A soft kiss on my forehead woke me up. “What are you doing up so early?”
“It’s Mother’s Day, and I decided to do some of the work for the elves who are mothers so they can enjoy their day. I’m starting in the kitchen and giving Blanch the day off.”
“That’s so you!” Standing up, I gave her a hug. “Do you regret that we never had children of our own?”
“Not at all!” Anya responded and pushed my shoulders back to look at me. “I consider the children we get to visit every year, and the Elfkins we have here at the North Pole, as our children or grandchildren.”
I pulled her back into a hug. “I could not agree more. I love them like they were our children as well.”
“I need to hustle down to the kitchen so that the Elfin mothers have some free time,” Anya said and shut the door when she left.
I knew I needed to do something for the mothers at the North Pole and got dressed right away. When I arrived at Bernard’s office, I asked my head elf, “Did you know that today is Mother’s Day?”
“We need to do something,” the two of us responded together and broke into laughter.
“I was thinking maybe a party for them tonight in the recreation hall might work.”
Bernard nodded. “We could bring them up on the stage, one by one to honor them.”
“Good idea. We could maybe give them all some flowers.” I rubbed my beard then asked Bernard, “Should we make this a surprise?”
“I’m not sure if we could pull that off. The Elfin mothers aren’t as easy to surprise as you are.”
“What are you . . .” I started, then thinking about it, I just chuckled. “Ho, Ho, Ho, you’re so right.”
After making a list of things that needed to be done, Bernard agreed to work with some of the male elves to make the party happen. I headed to the kitchen to gather the snacks for the event.
I found Ms. Claus busy getting things ready for lunch. Walking up behind her, I gave my wife a hug.
“Thanks, dear. What a nice surprise.” When Anya turned to face me, she noticed the big smile on my face. “You want something don’t you?”
“Well, I was wondering….”
Putting her hands on her hips, Anya bellowed, “Stop right there. I don’t know what you want, but I have my hands full today helping out so the moms can enjoy their day.”
I explained what Bernard and I were planning which brought a smile to her face. “That’s a great idea Santa, but with the elves pitching in so that the moms are free, we are shorthanded. If you want cookies for the party,” she said pointing to Doheny’s recipe box, “you’ll need to bake them yourself.”
Though the first batch was tasteless and hard, I finally got the hang of baking cookies. “Not bad,” I mumbled after nibbling one.
“If you continue eating what you bake, Santa,” warned Anya, “you’ll never have enough cookies for tonight.”
“I hear you,” I mumbled and finished baking 12 batches of cookies without devouring another one. After boxing up my tasty treats, I took them over to the rec hall to check on the party preparations. When it appeared everything was set, I went home to get ready with Anya.
That evening I scanned the room packed with elves celebrating Mother’s Day. After mingling for a while, I got up on stage and addressed those in the room. “I don’t have to tell all of you, how much we depend on our mothers to help us get through every day. I’m glad we could get together to let them know how much they mean to us. When I call your name, each mom will come up on stage to be recognized for her accomplishments. First up is Doheny. I admit that after making all those cookies you’ve been enjoying tonight, I have even more appreciation for her baking skills.”
The room broke into loud laughter while Doheny made her way to the stage. One by one the moms followed and accepted their bouquet of flowers presented by Bernard.
“I am so glad to have been part of honoring all the mothers here at the North Pole,” I announced, “but there is one more we cannot leave out. She is not a mother, but you would never know that from the way she treats all of us. Ms. Claus, would you please join me?”
When Anya walked up the stage steps, I handed her the bouquet and announced, “You demonstrate all the wonderful qualities of being a North Pole mother. You make each day easier for us, and look out for everyone in the village. I’m not sure where we would be without you, Ms. Claus!”
The room broke out in applause and loud cheering when I gave Anya a kiss on the cheek. Her face grew as red as my rosy cheeks on Christmas. After giving me a huge hug, she addressed the elves. “I’m honored that you all think that much of me to be honored like this, especially when I know how hard all the mothers work each day to take care of their families.”
We both turned to walk off the stage, and over the roar of the elves, Anya whispered in my ear, “Thank you so much dear. This means the world to me. But if you ever embarrass me like this again, you will never see another cookie.”
I just smiled, put my arm around her shoulder, and responded, “It would be worth it, because I couldn’t do this without you.”
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 May 20, 2023. 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 about other North Pole surprises please check out
A Surprise for Santa – December 7, 2020
Surprise Dinner Guest – August 2, 2021
A Surprise for Bernard – March 1, 2021
Sad Santa – January 15, 2022
Wearing the Green – March 15, 2022
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