I was excited. The test flight for my sleigh was to take place in an hour. Slipping on my Santa gear, I walked out the west end exit and made my way towards Highstep’s office.

“Better have my reindeer ready to take to the sky,” I announced while entering the barn.

Highstep laughed as he stepped out of his office with Sledge, the elf in charge of my sleigh. “You bet. They are anxious to get started.”

While discussing the improvements to the sleigh, I spotted Dash, one of the youngest elves in the Sleigh Maintenance Department, strolling towards the sleigh sitting in the hangar. I could tell he was in awe of the reindeer in their new harness, pawing at the snow as if eager for a trip.

I watched him run his hand over the sleigh’s gleaming red paint and gold trim. After rubbing his hands together, he carefully touched the enchanted reindeer harness. “YESSS,” he yelled and punched the air with his right fist.

“Like what you see?” I asked as I stood next to Dash.

“Oh yeah! Bet this sleigh can slice through the sky like a shooting star.”

“You’re right. Go ahead and check it out while I finish talking with the others before I take this beauty out for a spin.”

“Thanks, Santa.”

I liked Dash’s enthusiasm. Sledge had told me how the little elf would sneak into the sleigh hangar just to polish the brass bells and whisper to the reindeer. I also knew about Dash’s dream of flying the sleigh for a practice run someday.

While Highstep, Sledge, and I went over the details regarding the upgrades and improvements, I lost sight of Dash until I heard a loud, “WHOA.”

With a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw Dash scramble into the driver’s seat, pick up the reins and shout, “Giddy-up.”

To my amazement, the reindeer lifted their heads, blinked, and then, as if they’d been waiting for this very moment, charged forward. The sleigh lurched, the runners scraped the snow and ice, and before Dash could say “Mistletoe!” they were airborne.

Highstep, Sledge, and I ran outside and heard a loud WHOOSH as the reindeer climbed skyward.

Sledge held the scanner screen in front of him so that the three of us could watch Dash’s first ride. The wind blew his hat off as snowflakes flew past the sleigh. We heard the jingle of the harness bells and quickly saw the sleigh begin to wobble as Dash lost control of the reins.

“Holy Christmas,” I screamed, “he’s going to hurt himself and my reindeer. Steering a magic sleigh isn’t as easy as it looks.”

“Don’t worry Santa,” I got this,” Sledge announced while the reindeer zipped above the ice and zoomed around mounds of snow.

I wasn’t sure what he meant as we stared at the screen and saw the reindeer swoop through a flock of snow geese, who squawked in protest. When the sleigh flew through a cloud bank in the sky, wrapped presents from the back of the sleigh tumbled out in a steady stream from my bag.

“Whoa, whoa!” we heard Dash scream, holding on for dear life as the sleigh continued to soar higher. “Oh, snowflakes! Santa’s going to turn me into a snowball!”

Suddenly the sleigh began to even out and fly in a straight line. I gave Sledge a strange look. “Dash didn’t know how to do that, so what’s going on?”

“I told you I had this.”

I watched Sledge touch two buttons on the side of his screen and slide three levers to the side at the bottom. As he did this, I noticed how the reindeer reduced their speed and gently circled back toward Christmas Village. Though Dash was still holding on for dear life, the sleigh held steady while the reindeer did their best at landing smoothly. Snow flew everywhere as the sleigh skidded to a stop not far from the barn. Highstep, Sledge, and all the barn elves ran over towards the reindeer.

I jogged over and looked inside to see Dash huddled in front of the driver’s seat.

I breathed a sigh of relief and shook my head. “Promise me you won’t ever do that again. I need all my elves alive and healthy.”

Dash slid from the front of the driver’s seat, his face redder than any reindeer’s nose. “I… I just wanted to take it for a little ride, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

I put a hand on the young elf’s shoulder. “You’ve got spirit, lad. But if it hadn’t been for Sledge’s new device, your ride could have had a different ending. Before you do this again, you need take flying lessons, understood?”

Dash grinned sheepishly and asked, “You mean I can fly the sleigh one day?”

“Someday.”

“I agree with Santa,” Sledge said as he and the rest of the elves came up beside us. “But lessons first.”

“Meanwhile, I need to work out some kinks in my new creation. The Automatic Sleigh.”

“WHAT! This sleigh is only driven by me, not any AI device.”

“I know that Santa, but what if something happens to you while driving the sleigh, especially at Christmas?” Sledge’s eyes became serious. “We all worry about you driving it alone, so I’ve been tinkering with some emergency gadgets to embed in the sleigh and the harnesses of the reindeer.”

I watched as my elves nodded in concern.

“Though none of us wanted Dash to get hurt, he did me a favor by driving your sleigh today. I could test out the Automatic Sleigh override in an emergency situation. Not everything worked the way I wanted, but at least we had no crash landing.”

I walked over and gave Sledge a side hug. “Love when my elves look out for me. Tomorrow, you and I need to sit down and discuss what your new device can do. Meanwhile, we need to get this elf some hot chocolate and cookies. He’s had a rough ride.”

The elves laughed as they put Dash on their shoulders and headed for the dining room. Someday in the future, I knew that Dash would be sitting proudly beside me on practice flights, finally living his dream, but with both hands firmly on the reins.

Notes From Santa

I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday August 2, 2025.  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 the next time . . .

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