Origin: © 2012 Lev Ropes and shared with permission for Spellbinders storytellers to use.

PEARL: Grandbear, will you tell me another story?

GB: Sure, How about one from the Winter Solstice celebrations of the animals that live around
my cousin’s ranch in Montana? The deer, for example, like to tell stories for eight nights in
a row. One story is about their distant cousins, the reindeer, who lived way north in a dark,
cold forest, with a funny little fat man who was fanatic about making wooden toys. He was
vertically challenged, overweight, bald, had a nice little beard, always wore a forest green
suit and…

PEARL: No, no, it was red, red!

GB: I think you’ve got the wrong story. That was last year.

PEARL: Oh yeah, right. But as long as I have the mic, I ask how come this little guy chose to
live in such a dark, cold, lonely place?

GB: He was retired and Phoenix was too hot.

PEARL: That makes sense, of course, but I hope he didn’t live alone.

GB: He lived there with his loving wife, some hard working elves, and eight reindeer.

PEARL: I understand the wife and reindeer, but elves?

GB: They were kicked out of Norway for being too rowdy, and needed work. So the little man
took them in to help make the toys.

PEARL: I bet they were really good at that. I can just see them with their little saws, little
sanding blocks, tiny paint brushes, cordless Chinese drills, toys stacking up all over…

GB: True, the toys were in every room, every corner, getting to be a real problem.

PEARL: Why didn’t he just give them away? There must have been plenty of kids that would
love to have them, especially poor kids. That’d be a great way to celebrate the
Solstice.

GB: That’s exactly the idea the toy maker and his wife had. How to distribute them was the
problem. The elves and reindeer thought it crazy when the man decided to use his old, beat-
up sleigh that the reindeer pulled. So slow, so far to go. But they cheerfully went along
with the old man because he wanted so much to try it and they loved him. So the elves
filled lots of gunny sacks with toys, put some in the sleigh, and hooked up the reindeer. The
man got in and shouted, “On Rupert, on Bubba, on Leroy and Clyde, on…“

PEARL: Wait a minute! They’re supposed to be girl reindeer. Everybody knows that they had
antlers in the story. It’s Winter Solstice and guy reindeer drop their antlers in early
winter. Cold antlers give ‘em headaches. But girl reindeer are tougher and keep theirs
on ‘til spring. Didn’t you learn that in school?

GB: Actually, I didn’t, but you’re right. I continue. He shouted, “On Vera, on Patsy, on Lila and
Lu. On Linda, on Mabel, on Sandy and Sue!” They started pulling, gaining as best they
could. Suddenly, the Northern Lights burst out with fantastic, waving curtains of color.
There was magic buzzing in the air. They all could feel it tingling in their bones. They
started running faster and faster. It was surreal. Soon all the reindeer, the sleigh with the
little man, took off into the air. What a sight that was!!

PEARL: Oooo…I can picture it now. This crazy little outfit scooting across the sky, silhouetted
by the full moon, scaring the bejeebers out of little kids that stayed up too late. But
didn’t they have to make a lot of trips?

GB: They did. In fact, it took until December 25th for them to get here. But finally they
finished, and went back to their cozy home, very tired, and hungry.

PEARL: Did they have cookies, cakes, brownies and cocoa?

GB: Yep.

PEARL: Did they have fruitcake and plum pudding??

GB: Yep.

PEARL: Did they snooze by the fire?

GB: It was more like a light nap.

PEARL: Did they eventually start making toys again?

GB: Of course.

PEARL: This all is as nutty as their fruitcake. But I like it. What other stories did the deer at the
ranch tell? Wait a minute, wait a minute. Let me guess. Those stories are for another
First Friday. Am I right?

GB: You are.