Read Santa's Newest Reindeer Online
Authors: Denis Trom
As they walked toward the next cottage, Mayor Noel explained
that too much work and not enough play made the elves lose
their creative and innovative ambitions. To ensure that the elves were always at their best, Santa and Mrs. Claus had the elves
design and construct their own E.L.F. (
E
lves
L
ove
F
un) Plaza.
Located in its center was the world’s tallest evergreen deco-
rated with multicolored Christmas lights that reflected off the
streaming silvery tinsel cascading down its wide girth. Popcorn
garlands crisscrossed strings of gold- and green-dyed pomegran-
ates. Christmas holly sprang randomly from among the large,
lush soft needles. Red-and-white candy canes and small jingle
bells wrapped in broad tartan bows weighted every bough. A
single angel stood atop the magnificent conifer, overseeing the
extravagant plaza. As was customary every year, each elf pinned
a unique personalized ornament on the tree that represented
their family’s crest.
A mirror-like ice pond surrounded by benches glis-
tened to the left of the Christmas tree. Skaters—singles and
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doubles—weaved in and out among imaginary obstacles in a
snake-like line. They held hands, challenging the courage of
the caboose skater by cracking the whip, which sent the elves
recklessly close to the pond’s limits.
On the other side of the skating pond, several wooden
benches surrounded an open pavilion. The mayor motioned to
the twins to follow him as they met up with another elf.
“This is Clarion, the head elf in charge of E.L.F. entertain-
ment. We call her ‘The Fun One,’ for she is in charge of all fun
and games in Santa’s Village,” boasted Noel. “She knows so
many games that it takes a long time before a game is repeated!”
“Welcome! Welcome! Welcome,” sang Clarion, shaking
hands with Ellie and Will. All the elves in the village knew
Clarion. Her lively personality seemed to draw them to her.
She was like a magnet, especially to the younger elves. Her face
was one broad smile that hid most of her pug nose. A warm
glow radiated from her rosy red cheeks. She never stood still,
leaning to the left and the right. Her arms flailed up and down
and sideways, and her head bobbed back and forth. The faster
she talked, the faster her arms moved. The Fun One’s bright
yellow elf outfit was equally magnetic. Colorful beads dangled
from long, stringy fringes attached to her jacket and leotards.
They swayed in unison to her dance steps. The furry, white ball
attached to her yellow-and-red stocking cap swung over her
shoulders depending on her gyrations.
“I can see why the little ones follow her around,” whispered
Ellie to Will, pointing to one child elf who hid behind her skirt and occasionally peeked at the twins. Ellie waved at the child,
who immediately hid from view.
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“She’s like the Pied Piper from the storybook,” replied Will,
pretending to hold a flute to his lips. He danced around Clarion, trying to coax the child to dance with him, but she kept Clarion
between Will and her.
“Everyone contributes to the fun and games. In the Games
Cottage, off to your right, is where many of the games are cre-
ated that kids all over the world enjoy. Games are one of the
family traditions handed down from generation to generation.
Many families still have the original games that their great-
grandparents enjoyed when they were growing up. Upon your
next visit to Santa’s Village, I’ll be happy to show you some of
the oldest games our elves invented. We have warehouses full
of these treasures.”
All of the world
’
s original Christmas storybooks housed at the
library, and all the world
’
s games stored here. Gee whiz . . . their
storage vaults must be larger than the vaults at Dad
’
s bank.
Once again the twins were communicating with each other, but neither moved their lips.
“Have you ever played games on your home computer? I
know you have computers at home, and I bet you have spent
countless hours playing computer games with your parents
and others. Have you ever played ‘Find the Hidden Elf?’ This
computer game was created in our research and development
chalet right here in Santa’s Village. Our newest board game is
called ‘Santa’s Reindeer Are Missing.’ This mystery game was
created by Yule’s daughter, Nisi, and is probably available at
one of your stores in Holly Valley. Santa wants you to have the
computer game and the board game. I’ll see that they are safely
packed in your luggage,” boasted Clarion.
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“This outdoor pavilion is used every week when the elves
and Santa and Mrs. Claus meet to sing Christmas songs.”
“Do they sing Christmas songs all year, or only during the
Christmas season? Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” begged
Ellie.
“No apology needed. Every day is Christmas at Santa’s Vil-
lage, so someone is always singing Christmas songs. They never
grow old, and we never grow tired of them.”
Clarion continued, “As I was saying, the elves also tell tales
from their homelands, share ideas for next year’s games and
toys, and sometimes they watch other elves compete in reindeer
rodeo games. If you have ever been to a Western rodeo, the
reindeer games are as close to it as you can get,” roared Clarion so hard she had to grab her aching side. “You have to be here to
watch the cowboy elves get bucked off the reindeer or dragged
across the arena floor behind baby reindeer. Next to pul ing
Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve, I think the reindeer and the
elves look forward to these games every year. Even Santa and
Mrs. Claus enjoy the wild event.”
“Do Cosmos and Astro play in the reindeer rodeo games?”
inquired Ellie.
“Yeah, what event do they like the best?” probed Will.
“Without question, Cosmos loves the race where the rein-
deer have to weave in and out of six oversized candy canes. He
is so quick that he crosses the finish line before the last-place reindeer is but halfway through the course. Only the bravest
elf rides him, as it is the scariest ride in the rodeo, and not too many elves have been able to finish the race still clinging to
his back,” boasted Clarion.
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“Astro is the favorite reindeer. He is two years old, but he
is smarter than his years. One of the games we play is to tie
coupons for Mrs. Claus’s candy store to his antlers. The elves
must figure out how to get close enough to Astro to remove a
coupon from his antlers. Astro is unique in that he has a much
longer neck than most reindeer, making it especially difficult
to reach the coupons. Teams of five elves can enter the contest.
Whichever team member successfully grabs a coupon wins
free pastries for all the team members. It is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. I am surprised that no one has been
seriously hurt.”
“Who usually wins?”
“Well, Astro loves peppermint, and the elves know this.
So one elf chases him until he is very tired. Then, three elves
approach Astro, laying candy canes on the ground in front
of him. They keep him distracted while the fifth elf crawls
underneath Astro and grabs the ribbon from his antlers while
his head is lowered. Astro doesn’t resist, for he is too tired and seems content to eat the candy. While Astro is still munching
on his treat, the elves climb on each other’s shoulders, snatch-
ing as many coupons as possible.”
“Do you miss competing in the reindeer games?” asked the
mayor, smiling at Clarion.
“Not at all. I’ve had my share of bumps and bruises. No
thanks!”
“Ellie and Will, do your parents offer you rewards of any
kind?”
“Yup. They bribe us with rewards for chores we should do
without having to be paid. They have us figured out, but we’ve
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kinda got them figured out as well,” nodded the smiling twins.
“You think so, huh?” retorted Clarion, winking at the mayor.
The twins smiled at each other, knowing what the other was
thinking. The foursome laughed aloud.
“Santa and Mrs. Claus are awaiting our arrival at their home.
We need to move on to not keep them waiting much longer.
They have busy schedules in preparation for Christmas Eve,”
emphasized the mayor, leading El ie and Wil toward the center
of Santa’s Village.
“Thank-you for your time and information. It was great. We’d
love to come back and try our luck in the reindeer games.” The
twins looked to see if the small child was still hiding behind
Clarion’s skirt. Sure enough! They waved at her, expecting her
to hide once more. But this time the little elfin grinned and
extended a parade wave to them.
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“Let me be one of many elves to welcome you to Santa’s Vil-
lage and especially to Mrs. Claus’s Candy Store. Mrs. Claus is
getting ready for your meeting with Santa. I’m Candy, the head
elf in charge of the kitchen in Mrs. Claus’s absence,” announced
the sweet elf. It was difficult for the twins to see the elf ’s face because the flour had masked it. She was all white. Her stocking cap, clothing, apron, and even her once-black booties were
now snowy white. Only when she blinked or greeted them
could Ellie and Will determine her facial features. When she
gestured to them, the white powder drifted off her cap and
shoulders onto the floor.
“We bake Christmas cookies in the shape of anything you
have seen on your tour, including Santa, reindeer, candy canes,
stars, Christmas trees, Christmas light bulbs, sleighs, bells, and candles. Well, you select the cookie shape and we bake them,
frost them, and you get to eat them,” sang Candy as she pointed
to a wall full of cookie cutouts.
“We make all kinds of fudge, hard Christmas candy, white
marshmallow candy, hard ribbon candy, nut rolls, Almond Roca,
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center-filled candy, and, of course, Santa’s favorite, peanut brittle.
You name it, we make it. Take a big sack and fill your sacks
with anything you want.”
The twins were really acting like two kids in a candy store.
The rich, creamy, and buttery smells aroused their senses—but-
terscotch, toffee, chocolate, peppermint, vanil a, and anise. They could taste aromas without eating any goodies. Huge open
barrels and multi-sized boxes of chocolates cluttered the aisles.
The twins dropped handfuls into their sacks. Santa’s cookie jars
overflowed with every type and shape of cookie imaginable.
They munched on sugar cookies as they meandered through
the aisles. A brown gingerbread house with miniature children
dwarfed one of the many long tables. Clear jars stuffed with
red-and-white candy canes lined the shelves, and heaping bowls
of hard ribbon candy decorated the countertops. Several candy
canes and numerous candies found their way into the twins’
sacks. Sample plates of richly drizzled caramel and thick-frosted cinnamon rolls tempted them. They swiped their fingers through
the toppings and licked them clean. They stared at the rows of
fruit and cream pies and the ornately decorated cakes in the
display cases. They wanted to sample everything in sight. Their
eyes were bigger than their stomachs, but they were getting full, and their stomachs began to hurt.
“How about Christmas breads? We bake world favorites
from all the different nations and ship them throughout the
world,” teased Candy, escorting them to the bakery section.
Ellie and Will now knew what was meant by the Christmas
phrase—“
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.
” The bakery was next door to Mrs. Claus’s kitchen and was connected
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by a short, wide hallway. A smell of freshly baked bread filled