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Section Three The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, December 23,1987 Cabbages and Christmas It was mid-December now. And the North Pole cottage lay deserted. Mice had made their homes in the reindeer shed and in the chimney, a great snowy owl had built his nest. The front door of Santa's cottage swung open in the wind. Icicles dripped from a faded sign which said "For Sale". "Arctic Realty- Realty- Yes, the rumours were true. Santa Claus had, indeed, indeed, retired. He had loaded his sleigh early that year. He and Mrs. Claus and ■ the elves had moved south to Ontario just as soon as the first snow had begun to melt. And he'd settled down on a cozy little farm with a red and white barn and a big stone house. The reindeer grazed in the paddocks. The elves hoed the garden and cut the hay. Mrs. Claus tended the flower gardens gardens and picked the apples. apples. And Santa worked with his tractor in the fields. He wore blue denim denim overalls and a straw hat and rubber boots. To the neighbours, he was just plain Mr. Claus. He said he had retired from the toy business and had moved to the country to farm. Kezia and Carmen and Andrew and Nate lived next door to Mr. Claus. They took a special interest interest in their new neighbour neighbour who always seemed eager to wave to the children children over the fence. Mrs. Claus served them apple cider and ice cream on hot summer days. And the short, fat little men' who were Mr. Claus' hired hands never seemed to be too busy for a game of tag or hide and seek or baseball or soccer. soccer. * , Naturally, the children found some things rather strange about Mr. Claus. For instance, there was the big white beard and moustache. That was , odd. Then there were the deer that he kept in the paddock. That was rather rather strange, too. In addition, addition, the children had never known a farmer to have a dozen hired hands who seemed to be all the same size and who all answered to the name of "Alf'. But oddest of all was the sight Kezia saw when Mr. Claus and his helpers helpers were haying in a nearby field one hot summer day. Haying was to be expected of farmers, of course. But what was unusual was the fact that the deer -- all eight of them -- were hitched up to the hay wagon. wagon. Kezia noticed this first and she ran into her house saying: "Andrew, Nate, Carmen. Come quick. It's Santa next door." Now Kezia's older brothers and sisters found it odd that a farmer farmer would use deer to pull his hay wagon. But when Kezia insisted that the mysterious neighbour was Santa, the bigger kids only smiled knowingly knowingly as if they knew something she didn't. "Well, if you want to believe believe Mr. Claus is THE Santa Claus," that's your business, said Carmen, Carmen, who was the oldest , member of the family. So Kezia believed from that day forward. She thought that Santa Claus must be simply taking a holiday once the busy Christmas season was over. And she anxiously anxiously awaited the day when Santa ànd his crew would head back to the North Pole to resume their work. However, Santa showed no signs of leaving the farm. September came and Mr. Claus' hired hands harvested the cabbages and raked the leaves. Still, Mr. Claus had not left for the North Pole. October came and Mr. Claus's hired hands harvested harvested the pumpkin patch and ploughed up the fields. Still no indication indication that the group was about to leave for the North Pole. November arrived and Mr. Claus and his merry helpers went to the forest to cut firewood for the winter. Still there was no indication indication of any departure. Carmen said that proved the old gentleman in the adjoining farm couldn't be Santa Claus because Santa would have to be up at the North Pole manufacturing toys with his elves. Kezia, however, wasn't so sure. But throughout the month of December, as the snow fell and the. Christmas lights were mounted and the trees decked with bells and strings of popcorn, Mr. Claus and his entourage remained next door. Every day, Kezia looked out the window to see that there was still smoke rising from the chimney and the deer were still in the paddock and Mr. Claus or his helpers were shovelling snow or going going and coming on various various errands. Kezia was worried. It was December 24th, the day before Christmas. Christmas. And the next door neighbour, if he was really Santa, showed no indication that he was the least bit prepared for Christmas. Kezia put on her snow- suit, took hèr biggest brother, Andrew, with her, and made a call on the neighbours. She found Mr. Claus beside beside a shed, splitting wood with an axe and he didn't hear the children approaching. "Santa?" Kezia called. The chubby old gentleman gentleman turned around quickly as though he was about to answer. But he stopped himself and said. "No, child, I'm just plain Mr. Claus." "But I don't believe that," Kezia replied. I know you're not Mr. Claus. I know you're Santa. You're The Santa. Santa. Oh, Santa, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas?" Mr. Claus sat down on one of the blocks of kindling kindling wood and adjusted his gold, wire rimmed 8 "Kezia," he said, "You are absolutely right. I won't lie to you. The fact is that I used to be Santa Claus. But, you see, I retired retired from the job last year. I just don't think the world needs old Santa Santa any more. So I decided to become plain Mr. Claus." "But why, Santa? Why would you do such a thing?" Santa looked at Kezia solemnly. The laugh wrinkles in his face disappeared disappeared and he stroked his beard. "How old are you?" he asked. "I'm five years old," Kezia said. "Well, then, perhaps you are old enough to understand." understand." "It's just that I honestly don't think I'd be missed from Christmas if I quietly decided to take it easy for a while. "Christmas, you see, is a time for giving gifts. And there was once a time when little boys and girls like yourself used to look forward to getting that special gift at Christmas. Christmas. But now....Why, there are so many gifts in the world for little kids like yourselves that it seems to me as though Santa's gift just wouldn't be missed. "How many presents do you get during a year, little girl?" he asked. Kezia smiled. "Well, at Christmas there are gifts from my four cousins and my two aunts and uncles and then there are gifts from my Mommy and Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma, Andrew, Carmen and Nate. And we all draw names for a gift at school. And we usually get something nice at Sunday School. And then Mrs. Smith, the next door neighbour always always sends over candies . ana nuts. And that's about all for Christmas. Of course, there's Easter when we usually get something like new clothes or a small toy and always chocolates. And then there's my birthday. I always get something then. Oh yes, and this year, my Dad's promised me a twowheeler twowheeler bike when I finish finish kindergarten. Then there's all the candy at Hallowe'en." Mr. Claus nodded wisely. wisely. "I think youVe beginning beginning to see what I mean. Have you ever stopped to count how many gifts that adds up to?" Kezia frowned. "Yes, I think I understand. But I can't really tell you how many because I can't count past 15. Maybe next year we'll learn how to count to 100. Andrew says we will." "Yes," continued Mr. Claus "That's a lot of things. And you should see the number of items on the letters people write to Santa. I tell you, it keeps me up late at night just reading them all. One was ten pages. Kezia blushed. Her list really was ten pages in length. But she was writing writing it in very large letters, letters, so she didn't think that counted. "But don't get me wrong," Santa continued continued gently. "It's not that I think you little ones are greedy. It's just that there are so many wonderful wonderful things to look at and play with and enjoy in your world nowadays that nobody wants to . miss out bn anything. If I were yoür age, and had to write a list to Santa, I don't think I'd be any different than yourself. I wouldn't miss a thing." "And Santa has to keep up with all the latest developments developments in electronics. electronics. I mean, it's ' not enough to make a toy soldier soldier out of wood or produce produce a couple of thousand simple electric train sets. Now it's electronic ay guns and dolls that alk in ninety nine full ray tal sentences. "And can you imagine the work it is for my reindeer to carry all those toys to every kid? I don't mind telling you that last Christmas the » poor old sleigh was so full of toys, that it could hardly clear the treetops. Donder caught his hoof on a chimney taking off. There was just so much to deliver. And by the time we had made our final final visits, it was almost daybreak. We were heading home in broad daylight. "Besides, a lot of the big boys and girls don't even believe in Old Santa Claus. So what difference difference will it make to them whether I hang up the red suit and the black boots and spend Christmas Eve by the fireplace? Now I know some of you little boys and girls believe believe in me. But you'll still get plenty of gifts throughout thq.year. You really don't need Santa any more." Kezia bit her lip. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she considered the possibility of a Christmas without Santa Claus. A Christmas without Santa Claus was, indeed, hard to imagine.. It was then that Kezia began to realize an important important thing about Christmas: This particular particular day of the year was not just exciting because of the gifts that people exchanged, exchanged, although there were heaps of them around the Christmas tree every year. No, Christmas was also about the intangible, invisible invisible things. These were hard to explain because because they had to do with the way folks thought or felt at Christmas time. But, how Kezia- understood understood ujat..Santa was.not part and parcel of the" Christmas loot.'., No, he was part of that other side of Christmas. He was like the music from the choirs, Christmas cookies cookies baking in a hot oven, houses full of visitors, .children's laughter, and a baby's wondering gaze at a string of Christmas lights burning with all their candy-colored brilliance. brilliance. And even the gifts themselves themselves were simply intended intended to be reminders of far greater gifts - the . very gifts of God to man which shone with the silver silver radiance of a starry night. Yes, Santa was part of what older folks called the "Spirit of Christmas". Christmas". And Kezia imagined that if Santa disappeared then perhaps a good part of the Christmas spirit would be gone too. For instance, all those men and women who were Santa's stand-ins at the stores would eventually vanish since there was no real Santa to model themselves after. And pretty soon it would be the Christmas lights and the trees which would go. And then the holly and the parades and the festive festive flowers. The music and the candles would go out. Silence and darkness darkness would descend over Christmas, i Yes, without the spirit of Christmas, this particular particular day of the calendar would be reduced to noth ing more than a shopping shopping spree. Ana although Kezia liked the idea of getting lots of toys and other gifts at Christmas, she knew that given a choice between between the Christmas plunder and the Christmas Christmas spirit, she'd choose the Christmas spirit itself. itself. "Santa," said Kezia, "you have to go back to work this Christmas. I know it must be a lot of trouble. But you have to do it. Because, well, because because you're Santa. That's all." Mr. Claus smiled sadly and looked around. "I'm sorry," he said. "But you can see for yourself. I'm a farmer now and we've had no chance to spend thé summer màking toys like we used to do. Today is December 24. It's the day before Christmas. - Even Santa couldn't possibly possibly catch up on all that work in just a few hours. No Kezia, I'm afraid I can't change a thing." Kezia stamped her foot. "But don't you see, Santa. Santa. It doesn't matter what you bring.' The important important thing is that you're still part of Christmas. You can bring me anything anything at all. You can bring us kids whatever you nave." She was thinking quickly now, wondering what had to be done in such short time. "Why," she added, "I don't care if all you can put under my Christmas tree is one of those cabbages cabbages from the cabbage field. I saw you harvesting harvesting them with your elves this summer. There must be a few hundred thousand of them somewhere." somewhere." Mr. Claus stroked his beard. "Oh yes. We have cabbages, all right. I'm up to my ears in cabbages. cabbages. And it's true that I still have the sled and the reindeer and all the harnesses. harnesses. The red suit is in the closet somewhere. "But don't you think cabbages would make a rather unusual Christmas Christmas present?" he asked.. Kezia smiled. "It's not the Christmas presents that are important. It's Santa that's important. Or, at least, Santa and all that he stands for." It was then, for the first time in 11 months that the familiar "Ho! Ho! Ho!" was heard. Santa's laughter pealed like a bell across the cold December December morning. It brought the reindeer to the barn gate and it caused the little hired hands to come racing from the tractor shed. "Alfie," roared Santa. "Go fetch the sled." "And we'll need the harness polished. We'll need a weather report. And we must catch, all the reindeer. My friends, there's work to do. What are you standing standing around for? Don't you know? Tomorrow's Christmas." Santa winked at Kezia and said: "Now you'd better run along home, little pal. I thank you for your advice. And if you're a good girl, you'll find a nice, plump cabbage cabbage under your Christmas Christmas tree tomorrow morning. And then he roared in laughter once again. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" When Kezia looked back, she saw the elves tossing cabbages; into the sleigh. On Christmas morning, morning, there was a cabbage under the Christmas tree of each and every girl ànd boy across thë country. country. Oh, there were other toys from family and friends. There were Teddy Rux- pins, and cabbages. There were electric train sets, video games, and cabbages. There were baseball gloves and hockey sweaters and cabbages. There were computer keyboards and jet plane models and cabbages. There were dollies and teddy bears and sets of blocks and cabbages. Oddly enough, the cabbages cabbages were a big hit on Christmas morning. Little babies rolled them along the floor. Bigger kids played catch with them or tried to roll them across the carpet with their noses in cabbage races. Or they invented games like "Pin the Tail on the Cabbage" and "Hide and Seek Cabbage". Cabbage". Naturally, nobody could possibly understand where the cabbages came from. But since they were obviously not the gifts of parents or friends, then the only ex- planationwasthat Santa put them there. This was taken as conclusive conclusive proof of the existence existence of Santa Claus and there weren't very many people that Christmas morning who failed to believe in St. Nicholas.. Eventually, the folks in the newspapers and television television and radio stations arranged to interview Santa Claus and asked him about the mysterious arrival of the Christmas cabbages. And so, the story that we have related here was told. It goes without saying that the very biggest cabbage cabbage was found under the tree of little Kezia. And with it, came a note which only said: "Thank you, Kezia, for your most welcome advice. advice. Your friend, Santa." Santa." P.S. "Merry Christmas, and Ho! Hof IIo!."