Elvin Elf’s First Christmas Flight

Elvin, the flying elf, was about to experience his first Christmas trip with Santa. Old Minty, the elf who usually went along with Santa had been relieved to discover the North Pole now had a new flying elf, and he’d been glad to retire.

In the big red sleigh, Elvin wriggled with excitement as Santa called out the names of the reindeer. After a lurch they raced across the snow then rose into the sky, and Santa’s Village shrank to a faint coloured glow and the moon grew big and round. Elvin watched the reindeer strain as they gained altitude for the trip south. Considering they were at the North Pole every direction was south.

Santa tucked a thick rug around their knees. “You’ll need this,” he said. “There are rivers of wind up here.”

A few minutes later a blast of freezing wind almost blew Elvin from the sleigh. He grasped his stocking cap with one hand and the front of the sleigh with the other as Santa settled deeper into the soft bench seat. As Elvin tucked his scarf around his face, he wished he could grow a thick beard like Santa to keep his face warm.

Reindeer and sleigh were blown like a leaf in an autumn wind, but the reindeers’ thick coats kept them warm and dry as the wind carried them along. Some chatted as they flew until the lead reindeer made a sudden dive and left the howling wind behind.

Elvin peeked over the side at a puffy blanket of silvery cloud. What was below the cloud? Were cities that were miles wide a real thing? Or was that just an old fireplace tale for stormy nights?

As the moon disappeared into the soft grey fog, Elvin’s nose got cold from the dampness, so he pulled his head back into the sleigh. Then with breathtaking suddenness, they were through the clouds.

Elvin’s eyes grew big and round as lights twinkled as far as he could see. Red and white lights wound about and criss-crossed like a living, glowing, patchwork quilt. Coloured lights decorated tall buildings that touched the clouds, and bright decorations were everywhere.

Elvin didn’t know what to ask first as he gazed at the glittering scene. “Where are we, Santa? This is amazing!”

“This is London, England. It’s an old city with more than eight million people.”

Elvin stared at Santa. “Eight . . . million?” He couldn’t imagine that many people anywhere. “But . . . you go to lots of cities.”

“I do.”

“But . . . how could you get to every house in one night?”

Santa’s eyes twinkled. “I only need to go to one. There’s an old science, perhaps you’d call it magic, that makes it possible for me to visit every house in the world in no more time than it takes to visit one.”

“But then . . . how does it take all night?”

“I can do it in one visit – but I don’t. I like to stop in every country in the world – even those that haven’t heard of me. You see, Elvin, the magic of Christmas isn’t about getting what you want. It’s about giving. Every time I give a present, a special kind of magic grows. I bring that wonderful feeling back with me to the North Pole, and that’s how our village keeps its magic. It’s how we live so long and how reindeer fly.” He winked at Elvin. “In fact, it’s how you fly.

“Watch this!” he said. “Ho, Ho, Ho! Meeerrry Christmas!” They headed towards one of the wide glittering streets to skim above the traffic. People on the sidewalks stopped to stare. Traffic screeched to a halt, and two taxi drivers looking at the sky ran into each other, denting their cars.

“Oops,” said Santa, guiding the reindeer higher. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt. I do enjoy that though. A little wonder is good for people.”

“I’ve heard that some people don’t believe in us,” said Elvin. “Is that true?”

“Sadly, Elvin, it’s true. Maybe that’s why there aren’t as many elves who can fly as there used to be, but if we can keep the spirit of giving alive, the magic will always be there.” He guided the reindeer along the river dipping beneath bridges.

Elvin watched the glittering water. He’d dream about this sight for months. What an incredible world! “Where are we stopping first?”

“A little girl named Emma takes care of her baby brother while her mother works. She’s responsible, serious, and needs some magic.”

The reindeer turned north to the sharp ridge of a narrow house where they stopped and floated so they wouldn’t slide off.

“Come on, Elvin,” said Santa. “Bring that package on top.”

Sure enough, a colourful package peeked from the giant gift bag. Elvin picked it up, concentrated on floating, and lifted into the air – right behind Santa. For some reason, he was surprised to see Santa fly, although he knew he could. How else did he get up and down a chimney?

Santa, standing on the edge of the chimney waited for Elvin to catch up. As the elf stepped onto the chimney, there was a swooshing sensation, and he was in a dim room with a small fireplace. On a table next to a tiny Christmas tree decorated with hand-cut paper snowflakes was a chipped plate with a glass of milk and four cookies.

“You know,” whispered Santa as he helped himself to a cookie, “the poor find it easy to give. They know what it’s like to be in need. And they appreciate what they get. Miss Emma asked for a new dress for her mother for Christmas, but she didn’t ask for anything for herself.”

He pulled a box from his sack and set it under the tree. Then he took out a small silver one and set it on the floor. As he waved his hand, the box became big, and Santa set it beside the first one.

“What’s that?” whispered Elvin.

“It’s a pink bike with tassels on the handles. It has a basket on the front so Emma can use it to go to the store instead of carrying groceries by hand.”

“What about a toy?”

“I’ve given her a doll she’s always wanted. It’s wrapped in the basket of the bike, so she’ll get a second surprise.”

“Hi, Santa. Hi, elf,” came a voice from behind.

Speaking of surprises . . . Santa and Elvin spun in their tracks to see a little girl about nine years old seated on the stairs. She didn’t seem frightened, but neither was she excited.

“Emma, it’s very late,” said Santa. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“My brother is fussy tonight, and Mum’s working. I just got him to sleep when I heard sounds down here.” Her eyes were big and brown and solemn. “Did you bring a dress for my mom? She can’t afford a new one.”

Santa moved closer to the child. “I brought a very fetching dress for your mother.”

Emma almost smiled. “Thank you, sir.” She turned to Elvin. “Who’s this?”

“This is Elvin, my new helper. In fact, this is his first trip.”

A flicker of interest showed in the big tired eyes that watched the elf. “You get to ride in the sleigh?”

Elvin, not sure how to talk to a human, nodded. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a city. It’s so beautiful! You’re lucky to live here.”

“Maybe,” she said. As she tugged a thin nightgown over bare toes, Elvin noticed the house was quite cold.

“Don’t you have a housecoat?”

She looked at him. “I covered Edwin with it. He was cold.”

Elvin was shocked to say the least. How could such a beautiful place hide such sadness?

Santa handed Emma a gift-wrapped box. “I think it would be okay to open this now. It has your name on it.”

She looked at the gift for a few moments before taking the wrapping off and folding it. Elvin, used to tearing off wrapping paper, was shocked to realize she’d save it. She lifted out a soft pink housecoat and matching slippers embroidered with silver snowflakes. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and her cold toes into the slippers.

“These are warm,” she said. “Thank you.” Her eyes went to the milk and cookies. “You don’t want them? I made them myself, so maybe they aren’t good.”

“They’re wonderful, Emma,” said Santa. “I’ve already had one. If you don’t mind, I’ll drink the milk and take the rest of the cookies with us. We’ve got quite a tight schedule tonight, and you should be asleep.”

“I’ll sleep after mama gets here. Sometimes Edwin wakes up, and I might not hear him.”

“When does she get home?” asked Santa.

Emma looked at an old clock on the wall. “An hour after midnight.”

“Emma, how would you like a special treat tonight?” asked Santa. She looked at him with the same unchanging expression. “Elvin and I will return later tonight. “Would you like a ride in my sleigh?”

“In the sleigh?” He nodded. “Pulled by reindeer?”

“Yes, Emma, pulled by reindeer. In the morning, you might think it was a dream, but after our trip, I’ll give you something to help you remember.”

“Are you really going to come back tonight?”

Santa nodded. “I promise. After your mama comes home.”

The sound of a baby crying drifted from the second floor. Emma glanced up the stairs. “That’s Edwin. I have to go. Thank you for the housecoat and slippers.”

***

As Elvin drew the rug over his knees and the reindeer shot into the sky, he turned to Santa. “What a sad little girl. Since she wanted a ride in the Christmas sleigh, why didn’t it make her happy that we’d come back for her?”

“Emma has been disappointed so much in her short life she no longer expects good things to happen.”

Elvin felt a stab of compassion shoot straight through his heart. He turned to Santa. “We are coming back for her?”

“Of course, we are. Remember, time is different at Christmas. There’s no rush.”

After that, Elvin paid attention to where they were going and was fascinated that some of the countries were so warm. At times, he had to remove his hat and jacket. Sometimes they slid down chimneys, others they left gifts outside huts that had open doors and windows. From the tops of chilly mountains to homes on the seashore, they made their way from country to country and from family to family, leaving gifts.

It felt wonderful because a gift from Santa gave everyone something they couldn’t get anywhere else – a sense of wonder and hope – that perhaps there was more good in the world than they’d thought – and maybe even a little magic.

As they turned once more to the north, the city of London glimmered in the distance and soon they floated above Emma’s roof.

“Do you think she’s awake?” asked Elvin.

Santa smiled. “I think so. I detected a tiny flicker of hope still alive in her. She wants to believe in us. If we can fan that flicker into flames, maybe we can help her see life differently.”

Soon they stood before the cold fireplace and looked around the room. “What if she’s asleep?” whispered Elvin.

“Then we’ll awaken her so she knows I kept my promise.”

Emma’s small voice came from the darkness. “You really did come back.”

She was on the stairs where she’d sat before. She wore an old coat, hat, mittens, and thick boots. She looked down at her clothes. “I didn’t think you’d come back, but I thought, just in case . . .”

“Emma, is your mama home?”

“Yes. She and Edwin are asleep.”

“Then we should proceed to keep my promise.” He held out his arm. “Are you ready?”

She swallowed as she took his arm. “Is this real?”

“Emma, my dear, it’s as real as anything in your life.”

There was a rush of air, and they hovered next to the sleigh where Santa helped Emma into the seat so she was safely between himself and Elvin. As she settled in, the little girl couldn’t keep her eyes off the reindeer who waited for their passengers to get ready. Her sad brown eyes held a ray of hope and wonder.

“These reindeer can fly?”

“They certainly can,” said Santa and proceeded to call out their names. Dasher pawed his hoof, anxious to be off.

“Are you ready?” Santa asked Emma.

With the first faint trace of a smile, Emma nodded. As the reindeer shot into the sky, their passenger gasped. She held the curved front of the sleigh and stood up, the wind turning her pale cheeks a bright pink.

Elvin understood how she felt. He stood beside her to point out the landmarks he’d just learned. She stared down at the glittering lights as Santa directed the reindeer in a big circle. Then he pulled back on the reins, and they climbed into the night sky.

As they rose higher and higher, the air grew icier. Elvin tugged Emma back into the seat and covered her with the rug. “It’s colder up here.”

The night was clear, and before long the coast of Europe glittered with millions of lights like stars strung across the land. A swath of moonlight reflected from the great dark ocean below.

“Do you want to see anything special, Emma?” asked Santa.

“This is special,” she said, staring at everything. “This is the best Christmas present ever!”

“Do you know what the Eiffel Tower is?”

“Of course. It’s in Paris, France.”

“Would you like to see it?”

Her eyes grew big and round. “Really? We can go there?!”

“We’ll make a circuit around it because people might get nervous if I landed all the reindeer on top of the tower.”

She laughed – a genuine laugh of delight. “I’d love to see it! I want to wave to people as we pass by.”

Santa chuckled, tucked the rug around her little legs, and dove towards Europe. In minutes, the lights of Paris threw a glow into the sky, and Emma’s eyes sparkled as she searched for the Eiffel Tower.

With an exclamation of delight, she pointed. “There! Look how big it is!”

“Alright,” laughed Santa. “Let’s make a couple of circles around it!” and the reindeer swung in a large sweeping arc around the tower. At this time of night, there were few people about, but those that were looked up and pointed.

Emma waved and called to them. “Look at us! Look at us! Santa Claus is real!”

Just for the fun of it, Santa directed the reindeer to swoop over the heads of the surprised people before pulling away and threading through the skyscrapers that make up all modern cities.

“How was that, Emma?” he asked. “Did you enjoy that?”

“Oh, Santa, thank you so much!” She looked down. “I’d almost given up believing. This was the last Christmas I was going to watch for you.”

“When you wake up tomorrow morning, Emma, you’ll think this was a dream, but I’m going to give you another gift to help you remember. Elvin,” he said, “look in your left pocket.”

Elvin, who didn’t remember putting anything in his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper with a look of astonishment. It was a photograph – a photograph of the front of Santa’s sleigh pulled by the reindeer as they circled the Eiffel Tower.

He handed the photo to Emma who got a blazing smile.

“Tomorrow when you wake up, look at that picture,” said Santa, “and find a special place to keep it. Then when tough times come along like they do for everyone, take it out and look at it. It’ll remind you there’s magic in the world, and nothing is ever hopeless if you don’t believe it is. The Christmas Spirit is the expectation that wonderful things come to us if we expect them.”

She tucked her coat tight around her neck. “Then I’m going to expect something big.”

“What’s that, Emma?”

“I’m going to grow up to be a writer! I’ll write stories about magic that everyone will love, and they’ll make the world a happier place!”

Santa smiled. “That’s a wonderful idea, Emma, and you know what?”

“What?” she asked.

“I can see the future, and I promise you’ll do just that. You’ll write wonderful stories! Keep that expectation in your heart, and it’ll happen.”

When they reached her house, they escorted a sleepy Emma to her room where she crawled under the covers and immediately fell asleep. Elvin set the photograph on the scarred bedside table. At the doorway, he turned to look back at the peaceful little face – and a burst of Christmas love filled his heart until he felt it would burst. Now he understood why Santa loved to give, and Elvin would bring his share of Christmas magic back to the village tonight.

As the reindeer pointed towards the North Star, Elvin thought about everything he’d seen – the wonders of all the countries they’d visited – and knew he’d never be the same. Most of all, he’d remember how one little girl’s sad eyes turned joyous at the Spirit of Christmas.

THE END