“Santa, you need to settle down. There is nothing you can do at this point,” my wife groaned as she watched me pace back and forth.
“I know, I know, but this is not like Polar Pete,” I snapped. “If this was Heddy the Yeti, I wouldn’t worry. He often travels long distances to see his friends and can be gone for weeks at a time. Not our polar bear friend. He never misses visiting us for more than one day at a time, and it’s been two weeks now!”
“He’s not lost,” sighed Anya and shook her head. “Pete is the biggest, strongest, and fastest tracking polar bear at the North Pole.”
“Yes, but . . .” I began and was interrupted when Onni, our Artic fox friend, trotted towards us. “Did you find him?” I asked.
“Sorry Santa. I checked all the places where I usually see Pete and didn’t even catch a whiff of him. You know Pete can take care of himself.”
Suddenly the ground trembled, and I looked back over my shoulder. At first, I thought the snow hill was moving and chuckled. At eight foot tall with long white fur, Heddy the Yeti often blended in with his surroundings. I quickly turned to face him. “Did you find Pete?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t even see his paw prints.”
My wife and I nodded. Putting her arm around my shoulders, Anya tried to cheer me up. “Nippy is still out there. I’m sure he will have some luck finding him.”
“Did I hear someone mention my name?” Nippy yelled as he came over a snow bank. With his plaid ear flaps waving in the wind, he slid down the hill and stopped in front of us.
“Sorry to disappoint you Santa and Ms. Claus, but I didn’t see any sign of my buddy.” As Nippy looked around and saw how sad everyone was, he clacked his hockey stick arms together and hollered, “Santa, I know how you can find Pete.”
“What would that be?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t think of it. Why not search for him from the air?”
“That’s a GREAT idea. We could cover a lot more ground.” Excited I contacted Highstep and told him to hook up a couple reindeer to Ms. Claus’ sleigh, The Dulcet, and bring it over to the west end of the village right away.
When Highstep arrived, Anya and I wasted no time getting into the sled. Taking the reins, I guided Clarice and Olive along a flat surface till we could feel them lift it into the air. “Anya,” I called out, “you keep looking to the right side of the sleigh. I’ll keep my eyes searching to my left.”
“Spotting Pete from the air will be a challenge,” my wife shouted. “His white fur helps him blend into his snowy surroundings.”
The sleigh glided about 60 feet above the ground. Anya and I strained to see any movement below us. I followed the usual path Pete took to and from the village, but we saw nothing.
As I guided the reindeer further towards the Arctic Sea, I heard Anya cry, “Over there.” She pointed ahead and to my right. Both of us yelled as we spotted what looked like Pete.
“Who or what is with him?” I shouted when the reindeer pulled the sleigh closer.
“That’s definitely Pete,” my wife said. “You can tell by the way he lumbers from side to side as he walks.”
Approaching slowly, I watched as Pete looked skyward. “Santa,” he bellowed and stood on his hind legs. “What brings you out this way?”
Hovering above Pete, I roared, “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick. Thought something had happened to you!”
Pete’s companion turned to gaze up at us. “Oh my,” I heard Anya whisper, “he has a girlfriend.”
I winked as we looked at one another. “I don’t think Pete wanted to be found, do you?” I whispered and grinned.
“Sorry for any worry I might have caused.” Pete pointed his paw toward another polar bear. “I’ve been spending time with my new girlfriend, Blaire.”
After my wife and I controlled our giggling, Anya called out, “Glad to meet you Blaire.”
“Nice to finally meet you and Santa,” she responded and nudged Pete with her nose.
“We were making our way to the village so that Blaire could get acquainted with everyone. Shouldn’t take too long,” Pete informed us.
“Thanks Pete. I’ll let the others know. You’ve had a lot of us worried sick, so pick up the pace.”
I turned the sleigh around and headed back to where our other friends were waiting. When we arrived, we told the others about Pete and his new friend.
By the time the two bears finally arrived at the village, a big crowd of elves had gathered. Everyone was interested in meeting Pete’s new girlfriend.
“Pete, I’m so happy for the two of you!” Giving Pete’s new friend a hug, Anya continued, “Blaire, welcome to our Christmas Village family. I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
With a concerned look, Nippy grumbled, “Does this mean we won’t have our time together anymore?”
“Of course not!” Blaire answered for Pete. “You will still be friends, and you’ll get to spend as much time with him as you always did. But sometimes you may need to share that time with me as well.”
“I’m all in with that!” Heddy and Onni said in unison.
“I think it’s exciting to have another friend,” the Artic fox added. “What do you think Santa?”
“Well, I don’t think you can ever have too many friends. Any friend of my friends, is a friend of mine as well.”
“Well said, Santa,” my wife remarked and gave me a hug.
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 February 17, 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 about Santa’s friends please check out:
Santa’s Newest Friends – July 8 2019
Wiggle and Waddle Meet Polar Pete – July 15, 2019
A Visit From Jack Frost – January 20, 2020
The Lost Elves – February 3, 2020
Homesick Penguins – June 8, 2020
Nippy Falls Apart – March 8, 2021
Wiggle and Waddle Go Home – May 31, 2021
Missing Friends – July 1, 2022
Polar Pete’s New Friend – April 15, 2023
Polar Pete’s Tail – September 16, 2023
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Photo by the Daily Mail