'Twas
by Gordon Grabe
'Twas the night before Christmas and things weren't doing so good at the North Pole. Santa's Sleigh had been stolen.
It happened in the days the Boogie Man had had his mind on doing something real bad - and what could be the worse thing he could do on Christmas Eve?
The Boogie Man had crept into the barn early in the morning while the reindeer slept and saw the sleigh over in the corner - all bright and shiny.
He noiselessly slid the sleigh out the door and across the snowy ground to an ice cave far off in the hills two miles South of the North Pole. ( If you think about it, anywhere away from the North Pole is South.)
In his cave, lit by an eerie blue black gooey light, he sat looking at the
stolen Sleigh. The Sleigh glowed with
its warm golden light. The Boogie Man thought of what he would do now with the Sleigh.
" Perhaps I'll turn it into a planter, or cut it up and make chairs and tables or grind it up to make gravel for my cave driveway."
All these ideas gave Boogie Man evil shivers of delight. He would have been glad to just sit there forever thinking up new nasty ideas for the sleigh and feeling the new rush of evil pleasure with every idea.
Meanwhile, Santa found his Sleigh missing when he went to feed the reindeer that morning. He came rushing into the house bursting out the news to Mrs. Claus. All the Elves came running out of the workshop in the back of the house, squealing and chattering with disbelief and horror.
Santa said he saw Boogie Man footprints leading out into the snow along with the Sleigh tracks.
"They'll be no finding the Sleigh in time for the wind has blown away all the tracks out on the arctic flow. Santa thought 'the Boogie Man has done it this time. There is not going to be any Christmas this year! I'm going to call the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, Valentine's day Cupid, and Halloween's Beulah the Witch, and warn them that the Boogie Man is up to some real mean tricks this year.
Mrs. Claus said, "That's it, Santa! That gives me an idea how we might save Christmas! We'll get all the keepers of the holidays to help you distribute the toys to all the boys and girls of the world!"
"Send out the call!" Santa said to the manager Elf. As quick as a flash the Holiday people appeared at Santa's door.
"Come in! Come in!" said Santa. Mrs. Claus will make you al eggnog and you can warm yourselves by the fire while I tell you why I called you all here."
"Boy it sure is cold up here at the North Pole," said Easter Bunny. I'm usually in my nice warm burrow coloring Easter eggs, and I don't go out much until it warms up in Spring! Easter, that's my kind of weather!"
"A little chilly it might be. Ho ho ho!"said Santa. "Come and warm yourself by the fire. Put your basket over here on the table and we'll make room here for our little friend Cupid too!"
Mrs. Claus passed around a tray of eggnog to her guests.
"Here you are, Beulah. It was so nice of you to come!"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world", said Beulah. "Honey, what's up? The Elf sounded pretty excited on the phone!"(3)
"Just let me pass around the eggnog to the rest of the guests and then Santa will tell you all about it."
Santa told about the Boogie Man stealing the sleigh, and about Mrs. Claus's idea. Easter Bunny said, 'Yes, I can take all the delicate easily breakable toys in my basket. I'm used to carrying eggs and you know how fragile they are."
Sandman said " I can take all the heavy toys because I'm used to carrying around a big heavy bag of sand. I still have to put sand in every child's eyes this Christmas night to bring sleep to the world. I'll get my kids to help. There's Emerald, Ruby, Pearl and Jade who we call JJ because when she was young she couldn't say Jade, but only JJ. JJ said "I'd love to help you Santa. I can deliver pets. I have a bunny rabbit of my own for a pet and I love it very much."
Easter Bunny smiled and gave JJ a pat on her head, which made her pigtails jiggle and bounce.
Beulah said "I've got a mean swing with my broom. I'll deliver sports toys like baseballs and tennis racquets and footballs and all the spooky movies. And maybe I'll deliver a little BOO into the ears of sleeping bad boys and girls too!"
"Ho ho ho!" said Santa. "Remember it's Christmas and not Halloween! You be good this Christmas, Beulah. It will be a good and beautiful thing if you help Santa this special night."
"OK Santa, Sweetie," said Beulah, "but the last time I did a good deed, 3000 years ago, the wart on my nose fell off and it took 20 Halloween's before it grew back! This Christmas will be terrible for my complexion. My blackheads and pimples will probably clear up, and I'll have to miss the New Years Witches Ball! Oh well, we keepers of the Holidays have to stick together. Count me in Santa. I'm your girl Sweetie."
"And oh Ho, how about you Cupid? Are you going to lend a little of your Valentine's Day magic to this Christmas?"
Cupid flew up to the mantel above the fireplace, set down his bow and quiver of arrows, then did a quick timid bow to the room.
"Oh yes Santa! If I may, may I deliver the dolls and teddy bears to the boys and girls? I love teddy bears."(5)
"Ho ho oh yes Cupid," said Santa holding his belly and rocking back on his heels as he laughed. "I would be honored if such a loving person as yourself delivered the loving toys." Santa tickled Cupid under his chin. Cupid giggled and blushed and everyone in the room cheered and laughed.
Mrs. Claus said " We must al be getting started! Will you all excuse me while Santa gives you your final instructions? I've got to get the Elves organized in getting all the toys separated out for each of you!"
I will harness my reindeer in my team. I'll ride with you all giving help as you need it, and I'll also make sure no boy or girl is missed. Here, to give you the magic of Christmas, and to let you come down the chimney are a set of sleigh bells for each of you!"
The room filled with one voice, a cheer! "Hooray for Santa Claus!"
There was much activity as the Keepers of the Holidays scurried about for toys and flight instructions. Beulah was the first to fly out into the world with the Ching Ching-a-ling of Sleigh Bells and a cloud of sprinkled stars from the tail of her broom as she rode off into the night.
Then it was Sandman and all his children laden with gifts. JJ with her arms loaded with baskets of kittens and puppies and bunnies let out a(6) cheer as she flew up into the starry sky. Ching Ching-a-ling ...and a curious thing: her pigtails flapped just like wings as she flew off.
Easter Bunny with his basket full and under his arm, made a running hop skip jump hop, making a very loud Ching Ching-a-ling of Sleigh Bells as he took off into the Christmas night sky.
Cupid was last with his Big Big bag of dolls and teddy bears. He climbed up upon Santa's shoulders. "Will you hold my bow and arrows Santa?"
"Oh ho, Yes!" said Santa. "Can I give you a little boost on your way, Cupid?"
"OK," count down Santa. 5-4-3-2-1. Away! Up Cupid flew with a subtle Ching Ching-a-ling of Sleigh Bells into the Christmas sky behind the others. "I'll be right there to show the way!"
Santa ran over to the team of reindeer and climbed atop of Blixen, and without a command the reindeer rose swiftly into the sky. "My trusty team, I feel that this Christmas is a very special Christmas for all of us indeed. Yo ho ho! Be back in the morning Mrs. Claus" he said as he waved and rose out of sight. Mrs. Claus waved goodbye until Santa and his team had
disappeared behind the moon.
All of Santa's new helpers flew off to the far reaches of the world; Santa flying high up in the night starlit sky
"Santa" said Tooth Fairy. "What shall I carry? You know I'm pretty tiny. I don't carry much more than a bag of teeth and a bag full of dimes and quarters most of the time."
"Well, oh! Ho ho little Tooth Fairy, I have just the toys for you. Watches and necklaces and rings and things. Think you can handle that little one?"
"Oh for sure, Santa. What a great idea."
recting and watching it all as he rode the reindeer team. If you remember, every one of Santa's helpers, Cupid, Beulah, Easter Bunny and Sandman and kids, and the Tooth Fairy carried a full set of Sleigh Bells with them to give them the Christmas magic they needed.
"Santa" said Tooth Fairy. "What shall I carry? You know I'm pretty tiny. I don't carry much more than a bag of teeth and a bag full of dimes and quarters most of the time."
"Well, oh! Ho ho little Tooth Fairy, I have just the toys for you. Watches and necklaces and rings and things. Think you can handle that little one?"
"Oh for sure, Santa. What a great idea."
Tooth Fairy was the next to take off. It didn't look like she was going to make it, for she had dragged out the Big Bag of toys making a long trough deep in the snow out to a clear area just past the gate. She wanted lots of room for takeoff. But she had no trouble at all. She just grabbed the neck of the bag of toys and raised her other hand to the sky and was off just like that! As smooth as dandelion fluff!
There had never been a sound like it before. So many Sleigh Bells. The magic of Ching Ching-a-ling filled the Christmas night air. And just before Christmas Eve the sound so filled the heavens that the Earth seemed to glow and sparkle with Christmas Joy! So much joy that it entered every house everywhere and every land everywhere all the way around the globe. The sparkling, glowing, joyful sound of Sleigh Bells even entered Boogie Man's blue black ice cave and changed its dark spookiness into a warm golden light. Boogie Man was just getting ready to do something very mean and nasty to Santa's Sleigh. He was just walking over to the sleigh with a hammer in one hand and a saw in the other when he stopped and listened to the strange and beautiful sound and breathed in the wonderful Golden Light. Ching-Ching-a-ling.
At first it all made him sick. Nice things had always made Boogie Man sick, but the sound and light were so full of magic that Boogie Man stopped feeling sick and started to feel pretty happy in fact. He actually started to feel good! He dropped the tools and started to hum to himself and dance around in circles! He felt Christmasie!(9)
He also felt the blue black ice cave feeling leave his bones as he danced and sang. He knew in this new joy that he would never be a nasty mean Boogie Man any more. He spun around and around in happy circles for a long time. Then he noticed Santa's Sleigh.
"Oh my!" he shouted. Boy! That was a real mean trick I pulled. I must get the Sleigh back to Santa's house before Christmas!"
Back at the North Pole, Santa's helpers were returning with Santa.
JJ holding her empty arms up over her head called to Santa. "We did it Santa! We delivered all the toys just in time for Christmas morning!"
"Oh Ho Ho! Merry Christmas! Come all, into the house and rest!" said Santa. "We'll all have Christmas dinner and sing Christmas carols."
The Christmas party was a merry one. From outside, the glow from the wreath-trimmed windows of Santa's house could be seen across the snowy landscape of the North Pole. That glow is what guided Boogie Man as he pushed Santa's sleigh closer and closer back to its home. He pushed the sleigh up to the front gate where he parked it neatly by the mailbox, and skipped up to the door and rang the sleigh bells at the door. The bells made him giggle and feel warm.
Mrs. Claus opened the door and let out a scream. "It's the Boogie Man!" she yelled.
Santa came to the door. "What are you doing here Boogie Man, and where is my Sleigh?"
"I'm so sorry Mr. Santa Claus," he said with a tear in his eyes. "I brought your Sleigh back, and I'll never take it again, and never again will I run Christmas!"
"Ho ho Oh oh Ho ho ho!" laughed Santa as he gave Boogie Man a hearty friendly slap on the back! "Oh poor Boogie Man, you didn't stop Christmas from happening." Then Santa turned to all those in the house and said "Everybody! Wasn't this the most wonderful Christmas ever?"
And there was one loud cheer from the house. "Come on in Boogie Man said Santa, and join the Christmas party!"
Beulah came over to Boogie Man and handed him a mug of eggnog and a Christmas tree cookie. Cupid, watching from the mantle, couldn't resist picking up his bow and setting an arrow in the string. He was so full of happiness and the good feeling he had he couldn't wait for Valentine's Day. Cupid pulled back his bow and let two arrows fly over to Beulah and Boogie Man.(11)
The arrows spun around the two from head
to foot, leaving a tower of sparkling pink light around them. Everybody in the room watched as the light trickled away, and they hear Beulah say to Boogie Man "You're the man after my own heart, and Sweetie, if you don't behave yourself I might give it to you!"
With that she gave the blushing Boogie Man a big kiss on his forehead. Everyone cheered. Santa's laugh filled the room above all others. Then he started to sing Jingle Bells. Everyone joined in and sang. And it was truly a wonderful Christmas.(12)
The End
gordongrabe@yahoo.com
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