During the 6 days
prior to Christmas in 2011, 'Non Sequitur' published
a cartoon series of Santa Claus. As he and an elf step out the front
door of the snow-laden roofed workshop, Santa appears to be stranded
on a sizeable ice-cake; his elf points across the frigid waters,
dappled with a few small drifting 'floes' to an iceburg of large
proportion...
seven
reindeer are stranded on its steep slopes.
'Twas
6 days before Christmas
When
Santa heard a KER-PLUNK!
He
rushed to the door
And
found the ice-cap had shrunk.
“Can
this get any worse?”
he
asked an elf who's named Sid,
Who
just pointed to sea
And
they saw that it did!
Now,
what many folks know
Well,
a few anyway,
Is
that Santa's reindeer can't fly
Unless
tied to his sleigh.
But
the rest of the world
Unaware
of this plight
Blissfully
sleeps,
As
Christmas drifts...out of sight.
Now,
5 days before Christmas
Santa's
deadline was looming,
And
made doubly worse
With
employment un-booming.
He
had no time to waste...
Or
get into a funk:
People
need Santa more now
Since
the economy stunk!
He
must leave there on time
So
that people won't panic,
As
children would would cry
Making
parents quite frantic.
But,
what could he do?
He
was filling with dread.
His
sleigh without reindeer
Is
like a balloon made of lead.
The
trapped reindeer are now
Drifting
farther away.
If they're not rescued soon,
If they're not rescued soon,
There'll
be no Christmas Day.
'Twas
4 nights before Christmas
And
Santa's spirits are not high.
Unless
hitched to his sleigh,
His
reindeer can't fly!
With
his reindeer still trapped,
A
thought made his teeth chatter.
“Without
presents,” he wondered,
Will
Christmas matter?”
“We
have to go, get them,”
Said
an elf who's named Bob.
“We
can't give up now,
Or
we'll be out of a job!”
That's
when they grasped,
With
the reindeer afloat,
That
the task won't be easy
Since
they don't have a boat!
With
3 days before Christmas,
Hopes
were beginning to fade.
To
rescue the reindeer
A
boat had to be made.
But,
none of them knew
How
to build one from scratch.
So,
thinking 'out of the box'
A
bold plan they did hatch.
It
was risky, at best,
But
success not remote
By
turning the sleigh
Into
a boat!
Then,
just as they thought,
A
loss might turn to a win.
Up
from the water
Came
an ominious fin.
'Twas
2 days before Christmas,,,
And
with time running out,
Santa's
mission was stopped
When
he saw a big snout!
The
sleigh was all rigged
And
ready to set sail,
But
his path was now blocked
By
a huge killer whale!
\
The
risk was too great,
Just
not worth the chance.
Did
this mean, no Christmas?
No
songs and no dance?
This
thought was fleeting,
It
only lasted a while.
Then
Santa's sad frown
Turned
into a smile!
How
could this be?
What
did he know?
Without
his prized reindeer
Where
could he go?
'Twas
the night before Christmas
And
there won't be flight.
Santa
can't make his rounds
At
least, not by tonight!
But
Santa still smiled,
It's
not a time to be sad...
Because
the best gift of all
Is
one we already had.
It's
a smile and a hug
That
brings us pure joy;
And
means a lot more
Than
any gizmo or toy.
So,
turn to a loved one,
Whether
nearby or far
And
tell them...a loved one
Is
just what they are.
Merry
Christmas to All!
Merle
Baird-Kerr...written December 17, 2016
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