The most important gift of all

December 25, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the 12th of a 12-chapter holiday tale running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Joy awoke Christmas morning to the sounds of merriment filling the air. In the common room, children were talking and laughing, and Christmas music blared from the radio. A few kids lounged on the sofa and the floor in front of the fireplace, drinking mugs of cocoa with marshmallows and giggling about their gifts. Most of the others were scattered on the floor by the tree, ripping open brightly-wrapped packages. As Joy made her way to ...

Joy flies home with a precious gift

December 24, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the 11th of a 12-chapter holiday tale running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Joy stared at the shiny red sleigh, adorned with twinkling lights and sparkling silver snowflakes and tinsel. It was tiny! There was no way it was going to fit all the presents she’d seen in the Loading Dock. “Um, Lucy?” she asked the curly haired elf in charge of examining the sleigh a final time. “I don’t see how this is going to work.” Lucy looked up from her clipboard and grinned. “Don’t worry, kid. I think that ...

Joy gets to make special toys

December 23, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the 10th of a 12-chapter holiday tale running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Without a doubt, the inside of Santa’s Workshop was the most wonderful place Joy had ever seen, and it wasn’t because of magic; it was because of the toys. They were everywhere. They were stacked in tree-shaped towers from floor to ceiling in every corner, and hanging from rows of hooks on every wall. In the center of the massive room, long tables were filled with elves assembling toys of every kind. Each elf had a clipboard next ...

Girl trains a substitute reindeer

December 22, 2017

Joy stood off to the side of the tall jump ramp and gave Maxy an encouraging smile. He stood at the far end of the field preparing for his practice run. Suzette had been delighted at Joy’s suggestion and had procured a large blowup mat that would ensure minimal discomfort if Maxy fell. Joy smiled, remembering the look of pride on Santa’s face. “Ho ho ho, what a great idea!” he’d exclaimed. “A safety catch! It’s the perfect solution!” She’d asked Santa to clear out all the reindeer and elves, leaving her and Maxy alone for his practice. Even though no one was ...

Focusing on reindeer’s problem at hand

December 21, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the eighth of a 12-chapter holiday tale running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Joy halted right outside the big white barn doors. “What? Me? On your sleigh?” she asked, her stomach fluttering in excitement. Santa laughed. “Of course. How else would we get you home?” Joy shrugged. “Same way I came?” Santa raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you’d rather skip the sleigh ride...” Joy shook her head excitedly. “No! I mean, yes! I’d love to ride in the sleigh!” “Good, good.” Santa ...

Joy learns of her past

December 20, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the seventh of a 12-chapter holiday tale running daily until Christmas. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children. Joy leaned forward, eager to take in every detail. “What a cold Christmas it was,” Santa began. “Below zero degrees, I believe. But that’s not important. Let’s start with Mrs. Duncan. She’s an important part of the story.” “Mrs. Duncan was there?” Joy asked in surprise. “She sure was,” Santa said, his eyes twinkling. “Mrs. Duncan was a newlywed that year.” “A newlywed?” Joy repeated. She’d had ...