Santa and the Stranger, Part 6 (The End)

The next morning there was a message on Santa’s answering machine. Santa pushed the blinking red button to hear the message. “Good morning, Santa,” said a cheerful voice on the answering machine. “I was wondering if we could get together around lunchtime tomorrow to discuss my proposal I gave you the other night. You may reach me at this number before lunchtime. The phone number is Find-a-way (34632929) – an eight-digit number because it is an intergalactic number assigned to the Milky Way galaxy.” Santa turned off the message machine and began to dial the recorded number. A meeting was arranged at lunchtime at the same meeting place as before. Santa informed his wife Valada and asked her if she would be available to sit in on the meeting with him.

The meeting started promptly at lunchtime as Santa and the stranger laid the paperwork out in front of them on the large dining room table. Valada sat next to Santa so she could go over the paperwork with him. Although the fireplace was producing a lot of warm air, there was a coolness in the air that settled like a gloom of despair around the conversation. Santa spoke first with a touch of sadness in his voice. He looked the stranger in the eyes as he began to speak in a low voice.”Valada and I, along with our entire elf community, have given this proposition a considerable amount of attention. This proposal seems to affect almost everyone involved, including the senior citizens of the elf community and their descendants. It affects the faith and belief system of children all over the world. It concerns a lifetime of tradition, history, and a legend that has transcended time. Breaking tradition for the sake of progress is a hollow concept for most of us to believe in, and I have to consider all of the people this will affect. The elves have been an intricate part of Christmas for as long as I can remember. Their devotion, skills, and work ethic are at the top of the list when it comes to quality, dedication, and pride in their work. The children throughout the world still believe in the magic of Christmas. The spirit of Santa Claus is forever imprinted on the minds of adults as they reflect back on their childhood filled with imagination, enthusiasm, beliefs, and wonder. Perhaps there is no single individual event that creates more anticipation, joy, and laughter than the fulfillment of their belief in Santa Claus. This tradition of belief in the minds of children is as old as the Mother Goose rhymes that were read to them. The way I see it,” said Santa as his voice became stronger, “is that you are asking me to change our tradition that has brought more joy and love to this world to more people, second only to our celebration of the birth of baby Jesus. You want me to be personally responsible for the crushing of children’s dreams, imaginations, and beliefs. Can you imagine your own children growing up believing in nothing? No dreams, magic or fantasy world? The wonder of imagination is one thing that separates human beings from all other species on earth. Our people have a conscience, a belief system, and a will to strive to make this world a better place for mankind. I cannot possibly tell you how many children have sat on my lap and told me about their wish list for Christmas. I cannot even remember how many songs, poems, and stories that have been written about the joy of Christmas and the arrival of Santa Claus. I hear the voices of so many soldiers that are serving in the Armed Forces either in peacetime or protecting freedom in foreign countries all over the world. They are protecting our beliefs, freedom, and our way of life against people who would try to destroy these fundamental rights. I have to speak for all of these people as one voice, but before I give you my decision, I would like to hear what Valada has to say about all of these changing events.

“Well, Santa, I think you summed it up pretty good!" Valada concluded. "I too believe in the system, the tradition, and the spirit of our country. I still believe in motherhood, apple pie, and saluting the American flag. I believe in children being respectful to their parents and adults. I believe in respect for each other’s feelings, loyalty, and religious beliefs. I believe that stimulating a child’s mind with wonder, amazement and imagination is worth a lot more than programming children to believe in technology that has no feelings, shame or love for the overall learning process. Learning is accumulated from a variety of experiences that no technology on earth can ever duplicate. We learn from our mistakes by making them over and over again, less and less. We all learn from vicarious experiences that no machine or technology can interpret, explain, or solve. We are a problem-solving race of people, and we believe in our faith to guide us through when times get hard. The spirit of Christmas is in danger of ever-changing to a point that it won’t be recognizable in the future. I can only guess how sad a world that it will create. I would just like to say that I believe in Santa, the elves, and all the children in the world, along with all their parents and the adults of the world in the spirit of Christmas.” Santa clapped his hands with delight!

The stranger leaned back in his chair away from the table. “I am sure you people must realize that change is inevitable. The guardians are offering to intervene on your behalf to make your life easier and more productive. We can give you the technology that will advance your race throughout the galaxy. All of this is right before you at your fingertips. Please take this offer before I have to return to my home to report back to my committee. A rejection like this would be frowned upon by the overseers and the opportunity may not come again in your lifetime!

After the stranger had left the workshop, Santa turned to his wife and said. “We must go over to the elves’ workshop and explain to them the dilemma we face. We are on a limited time schedule, and I don’t want to be pressured into making the wrong decision before I have had adequate time to consider as many opinions as possible. We will take a vote on it, and as usual in our democratic system, the majority of the votes will speak for the will of the people.”

Santa and his wife organized all the ballots for distribution throughout the elves’ community. The ballots simply read, “Vote yes or no, whether you are in favor of this new contract or not; then place your ballots in this large box.” Santa placed the box for everyone to see. Valada and I will count the ballots tonight and give you the results the first thing in the morning.

Meanwhile, the tall stranger was back among his peers monitoring the balloting process. “Sir,” said one of the agents, “we have the technology to change the results of their balloting system without the community ever knowing.” “What method do you suggest?” asked a committee member. The agent replied, “I believe in using the old method that has been tried and proven to be most effective in the past, and it still seems to be foolproof today. All we have to do is simply replace the ballots with our own photocopied ballots in the ballot box. Of course, we can make it look like it’s a close vote but not close enough for a recall. After their ballots have been safely placed inside the ballot box, we simply change boxes. When everyone is asleep, all we have to do is beam up the original ballot box and replace it with our own bogus ballot box. It’s simply a matter of teleportation to get the results we’re interested in. “What are the possibilities of someone finding out, or something going wrong with the system?” asked another committee member. “Well, the answer to the second part of your question is, we have never had a breach or malfunction in the teleportation system in the last millennium. However, there is one remote possibility that may leave evidence for a very astute observer to recognize that the ballots have been tampered with.” “And what would that be?” asked another committee member in a disgruntled voice. “Well Sir, the system has failed once before, almost by accident.” “Go on,” said the committee member. “Explain yourself!” “Well, it seemed a local union in Florida held an election for a well-known candidate with years of service in the union. He was a shoo-in to be elected. However, he was running against a new lady that represented a paraprofessional organization that was new to the union. The new lady won the election with a landslide vote and was elected to serve as a state representative for the local. The gentleman she defeated was somewhat dismayed and couldn’t believe the results. He went to the director of the union and filed a complaint. “Mr. Dunbar, I have some serious doubts about the outcome of our voting system.” “What do you mean, John?” “Well, first of all,” replied the gentleman, “there are two factors that determine most elections. The first one, which is often the most important one, is name recognition. The second one is a large number of votes must be cast from several large schools to control the vote. The lady in question that won the election is new in our system and couldn’t possibly have the name recognition that I have because of my length of service. Secondly, she works in a small school with very few union members. So the question is, how did she win this election?” “Well, John,” said the director, “she might have run a large scale campaign to get herself known.” “I rather doubt that,” replied John. “She’s too new to the system. I am telling you, this election was fixed!” The director conducted an investigation by recounting the ballots. On closer examination, one of the ballot members noticed something suspicious about the ballots. Each ballot was marked the same way! All of the checks were identical in the same place! Suddenly she exclaimed these ballots have been xeroxed! Someone has tampered with the ballot voting system.” “Of course, there have been other voting precincts throughout the nation that left many unanswerable questions about the outcome of their voting results, but this example is the only real proof of organized fraud involved here. The committee met for a few minutes behind closed doors. The spokesman for the group spoke directly to the stranger in black. “It is the opinion of this committee that under no circumstance should we alter or change the voting ballots of the Santa Claus community, no matter how small the risk. What we recommend is to offer a buyout or enough incentives that will change their mind. No matter how primitive the people are, there is always a price that will meet their needs. The committee has recommended that we incentivize this proposal and offer it to the elf community as a package deal,” the spokesman said as he handed the proposal to the stranger in black. “If this proposal is rejected, we will just wait them out. We feel that time is on our side.”

A meeting was arranged in the elf community the following day. Santa Claus and his wife Valada would explain the terms of the new contract and a new vote would be taken. To save time, Valada suggested using a show of hands to count the votes either yes or no.

“Before we start the voting process, I would like to express my opinions,” said Santa Claus. “What we are about to do is change the course of history. Not only are we changing history, but we’re altering and changing tradition which is interwoven throughout the communities of the world. Our old tradition is being ousted in the place of greed and commercialism for the sake of profit. New technologies will change our way of life forever. Human individuality may become a thing of the past. That little boy or girl who still believes in miracles, fantasies, and perhaps a make-believe world, will be left without any choice. It will be like the age of the radio and television. Do you remember when families would gather around the radio? They listened to the news, sports, and entertainment programs for the thrill of visualizing in their imagination the characters and events that the sound of the radio created for them. Then along came a new technology called television. Our people no longer had to visualize or use their imagination to create the characters and scenes in the story. Television did that for them. People slowly began to evolve into a visual society with decisions and outcomes being programmed or influenced by the mass media. There is something romantic about riding in my sleigh on a cold winter’s night, listening to the sound of jingle bells making their tunes from a windblown chime. It is a wonder to see the moon on the new falling snow light up the town and the objects below. I cannot forget hearing the sound of each reindeer’s hooves as they danced around on the rooftops. I love the thrill of sliding down each chimney with a bound and spreading the toys throughout the town. While the children are all nestled and snug in their bed, dreaming of magical things swirling in their head. I can only tell you on a personal level how wonderful it’s been to bring so much joy and excitement to so many people. Maybe that’s what makes Christmas so special. It has a history and a tradition that make people happy. Folks all over the world look forward to this special occasion. It is a time for love, happiness, and all our inner feelings mixed together. It is these feelings that make people human beings. Why on earth would anyone want to change these feelings, traditions, and emotions, just to modernize with some new technological machine? We must remember that this spirit of Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus and the love of mankind. Once we lose these fundamental concepts, we become a part of the machines without any feelings. How sad that must be to live or exist in that kind of future! So I ask you before you vote, remember all the good times in the past, the legend we have created, and the joy we have brought with all the imagination we have helped to create in the minds of the children. Without imagination, a child is destined for failure … and so is Christmas.”

Loud applause echoed throughout the elves’ community, followed by a roar of “three cheers for Santa Claus!” The vote was soon taken, and it was unanimous in rejecting the contract. Valada expressed her appreciation for all the communities in the world that still wanted to preserve their traditions, values, and beliefs. She thanked them for all of their services and their goodwill towards mankind. “It’s refreshing to know,” said Mrs. Clause, “that this spirit of Christmas will prevail into the far future as long as people believe in their past. Change may be irreversible, but traditions are stronger in the will of the people."

"Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!” she cheered.

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.)
Holiday Favorites stories available on Kindle and in paperback at Amazon.com, especially for youth.  May we always be young at heart!

Santa and the Stranger, Part 5

As Santa lay in bed, he began to think about all the Christmases he had experienced in his lifetime. “You know, Valada, I remember when we were young, and we didn’t have all the help we have today. Of course we had a lot of volunteers and people with goodwill in their hearts to help us along the way. We all seemed to believe in the spirit of Christmas back then, Christmas was celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. The whole concept of giving presents was to honor Jesus as our Savior and celebrate his birth. Somehow we have lost the meaning of Christmas. It has been distorted through time by becoming too commercialized. Today, people are more interested in making money in the spirit of profits than giving in the spirit of love! Soon as Halloween is over, the Christmas commercialism starts in all the stores around town. People forget about other holidays and can’t wait to put up all their decorations in the name of Christmas. There is so much advertisement in department stores, that the spirit of Christmas is often overlooked by the greed of profit.”

“Now Santa, there you go again, worrying about the future. You need to rest and not think so much about tomorrow,” his wife said. “I’ll call a special meeting with the elves tomorrow,” said Santa. “That’s the only way I can get their opinions and points of view about a change. I know they’ll be disappointed, whatever the decision or outcome. Many of them feel they are a part of American history and tradition. The old-timers don’t believe that their product manufacturing should be outsourced to other countries where they feel the quality of work is inferior to the elves’ craftsmanship. One thing about history,” Santa said, “is the only thing you can count on as being constant is change. It may alter the viewpoints of people and history, but it’s often slow for the people to accept.”

The next morning, a special meeting was called by Santa in the elves’ toy workshop. Santa began by explaining, “A new technology has brought about a change in our production and distribution system. We can no longer compete with many foreign markets throughout the world. Many nonunion shops are making their products cheaper by lowering the wages of their workers. Competition is good, as a rule, if we all play by the same rules. However, when you take away all of the benefits and retirement plans, lower the workers’ wages to a mere pittance, and make them work twice as long for less pay, it forces our workers to experience diminishing returns in their benefits and future income.” “What are you trying to tell us, Santa?” asked a senior spokesman for the group of elves. “Are we all being terminated after all these years of faithful service?” asked another elf. “Well,” said Santa, in a pleading voice, “it appears that technology is replacing the skills of the working person. We can no longer compete against automation, new technology, and a host of other factors that the average worker has to go against. For example one or two of these machines can do the work and production of hundreds of our workers at a fraction of the cost. There is no downtime for sickness. We don’t have to pay them any of the benefits like hospitalization, medical care, and retirement. The machines can work around the clock, day and night, seven days a week. Every conceivable product made by the worker can now be duplicated by the machines at a fraction of the cost. I don’t like it any better than you do. But facts are facts. We are entering into a new world order where the products that are being made will be influenced or controlled by the mass of the people controlled by their government. I just want to say and make you all aware that I still believe in tradition and the American way. But it appears that our time has come and gone. It is apparent that technology and machinery are becoming more productive to society than the skills of the people. Our values are outdated and antiquated. There is simply no way that human beings can compete against new technology and the paradigm shift that is changing our world.”

“Santa, what about all of our skills and talents, not to mention the pride we have put into our work throughout the years?" asked another elf. “It seems that pride and skills are just human traits. Although they have had great value in the past and have been most instrumental in quality control and productivity, they have to compete when it comes to product costs. The bottom line is that customers want lower prices. It doesn’t seem to matter to the customer if the product is handmade or machine-made, as long as the outcome appears to be of the same quality.” There was a loud sigh heard throughout the crowd as the elves took off their hats and bowed their heads.

“I will talk to the stranger again tomorrow,” said Santa, “and express your concerns. If there is any way possible to merge the machinery and elf workforces, and perhaps salvage some of the benefits, we might be able to negotiate a new contract. I will let you know the results tomorrow.” As Santa left the podium, he wiped his wet eyes with his handkerchief. “I must talk to Valada about our future, and see if she has any new ideas,” he thought to himself.

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.

To be continued.)

Santa and the Stranger, Part 4

That night, Santa and his wife Valada sat close to the fireplace while drinking a cup of hot chocolate and discussing the proposal. “Santa,” his wife began, “we have been married a long time, and throughout our lifetime we have had to make many hard decisions about the welfare of other people. We carry on our shoulders a huge responsibility for the betterment of mankind. We have tried all our life to bring happiness and joy into this world. Before you make a decision on this new proposal, let’s reflect back on your thoughts about the happiness you have brought to so many people throughout the world. Do you remember the happiness, laughter, and joy in the sparkle of the children’s eyes? Can you forget about all the cookies and hot drinks the children have left for you to enjoy before you rose up the chimney to visit another house? What about the elves and their family members who worked for us through several generations? Do you remember when the weather was so bad, the reindeer couldn’t find their way through the fog, and it took Rudolph’s bright nose to guide the sleigh through the storm? We’ve had a lot of help, love, and friendship to guide us along the way. I don’t believe at this point in our lives that we should change our values to make our lives a little easier. We must think about all the hardship this new transaction might bring to others, and consider the repercussions of losing that fundamental belief in the value of mankind.”

“Santa gave a huge sigh. “I know, Valada, I value your opinions, and what you say is really true. Perhaps I have been blinded like a child overcome with excitement. I must remember that 'all that glitters is not gold.' I must keep my perspective clear on this matter. No matter what happens, we have a history of commitment, love, and charitable resources from all the people we have served. This new technology is moving people away from each other. Many no longer talk to people face-to-face. They email, text, or leave a voicemail. People can seldom hug or embrace each other without offending someone. So many are withdrawn into themselves. Few write letters or Christmas cards to loved ones, but send them emails instead. People talk on their smartphone as if no one’s around to hear their abusive conversation. Children today are more interested in playing video games than going outside and playing games with their friends. The world is changing right before our eyes, and most are too blind to see it. The educational system has run amok. Many administrators in our public education system are incompetent! The priorities of the system are evaluated by a series of tests sponsored by outside sources that make fortunes at the children’s expense. The system has taken away the students' resources such as art, music, and PE. Our children don’t exercise anymore and are becoming obese at an earlier age. Technology has replaced the fundamental concepts of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Video games are changing the social values of society by making our children slaves to technology. Young children are becoming mesmerized by the thrill of killing imaginary enemies in their video quest. More and more children have a problem differentiating between what’s real and what’s make-believe. If we let technology completely change our behavior, feelings, and empathy for other people, we lose the fundamental grasp of what it’s like to be a human being. Already many grownups have made that transition, losing their feelings for their fellow men. There is decreasing empathy or sympathy for the feelings of others. More and more people are taking on the characteristics of robots. It is only a matter of time and conditioning before human beings may be programmed to value the technical abilities of machines over the feelings of human beings. The more I think about all this technology, the more I identify with the old system.”

“Now Santa,” said Mrs. Clause, “I believe you’re just frustrated by all this new technology. I don’t believe there will ever be a robot Santa Claus. I don’t believe you’ll ever lose your job or the tradition you have created. Sometimes old values are still the best values. Our old values have been tested throughout our life and have always passed the test of time. Maybe you just need a good night’s sleep, then think about all this in the morning.” “I am such a lucky man to have had you by my side for all these years,” said Santa. “I just couldn’t imagine my life without your love and guidance to help me through these troubled times.” Valada reached over, picked up Santa’s hand, and kissed it. “That’s what I love about you, Santa; you always worry about your fellow human beings. Try not to worry; in time these concerns will take care of themselves. I think we better get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day, and there’s a lot to think about.”

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.

To be continued.)

Santa and the Stranger, Part 3

"Finally, I’ve saved one of the best devices to demonstrate for you. This one will reduce your workload of answering letters and requests worldwide to a matter of seconds." The tall man pushed the screen button icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Immediately Santa’s list of unanswered letters was displayed across the screen. Santa looked at the letters and thought to himself. “I know answering all of these letters takes up a lot of my time, but I enjoy answering them the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, then mailing them through the postal system. It seems so personal.” Santa’s thoughts were interrupted as the aircraft banked sharply to the right and headed back to Santa’s workshop. When they arrived back inside the living room, the elves were busy wrapping toys and other gifts to be delivered on Christmas Eve. The whole assembly process of making the toys, putting them together, and wrapping them with colorful paper tied with ribbon of different colors was a time-consuming ordeal. “Santa,” said the stranger, “we have an automated system that we can install in your shop that would eliminate the elves. It would manufacture the toys, package them, and wrap them in multicolored paper already labeled with an address to coincide with the light-beam delivery system.”

Santa considered the stranger’s proposal while thinking to himself, “What would happen to all of my elf helpers if they were suddenly put out of work by this automated process? How would they find work to provide for their families? Where would they live? These elves have been a part of my working staff for centuries. I can’t just let them go and send them out into the cold. In the spirit of Christmas, these elves have been very faithful, often working overtime to get the job done! They have dedicated themselves and their families to accomplish our major goal of making millions of children happy throughout the world on Christmas Day. And for all of their efforts, goodwill, and standing by me throughout the years, am I to reward the elves by dismissing them like outdated commodities? I know technology is the future, but people are a living, breathing resource in our society, and they deserve to be cared for, respected, and honored in their old age. You don’t just throw away friends and others who have been good to you all your life. I must talk to my wife and ask her what she thinks of the situation.”

“Well, Santa, what do you think of my proposal?” Santa thought for a moment before he spoke. “Before I make my decision, I will take these schematics and go over them with my wife, Valada. There are a lot of people and factors to think about before I can make a conscientious decision. I have to take into consideration their feelings and the effect on their livelihood. Of course, there are the feelings of children throughout the world to consider also.

“As you know, Santa, Christmas will be here in a few more days. It will take time to change over to your new system and install the programs that need to be downloaded into the system. I will wait for your decision after you talk it over with your wife. Please consider my proposal as a solution to the many problems you would otherwise face in the future as the population of earthlings grows throughout the world.”

Santa held the schematics in his hand and the new proposal tucked in his pocket. A contract was attached to the schematics for Santa to sign if he agreed upon utilizing the new technology. He glanced over the contract with a sad heart as he read it out loud to himself. “We, the party of the first part, agree to all changes of this contract as stated by the proposal to provide the necessary services of an automated supply system...” Santa’s heart was heavy as a tear ran down his rosy cheek.

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.

To be continued.)

Image courtesy of Eventbrite.com

Santa and the Stranger, Part 2

The young man continued his presentation by asking, “Mr. Claus, did I mention your delivery system is a bit ineffective? Some people believe you’re getting too old to be climbing through chimneys to deliver your products to every house throughout the world. I would add that your system of daily record keeping of every boy and girl on an individual basis as to whether they have been naughty or nice, leaves a lot to be desired. First, I would like to demonstrate to you a newer version of propulsion or transportation. In addition I will demonstrate a better distribution and delivery system with more accurate record keeping."

Santa was still skeptical as the stranger said, "First, let me demonstrate the propulsion system for you to consider. I believe you will agree this system is much more efficient and easier to manipulate than your old open-sleigh-riding method you have used in the past. For clarification, I want you to visualize this demonstration as a fundamental lesson in origami. As you might well be aware of, origami is the old Chinese method of folding paper into different shapes to take on the form of animals and birds. The guardians of the past have refined this process into a more futuristic mold by the use of reverse engineering, which is a term used to describe something that has been changed from one system to another. Allow me to demonstrate this process for you.” He opened a small compartment in the briefcase and carefully removed a shiny metallic folded object a little larger than a folded handkerchief. He unfolded the pieces from a pre-determined pattern that was easy to follow. As each piece was unfolded, the object became larger and larger until it eventually filled up most of the space in the room as it took on the shape of a giant brown egg.

When the object reached its full size, it was tall enough for two people to walk inside. “Would you like to see the inside of your new chariot?” asked the tall stranger. “I don’t know,” replied Santa. I’m not up on all this new technology.” “Let me show you how easy this vehicle is to operate.” The stranger pushed a remote control button in his hand, and a seamless door disappeared into the top of the craft. Once inside the craft, it took on the illusion that it was larger than it really was, or at least appeared to be. Two large formfitting seats molded to the shape of their bodies as the two sat down in front of the controls. A large display of colorful lights lit up the dashboard consul in front of them. The controls were operated by a touchscreen of directions showing graphics indicating how to control the craft. Each picture or set of directions was monitored by a voice control system explaining how each step should be engaged. The system seemed almost foolproof, and it only took a few seconds to grasp the sequence of steps to make the craft respond to the touchscreen. After a few touchscreens were logged in, the craft was in automatic mode and could fly itself. Add a simple voice command such as “take off,” “go left or right,” “up or down” or whatever you wanted the craft to do. After a quick-start video demonstrating most of the things that were needed to control the aircraft, the aircraft could almost interpret the operator's thoughts before the signal was given.

The tall stranger reached up and touched the invisible antigravity mode which allowed the aircraft to fly through a vortex of space through the antimatter of tunnels similar to a subway system of a wormhole in space. This spacecraft now flew in thought mode. “All you have to do, Santa, is think what you want this aircraft to do! For example, if I want to go from point A to point B, simply think of the destination. Let’s make a trial run to all the houses you have to visit on Christmas night. This craft is equipped with two other devices that can be interfaced together to give you the names, addresses of each individual request from everyone all over the world. All of these requests are digitally compressed in a beam of light that can travel faster than the speed of light, or in layman’s terms, at the speed of thought. Once the craft is programmed to the on-site module, it will interface with the beam of light delivering each package to each individual home throughout the world in less than a nanosecond. So in essence, all you have to do is program your flight plan with a wish, or think about the trip you have made in the past, and it will follow that route."

Santa was awestruck. The young man added, "One other thing that I failed to mention, this craft is capable of approaching the speed of light which is about 186,000 ft. per second. The craft is also insulated against hot and cold exterior temperatures. The inside of this vehicle will remain a constant temperature according to your body’s comfort level, so there’s no need for a raincoat, heavy winter gear, gloves, or black boots. Because of the speed of this craft and the utilization of the light-beam delivery system, we estimate your timetable schedule in-flight to be, depending on your speed, less than one hour earth time. Another device you may be interested in is our satellite surveying system. This system is a state-of-the-art satellite mapping system which utilizes heat-seeking devices. This new tracking device system can calculate the development of new houses, buildings, and other important structures before they are built. Once the system is activated, it will calculate the number of new people in any given area in the future. It will also act as an inventory record that allows for new space to be programmed into the light-beam delivery system.  ..."

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.

To be continued.)

Part of the annual Christmas light display in the town park

Santa and the Stranger

A Wonderful Time of the Year

              by Sharon Kohn

"Oh what a wonderful time of the year"

The snow is clean and the sky is clear –

Down the lane stands a reindeer –

The children are excited,

Their eyes filled with delight –

They know Santa Claus is coming tonight.

Santa and the Stranger

     by George F. Kohn

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. The large man inside walked with heavy footsteps from his shop, slowly crossing the house to see who was there. The doorknob turned, the hinges creaked, and the door finally opened. He was dressed in heavy winter clothes that made him comfortable inside the warm house. His pants were tucked inside his large black boots. A pair of suspenders held his trousers up to his big belly. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the lightweight garment across his chest was unbuttoned around the neck. The cool night air gave him a burst of energy. There was a smile on his face as his red cheeks puffed up around his twinkling eyes. A snowy white beard covered most of his face, and his mustache moved up and down whenever he spoke. With one side of his mouth he held the stem of a pipe. When he said hello, the pipe began to wiggle up and down, and a large hand removed it from its resting place. The round-rim glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose were beginning to fog over from the sudden change of temperature as the cool air from outside penetrated his dwelling.

A tall stranger stood in the doorway. He was dressed in black from his head to his shoes, and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glare of the snow. A black leather glove extended as a form of friendship. “Mr. Santa, may I have a moment of your time?” asked the young man who had knocked with such confidence that the old gentleman knew it must be important. “Of course,” replied Santa as he opened the door wider for the man in black to enter the house. Santa led the stranger through a series of passageways until they came to a large fireplace at the back of the house. Several logs burned with a glow that warmed the room. Two large overstuffed chairs were arranged close to the fireplace as both men made themselves comfortable by the fire. A shiny metallic briefcase rested on the lap of the stranger. As the stranger spoke, he began to work his fingers in and around the many latches, locks, and combination devices that held the briefcase securely closed.

“Now what can I do for you?” asked Santa, trying to put the stranger at ease. “Mr. Claus, I have a revolutionary new idea that may be of great interest to you in the future,” replied the man with a reassuring tone in his voice. The briefcase suddenly snapped opened, revealing several strange looking objects neatly packed inside several compartments holding each instrument securely in place. “I represent a new world order of people who are very much concerned with the advancement of mankind. As guardians, we sometimes find it necessary to intervene by giving them a helping hand to replace what we consider to be outdated technology. We offer more advanced tech to speed up processes and transactions, and to help mankind meet challenges in their quest for civilization. Perhaps I may present to you a chronological history of events that demonstrate the antiquated equipment, methods, and technology that you have used in the past. Then I would gladly share some ideas for updating your systems."

The young man smiled and said, "I have in my hand an intelligent device that people in the future will call a smartphone!" The stranger went through the motions as if he were dusting the object with his fingertips. An image of a moving object suddenly appeared on the device he held in his hand. Like real life, it displayed a sleigh being drawn by eight reindeer with Santa holding the reins and sitting beside a large overstuffed bag as he guided the sleigh through the starry night sky. “What we see here is a system of transportation that is so primitive, it allows the driver to be exposed to the harsh elements of nature.  ..."

(Story by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series.

To be continued, wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!)

Image courtesy of DesktopNexus.com nature wallpapers

Christmas Story Sample

To share a sample of my writing from a young people's story in the works for Christmas, I start with this excerpt ... with more to come soon:

"Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. The large man inside walked with heavy footsteps from his shop, slowly crossing the house to see who was there. The doorknob turned, the hinges creaked, and the door finally opened. "What can I do for you?" inquired the big, bearded man.

'Mr. Santa, may I introduce you to some new technology for your delivery system?' proposed the young man who had knocked with such confidence that the old gentleman knew it must be important."

Samples from my series of books, Holiday Favorites by 
George F. Kohn, will follow as my gift to you.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and so forth.  Enjoy the season!

There's Magic in that Christmas Tree!  (See Book 3 by George)

Caroling cans and cookies ... treat Santa with a song on Christmas Eve