The Impeccable Lady Claus

14 - Delivering Presents On St. Nicholas Eve

As the sleigh flew out of The North Pole and into the sky, Tanzy would soon press a multicoloured button. A buzzing sound would vibrate through the foundations before all of a sudden a kaleidoscopic vortex opened up several meters ahead of them, completely swallowing the sleigh whole. The moment Tanzy pressed the button, they were inside of it.

It was a strange sensation to experience, but Tanzy was used to it by now.

This was how Santa travelled from The North Pole to every other place on Earth. It was called a Passive-Jumping Generator, and it allowed them to travel across the globe with ease. Tanzy couldn't understand how it worked, but it did, and that was all that mattered.

Soon they had arrived at the outskirts of London, and it was time to start distributing gifts. Tanzy was ready for this.

They stopped at every home and apartment, every care home and school, every orphanage and every hospital. It was a busy night and Tanzy couldn't help but be impressed by the number of presents that Santa had brought with him. There were so many, she could see why it took them so long to deliver to all these places.

The elves had crafted one gift per person and they were all well-made. They were so beautiful, and it was clear that Santa's workers had put a lot of time and effort into making sure they were perfect. Each present was wrapped with a black ribbon and bow, with the words "Happy St. Nicholas Day" written on them in silver ink.

It made Tanzy happy just to look at them, and she knew it was going to be a special night.

Soon they landed on a roof in a small residential neighbourhood, and Tanzy helped Santa off the sleigh as he started to gather two presents to hand out to the residents, with the elf staying in the background. She had never seen him like this before and it made her heart flutter with joy.

He was so kind and caring, she loved being around him like this. It made her pleased to know that he could make other people happy, even when times were dark.

"I wish we knew more about who we were delivering these gifts to," Tanzy said. "It would be nice to see what the humans are like, especially after all those stories you've told me."

"They are a curious race," Santa replied. "But there is a way, it's a recent addition to the sleigh. Check the navigation panel, there should be a profile for each recipient."

Tanzy did as she was instructed and gasped when she saw all of the information on the screen. It seemed Santa had been right; there was a profile for each person. She decided to check who they were delivering to at that very moment, and the results came up right away.

She smiled softly as she looked at the name but soon her face dropped.

"A devoted wife and mother, who tragically lost her child at the hands of a criminal?" Tanzy muttered. "That's so sad. It must be hard for her, I wonder what she's like."

"I think she's just like us," Santa replied. "A nice, loving individual that just wants to spend Christmas with the people they love. Let's hope we can give her some happiness tonight."

"Of course," Tanzy said, nodding. "Let's give Uzma something she'll never forget."

They delivered the two gifts and then took off again, stopping by different places all over The United Kingdom before opening the Passive-Jumping Generator and moving on to the next location.

They didn't waste any time, leaving presents under pillows, in shoes, stockings or on plates they had set out for St. Nicholas himself. Each place was different, but they made sure that all the children and everyone else got their presents in time for the morning. They didn't want to leave anyone out.