Story so far: The male reindeer realised that they had never pulled Santa’s sleigh during his Christmas rounds. They petition Santa and he organises a competition. The two teams are tied after the first round.
fter lunch, everyone was back for the magic show. Vixen and Magus, both renowned magicians, were called to the ring. Vixen performed tricks like Magnetic Pencil, Spoon Bending, Disappearing Coin, Appearing Coin and Is This Your Card? Though the crowd enjoyed them, the applause was weak. Magus came on stage dressed as a magician. He swept off his hat and bowed to the crowd. “My first trick for this evening is called Vanishing. For that, I need Mrs. Santa here beside me.”
Magus asked her to sit on a chair and covered her with a sheet. He cast his magic and snatched off the sheet. The audience gasped. The chair was empty.
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“Where’s my wife?” shouted Santa, indignant.
Magus shrugged. The crowd went wild. “Bring her back!” “Bring her back” they shouted. Santa felt a tap on his shoulders. He turned around. Imagine his surprise when he saw Mrs. Santa there, smiling at him.
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Of course, the winner of this round was Magus. It was now 2 – 1.
The next contest was to see who could entertain kids best. Comet and Prince were known to be good with kids and so they were chosen. Prince was first. Confidently, he began his routine.
What did Santa say when he stepped into a big puddle? It must have reindeer.
What do Santa’s elves learn in school? The elf-abet .
And more in the same vein. Initially, he had the audience laughing. But, as he went on, he drew fewer laughs until finally there was just a snigger.
Comet had come prepared with a song and dance and finished off with a joke. Everyone enjoyed her show. Mrs. Santa announced that Comet was the winner. The competition was heating up. Both teams were even now.
Events galore
The next event was Kite Flying. Cupid and Swashbuckler were the participants. Santa explained that this would to test endurance and patience, stimulate the eyes. While Cupid and Swashbuckler were flying kites, Santa set a crossword for Blitzen and Klug, and a yoga competition for Olive and Bernard. Everyone watched in wonder as Olive and Bernard performed impossible feats, bending their bodies this way and that. The judges decided both were to be awarded the prize. Klug and Blitzen finished their crossword at the same time. It was another tie.
Night had fallen and it was time for Bright Light. Rudolph and Lumiere, the ones with glowing noses, were the competitors. The winner, of course, was Rudolph.
In the meantime, Cupid was getting tired of having to hold her kite and tied it to a bush. She lay down and had barely closed her eyes when she heard Swashbuckler shouting. Her kite was flying up into the sky. Swashbuckler was the undisputed winner. The teams were now equal.
The final contest for the day was singing. Boomer was first. He stole everyone’s hearts with his rendition of The Christmas Song in his deep bass. It took a while for the applause to die down. Donner was nervous. Everything depended on her now. Her choice was O Holy Night . In the still of the early evening, her voice rang out. When she finished, there was pin-drop silence. Then, one by one, everyone began to clap until it rose to a crescendo and she got a standing ovation.
Santa hummed and hawed and said, “How can I choose? Both of them sang so well. I am sorry, but once again it is a tie.”
Tech Elf, always the one with doubts, asked, “So who will ride your sleigh?”
Santa scratched his beard and looked around. “That is a problem!”
To the rescue
Meanwhile, the kitchen elves brought out hot steaming soup in a large tureen. As the elves lifted it onto the trellis table, the legs collapsed. The soup bowls, the tureen and the elves came down in a tumbling heap. The elves screamed as they were sprinkled with hot soup. Everyone gasped, stunned by the disaster.
Dasher, Prancer, Dancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph and Olive ran over, picked up the elves, applied first aid on their wounds, mopped up the fallen soup, put back the table and, in no time set, everything to rights again. Fresh soup was brought and everyone sat around enjoying it and talking. When they finished, Santa went on stage. “I am now ready to announce the winners.”
Santa rubbed his palms together. He looked at Team A and Team B ... each of them willing him to call out their names. “The competitions proved that both teams were equally smart and talented. And then, we were faced with a calamity. Team A came to the rescue. They acted on instinct. They worked as a team. They showed care and concern. That’s what I need in my team of reindeer.”
The audience burst into a loud cheer. Team B went up to Team A and congratulated them. Team A had tears in their eyes as they realised how close they had come to losing their cherished place in Santa’s Christmas circuit.
The End