The CBB :: View topic - A Letter from Father Christmas

#1: A Letter from Father Christmas Author: CBB Secret Santa,

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:10 pm

Dear Katie,

I thought it was about time I wrote you a letter, as you are always so polite about thanking me for gifts and I am sure you are having a lovely advent. I hope you are well prepared for Christmas and don’t leave anything to the last minute. I have checked which list you are on, and so far it looks as if you will be getting some presents on Christmas day. There is still time for you to change lists though, so don’t celebrate with floured hair and brushes in beds just yet!

We are all very busy at the North Pole. Rudolph is determined to lead the sleigh, but I think his motives are to be questioned. I overheard him muttering something about ‘getting that blasted St Bernard this year’. I will have to keep a close eye on him, but as a matter of fact do have every sympathy for the poor thing. You see, one house we visit has an awful lot of children; I have to make a special visit just for them as they fill the sleigh. Well, last year we had landed on the Platz as usual and because the sleigh was so heavy we parked in the garden. This is quite normal for us, especially on that particular visit. And it is usually no problem. Last year was different. I swung the first two sacks onto my shoulders and stamped my boot, within seconds I was on the roof, everything all right so far. I dropped the first sack down the chimney, followed by the second and climbed in. It was as I started to slide that I heard the noise. It sounded like Thunder at first, but I knew it wasn’t, I had checked that before leaving. I am not stupid enough to go out into the mountains unprepared for the weather. The noise increased as I slid down towards the fireplace, and was soon intensified into that dreaded sound, a large dog barking.

I immediately checked the room as I landed, making sure that the presents were safe and that I wasn’t about to be ‘welcomed’ by a canine member of the family. Everything was clear, so I quickly went about my work, and soon finished the first two sacks; it was only as I opened the window to get the rest (well would you go down the chimney if you could open a window) that I saw what was happening. Rudolph was still tethered to the front of the sleigh, with Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen and all the rest behind him. Standing in front of him, barking loud enough to wake the whole country was a large St Bernard. Rudolph was lowering his head and I knew he was anticipating a charge from the dog and getting ready to throw up as much snow as he could with his antlers to distract him, and sure enough it came. The dog leapt. Not at Rudolph of course, but at the bottle of schnapps hung around his neck (well, why else would he have a red nose?). I was surprised; most St Bernard’s can’t stand the smell of schnapps as they object to being associated with it so often. Then I remembered whose dog this was, and exactly what school was next door. No wonder this dog was used to the smell.

Rudolph did as he had been threatening, threw up the snow and a mad sequence followed, the dog trying to get to the schnapps, Rudolph determined to keep it to keep himself warm and brightly lit, both of them dancing around in the garden with snow flying everywhere, and the reins and harnesses getting more and more entangled in those silly tied up in Hessian rose bushes. I sometimes wonder at the things people put in their gardens at winter, lights are handy, cars are useful, even these naff tableau scenes can be pretty, but rose bushes tied up so they look like old women, I ask you. I hurried over to try and get in-between them. I knew if I could get hold of the dog I could quieten it with a word. A special word. I am very practised at that. The garden was looking like a rally racetrack by this time as the sleigh swung this way and that. I managed to catch the rest of the sacks as they fell off and stuffed them through the window to deal with later. Then it happened, as I lunged for the dog’s collar, Rudolph turned in front of me to escape and we ran into each other, both landing on our bums (yes, Santa has one too) in the cold snow while the dog taking advantage of our momentary stillness grabbed the bottle and dashed away with an agility I would love to see in some of my reindeer.

I thought it was all over then and I was just about to climb back in to deal with the rest of the sacks when I heard a further noise.
“Jack, either Bruno has caught Santa or Con is sleepwalking,”
“Santa, don’t be silly woman, drat Con, I thought she had grown out of this, I’ll go and check her,”
“Papa, I heard a noise,”
“Me too Papa,”
“Papa, is it time to get up,”
Lights came on all over the house and another voice said,
“Ach, meine Liebchen, I will set the coffee on the stove.”

I thought discretion was the better part of valour and left quickly, leaving the remaining sacks behind in the house, unpacked. As I left I heard one final snippet of conversation,
“Len, Len, look, there is Santa Claus,”
“Yes Phil darling. Papa, Bruno is shivering, he must have been outside.”
I risked a look back, and saw one little face peeping out of the window, waving at me as I took off and flew away, high over the mountains in the distance.

So, Rudolph is planning revenge this year. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with. I know he has been talking to the elves rather more than usual recently. Maybe next year I will be telling you a different story, how Rudolph got a piece of coal in his Christmas stocking!

I must go now and get on with wrapping presents, fuelling up the sleigh, training reindeer, checking The List twice, reading all the wonderful letters I get sent, sorting out the route as it varies slightly every year and all the other little jobs that come up. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and look forward to visiting you on Christmas Eve. Make sure you go to sleep nice early like a good little girl won’t you, because you know I can’t visit until you are asleep.

Love

Father Christmas, aka, Santa Claus, aka, St Nicholas
(all those aka make me sound like a criminal who goes around breaking and entering!)

#2: Author: Katie, Location: A Yorkshire lass in London

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:27 pm

Thank you Santa! Very Happy

Poor Rudolph - and poor Bruno, considering the revenge plans and all!

#3: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:03 pm

Giggling at Bruno!

#4: Author: Helen P, Location: Crewe, Cheshire

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 6:45 pm

Lucky Katie - what a fantastic letter! Laughing

#5: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:32 pm

*giggles*

Fabby letter Santa! Very Happy

#6: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:17 pm

Thanks, Secret Santa. Katie is very lucky to get such a lovely letter. I loved the part about the red nose and the Schnapps!

#7: Author: RuthY, Location: Anyone's guess

Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 6:14 pm

*g*

Katie *is* a lucky girl! lol

#8: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 2:20 pm

Lucky Katie! *rofl* at this, especially at how he was used to the smell of brandy Laughing

The CBB -> St Clare's House

output generated using printer-friendly topic mod, All times are GMT

Page 1 of 1