It was a snowy Christmas Eve. I was in bed trying really hard to fall asleep but I kept wondering, "Is Santa real? Maybe I could catch Santa while he is delivering my presents," when all of the sudden I heard sleigh bells.
I jumped out of bed and crept down the stairs. I couldn't believe my eyes. Santa was jolly as ever. His nose like a cherry, his cheeks rosy red and his eyes twinkled like a star in the sky. He was eating all of the cookies I left him but he didn't have enough eggnog.
I crept the rest of the way down the stairs and slipped into the kitchen to get him more eggnog. Then I went into the room were Santa was. When I was a foot into the room he turned around and saw me! He didn't seem surprised. He seemed almost happy.
"Can I borrow your dogs?" Santa asked.
This got me cracked up. I said, "Well, yes, but why do you need my dogs?"
"It is snowing really hard out there and my reindeer could use the extra help," Santa replied.
So I went upstairs and got my three dogs.
"But how can my dogs fly?" I asked.
"With magic!" he said so enthusiastically it almost made me laugh.
"I could swear I had some dust in my pocket," said Santa. "Oh, here it is!"
He sprinkled some dust on my dogs and they leapt into the air.
"Come on," he said.
"I get to go, too?"
"Of course," Santa said. "You will have the most important job of all, to ride in the sleigh with me."
We hopped into the sleigh and Santa called to his reindeer, "On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen, on Rudolph, on Buddy, on Abby, and on Tucker," and away we went.
My dogs weren't sure what to do at first but they got it after a while. They were a huge help to the reindeer. It was SO fun! I saw the biggest Christmas tree in the world! Did you know that Santa has a radio in his sleigh? It changes channels wherever you go. I got to see so many different places! We gathered different dogs on our way because the storm got worse. Santa gives out a lot of presents. I saw so many different lights! It felt good to give presents to people I don't know!
After all the presents were delivered, Santa said to me, "It's time for you to go home now."
"But Santa, I don't want to go home," I said.
"If you want to open your presents, you have to go," said Santa.
"OK," I replied.
Santa put out his hand and blew some of his magic dust on me and my dogs. The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed. It was Christmas morning.
"Was that a dream?" I wondered.
As I looked around my room I found a red leather pouch filled with dust on my nightstand. It was Santa's pouch. It wasn't a dream.
"Oh, I could do a lot with this stuff," I said to myself. "This will be the best Christmas ever."
PS: Santa is real!
Anna Valone
Cassadaga
