing your own, Brixton you should stuff all the animals, and Stanley, you sew them all up. Doing that I think you can make more together than you each did alone.”

The elves faced each other and Brixton said, “She has a point. We’d be helping Santa if we could make more.”

“I agree,” Stanley added, raising his right hand to shake Brixton’s, “after all you are better at stuffing than I am. Let’s give it a try!”

As Tempe walked out of the workshop, she overheard Brixton say, “I like working with you where we each get to do what we like best!”

“Could not agree more! Hey, what would you say to a game of checkers tonight after dinner?”

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

With the scent of the pancakes, chocolate chip and blueberry, still hanging in the air from breakfast, I walked toward the sink with my dishes and told Ms. Claus, “Anya, we need to check up on the children in Cincinnati today and I thought the Cincinnati Museum Center would be a good place to go. They have the Duke Energy Children’s Museum and several new exhibits that have recently opened. It should be busy with many of our little friends to watch, not to mention that we get to see some fun things there.”

“That sounds fantastic! Can we can see their Egypt exhibit?”

“Yes, you know I love their special exhibits.”

With Anya in agreement, I called over to the reindeer barn. “Highstep, Ms. Claus and I are heading to Cincinnati today. Would you get a sleigh and reindeer together for us?”

Anya, while cleaning off the table, interrupted, “Can you tell Highstep I’d prefer to use my sleigh, the Dulcet, for the trip?”

“Sure. Highstep, Ms. Claus would like to take the Dulcet, if you don’t mind. Would you radio Carl and let him know we are coming down today.”

“No problem.”

“Be sure to ask him if we can use his car to get to the museum?”

“I can do that. See you in a little bit.”

Carl is a J.A.T.S., ‘Jolly Assistant To Santa.’ He is one of my Scout Elves, keeping a watchful eye on the children in his area to see if they are being naughty or nice. J.A.T.S. also look like me, and during the Christmas season they will meet with children, when I cannot be there. As you know, while I can get to every house in one night, I cannot be in more than one place at a time.

I also use the help of my J.A.T.S. to get around when I visit outside of Christmas morning. When I’m delivering presents, all air traffic is stopped so that I can get everywhere I need to be. But the rest of the year they cannot stop all the planes from flying just for me. So in order to get to different places to see the children, J.A.T.S. will let me use their car.

As I moved towards the door, I reminded Anya, “Don’t forget, it is summer down there.”

Turning to look at me, Anya said, “I know. The weather report it said it will be in the 90s and very humid. I’m going to wear shorts with my Rose Lavelle shirt to show my support of women’s sports. After all, she was on the team that just won back to back World Cups.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to go change now and then head down to the reindeer barns.”

“I won’t be far behind you,” Anya said, filling the sink with water to clean the dishes.

With my warm weather clothes under my heavy winter coat, hat, and gloves, I headed outside. Just beyond the pasture where many of the younger reindeer were playing, I entered the barn through a single red door trimmed in green. Inside the barn, I could smell the reindeer food, which consists of lichen, which is a type of moss, grass and other plants. The sweet scent reminded me of the flowers we would smell once we arrived in Cincinnati.

From down the row of stalls on my right, Highstep, the elf in charge of the reindeer, hollered, “Hey Santa. It will be just a few more minutes before the reindeer are harnessed to the sleigh.”

“Which reindeer are you using?”

“I was going to use Clarice and Olive. Is that okay with you?”

“Absolutely, they are two of our best reindeer.”

I was chatting with Vixen in her stall, when I heard “Santa” in stereo. “Did you two rehearse that?” I asked. Anya approached from the left, ready for our trip, while Highstep approached from the right.

“I’m ready and can’t wait,” Anya said smiling.

“Sleigh and reindeer are waiting outside,” Highstep chimed in. “I talked with Carl, and he will be waiting for you, and he said using his car would not be a problem.”

Helping Anya into her sleigh, I said, “Highstep, thanks for getting the sleigh and team together for our trip.”

“My pleasure Santa, enjoy your day.” Highstep responded as he began spreading a bale of hay in a reindeer stall.

With that Ms. Claus took the reins of her sleigh, and guided it out of the eastern tunnel and headed for the Greater Cincinnati area.

When we arrived at Carl’s, Anya landed the sleigh alongside his barn, and before either Anya or I could get out one foot out of the sleigh we heard, “Santa, Ms. Claus, so good to see you again! I have the car all ready for you.”

“Thanks Carl. There is a lot to do today,” I said. Opening the car door for Anya I looked at Carl, “If you decide to put the reindeer in the pasture with your horses, you may want to keep an eye on them. You know how they love to tease horses about not being able to fly.”

“No problem, they will be just fine. I will see you when you get back and have the sleigh and reindeer ready for your return trip to the North Pole. Oh, and I do have some updates on the children I’ve been watching for you. I’ll give you all my notes when you return as well.”

As we drove off, I saw Carl in the rear-view mirror, tending to the reindeer. Anya and I looked at each other and smiled in anticipation of the perfect day ahead of us.

When we arrived at the Cincinnati Museum Center, it was getting close to lunch time. Knowing most of the children would be taking time to eat and rest we decided to visit Egypt first.

The exhibit allowed us to travel back in time to over 5,000 years ago. We were able to explore the realities of the daily life of one of the most advanced civilizations along the River Nile, in ancient Egypt.

After seeing the Egypt exhibit, we walked around the museums watching children and taking notes. We spent the majority of our time in the children’s museum, where most of the children were playing. There were so many nice children exploring and learning, that we filled four notebooks with our comments.

Later that night, after our return from Cincinnati, sitting by the fire place, Anya said, “Did I ever tell you how wonderful it is to visit places like we did today? And that exhibit on Egypt, all I can say is Wow! What fun learning about the Pharaohs and the common people from that time. I learned so much about them today.”

“I could not agree more. And we saw plenty of our young friends, who were so busy having fun, that not one of them even noticed we were there!”

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

Walking through the courtyard on the way to her job in the kitchen, Doheny passed by Lyra, who had the biggest grin on her face. “Lyra, you look especially happy today. Is it your birthday?”

“No, but it sure feels like it. For some reason, I seem to be able to jump and leap higher than ever before. Watch this!” With very little effort, Lyra leaped into the air and must have jumped a good ten feet straight up.

“Wow! How did you do that? I’ve never seen any elf who was able to jump like that!”

“I don’t know. It just started after breakfast this morning. I don’t know how I do it, but I sure like it! It’s like being on a trampoline. See you later, I need to get to school,” Lyra said as she bounced her way across the courtyard away from Doheny.

Doheny opened the door to the administration building where the kitchen is, and started walking in while still staring back at Lyra leaping into the air.

“Whoa there Doheny,” I said as she bumped into me in the doorway.

“Santa, I’m glad I ran into you!”

“You sound a little upset. Is everything okay?”

“I’m a little worried about Lyra. Have you seen her lately?”

“Not since yesterday. Why?”

“I think that maybe she has eaten some jumping beans or something. When she walks, she bounces really high into the air. I’ve never seen an elf do that,” Doheny stated.

“She is probably just happy and . . .” I started when Doheny broke in.

“There, look on the other side of the courtyard. Can you see her between the dorms and the Elf University building?”

Looking over I could see Lyra jumping as high as the second floor of the dorms. “Oh my, I see what you mean. I better get Bernard and look into it.”

I immediately turned around and headed back to my office.

When I got there, I hit the button on the intercom, “Telsa, can you get Bernard to meet me in my office as soon as possible?”

“I’m on it Santa. I’ll let him know right away.”

“Thanks Telsa.”

I sat at my desk when Bernard came in and I told him what I had seen Lyra doing. Then noticing Bernard staring at the wall behind me and seeming to ignore me, I said, “Did you hear me? What are you looking at?”

“Did you spill some of the reindeer Fairy Dust?”

“Of course not. We both know how precious that dust is and I am always very careful when anyone handles it. That’s why I keep all the fairy dust we use for Christmas Magic, in my safe.”

“Look at the top of your safe.”

Swiveling around in my chair, I saw a bag of red dust on top the safe. It had been opened and some of the dust had spilled out.

“Now how did that get there,” I wondered to myself.

Looking back at Bernard, “The fairies were supposed to make a delivery this morning, but they have the combination to the safe, so they can properly store it if I am not here.”

“Well it would appear they just set it on top today. Do you think Lyra got into the bag?”

“The elves know they are not allowed in my office if I am not here, but I suppose it is possible. Maybe we should get Lyra in here and ask some questions.”

“I agree. I scheduled her for some training over at the University today. I’ll call over to the school and have her sent over here right away.”

Bernard and I were sitting on my couch talking about the days schedule, when Lyra walked in, “Afternoon Santa, Bernard. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, we did.” I pointed to the corner safe and asked, “I don’t suppose you know anything about this do you?”

Lyra’s face turned a bright red, as she responded, “I umm . . . umm. I may have made a mistake.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

“Well, I had just finished breakfast and was walking down the hallway to head over to school when I noticed a couple fairies fly into your office with a small bag. Looking into the office, I saw them try to open the safe and then just leave the bag on top of it.”

Looking a bit relieved to be telling her story, she continued, “When they left, I just had to see what was in the bag. Opening the bag, I saw what I thought was red sprinkles, and loving sprinkles, I took a taste.” Twisting her mouth into a sour look, “Boy was I wrong. I found out right away it was not what I thought, and I left,” she continued.

“That bag was my new supply of Red Fairy Dust for the reindeer. It is what Highstep, the elf in charge of the reindeer, and I use to make them fly.”

“I guess that explains why I bounced when I walked.”

Bernard with a slight grin, responded, “Lyra, now that we know what happened, the effects of the dust should wear off in a few hours, but I sincerely hope you do not go into any of our offices again without our permission.”

“You can count on that. I have definitely learned a lesson today!”

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

Bernard, distracted by the scent of the cinnamon rolls from breakfast that floated across the hall from the dining room, looked at today’s schedule. He wanted to be sure the elves were in the right place for their jobs.

Slowly spinning in his big green chair and staring at the ceiling, he wondered where he would put Chumley, who is a Dwarf.  He stuggles doing some of the work the elves do naturally. Yesterday he had been making Hatchimals, and with short and stubby Dwarf fingers, he broke too many eggs trying to get the animals inside them.

Tapping his candy cane pen on the side of his head, he realized what Chumley could do. Hitting the call button on the intercom, “Telsa, can you have Chumley come to my office?”

“I’ll let him know.”

“Great, thank you.”

After getting the message, Chumley quickly finished his breakfast and rushed over to Bernard’s office. “Telsa said you wanted to see me?” he stated, licking icing off his fingers.

“Chumley I think I’ve come up with the perfect job for you!” Bernard put his hand on Chumley’s shoulder. “How would you like to work in the kitchen making candy canes?”

“I love candy canes. That would be so much fun!”

Walking into the kitchen, several elves had already started to cook the sugar for the candy canes, and Blanch was getting the cooling table ready for it. “Blanch,” Bernard called, “this is Chumley and I thought he could help you make candy canes today.”

“That would be great. I could use a couple extra hands today.”

Turning toward the door to leave, Bernard said, “Thanks Blanch.” Looking back at Chumley he added, “I’m counting on you to do a good job today, please do not disappoint me.”

“I won’t!” said Chumley, then looking at Blanch, “What would you like me to do?”

“First there is one big rule you must follow. You are not allowed to eat any of the candy canes while you are working.”

“No problem!” he agreed as he folded his hands over his bulging belly.

“You can add the red coloring to the mixture.” Blanch showed Chumley the cooling table, “When the sugar is cooked it will be very hot and will be poured here. I want you to take this bottle of red food coloring and mix it into the sugar. Be sure you continue stirring the mixture. When it stops bubbling, Hanna will take it to the next table to shape it into canes. Any questions?”

“None I can think of.”

The first few batches went well and at one point Blanch had even commented, “Chumley I am very impressed, good work.”

About the fourth batch, Chumley started to get hungry. He wanted to reach over to the other table and take one of the finished candy canes to eat, but he had promised not to do that. Cupping his chin in his hand, he remembered that he had a bag of Sour Patch Kids in his pocket.

Chumley looked around the room, making sure nobody was watching. He then reached into his pocket with his thick fingers. Fumbling around, while stirring the mixture with his other hand, he pulled the bag of candy from his pocket. Just as he got the bag open, and was about to pour some candy into his mouth, someone dropped a pot on the floor. The loud banging noise surprised  him and made him jump. His candy fell into the sugar he was mixing.

Before he could even blink, the Sour Patch Kids melted into the sugar mixture. He knew that he should tell Blanch what happened, but then she would tell Bernard, and he did not want that to happen. Looking down he noticed the candy did not change the color of the sugar, so he decided not say anything and hope no one would notice.

Unknown to Chumley, Berrie, as part of quality control, was tasting one candy cane from each batch. When she got to the batch with the Sour Patch Kids candy in them, she immediately snapped, “What is this? Why does this taste so sour?” Then looking around for someone to answer her, she said, “Now I’m getting a sweet taste!”

Blanch rushed over and tasted one of the candy canes herself. Her lips puckered from the sour taste. Calling the cooks over, she handed them one to taste, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “Well?”

The cooks threw their hands up in the air and backed away from the table. “We followed the recipe just like we always have!”

“Well someone did something. These do not taste the way they should!”

Chumley, knowing it was his fault, could not let someone else take the blame for his mistake. Raising his hand he confessed, “I did it. I tried to get a piece of candy from my pocket, somebody dropped a pot and it startled me….it was an accident.”

Berrie waved one of the sour patch candy canes at Blanch and said, “Chumley might be on to something here. Starts out sour and turns sweet quick. Children might like these.”

Seeing the cooks nodding their heads in agreement Blanch decided to call Santa in. Pushing the button on the intercom marked ‘Santa’s Office,’ she said, “Santa, would you come over to the kitchen? We have something to show you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

As I entered the kitchen, the sugary scent that lingered made me grin from ear to ear. “Blanch, what did you want to show me?”

Handing me a candy cane she asked, “Would you mind tasting this for me?”

Biting off a piece I was stunned by the taste. “Wow, is this different!”

“Do you like it?” Blanch inquired.

“It was sour at first, but ended with a sweet taste. I think the children might like these. You know some children do not like peppermint because it is too spicy for them. Who came up with this?”

“Chumley came up with it quite by accident.”

After Blanch told me how it happend I responded, “Well it seems to me that you may want him to experiment with other flavors for candy canes. Seems he has a knack for this.”

Laughing Blanch agreed, “Given his unusual tastes, I agree that may be a great job for him!”

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

Wiggle had laid down to sleep and when he woke, he rolled onto his right side and there stood Waddle. Flippers crossed, tapping his foot, and staring right at him, he impatiently said, “It’s about time! I’ve been waiting forever for you to get up.”

“I didn’t know we had to get up at a certain time.”

“I’m just nervous. You know, we are not at home and have a lot to learn about the North Pole. I thought we would go out and explore a bit? Maybe we can find something for breakfast in one of the fishing holes Nippy showed us yesterday.”

Just the mention of breakfast, made Wiggle’s stomach growl. Jumping up he cried, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

They headed down the ice corridor to the South entrance. Once outside, they could feel a steady breeze blowing from the West, causing some of the new snow to form drifts several feet high.

The penguins wobbled across a small field. They continued up a small hill and, once on top, they both saw one of the fishing holes Nippy had shown them. Looking out over the water, Waddle said, “Hey, look at that. Is that a slab of ice floating out there?”

Scanning the water, Wiggle responded, “Where? I don’t see anything.”

“It’s right there . . . I know I saw . . . maybe I just thought . . . wait, there it is, it’s moved over to the right.”

Just as Waddle finished saying that, the ice disappeared once again. “What the heck! Did you see that? The ice sank under the water. Ice can’t sink like that.”

“We are in a new place and maybe things are different here. Let’s go down by the water and see if there might be some fish for us.”

Like two little children on sleds, they both threw themselves down on their bellies and slid all the way to the edge of the water. Just as they began to stand back up, water came up over the ice and swamped the two of them. Looking up, they could only see what looked like a gigantic piece of ice coming out of the water.

With the crest on top of his head standing straight up, Wiggle rolled to his right. Waddle growling, as a penguin does when it senses danger, dove left. The ice they were on shook. When everything settled down, Waddle got up looking for Wiggle, hoping he had escaped being crushed. Between him and Wiggle the huge white glob appeared to be moving and rising up. “How could that be? Ice cannot move on its own,” he thought.

Standing, Wiggle stared horrified at the moving hunk of ice. As both started staggering backwards, Waddle squealed, “That’s not ice, that’s some sort of white beast!”

Once the large, white hunk reached its full height, the two penguins heard a deep voice say, “Don’t be afraid, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Polar Pete.” Turning to face the penguins, the tall white hunk continued, “You must be Wiggle and Waddle. Nippy told me all about your adventure from the South Pole.”

“What are you? We have never seen any creature as big as you are,” Wiggle managed to say while still staggering backwards.

“I’m a polar bear, and while penguins only live at the South Pole, we only live at the North Pole. That’s why you didn’t know what I was. I’m one of Santa and Nippy’s friends here. You must be Wiggle?”

“How did you know?”

“Nippy told me Waddle was taller, and that was how I would be able to tell you apart.”

Curiosity had a hold on Waddle, and with his fear fading, he asked, “How do you swim? Seems you would just sink as big as you are, and you don’t have any flippers?”

Laughing, Polar Pete informed his new South Pole friends, “First, it’s my body fat that makes me float. And then look at these,” holding up his enormous front paws he continued. “They make great paddles to move through the water.”

Polar Pete’s talking about eating reminded Wiggle why they had come out of the cave. “Waddle, do you think we can get some breakfast now?”

Happily, Pete said, “Tell me what you like, and I’m sure I can help you find it.”

“We love fish,” Waddle stated, eager to get breakfast.

“Join me then, and we can all go get something to eat. You may have to swim pretty deep to get to some of the fish, would that be okay?”

Together Wiggle and Waddle responded, “Okay!”

Then Waddle added, “Lead the way, we are famished.” With that the three new friends dove into the water and swam away in search of their breakfast.

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio

Having just eaten my one cookie for the day, I patted my belly, and then realized I needed some exercise. With the entire Santa Village being inside a gigantic ice cave, I decided to go outside and walk in the fresh air of the North Pole.

Grabbing my warmest coat, hat, and gloves, I headed to the South entrance. This is my favorite place to walk since it faces the sun. It’s also the entrance where two of my best friends at the North Pole, Nippy, Frosty the Snowman’s cousin, and Polar Pete, the largest Polar Bear at the North Pole, usually hang out.

After grabbing a set of snow shoes from the rack near the entrance, I stepped out of the cave and found myself immersed in a blanket of freshly fallen snow. The air was clear and crisp, with a somewhat sweet taste. As I looked out over the snow-covered rolling hills and spikes of ice pointing up toward the sky, I saw Nippy walking around a large area of melted ice that looked like a lake.

Nippy wears a red plaid hat with ear flaps hanging down on the side of his

head, and his nose is a yellow squash that turns down to the ground like a parrot’s beak. Since there are no trees at the North Pole, hockey stick rejects from my sports shop, serve as Nippy’s arms. Recognizing him at this distance is easy.

“Hey Nippy! How are you today?” I called out while waving at him.

“Great! We are getting some lovely southern sun today, but not enough to melt me!”

Seeing what looked like a tag on the back of Nippy’s hat I continued, “Is that a new trappers’ hat? Looks like you left the tag on it.”

“What? No! This is my same old hat. What do you mean there’s a tag on it?” Nippy removed the hat from his head to inspect it when I interrupted . . .

“Nippy look! What is that?” I pointed out into the vast area of melted ice towards something floating in the distance.

“Looks like maybe a seal . . . no . . . wait a minute . . . is that a pair of penguins on a sheet of ice?”

“Well that can’t be, since penguins don’t live at the North Pole, and their cousin the Great Auk has been gone for many years now,” I stated.

As the ice pad drifted closer and closer to us, it became clear that indeed it was two penguins.

When the block of ice floated near, Nippy could see they were Chin Strap penguins and greeted them, “Hi, I’m Nippy, and this is my friend Santa. Are you guys lost?”

The taller of the penguins, almost in tears, responded, “I’m Waddle and this is Wiggle, and we ARE lost! We have been on this ice sheet for weeks now. It was …”

“We did not plan any of this,” interrupted Wiggle. “We fell asleep one night and when we woke up, we were surrounded by water and our home was just a speck on the horizon. I never felt so helpless before.”

Waddle continued, “Seems the temperature is warming up back home, and ice shelves are breaking off more and more. Somehow the water brought us here where it is cold and there is plenty of ice, just like our home, but where are we anyway?”

“This is the North Pole, and it sits on the Arctic Ocean. You came from Antarctica, which is also called the South Pole,” I explained. Hoping to ease the penguins’ worries, I added, “I have special reindeer that can fly while pulling a sleigh, and if you like I could have them take you back home …”

Interrupting, Wiggle and Waddle, almost in unison, said, “Could we just stay here?”

Wiggle continued, “We might want to return later, but for now we would just like to rest and get something to eat.”

“Well, it’s settled then,” I replied. “Nippy, alert the staff. We have two new guests and need to get them settled in. When they are rested, you can show them around. Just be sure to show them the best fishing holes so that they can get something to eat.”

We all headed down the ice tunnel towards the village. I thought about the dangers that the penguins faced getting here and was happy that Nippy and I were there when they landed to ease their frustrations and fear. I then began to wonder if someday the same thing could happen at the North Pole.

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

 Illustration by FireMane Studio

Sitting at my desk, intent on making sure I placed the notes about children onto the right page of my Naughty & Nice List, I nearly jumped out of my red bib overalls and hit the ceiling! It happened when the intercom on my desk rang out, “Santa, your head elf Bernard needs to see you in the Digital Toy Shop right away.” The message came from Telsa in the communication office, and her voice seemed loud enough to be heard everywhere in our village.

Pressing the intercom button, I said “Telsa, you startled me! Now that I am back in my chair and you obviously have my attention, would you please repeat what you said a little softer?”

“I’m sorry Santa, I didn’t mean to startle you! Bernard is having an issue with the equipment in the Digital Toy shop and would like you to come down as soon as you can.”

“Tell Him I’ll be right there, and thank you for the message.” I said imagining her embarrassed face turning a bright red.

I quickly straightened the notes on my desk and placed a big glass reindeer paperweight on top of them. Moving around my desk, I grabbed my hat from the candy cane rack by the door and headed down the quiet, yellow-brick hallway towards the hefty double wooden doors that led to all the workshops. As I passed the kitchen, the sweet scent of hot chocolate and cookies distracted me. My stomach grumbled, and I decided Bernard could wait.

Hovering over a pot on the stove, Judy, an Elf assigned to the kitchen, meticulously measured the proper ingredients for her famous 1,200-year-old hot cocoa recipe. Her roommate Doheny, busied herself taking trays of cookies out of the oven, and replacing them with even more trays of unbaked cookies. Both the elves worked hard and sang “C is for Cookie,” like that blue monster on Sesame Street does.

Doheny opened the door to the oven and the scent of M&M cookies filled the room. Bending over a tray I took in the delicious smell and wondered if the scent would linger on my overalls. I knew that if MS Claus thought I had cookies she would not be happy.

I approached Doheny, and just as I was about to ask her if I could have a cookie, I heard the door to the kitchen squeak open. Before I could even turn to see who had just arrived, a chill went down my spine, as if something was about to go very wrong.

MS Claus, sounding firmly parental said, “Don’t you even think about it! I told you after our cookie and milk party with the elves on Christmas, that you were not bingeing on cookies any more until you lost some weight.”

Doheny and Judy turned to see what was going on, catching sight of me and MS` Claus by the partially opened door. They burst into laughter and turned back to their chores to hide their glowing faces.

In a sorrowful voice I replied, “I wasn’t going to get a cookie, I was . . . I was. . . I was just passing by the kitchen on my way to meet with Bernard, when my nose caught a whiff of the sweet smell, and I thought I would just pop in and say hi.”

“Do you think after all these years, that I am really going to believe that? I should not have to tell you how important it is to be healthy and fit for the Christmas season. You can have your one allotted cookie for today after dinner tonight and no more! Now, I suggest you get yourself down to the workshop and take care of business with Bernard,” MS Claus responded, giving me a gentle shove.

With my head down and chin resting on my chest, I slowly shuffled through the door. I heard giggles coming from behind me, and I instantly knew that it would only take a few minutes before every elf in the village would know I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. Squeezing through the kitchen door, still being held open by MS Claus, I whispered, “I’m sorry,” hoping to avoid her Naughty List.

As I walked into the workshop, I found Bernard to the right of the door connecting some wires to the machine that makes the Switch game modules. My body language and the look on my face must have told a story. Bernard looked right at me and, with a huge grin on his face, asked, “What did you do now?”

“Cookies.”

“Why does that not surprise me,” Bernard stated, as if he had already known. “Do you think you can forget about cookies long enough to help me with this control panel?”

After dinner, while enjoying my one cookie with some of Judy’s hot cocoa, I realized how lucky I am having so many looking after me. Especially Anya, MS Claus first name, who has been looking out for me ever since we got married.

Note from Santa: I hope you enjoyed today’s story. I will post another one next Monday. If you have any comments or if there is something you would like me to tell you about, please feel free to leave me a comment. Until next week . . .

Illustration by FireMane Studio