The Magic of Christmas

Back in his rooms without even Rosie for company, it was a long wait for Travis, his only outlet being Sandea and a never-ending supply of hot chocolate, marshmallows, mince pies and fruit cake. After what seemed like hours he received a summons from Arnold and whisked himself to the Solicitor’s office at the speed of thought, carried there by the magic he threatened to squander, but really wanted to control that bit better.

‘Well?’ he demanded as he materialised in front of the elf, ‘tell me what was said, I assume the Leprechaun was the one controlling everything, what did he say?’

‘One thing at a time,’ Arnold replied quietly shuffling papers and placing them to one side. ‘First, everyone in that room including you controls the magic; they make the rules where it is concerned and for two thousand years the magic has been used in a highly efficient and safe manner. It needed a one hundred percent agreement from all in attendance to make changes, you included and I took the liberty of voting for you.’

‘Well, you might have…’ was as far as Travis got before Arnold told him to be quiet. ‘For the first time in our history,’ he continued fixing Travis with a resigned glare, ‘changes have been made to the way the magic can be used. You have what you asked for, but with one or two proviso’s. One, no more than four children at any one time can be invited here. Out of the four, at least one must already be a believer. Two, should you recklessly endanger the spirit of Christmas by the overuse of magic you will be severely chastised by Michael O’Connor, and I strongly recommend you do not put that proviso to the test. He is noted for his wicked tricks and punishments. And lastly number three, you can tell others you are Santa, but only when in your Santa Suit if it directly concerns Christmas business, and as I imagine building up the magic comes under that heading, I think you have free reign. Oh, yes, one other thing. You can’t tell anyone that you Travis McGee, is Santa. It is for security reasons, so use the magic on Bethany’s friend to wipe Santa’s real identity from her mind.’

Wow,’ Travis said slumping in a chair, not expecting the answer he received from the diminutive elf. ‘When does it start, when can I get some children here, will it be in time for the competition?’

‘It starts now Santa,’ the elf smiled. ‘Go and get your daughter and her friend, and please, keep them out of the hair of the elves or I’ll ask the union to see you about increasing the chocolate allowances!’ Travis didn’t need any clarification, he thanked the elf and whisked himself home looking for his beloved daughter Bethany.

For the first time in living memory, a child other than the family of Santa entered the village. Like all new things, she was a five-minute wonder where the Elves were concerned. They gathered around here asking questions, feeding her chocolate, touching her, more questions and more chocolate until Travis had to call a halt to the visit; Gill had to go home with the onset of chocolenza, diagnosed by a medic Elf, not that any formal diagnosis was needed, the smell was enough to convince Travis, so much so, he used quite a lot of Christmas magic in whisking her home. Rosie told him later that her mother was rather put out by the smell, and wondered where all the Pot Pourri and scented candles came from.

In future visitors would have to be monitored, advised about their chocolate intake, and at Arnold’s insistence, sign a flatulence disclaimer whilst in the village. The Elves were warned about stuffing children with vast amounts of chocolate, any Elf ignoring the warning would be fined a weeks chocolate allowance, and exiled to live with the Tooth Fairy for a week.

The latter, said half in jest, soon reached the ears of the Tooth Fairy who then went screaming to the Union Elf demanding Travis apologise for his slight against her. When Travis dismissed the pair telling them he didn’t have time for their nonsense, the Union Elf became quite agitated that Santa was laying the law down, not negotiating and being a dictator, before huffily going in search of the Chief, and the Solicitor to bring Santa “to his knees.” This, in turn, upset the Tooth Fairy even further who said the Union Elf was slighting her and went looking for the Easter Bunny to stop Chocolate production until Santa and the union regained their senses and apologised to her. It was not an afternoon to remember, one the constant berating from the three elves and the Tooth Fairy, had Travis’s nerves on a knife edge, until a curious thought went through his head.

‘Why is it, all the fairies are very small creatures, while she,’ he pointed at the Tooth Fairy, ‘is as big as an Elf?’

‘He called me fat!’ she complained bitterly through floods of tears. ’It’s not my fault I’m big for my age. I demand an apology, and Santa is made to answer charges of Elf ‘n’ fairy-ism, and an ism against fat people.’

‘It’s something to consider,’ the Solicitor said thoughtfully, ‘although I’m not quite sure what law Santa has transgressed by asking why you are bigger than the other fairies.’

‘Well, I think he should pay a penance of two chocolate breaks, and issue all my members with a candy cane as an apology.’ the Union Elf said indignantly.

’EEE “strawberry” NUFF.’ screamed Travis. ‘Out! the lot of you, get out and stay out! Don’t come back, ever! I’ve had you lot up to my armpits, and as for you,’ he pointed at the Union Elf, ‘I know just the place to put a couple of candy canes, and so far up you’ll have to get stupid here,’ he indicated the Tooth Fairy, ‘to pull them out.’

‘There’s no need to speak to us like that!’ the Chief retorted. ‘Just because….’ was as far as he got before Travis was on his feet.

‘I said out!’ Travis said through clenched teeth. ‘The last one out gets no chocolate till after Christmas, and will muck the reindeer out for a week, starting tonight.’

The rush for the door left the Chief Elf with a black eye when he bumped into the Solicitor’s now broken nose; the Union Elf was first out of the door, closely followed by the Tooth Fairy who’s wing tip tripped him up knocking him in to the corridor wall, his instinctive grab for something to save himself left him with a handful of the Tooth Fairies wing feathers, and a broken arm. Travis slammed the door shut with the help of Christmas Magic, the force weakening the hinges and cracking the plasterwork along the door jam. The blood from the Solicitors nose, the chiefs cut, and soon to blacken eye, and the Tooth Fairies lost wing feathers took Sandea all afternoon to clean, the closed door did however, give Travis a brief moment of satisfied peace.

Travis hoped that was going to be the end of it, but the Tooth Fairy had other ideas. Convinced her name had been made an object of ridicule by Travis, she demanded to know if she could also tell children who she was, and not waiting for an answer took adverts out in the national press looking for rotten teeth at fifty pence each. Travis didn’t care what she did, he just wanted her out of his hair, unfortunately, the dental association’s in Great Britain, the U.S.A and Canada and the best part of the European Union, laid claim through their respective unions and organisations for compensation. The Tooth Fairy’s advert was undermining their member’s ability to earn a living, as kids were pulling their own loose teeth out for fifty pence, and they wanted compensation.

The Chief took great pleasure in laying this at the feet of Travis. Demanding he solved the problem to everyone’s satisfaction. Travis took greater pleasure explaining as it was the Tooth Fairy who placed the advert without consultation and creating the rift with the dental associations, he should go and see her, taking Cedric with him as he could see his devious little hand somewhere in the matter. Christmas magic unceremoniously dumped the Chief in the reindeer stables up to his knees in droppings, and Travis forgot the matter unless someone not very bright, brought the subject up; a glare from the nice Santa usually enough to wither the enthusiasm to pursue the topic of conversation any further.

The following day heralded the Christmas Tree decorating competition, a day Travis was dreading. He could see disaster, just didn’t know from what quarter but suspected Cedric. Accompanied by the Chief and Rosie with Kiara, the young secretary, taking notes and comments from the judges as they walked around inspecting the trees, the first department was that of Cedric and the Hot Chocolate distribution.

The tree was magnificent, topped with a golden pulsating star, it had tinsel delicately draped over the branches, glass baubles and candles with over a thousand coloured lights pulsating in a mesmerising rhythmic display that was breathtaking. Give Cedric his due, he might wield emotional blackmail on the competition, but he didn’t become complacent about it. Never the less, Travis made sure he was in earshot when he said to Kiara, ‘Make a note for discussion at the next Elven committee, now we can have outsiders in the village, I propose to have an outside firm distribute the hot chocolate in case of emergencies. It will take some pressure off this department.’

Travis wasn’t surprised to hear a crash behind him. Turning, he looked down to see Cedric twitching on the floor, and with a smile he usually only gave when picking his winnings up in the bookies, casually said, ‘Oh dear, something has upset Cedric, will someone get a medical elf here as soon as possible,’

‘You’re a mean old Santa,’ Kiara said with a grin as they left for the Stables, ‘you might have warned me, I nearly wet myself.’

The tree in stables was a lot less brightly decorated than the one in hot chocolate; it was earthy with natural cones, bereft of tinsel it was decorated with white tissue to give the illusion of snow, white lights shone steadily while the only baubles hanging from the branches resembled natural forest fruits and nuts. A simplistic tree that radiated beauty in its simplicity.

The day was going better than Travis thought it would. Hot chocolate, Cookies, candy canes all delivered to help with his deliberations. Each tree decorated to conform with each departments characteristics i.e. the Stables natural Earthy tones and decorations, the chocolate department to give a soothing but bright radiance, the wrapping departments tree had a myriad of bows and ribbons, while on the wheels and pulleys tree, everything was either round or angular painted in bright base colours.

Travis was enjoying himself, at last a day that wasn’t marred by Elven in fighting and stupidity, it was too good to be true and Travis be came complacent as his good mood overrode his senses.

The competition was neck and neck between the Stables and Livery; the latter’s tree silver with beautiful hand crafted leather work adorning each branch. Horse Brasses, highly polished hung in place of baubles with a splash of red and green to enhance the silver. Underneath was, a fantastic carving, made from a single piece of wood encircling the four foot span of the tree, it was Santa on his sleigh, being pulled by eight reindeer. The carving was exquisite and minute in detail, painted and varnished; Made by a craftsman, Travis doubted its equal existed in the outside world.

It was while he was marvelling over the carving, his guard relaxed and down, trouble erupted in the form of the Tooth Fairy materialising out of thin air demanding her tree be included in the competition.

‘I’m sorry,’ The chief elf replied before Travis could say anything, ‘but you know as well as I do that the final ten trees have been selected after a lengthy elimination process. We rejected your tree in August, you should have raised any objections then.’

‘I did, but…’ was as far as she got before Cedric arrived bearing gifts of Hot chocolate, candy cane, cookies and iced fruit cake. He unfortunately shimmered into existence with his goods just as the Tooth Fairy landed on the ground, the two fighting for the one spot. The tray he carried with Steaming Hot Chocolate, candy canes, fruit cake and cookies was knocked out of his hands by her wings, up in the air to come crashing down on the Tooth Fairy covering her from head to toe and wing tip to wing tip.

The steaming hot chocolate turned her pristine white wings to a dirty chocolate brown with just the odd white feather showing through, the heat made her scream and automatically extend and flap her wings to get rid of the burning sensation heat. The flapping caught two startled Elves, knocking one against the conveyor belt, bumping into the button that made it go, and the other onto the belt itself to be carried along while robot arms tried to pick him up, drill screw holes in him, dip him in paint, and screw a wooden hat on his head before finally wrapping him in clear cellophane wrap.

Meanwhile with the best part of the department chasing the poor Elf on the conveyor belt in vain attempts to release and free him from his fate, the Tooth Fairy was screaming her wings hurt accusing Cedric of burning her wings on purpose, demanding he be deprived of chocolate for a month as punishment. Everyone agreed she should have chosen her words a bit more carefully as Cedric slumped to the floor, and began wildly twitching. Normally the elves ignored him, they had seen it all before but as Travis’s complacency would have it, the severity of the Tooth Fairies demand increased the speed of his twitches turning his legs to drumsticks, drubbing the table containing the beautiful carving and tree, the latter toppling, dropping horse brasses, leather work and small painted boxes, in a heap, on his head, before the whole tree slowly toppled off the table to lie in a tangle of twisted and broken branches on the floor.

Attracted by the commotion, the Elves in the cookie and candy department pushed through the doorway to get a better view of the proceedings; adding to the confusion came the sprites and fairies, wings fluttering as they tried to see what was going on while also trying to ignore each other. They were in week two of their dispute, the week in which each side denied the existence of the other, hard to do in a confined space where pandemonium was the order of the day; witnesses later claimed they saw many a fairy taking a crafty swipe at the back of a sprite’s head, and vice versa.

From Cedric’s arrival to now, Travis estimated no more than a minute had passed. A minute that had a screaming, scalded Tooth Fairy with chocolate wings, Cedric twitching away buried under a wrecked Christmas tree, an Elf in danger of being trussed up and packaged in cellophane, and millions of sprites and tiny fairies fighting for the same space while trying to deny the other even existed. Thousands of Elves pushed and shoved their way into the Livery room, making free movement in any direction, near impossible.

Everywhere he looked all Travis could see was a mass of heaving Elven bodies fighting for position, some to see what was going on, others to maintain their balance and to prevent being trampled by the crush from behind. There was only one way out of this before an Elf was seriously hurt, maybe not to the point of death as they cant die, but more than one broken bone was waiting to happen. The sprites and fairies not to miss out on an opportunity, stopped the dogfights between themselves and began an all out aerial assault on any one, or thing that moved, that included himself, the Chief and Rosie whose hair was already decorated with entangled sprites and fairies trying to free their wings from her long tresses. She looked as if someone had tipped a bucket of moths on her head.

Total chaos reigned around him and for once he wasn’t on the receiving end of the consequences. With a wave of his arm, Travis restored order returning the sprites and fairies to where they had come from, the elves back to their cookies, cleaned up the mess left by Cedric’s hot chocolate and rescued the screaming elf from the wrapping machine. Lastly and carefully he retrieved the tree and carving, returning it back to its previous splendour. The only thing he didn’t fix was the Tooth Fairy who was still screaming at Cedric, Rosie, the Chief and himself about her wings. According to her it was all his fault, and demanded a full Elven Council meeting to bring the terrorist (Santa) to task.

That in turn set Cedric off with demands for more breaks, candy cane energy boosts and free fruit cake for lunch. As all food in the village was free, Travis readily agreed to his last request, agreed to think about energy boosts, but denied the increase in breaks. Cedric thinking Travis was negotiating backed away with a beaming smile on his face leaving Travis to round on the Fairy.

‘I’ve just about had enough of you Fairy,’ he said quietly. ’You cause bedlam wherever you go and it has got to stop. I’ve a good mind to banish you from the village except on official business or when I summon you. Instead, I will heal your wings, but I’m going to turn them brown permanently to remind you what your stupidity and lack of thought cause’s.

‘You can’t do that,’ the Fairy shrilled.

‘Can, will and have done,’ Travis smiled, ‘any complaints, sue me,’

‘Please Santa, not my wings,’ the Tooth Fairy cried, ‘they cant be brown, I’ll look like a rotten tooth flying about, they have to be white, so I can do my job.’

Looking back, Travis often thought that was when the Christmas Magic was at its strongest. Not only did he relent, but to show the Tooth Fairy he was not an enemy or terrorist, he agreed to include her tree in the competition, against the Chiefs stony stare and competition rules as her tree had already been rejected. Rosie of course didn’t care, all she thought was she had another beautiful tree to look at.

Asking the tooth Fairy to place her tree next to the administration departments effort, the three judges leisurely continued on their way through the Village, notebooks in hand admiring and judging the remaining trees without undue incident. Even Cedric kept out of the way.

Up to now the tree decorations had followed the theme of the departments they belonged to. Even the sprites and fairies somehow managed to work together decorating their tree in a myriad of minuscule winglike baubles that fluttered and changed colour. The first thing to hit the eye in the admin dept was the Tooth Fairies small tree standing no taller than two foot high; stark white with baubles containing rotten teeth. No candles, tinsel or lights, just rotten teeth with the Tooth Fairy flitting about, lovingly caressing them.

In complete opposition to it, the tree in admin stood tall and proud lovingly decorated from top to bottom with a cascade of of post it notes, twinkling lights, office equipment, staplers, pens, inkwells and more; all to a dazzling effect. Next to the Fairy’s tree it positively shone.

With all trees viewed and judged it came time to announce the winner. Travis gave the honour to Rosie who stepped up while he and the chief gracefully retired a step or two back while she spoke.

‘And the winner is.’ she shouted in time a honoured fashion, ‘Livery!’

The crowd of Elves, sprites and fairies went quiet, Travis thought he could hear more than one elf sob, while out of the corner of his eye he saw Cedric hopping furiously up and down on one foot while glaring menacingly at the three judges. The quiet turned into a murmur, the murmur into rumbled moaning, the moaning into an ever ever-increasing crescendo of shouts, notably “Shame”, “What about the Chocolate.” “Fixed,” the later he swore came from Cedric.

Regaining a degree of quiet, Travis shouted, ‘It’s OK, don’t worry about the chocolate, if the quality drops for some unknown reason, I have hired the services of an outside firm to ensure not only the quality, but the quota’s are maintained.’ He would have liked to continue by saying he wasn’t going to be held to ransom, but the cheers coming from the crowd and Cedric’s jaw near hitting the floor ensured the Elves were back in happy land, and 100% behind him.

‘You are a crafty old Santa aren’t you?’ Oswald smiled.

‘Against Cedric, it isn’t hard,’ Travis smiled back, ‘now I know his weakness i.e. chocolate, if nothing else I can have him a writhing mess on the floor, which reminds me, next time, I’ll have to bring a camera with me.’

‘Next time is next week,’ the Chief replied in all innocence, ‘It’s the international football competition, the semi final, Hobgoblins against the Leprechauns, Cedric has the meat pie and hot chocolate concession.’

‘And I have to go.’ Travis asked fearfully?

’Only if you want to, ’Oswald replied, ‘you only have to attend the final to give the cup to the winner. That’s on New Years Day so we have a bit of time to get tickets and magazines printed after the other semi final a week on Wednesday between the Elves and the gnomes of Switzerland.’

‘I cant wait,’ Travis muttered under his breath.

Gill’s unfortunate visit to the Village did clarify one thing, children still had to write to Santa to be allowed into the village. Only a small point, and in the beginning it kept the numbers wanting to “come and see Santa,” down to a manageable size. There was still stiff opposition to kids believing in him, especially in the seven and upwards age range. Many looked at him with disdain, others called him an idiot, a select few thought he was a fraud whilst the majority ignored him. The name callers he deluged with chocolate tied in a nice bow, promising a present to anyone who could eat all the chocolate in one sitting. He then made sure they were sent home without Pot Pourri or scented candles for their mothers to nurse back to health.

He made more than a few conquests of course, telling those who believed him to write to him at the North Pole, those that did he tried to have spend at least one night there if they promised to tell all their friends about the village in Santa Land when they got home.

It took awhile, but after the competition and the introduction of Choc-e-ola, word eventually began to spread far and wide that Santa was indeed real. The number of children writing in and asking to visit the North Pole went from a trickle to a deluge, some ten thousand letters a week reaching the mail depot in the village. It reduced the promise of a night in the village to all believers to a lottery; they just couldn’t cope with the increase in numbers. On the plus side the Christmas Magic increased tenfold, on the downside, the increase in mail had Cedric breathing down Travis’s neck, demanding more elves for the mail department, increased rest days, longer chocolate breaks and the introduction of fountain pens for those elves who had to reply to the mail, the old-fashioned quill and ink could not keep up with the demand, and until the magic stabilised, pen and ink was the only way they could reply.

An unforeseen problem in the increase of letters arriving asking to visit the village, meant a new department had to be created to oversee them, and with in excess of ten thousand letters a week asking to visit, it became apparent not everyone could be accommodated. To fix this slight problem, Travis issued a proclamation saying only kids on the good list could visit, all those who had been on the naughty list were barred until next year, when they would have to be good to be eligible. It was a short-term measure, but that, and limiting the number to four kids at a time, would have to do until the issue was thought over and a plan agreed at the first Elf meeting in the new year; for now, it was still a lottery as to who came.

Choc-e-ola was introduced and became a great success, both in the human world and in the village with the Elves. Travis should have know better than to let the Elves anywhere near it; the increase in chocolate, even the tiny amount to give flavour to the drink, stirred the taste buds of the green skinned workers, resulting in an abundance of slobbering Elves demanding more and more hot chocolate. Choc-e-ola was eventually banned from the village when Travis realised the carbonated drink, mixed with chocolate brought on the onset of chocolenza in the Elf population. Arnold estimated 20,000 elves went down with the COF, the smell in the village was horrible for a full two weeks despite box loads of scented candles and smelling salts.

Christmas Eve was approaching, the day in the Year all the preparations, the arguments, the shouting, the meetings with the Elven Council and the rows with the Chief and the Union Elf, all came down to this one night where he travelled the world giving children Christmas Presents. Travis was understandably nervous, he had flown the sleigh and could handle the reindeer, what he hadn’t been able to practice was distributing presents to the kids, and he knew if he got it wrong, the Chief would be more than joyous in letting him know. Besides, he didn’t want to be the first Santa in recorded history to give Barbie and Ken Dolls to a five-year-old who was expecting G.I. Joe and a Sherman Tank.

Thankfully the old saying “It’ll be alright on the night” held true. With the help of the increase in Christmas Magic, thanks to the million and a half extra believers based on last years distribution list, every child received the present he or she had wished for. His campaign to get more kids believing in him and the village did have a downside. Adults and teenagers thinking they were smart, had jumped on the Santa bandwagon, sending begging letters asking for money at Christmas, others had dispensed with the money and gone straight in looking for sports cars, and expensive jewellery with at least a dozen “wishing” for half million pound houses. Travis took great pleasure in delivering presents to these people, large blocks of coal wrapped in newspaper with either a blue or pink ribbon and bow for decoration.

Travis had to admit, he was a changed man from this time last year, not that the Union Elf or the Tooth Fairy would agree. They were too busy keeping out of his way, but the Chief Elf and Rosie, the latter who was forever wondering where her layabout husband had gone, the former who was still unable to understand a word Travis said when he got excited and tried to swear, did concede he had changed for the better. Arnold was unsure, he thought Travis was still a little on the volatile side to be a good Santa, but conceded he did solve the problem of the diminishing Christmas magic, so would give Travis the benefit of the doubt.

As for Travis, he looked back on the last year and thought on the whole, for his first year as Santa he hadn’t done too bad a job, he could even say words like job, and work without shuddering. Yeah OK, the stupid twosome, the Tooth Fairy, and her sidekick, mighty mouth Cedric, the Union Rep, had caused a few problems, but he thought he had the upper hand with them now; they still had their moments of course, but overall he felt in control, especially as both would run a mile in the other direction if they saw him coming.

Yes, Travis was satisfied with himself, and sat back on the 26th of December looking forward to a well-earned New Year holiday visiting Santa John in Florida. Rosie snuggled next to him on the settee as they started watching James Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” He reached for a third mince pie wondering what the year ahead held in store, when a horrible and terrifying thought went through his head. Visions of Oswald, Cedric and the Tooth Fairy flashed through his head as he realised he had another 199 Christmas Eves to go before he could retire, another 199 years of Arnold, Oswald, Cedric and the Tooth Fairy.

‘What’s wrong?’ Rosie asked, as a sob escaped his lips.

End