Hawaiian Shirts

Mrs C has accused Santa of complaining.Santa's not complaining, just making an observation.

The Claus family is in Hawaii for a vacation, Mrs C has slathered sunscreen all over Santa.

Santa just mentioned that not one of the shops selling Hawaiian shirts had any with snowflakes, reindeer or poinsettias on them. Just an observation.

Mrs C suggested there might not be a huge demand for those particular patterns... other than Himself.

Santa let out a ho ho ho that almost gave him away. Little Wally Carpenter from Savannah was building a sand castle nearby and looked over at me for a long time. Don't know that he recognized Santa with the beard trimmed.

Early Morning in March

Up early today. Mrs C is still sleeping, the workshop only has the night shift of elves working right now. Later in the year it will be running full force. It is quiet and one can sit and listen to the wind blowing against the windows and along the eves.

It is going to be a beautiful day, cold and beautiful. I think I'll put on my heavy cape and walk up to see the reindeer later this morning.

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are lovely tonight. They swirl and dance as a dusting of snowflakes make the village appear to be a snow globe.

I might call Rudy (Rudolph) and get out the small sleigh and go out...just he and I for a flight through the lights. His nose glows better if we take a twirl through the Northern Lights now and again.

Arctic Fox

I was sitting at the window of the workshop this morning, sipping on a big mug of hot chocolate after a wonderful breakfast. As I looked out an arctic fox pup was running around with a scrap of Christmas wrapping paper. Now, I don't like litter around the workshop and I started to get up and go out to get it.

Then I stopped, sat down and just watched in wonder. Even a fox pup can enjoy a gift freely given!

Nick

Headcold

I think I caught a cold from one of the youngsters on Christmas Eve. Seth in Sunbright, Tennessee was sniffling as he slept. It might have been him or maybe Mimi in Chantilly, France. She had a fever and almost woke up.

Hot tea, steam baths and reindeer moss plaster on the chest (that is Roscoe's idea. He swears by reindeer moss for every ailment). Mrs C pops her head in to check on me and I saw Dasher looking in through the window. I thought he was out on the high slopes grazing on reindeer moss by now... I'll bet I know who was Roscoe's helper with the reindeer moss plaster.

I thought it smelled like reindeer slobber.

S.

Sleigh Repairs

Roscoe stopped in to tell me he heard from one of the mountain elves that tend to the sleigh. I think the elf is named Cofortenhorgenstebenin. I always get elf names wrong. Why do you think I call Roscoe "Roscoe"?

Anyway, the mountain elf told Roscoe that one of the runners must have been caught on a heavy railing, pipe or chimney as we flew. The whole front, you know, the part that is curled up decoratively, that curled front was out of line. He was amazed I didn't have to send for the tow sleigh by the end of my trip.

I remember a hesitation from the reindeer as I was leaving San Antonio. I think it was an old ranch house made of adobe. Seems to me there was a pipe sticking up that I thought we would clear.

Mrs C warned me not to eat before the ride. A heavy meal before all those cookies and milk!

Next year I'll be sure to watch what I eat before I fly

Stretch

Santa just needed to stretch his legs the morning. These old bones need a walk to get all the kinks out. Some of the chimneys these days are mighty narrow... and tall! Coming down them can surely be work. The reward is always placing the last present carefully under the tree, turning and for a moment listening to the quiet, the silence interrupted occasionally by a snore or soft breathing from little ones who swore they would stay awake to see Santa.

Santa doesn't often sit to eat the cookies and drink the milk left for him, but he does so appreciate it. Walking just now brings chocolate chips to mine, and snickerdoodles, and ginger snaps, and oatmeal....