A Christmas Tale
Kids Share Stories of Magic, Eggs and Trains
There is nothing quite like the imagination of a child at Christmastime. Perhaps it’s all those sugar plums dancing through their dreams as we count down the days to Santa’s arrival? Twinkling lights, yuletide carols and jingle bells perhaps? Or maybe it’s the copious amounts of hot chocolate we are all enjoying that help to keep the magic of the season alive. Whatever it is, we delight in it.
CBM Bay Weekly put out a call to the kids at The Polymath Place, a children’s learning and activity center in Deale, for some creative holiday stories starring their favorite Christmas characters and boy, did they deliver. So, pour a cup of cocoa, grab a cookie or two and snuggle under some blankets to enjoy their holiday tales.
And have a very merry Christmas.
–Kathy Knotts
****************************
The Day Santa Had to Ride the Train
(At the North Pole, Santa is walking the toy shop for final inspections when suddenly an elf rushes in straight towards him)
Elf: Sir
Santa: Yes?
Elf: We have a bit of a crisis. The sleigh has broken from a fall off the lift while we were making sure everything was ready tonight. It is unable to fly.
Santa: What?! But it’s Christmas! How am I supposed to get to all the children?
Elf: Sorry… There is a train.
Santa: A train? A train? How is a train supposed to get me around the world to all the children in just one night?
Elf: It used to be Jack Frost’s train. I have heard it still has his magic.
Santa: We don’t have much choice. Let’s go check it out. Where is this train?
Elf: About 6 minutes away in the Candy Cane Caverns. Hitch up Comet and Dasher. We will ride over immediately.
(6 minutes later they arrive at the train station. It is bustling with elves going home for the holiday.)
Santa: Great. This is going to be a long night. (They head over to the ticket booth.)
Ticket Booth: Here is a train ticket for the Christmas train tonight.
Santa: How much? And am I really guaranteed to get around the world in just one night to all the boys and girls?
Ticket Booth: Well, I’ll be a jolly gum drop—YOU’RE SANTA! What are you doing here sir? It’s Christmas Eve?!
Santa: I don’t seem to have a sleigh. I heard Jack Frost’s train may be able to pull off the magic I need in order to save Christmas.
Ticket Booth: Well, we have never tried to pull off such a task sir, but I sure think it has the capability to do it.
Santa: Okay. Well, we have to try. The Christmas joy for the world is at stake.
Elf: How are we going to get to all the chimneys?
Santa: Good question. (to the ticket booth) How do we get to all the chimneys?
Ticket Booth: Don’t worry, sir, this train doesn’t use traditional tracks.
Santa: Are you sure this is safe?
Ticket Booth: It is, but it is going to be a little bumpy since it is 1,000 years old.
Santa. Great. (Train whistle blows) Oh no! That is going to wake up all the children!
Elf: We can fix that for you Santa. (He goes over and sprinkles some dust over the whistle, you hear the sound of sleigh bells.)
Santa: Perfect! Nice job, elf. Now we need to go if we are going to actually give Christmas to everyone tonight! (They load the train.)
Elf: First stop, the South Pacific! (The train lifts up into the sky and takes off towards the Pacific Ocean.)
Santa: Ho! Ho! Whoa! Here we are at little Tanya and Mikey’s home. This will take a little bit of Christmas magic since we can’t land on the roof.
Elf: Santa, land in the road. We can use the Christmas magic dust to get you inside.
(A child’s face peers out the window, rubs his eyes, and then they get really wide.)
Mikey: Tanya! It’s a train!
(Santa blinks in and out of the house, winks to Mikey in the window and the train flies off.)
(Tanya walks to the window sleepy and looks out)
Tanya: There’s nothing there.
Santa: Elf, I think I am going to enjoy tonight’s delivery. This train is a good change after so many years in a sleigh.
They continue to quickly deliver presents to Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, South America, and North America, finally ending his deliveries in Hawaii.
Santa: Elf! This train was faster than the sleigh and we were able to get through the inclement weather easier. Jack Frost may have been on to something! We should look into a full time Santa Train for future years!
Elf: But what about the reindeer?!
Santa: HO! HO! HO! We will always need the reindeer. They are an iconic part of Christmas. We can hitch them up to sleds and let the elves play reindeer games!
(Mrs. Claus comes out to meet the train and gives Santa a hot cocoa and cookies with a kiss on the cheek.)
The End
A PICTURE OF SANTA
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Camilia was not very excited about Christmas because her big brother told her Santa Claus was not real, which made her heart sink. All she wanted was proof that Santa Claus was real but it’s hard to find proof for Santa Claus. Then she got an idea, a great idea. “I’ll try to take a picture of Santa!” she said. “Then everyone will know he’s real!” And then she started getting to work.
“Hmm, let’s see how do I take a picture of Santa in a couple of hours?” said Camilia. First, she thought of just staying up all night! But then she realized that was never going to happen. So she thought of a person to ask. The only person in her family who believed that there was magic in the world besides her was Grandma.
“Dear, what is it?” Her grandma said. “Well Grandma, umm, well do you believe in Santa Claus?” “Of Course!” Grandma Shouted. “Who wouldn’t believe in Santa Claus?”
“Well your grandson doesn’t!”, Camilia moaned. “Don’t worry about him. He’s too blind and consumed by video games to see that magic is real”, Grandma said.
Camilia said “I have something to ask you.” “Well dear, let’s not waste any more time. What is it?” said Grandma.
Camilia paused a moment and then said quietly, “I want to prove to everybody that Santa Claus is real, so I decided the best way is to take a picture of him. But I don’t know how to go about taking it”, she said.
“I have a story to tell you, one I haven’t shared with anyone in a long time”, Grandma said. She ushered Camilia to the couch and started her tale. “When I was young, I had this same problem with my family. And guess what? I decided to take a picture of Santa Claus too. I built a big trap that had all sorts of gadgets and gizmos on it, so I would make sure to capture a picture of Santa. I went to bed that night and when I woke up, presents were under the tree, but no picture. On our coffee table next to the tree, all I saw was cookie crumbs, spilt milk and a note that read, “Maybe next year Joanna! Love, Santa.” I was crushed but then later that year, I finally realized that it doesn’t matter if no one in my family believes in Santa. If I believe, that’s enough.”
“So dear, I want you to know that you are right in believing in Santa. You don’t need to prove he’s real. If you feel it in your heart, then it is so. For Santa is magic and magic is everywhere.”
Camilia smiled at Grandma and went back to her room. She thought long and hard about what she told her. Grandma was right. Santa is magic and magic needs no proof; it lives in your heart.
The next morning, underneath the tree was a pile of presents, but Camilia wasn’t looking at the gifts. She saw that Santa ate her cookies and next to the empty plate was a note. It read: “Dear Camilia, Let me tell you something, your Grandma is right. You don’t need to look for magic. Magic is when you adopt a dog and pet it for the first time. Magic is when you help a friend in need. Magic is in your heart; it’s all around us. Keep believing and I will see you next year. Love always, Santa.”
So Camilia finally understood the real proof of Santa is not in a picture, but in the kindness you show to others.
Camilia laughed out loud and shouted, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a great day!”
The end
****************
An Elf’s Journey
When Lucy the Elf work up on December 1st she woke up in a very bad mood. December 1st—Christmas season. All the elves would be going to work. And that meant making fun of her because she was different. Lucy put on her pink and yellow striped dress and pink and yellow striped hat. Then she slowly set off for the workshop, dreading the day’s workload.
Holly the Elf, on the other hand, woke up in a perfectly good mood, thrilled that it was finally Christmas season. She put on her green and red striped dress and hat and set off to work, ready to make some awesome toys!
It was a perfectly normal morning in the workshop. Every toy Lucy tried to make ended up with bunny ears. But at least she only got teased by five different elves. What a miracle, Lucy thought to herself. Holly, on the other hand, had a great morning. She made 50 different toys and then finally set off for the lunchroom. When she walked into the lunchroom, she didn’t see an abnormal elf there. But when she went to grab a peanut butter truffle, her favorite food, she saw Lucy huddled in the corner looking sad and nibbling on a piece of chocolate. She went closer and saw that she was eating a chocolate bunny. “What’s wrong?” Holly asked. She prided herself on being the nicest elf in the workshop and she hated seeing sad elves. Lucy said, “Everyone makes fun of me for being an Easter elf instead of a Christmas elf! I can’t even make a single Christmas toy. Everything ends up with bunny ears or polka dots!”
Holly thought for a minute. “Even if you’re an Easter elf, you can still make great toys. I’m sure children wouldn’t mind a colorful egg for Christmas. Also, hello, EGGnog?! Everyone loves that and it’s a Christmas drink!”
Lucy smiled, “You really think I can fit in?” she asked with hope in her eyes. “I do,” said Holly. “You can make bunny stuffed animals! They are very popular these days.” Lucy smiled. “Okay, will you teach me what to do?” Holly smiled back. “We’ll start tomorrow! Be at the reindeer stables at 7am. Don’t forget your elf hat, and your chocolate bunny.”
The next morning Holly was so excited she woke up 2 hours early, at 5am! She gathered up all her toys, a bunny, a paintbrush, tools, and nails. She headed over to the stables to start setting up. The first station was “build a stuffed bunny.” Another was to make some EGGnog, and the last one was “be yourself.” It took her about an hour to set it all up. She added labels to each station. Then she sat there and waited.
Lucy woke up at 6:30 to get ready for her lesson. She grabbed a chocolate bunny, a stuffed bunny, and a few eggs, then she headed over to the stables. It was almost 7, so she knocked on the door. “Come in!” she heard Holly say. She walked in and saw the three stations, with Holly sitting at the first one. Holly told Lucy to put her thing on the last table so she had some space. Holly started telling Lucy about what do at all the different stations. Lucy looked at her, confused. “Why are these all easter holiday things? Shouldn’t they be Christmas?” Lucy asked. “No, they should be Easter because even if you make Easter toys it doesn’t mean kids don’t like them. You’re special and unique in your own way.” “I guess,” Lucy said doubtfully. Lucy began doing all the stations. At the first station she started making a stuffed bunny. When she finished, there was an adorable stuffed bunny with pink ears and a bushy tail, and a cute shirt that said “I heart carrots” on it. Its fur was yellow and super soft and it had light blue shoes, with a cute headband with an egg on it to top it off. “How’s this?” she asked Holly. “That’s the best bunny I’ve ever seen in my life! A kid will love this! The kids never like the bunnies we make, but they will love this one!” Holly replied. Lucy was ecstatic that she had done something right for once.
Lucy moved on to the eggnog station and gathered the ingredients. “Okay, so just make some eggnog?” she asked. “Correct,” Holly replied. Lucy went to work. She made sure to add eggs and extra sugar. Holly tasted it. “Mmm, this is the best eggnog ever! Better than Mrs. Claus’s! You should be in charge of making the eggnog for all the elves!”
Lucy smiled. “I still can’t believe you are being so nice to me and not making fun of me.”
“We are all elves,” Holly said. “Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you aren’t great. You may be different colors and make different things, but you are special and unique and we need you to make special and unique toys.”
They went to the third and final station. Lucy was confused – nothing was on the table. “You have to make your own towy from your imagination,” Holly said. “That’s impossible,” Lucy said. Holly smiled. “If you believe, everything is possible! Here I’ll show you.” Holly waved her hands around, concentrating. And poof, a stuffed animal elf that looked exactly like Lucy appeared out of thin air! “Wow!” Lucy said. She couldn’t believe it. She tried what Holly did, and another stuffed elf appeared, but this time it looked just like Holly. “I love it!” Holly said. “This is the first real Christmas toy I’ve ever made!” Lucy exclaimed.
From then on the two elves were inseparable. Holly became head of the wooden and plastic toy groups and Lucy was the head eggnog mixer and made all the stuffed bunnies children could ever want. Holly also became the elf counselor, helping elves when they stopped believing in themselves. And in her office, so she could always remind herself and the other elves that it’s great to be unique, she hung a picture of an overjoyed little girl on Christmas morning, opening the first stuffed bunny Lucy ever made.
Five Years Later
Holly and Lucy walked to the lunchroom to have a snack and a chat, as they did every day in December. Holly took some peanut butter truffles and Lucy picked a big chocolate bunny. As they walked to a table, they saw a solid green elf hunched over in the corner sitting on what looked like a pile of gold, just where Lucy had sat crying 5 years prior. Holly and Lucy walked over. “What’s wrong?” Holly asked. The elf looked up at them with tears running down his face.
“Look at me! I’m all green with gold coins that come out when I walk. I’m a St. Patricks’ Day elf! I don’t belong here!” Lucy smiled and said, “I know exactly what you need! Can you meet us at the stables at 7 o’clock?”
The End