A Christmas Story...

This is based on a bedtime story I told my little one tonight and is still in its rough form.

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Santa has had a busy few months buying presents, wrapping them, checking them against the Good Boys and Girls List, liasing with St Nicholas about delivering canes to those on the Bad Boys and Girls List, working out the routes and packing the sleigh.

The elves hadn't been as good as they used to be, and Santa has had to do most of the work himself. It had simply been easier and quicker, than correcting the elves' mistakes and rewrapping wrongly wrapped and labelled presents.

Santa was sitting in front of the fire with a mug of cocoa, resting a little before he had to go on his journey. It was the early evening of the 24th and tonight he would have to visit those countries where children opened their presents on Christmas Eve - and straight after he would go to those countries where children opened them on Christmas Day.

Then he had a couple of weeks off before going round again to deliver presents to those countries where presents are opened on the 6th January. Luckily he had the helpful St Nicholas who dealt with those countries who did the present giving on the night of the 5th December. Old Nicholas was very happy to pretend to be either Santa or St Nicholas himself as necessary. It also helped that many children were bought presents by their direct family, so Santa only had to focus on one present for the most part - but even that was a lot of work.

Santa was also getting older and he started to get tired of the logistics. He enjoyed the warm cocoa and roasting his feet in front of the fire. The sleigh was packed, the reindeers hitched up and fed, the satnav pre-programmed and the elves tucked up in bed.

A little while later it was time for the off. Santa put on his usual outfit, which was becoming tighter each year, and headed out. A quick "giddy-up" and they were on their way into the starry, cold night. Everything was going well, but a long night was ahead of them.

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They eventually returned home, having raced ahead of the sun as quickly as they could, managing to span several time zones. Everyone was tired. Santa unhitched the reindeer, took them to their stables and gave them a generous helping of straw and water. Then he went back to the sleigh to check everything was in order when he spotted something in the back.

Santa couldn't believe it - there was a parcel. Wrapped in lovely shiny blue paper, tied with red ribbon into a beautiful bow at the top. He picked it up to see whose it was, but there was no label. He scratched his head in wonder and decided he was definitely getting too old for this if he started to forget to deliver presents. Who would be the poor boy or girl who went without a present today?

Santa couldn't bear the thought so he decided to unwrap it in the hope that the contents would help him work out where he should have delivered it. There might even still be time to get it to the right house, no damage done.

Santa found a box inside the wrapping paper and when he opened it he found a pair of warm, fluffy, red slippers, a mug that read "I love Christmas" and wonderful nightcap. There was also a note, which read:

"Dear Santa,

Thank you for your lovely presents and doing such a wonderful job delivering all the presents every year. You are the best!

Love,
Emily XXX"

Santa smiled. He hadn't lost his marbles. The mystery was solved. This little girl had managed to sneak a parcel onto his sleigh.

Santa went inside the house, took off his coat, boots, trousers, thermals, three pairs of wooly socks, hat - and put on his new slippers and nightcap. Then he went to the kitchen, made some steaming cocoa in his new mug and sat down on his wonderful, comfy armchair in front of the fire - and immediately fell fast asleep with a huge grin on his face.