Looking over the production reports from the workshops, I heard a knock and yelled, “Come on in.”
“You wanted to see us, Santa?” Rackem asked as he and his buddy, Gaucho, entered my office.
“Yes, I did,” I responded and laid down the reports. “It’s less than two months until Christmas, and we will be testing the sleigh with the reindeer, and the teletransportation of gifts from the warehouse to my bag in the sleigh.” I reached for two cloth bags sitting on top of my safe. “This one has the Red Magic Fairy Dust, used to make my reindeer fly,” I explained and held it up by the drawstrings in my right hand. “The other contains Green Fairy Dust, which magically transports toys from the North Pole warehouse to my sleigh.”
Both elves smiled. “Always heard about the magic fairy dust, but never got to see it,” Gaucho said and peeked into the bags.
“Careful, Gaucho. Both bags of dust are necessary for my upcoming Christmas Eve journey. I need you two to take the bag of Red Dust to Highstep and the green one to Houser. Be careful and make sure these get there safely. Can I count on you?”
“Absolutely!” they both exclaimed as each elf picked up one of the pouches. Together they headed towards the Christmas Village courtyard.
“Careful with the Red Magic Fairy Dust!” said Rackem, his eyes wide with excitement. “One sprinkle, and the reindeer will soar higher than the moon!”
“Don’t you drop or spill the Green Fairy Dust,” added Gaucho. “Without that, Santa would have to put all the toys in one bag.”
“Imagine Santa trying to stuff thousands of toys into his delivery bag,” Rackem shouted as the two elves laughed and chased each other around the courtyard.
In their playful frenzy, Gaucho tripped and stumbled into Rackem. The pouches fell to the ground with the dust from the two mixing into a swirling cloud of red and green sparkles.
“Oh no!” Rackem cried, staring at the shimmering mess. “We weren’t supposed to mix them!”
Gaucho’s eyes widened. “What do we do now? Santa’s going to notice for sure!”
They tried to scoop the dust back into separate piles, but it was impossible. In their panic, they filled each sack with the mixture of red and green dust.
“Nobody will notice, right?” Rackem asked.
“Nah, they will just reach in the bag and grab a pinch to use.” Gaucho grinned, as the two rushed off to deliver the dust.
When I arrived at the barn, I watched Highstep and Sledge hook up the reindeer to the sleigh. “Have the reindeer had their Red Magic Fairy Dust?” I asked
“Of course, Santa!” Highstep remarked as he placed his hands on his hips. “I’m not new to this you know. All you have to do is snap the reins and call out their names, they’ll do the rest.”
“Ho, Ho, Ho, I was just kidding!”
I nodded to my elves and climbed aboard. Highstep and Sledge slid open the huge door and the reindeer walked outside and were soon in position. With a snap of the reins I called out, “Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer, and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, and Blitzen.”
Instead of soaring into the sky, the reindeer vanished into thin air, leaving behind the sleigh and their harnesses while a trail of confused sparkles drifted in the air.
“What’s happening,” I shouted as the reindeer blinked in and out of existence, teleporting from one place in the sky to another. Some even reappeared on the sides of the village buildings.
Just then, Houser’s voice came over the sleigh’s radio. “I’m sending the first batch of toys. Ready or not, here they come!”
“NO!!!!” I screamed, but it was too late. Soon the flood of toys began floating everywhere. Some even appeared to be chasing reindeer, who were popping in and out of sight across the night sky!
Back in the workshop, Rackem and Gaucho watched in horror through a window. “We’ve ruined Christmas!” they wailed.
I had been doing this for centuries, and a little magic mishap wasn’t going to stop me now. The scattered reindeer were now blinking in and out of the atmosphere with toys attached to their antlers. I reached into the emergency box in my sleigh for a small container of red dust and blew some into the air and yelled in Finnish, “Korjata tilanne nyt.” (Fix the situation now). Immediately the dust settled on the reindeer, and my team found their way back to the barn.
I then took some green dust and did the same. The drifting Christmas gifts swirled above the sleigh. When I opened the bag, they flowed into my sack.
Before trying to run the test again, I called for Rackem and Gaucho.
With down-cast eyes, the two elves slowly ambled in my direction. “We’re so sorry, Santa,” Gaucho stammered. “We mixed the dust by accident.”
I looked down sternly at both elves, while trying to hold back from giggling. “Christmas isn’t about perfection, my dear elves,” I informed them. “It’s about spreading joy, no matter what happens. Next time,” I added with a wink, “let’s keep the fairy dusts separate. Remember some magic is meant to be mixed, and some is best kept apart.”
Rackem and Gaucho sighed in relief, knowing I had saved the day. “For sure,” they said and promised to be more careful next time.
“Ho, ho, ho!” I chuckled. “Let’s try this again.” I snapped the reins and called out, “On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, and Blitzen.” The team moved in unison as my sack began to fill with toys. Christmas 2024 was shaping up to be a success.
Notes From Santa
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Stories are posted on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, except December. Santa’s next story will be posted on Saturday November 2, 2024. 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 . . .
To read more Fairy Tales or Folk Tales told by Santa please check out:
Flying High – July 29, 2019
Lost Fairy Dust – May 11, 2020
Fairy Dust Shortage – July 26, 2021
Green Magic Fairy Dust – May 18, 2024
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