Chapter One

Santa Was Sad

Santa was sad!

That's right. Santa was sad. Santa had delivered the Christmas gifts on time to all the good little girls and boys and he had safely returned to the North Pole. Mrs. Claus was waiting for him. She had built a small fire in the fireplace in the bedroom. She had the quilt turned down, all ready for Santa's long winter's nap. But this year Santa came in shaking his head. "One night a year is not enough," he said.

Mrs. Claus raised an eyebrow. That only happened once in a while when she was puzzled about something. Then she exclaimed, "What? There is no way you could have Christmas Eve more than one time a year. It wouldn't be right. You can just barely handle it all now. I think you better go to bed and get some rest," she said. So Santa went to bed but he could not get to sleep. And the story that follows happened because, one year, Santa was sad.

Yes, Santa was sad. He couldn't settle down for his long winter's nap. "One night a year is not enough," he said again as he jumped out of bed. He got dressed and pulled on his heavy coat and his black winter snow boots. He tramped across the newly fallen snow to The Toy Barn. The Toy Barn was a huge workshop for making toys that was only empty once a year. Tonight it was quiet. No elves making toys. No elves wrapping presents. No elves loading the sleigh. No elves anywhere. The Toy Barn was just a very large space with nothing in it. Santa sat down and began to think. He thought and thought for a very long time.Finally Mrs. Claus came out with some hot chocolate and asked him if he was tired.

"No," Santa replied. " I have an idea. I think I'll work for awhile."

"OK," said Mrs. Claus as she raised an eyebrow again. "But it's very late. Please be careful." Mrs. Claus went back inside. She poured herself a big mug of steaming hot chocolate and went into the library. She sat down in a big cozy chair next to the fireplace with a warm blanket and a big thick book. She began to read while she waited for Santa to return. Pretty soon, noises of construction were escaping from The Toy Barn. Santa worked and worked. The sun was just coming up over the newly fallen snow when Mrs. Claus heard the welcome sound of Santa's boots. The snow crunched under each footstep as he trudged through the drifting snow on his way back to the lodge. Santa's jolly smile was back and he said, "I do believe it's time for my long winter's nap."

"Are you feeling OK?" Mrs. Claus asked worriedly.

"Never better," he said, "never better." Before you could say "Rudolph" three times he was fast asleep.

But it was not to be a long winter's nap. A loud banging and urgent voices at the door woke the tired sleepers.

"What is it?" Mrs. Claus grumbled as she shuffled to the door. Santa has just now fallen asleep."

A crowd of elves had gathered around the door and they all looked nervously at the ground. Seeder, the greenhouse elf looked at Tooter, the teaching elf but no conversation sprouted. Whiskers, the barber looked at Ribbons, the wrapper but he was tongue-tied. Scoops, the ice-cream vender looked at Peeps, the chicken tender but not a peep was heard from his direction. No one wanted to be the one to wake up Santa. Finally Tinker, Santa's mechanic exclaimed, "There's something in The Toy Barn. Santa must come at once!"

Santa himself soon appeared and the little procession headed for the sliding oak door of The Toy Barn. As they entered The Toy Barn, it took a minute for everyone's eyes to adjust to the dim light. Then Mrs. Claus exclaimed, "What in the world is that?"

"What's what?" a happy voice asked.

Santa laughed, " I think they mean you."

"Oh!" the voice chuckled in surprise. "Why, Mrs. Claus, I am the Magic Balloon."

A long silence fell over The Toy Barn. Even FM, the DJ and Babbles, the town crier were speechless. Finally a voice rang out. It was Chimes, the musician. "Excuse me," he chimed in a rising pitch, "but what is a Magic Balloon?"

"Why, I am, of course!" the happy voice exclaimed. "I was made by Santa. He made me himself. He made me last night. Didn't he do a good job!"

Santa laughed. "Well, I did my best." The elves looked closely at what Santa had made. It was a huge balloon, just like the hot-air balloons you might see at the fair. It had a wicker basket hanging below it with sandbags dangling from the sides.

"Look," Tinker exclaimed in surprise. "The big balloon has a face." Looking closer the elves could see it was a smiling face - a happy, pleasant face to be sure. And, of all things, he was wearing a bow tie.

Mrs. Claus looked at Santa with a raised eyebrow. "A bow tie?" she questioned.

"Well," said Santa with a little shrug. "I hear they're coming back."

"And a top hat?" asked Mrs. Claus. "Hmmm...that's interesting," she said thoughtfully. Then suddenly she exclaimed, "Ohhh! The Hillies! Maybe this will keep our elves from having to take that jumpy bumpy train ride."

"NO MORE HILLIES! NO MORE HILLIES!" The elves roared a mighty cheer.

"Hmmm," said, Santa. "I hadn't thought of that."

"It will make my job so much easier," spurted Oiler, the train tender. "All those jumpy bumpy ups and downs do not make for a well-oiled, well-running train."

"It's not so bad on the way to town when the Hillies are asleep," tooted Whistler, the engineer. "But on the way back when they're awake - oh, what a ride! What a jumpy bumpy ride." In the Hillies the tracks look nice and straight and flat one minute and then they bounce you high into the air the next minute - up one side of a Hillie and down the other side. Up and down and up and down. Jumpy bumpy out of town.

Lumpy, humpy, bumpy, jumpy,
Up in the air we go.
Then slumpy, thumpy down again.
Underground so low.

Way up high in the sky
Bouncing to and fro'
Then all of a sudden we're under the ground
Sliding down below.

By the time your stomach catches up with you, you're half way up the next Hillie. The Hillies are no fun. Nobody likes the Hillies.

"Still," said Santa, "I put them there for a reason. Whistler has the only train that can navigate the Hillies. A normal train would never be able to get through them. If I take away the Hillies, trainloads of people might find their way here. We wouldn't be able to prepare for Christmas."

"And now we have the Magic Balloon to fetch things in an emergency," Mrs. Claus reminded Santa. "He looks big enough to carry many of the things we need," she said.

The Magic Balloon was enormous. He was red on the top and blue on the bottom. No, wait. He was red on the bottom and blue on the top. No, wait. He was yellow. Santa laughed. "I made him so he can change colors whenever he wants," he explained. The elves gazed in astonishment as the Magic Balloon continued to change color - purple first, then green and gold, and then colorful rainbow swirls. A hush fell over the small group of elves. Being shy by nature, they were cautious at first and mystified by the Magic Balloon. But his friendly smile and welcome laugh made them feel at ease. Soon everyone was laughing and talking to the Magic Balloon. They quickly decided among themselves that the big balloon was a wonderful gift from Santa - something special that he added to their lives. Santa said, "Show them your other trick." As the elves watched they could hardly believe their eyes. The big balloon got smaller and smaller and smaller. Pretty soon he was so tiny that the balloon and basket could fit right in Santa's hand. "Still there?" Santa asked.

"Of course I am," a tiny, happy voice said.

"How in the world did you do that?" Mrs. Claus asked in a surprised voice.

"Oh, I sprinkled a little Christmas Magic on him," said Santa. "He can be just about any size he wants."

The elves chattered excitedly with their new friend. They watched as the Magic Balloon puffed himself up and twirled around in excitement. "Anyone want to go for a spin?" he invited. The rush was on. Sir Loins, the master chef and his assistant, Nibbles, hungered for adventure. They were the first to dash to the basket, always eager to savor something new. The others followed with anticipation. Everyone crowded around the Magic Balloon and climbed into his basket as he made himself bigger and bigger.

"May we go for a ride, Santa?" they pleaded.

Santa nodded his head in agreement. "Now, Magic Balloon, stay in sight of The Toy Barn when you take them for a ride," he directed. All the elves were thrilled to get a special tour and to leave the ground behind. The Magic Balloon was off. With a tip of his hat and a wink of his eye he bobbed up and down to say goodbye. He carefully lifted into the sky. Chimes, who had never been up in Santa's big sleigh, rang out with joy as they sailed over The Toy Barn. He peered down to see the surrounding snow-covered forest of green and the oak lodge that was Santa's home. The commotion awakened the entire elf village and soon the streets were crowded with excited elves, all talking at once and pointing upward toward the Magic Balloon. Everyone watched as he floated above the rooftops.

At the edge of the elf village Sifter, the baker, was upstairs on the third floor of 'Ye Olde Bakery'. He had just put a hot apple pie on the window ledge to cool. As he turned around to close the oven door he didn't notice the pie slowly topple off the windowsill. Down, down, down it plunged. The Magic Balloon saw something falling from a window. He made himself small and rushed toward the ground. Just as the pie was ready to SPLAT all over the street he swooped down. It was a good thing Sir Loins was still wearing his oven mitts. He reached out and caught the pie - a great save! Very gently the Magic Balloon climbed back up to the open window. Sir Loins carefully placed the hot steaming pie back on the window ledge.

"Whew! That was close," sighed the Magic Balloon as he slowly sailed back toward Santa and Mrs. Claus. He felt good. "I'm glad I could help," he thought. As soon as he landed next to Santa, he began to talk very quickly. He exploded excitedly, "I saved a pie! It fell out the window. I swooped right down and Sir Loins caught it. We put it back. It felt good to help," he boasted. "I did a really good job."

Santa looked at him and said. "Yes, Magic Balloon, you did a good job. It's nice for you to do good things and help others. It makes you feel good. But you'll feel even better if you don't boast about it. Santa winked at Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus agreed. "No one likes a blabby balloon," she said. Then she turned to Santa and raised her eyebrow. "But I don't understand," said Mrs. Claus. "The Magic Balloon is very nice, but if you weren't thinking of the Hillies when you made him, why did you make the magic balloon?"

"Well," explained Santa, "I can't keep good thoughts and Christmas cheer in people's hearts all year long. But sometimes the world could use a little extra kindness. I can put something good in the world and let it work Christmas Magic throughout the year."

Mrs. Claus suddenly understood. "Ohhhhhhh, I see," she said thoughtfully. "So that's why you made the Magic Balloon."

"Yes," said Santa. "He's here to bring cheerfulness into people's lives, to make the world a little better wherever he goes, and especially to be kind and to help others. Tomorrow I will send him out into the world to do just that."

Mrs. Claus said, "It seems like such a good idea."

"Yes," said Santa. "A very good idea. But - oh dear," he pondered. "I wonder if I forgot something."

"What did you forget, Santa?" Snoops, the inquiring elf wanted to know.

"Hmmmm... I'm not sure." Santa thought and thought as he tugged on his whiskers.

Finally he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well," he chuckled, "we shall see. Yes, we shall see."

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