Santa's Last Stop

by Larry A. Kayser

It was a huge surprise. Santa agreed to come to school for a visit. The excited children were shocked when he arrived wearing jeans and a dark brown sweater. They called out one question after another.

Some of the questions were about Santa himself.

One asked, "What happened to your red suit?" Santa answered, "Oh, I save that for the Christmas season. For now, I just need something that will keep me warm up north."

"Isn't your beard rather short?" "I keep it trimmed during the months of gift making. It gets in the way when I'm painting. Don't worry, it will be nice and long by Christmas."

"What do you like to eat?" asked Lisa. "I love peanut butter and jelly," Santa said. Then he patted his belly and laughed. "But my wife thinks I love it too much."

Naturally, everyone was interested in presents.

"How long does it take to make all the presents?" "Often years. Some of my elves are working on gifts for children who aren't even born yet," Santa said.

"How do you fit all of the presents into your sleigh?" Santa chuckled and replied, "I let Mrs. Claus handle that. She's a very good packer."

Priscilla tossed her head and asked, "Will you be giving out designer dresses? I won't wear any other kind." Santa shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Whatever clothes my elves make should be good enough for you."

“I need a bigger set of barbells,” shouted Bill, “the ones I have now are for little kids.” “Sorry, they would be too heavy for me to carry.”, Santa said.

He was getting grumpy. "Just two more questions please."

These got everyone's attention.

Lisa asked, "Is it true that you won't go to a home if anyone is awake?" Santa said gently, "Not at all. Feel free to stay up late on Christmas Eve, if it's okay with your parents."

"How do you decide which home to go to first?" "I let my reindeer pick the route that's easiest for them," Santa said. "However, I always save my favorite stop for last."

Then he climbed into his pickup truck, waved, and drove away.

After Santa left, the kids argued. Whom did he like the most? Bill said, "I'm the strongest. I can jump higher and throw a ball farther than anyone else. Santa will stop at my place last." Priscilla insisted, "Everyone knows I'm the prettiest. With my dark eyes and golden curls, I know I am Santa's favorite." Others claimed to be the smartest or nicest. They were the tallest, shortest, best this, best that. Remarks could be heard throughout the school. "Nobody plays the piano better than I do." "I have lots of money." "I'm the town rollerblading champion." "My drawings are being shown at the library." "I've been to Disneyland, twice!" They all promised they would be Santa's last stop.

"I think you're all wrong," Lisa said to herself.

The kids and their families got ready for Christmas. Dads hung lights outside the house. Moms baked cookies. The children cleaned up their rooms. Everyone enjoyed putting up the Christmas tree. As they were hanging ornaments, they all wondered, "Where will Santa stop last?"

Not all of the children were helpful.

Bill spent most of his time lifting weights. He wanted to get stronger to please Santa. He stopped doing his chores. He started to bully his classmates. "I'm Santa's favorite. Get out of my way."

All Priscilla cared about was her appearance. She tried different hair styles. She put on her mother's lipstick, even though she was too young to wear makeup. She stared at herself in the mirror. "I'm so lovely. I will be Santa's last stop. I will be Santa's only stop!"

Lisa was different. She hummed holiday tunes while washing the windows. She mopped the kitchen floor. She happily did whatever was needed for that special time of year. She also kept up with her schoolwork.

At last, the big night came. Santa had gifts for children all over the world. Crayons for Minako in Tokyo. Ice skates for Anja in Finland. A magnifying glass for Juan. A huge lollipop for little Juanita. The Leskov twins in Moscow each got a set of Russian nesting dolls. A Baby Do‑It‑All for young MaryBeth in Idaho and model trains for Anthony in Vermont.

Santa got to Bill's apartment late on Christmas Eve. Bill marched around, showing off his muscles. When Santa handed him his gift, Bill puffed out his chest and boldly asked, "This is your last stop, isn't it?" His body sagged at Santa's reply. "No Bill, I'm not done yet."

Priscilla was primping her hair when Santa arrived at her estate. She saw that her gift was not the last one. Tears smeared her eye shadow as she ran upstairs to her room. She didn't even wait to see what Santa had brought her.

                                                   

Since it was after midnight, Lisa decided she could open her present. She squealed with delight when she saw what it was: a picture of Santa's last stop.