Santa's Coat

     Long ago and way away, in a place called the North Pole, there lived a huge family of elves who loved to make toys.  The oldest and wisest of them all was a roly-poly, jolly old elf named Santa Claus.  They all shared the red-clapboard castle on the right side of Christmas Lane just at the edge of Christmas Village and were very happy together.

     In December of every year, all of the elves gathered the toys from the storage vaults and prepared them for delivery to the children on their list.  Some elves did the wrapping, some elves did the bowing and some were much better at napping than stacking.  When all packages were glittering and finished just so, they were placed into the delivery sacks on the flying reindeer...each carried two, you know.

     By the crisp glow of Christmas morning's light, each and every child on the list would find toys waiting on their doorstep.

Dolls, Teddy Bears, Drums and Fire Engines alike, filled every village and every child with joy.

     For a long time, the reindeer had made their yearly deliveries in the same way.  Since they could fly like the wind, leap over tall, snow-covered mountains with a single bound, drop presents on doorsteps as gently as a feather and be back to Christmas Village in the blink of an eye, no one denied they were perfect for the task.  But as time went by, the list of children requesting toys grew and grew until there were so many, the reindeer and elves didn't know what to do. 

     You'd probably say "Just get more reindeer", but that's not so easily done.  For you see, Christmas Village reindeer are very special.  In fact, you might call them magical.  And magical reindeer don't earn their flying abilities until they have done good deeds for mankind for a total of one hundred years. 

     So, with no new reindeer available, everyone thought and thought but could think of naught.  "We should ask Santa!" a little pink-cheeked elf shouted as he tugged at his from-head-to-toe green outfit. 

     All of the elves gathered before Santa that day and asked what they should do.  Santa shivered beneath his old, flimsy coat as the cold North wind blew through the gaps in the castle walls.  Then, laying a finger aside his cherry-red nose, his face lit with a smile.  "The sleigh!" he exclaimed.  "It's big enough to carry all of the presents and more.  With the reindeer pulling it, one trip should be enough."

     Every elf clapped and cheered.  Then one elf whispered to another, "But who's going to deliver the presents?"  A small elf wearing a red suit and bells on his shoes and hat stepped forward.  "I think Santa should deliver the presents!"  All agreed.  After all, he was the oldest and wisest of them all.

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