Santa's Newest Reindeer (17 page)

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

: 133
:

De n is t rom

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.

: 134
:

s a n ta' s n e w e s t r e i n Deer

“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.

: 135
:

De n is t rom

“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.

: 136
:

s a n ta' s n e w e s t r e i n Deer

“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

: 137
:

De n is t rom

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.

: 138
:

“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,

: 139
:

De n is t rom

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

: 140
:

s a n ta' s n e w e s t r e i n Deer

by a short, wide hallway. A smell of freshly baked bread filled