This was not the way Dan thought he would be spending his Christmas Eve, but it was far better than what he expected. Dan and Dakota were camped out in the living room aside the glow of the Christmas tree and the comforting blaze of the yulelog. Dakota’s bruised and broken body was positioned and propped precisely on the sofa and sunken into soft pillows. Dakota lay on the floor atop a sleeping bag with a soft heavy blanket. The two were watching old Christmas cartoons on the television with the faint hollow of winter winds in the background. Inside all was warm and at peace. Dan liked the feeling of being snowed in. Knowing that there was nowhere else to be, nothing else to do, brought about great relaxation. After a full day of running around Hodge High and walking out in the snow, Dan couldn’t be more comfortable where he was, spralwed out on the floor, warm, safe, and snowed in.
As a jolly cartoon Santa Claus and accompanying elves danced around on TV, Dan tuned into the conversation in the other room. Dan could hear Dakota’s parents in the kitchen talking about wrapping Christmas presents. They tossed around names of unfamiliar people, and Dan didn’t know the context of much of what was said, but there was something so captivating to Dan, hearing Dakota’s parents talking together as a team, leading a household, and making Christmas plans. It brought Dan comfort, helping him feel as if his own parents weren’t so far away. He wanted more than anything for them to be back, especially around Christmas.
Time kept ticking, and the night drew over all as the covers on a bed. The conversations were over, the TV and the Christmas lights were turned off, and the yulelog was reduced to crackling embers. Dan was staring at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, as if all of a sudden he would be asleep and would recognize the fact. There was too much on his mind. He wished he could just permanently be part of Dakota’s family. Dakota’s parents would be the ideal parents, and Dakota would be the perfect brother. Why is life so unfair?
The blizzard had passed, and outside all was still and quiet. The moon glowing on the snow shone through the window and gave everything in the room a silver lining. Dakota was already asleep, and Dan could tell by the loud breathing he heard from over on the sofa. Dan figured Dakota didn’t have trouble falling asleep because his life was perfect. Dan’s comfort was spoiled by jealousy. The jealousy unwrapped discontentment, and the discontentment boiled to anger. Dan looked over at Dakota. He was thinking how Dakota always had the perfect answer, always knew what was right, had the perfect family, perfect life, even perfect personality that was so magnetic. Everything about him is so perfect. It makes me sick. Dan couldn’t take it anymore. Dakota was a constant reminder of just how imperfect his life was. Dan tossed and turned on the floor. The comfort was all burnt up just as the ash in the fireplace. It was too much. Dan quietly got up and tip-toed to the front door. He put on his sweatshirt and boots and quietly let himself out. His plan was to just cool off and clear his mind for a moment. The cooling off part came quickly, as the hollow winter air chilled him to the bone, but the moon illuminated his path, beckoning him forward, and his short intention turned out to be something much bigger.
To Dan, it was as if the world stopped spinning but no one cared. Creeping innocent white clouds brushed against the moon, but soon they became more hungry, swallowing up the moon, and bringing forth strong winds once again and a rush of snow. Dan aimlessly wandered about in the second wave of the blizzard out on the snow-covered plain. His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of his parents, Christmas, and this new found all-consuming jealousy. He just couldn’t understand anything anymore. Why does life have to be so unfair? How come Dakota gets a family, a nice home, and everything perfect? He felt he was suffocating from his own thoughts. Breathe.
His mind was like a racetrack, and thoughts kept passing by with little time to muse upon them. Any minute, it seemed like his mind would overheat. My life is just a gradual wasting away of a person, he thought. His mind flashed back to Linzy earlier in the day, “You’re not going to be able to fix Ms. Tripkin. She’s just a broken cookie.” Am I a broken cookie? He pictured a gingerbread man with its head bitten off. Then his mind recalled Ms. Tripkin’s words said earlier in the day: “I’d also like to use certain words with you, which I will refrain from, because we are in school.” What did she want to say? Do I deserve them? I’ll never be like Dakota. As he wondered and wandered, out under the sky, he arrived nowhere.
Snow began to cover every inch of air, as it had already, long ago, conquered the land. The now moonless sky hid the scene for Dan, except for that which was right before him. The wind was whipping and snow was twirled in all directions. Dan wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going. It all looked the same in the winter whiteout. He was too caught in a net of his thoughts, feeling like the whole world could wait while he tried to find an excuse to make himself feel better. There was no such luck. The motor in his mind started to slow down. It’s time to face reality. My life may forever be a disappointment and perhaps I’ll never really be happy.
After all this pitiful thinking, a bit of reasoning took up lodging in his mind. What am I doing? Why am I wasting Christmas Eve this way? Dan, get better control over yourself, he commanded himself. Dakota is a good friend. I should focus more on being thankful for him rather than being jealous. Dan knew how to name his emotions and work through them. Sometimes it was just harder than others. I will celebrate the good things about Dakota and just know they are his and not my own. Dan turned around and decided he would go back inside. He just hoped no one was awake and would find him sneaking back in. How embarrassing it would be to have to explain himself.
The snow was so thick that he could barely see his hand in front of his face, and the cold air felt like it was slicing his face. It looked like Dakota’s mom had turned on the porch light or something, for in the distance Dan saw a glow. It was a beacon to give him direction. Without it, he would have no idea where the house stood through the blizzard.
He followed the light, pressing forward against the wind. The closer he got, the more doubt he had that it was actually the farmhouse. It didn’t look like a porch light. It was in fact much bigger and taller and didn’t seem to be attached to anything at all. With each step towards the light, the less snow fell and the calmer the wind rescinded. By the time he was within a few feet of the light, he knew he had made some sort of wrong turn, but he didn’t mind, for now all was calm. Snowflakes fell down slowly and gracefully in fluffy clumps, and all was quiet except for the sound of some sleigh bells in the far distance. He came to notice the light was coming from a miniature old-fashioned black lamppost. He’d seen this before in a book or a movie. Oh great. I go for a walk and I end up in Narnia. His mind recalled Dakota earlier saying Christmas was a time of mystery. Dan was flooded with goosebumps. He was right. Where am I?
Attached to the lamppost was a street sign. It was green like most every street sign, but this one was bigger, fancier, and outlined with a golden trim. Dan looked around in all directions. None of it seemed familiar. The bright moon returned and he could now see the snowy plain illuminated all around. Then, almost as if coming into focus out of thin air, a Christmas village appeared, a group of buildings huddled together as if trying to stay warm in the winter’s cold. They looked inviting, and warm, as if their method was working; and they didn’t have to try to be festive by putting up decorations. They reflected Christmas by their very nature with gingerbread-like frames, frosted window pains, homey candles in the windows, and gentle carols in the distance.
Dan’s mind was totally cleared momentarily from his jealous thoughts, and now he was dumbfounded by the unusual scene. I couldn’t have strayed too far. With his hand, Dan brushed the snow off the lamp post sign. It read Santa Claus Lane. Dan paused. This is so weird. I must be going crazy, or maybe these are someone’s elaborate yard decorations. He rubbed his eyes again, then looked at the sign once more. It definitely stated “Santa Claus Lane” in an elegant cursive manner. The more he stared at it, the more real it became, and the more distant he felt from anything he ever knew.
He took off running to the group of buildings before him. He had to make sense of this. He thought they appeared somewhat miniature, and he was right. When he approached them, he found his height to be just about the same as the doors’, and he wasn’t ever considered to be tall. The buildings were painted various dark colors. Some were deep royal blue, some were forest green, and others were crimson red. All of the buildings varied in shape, but there was one thing that they all had in common. They looked like they belonged in someone’s Christmas tree village.
This was unbelievable to Dan. How could something like this exist in Dakota’s backyard? He walked over and bent down to peek in one of the windows. To his surprise, he saw what looked to be elves busily wrapping boxes. They wore pointed green hats, big golden buckles fastened to their waist, and dainty little red boots. They were assembling wooden trains with rubber mallets, and they all looked unsettlingly small. Is this something I should know about? Dan asked himself. A yellow shudder on the window suddenly slapped him across the face, as if reprimanding him to stop snooping around. He took a step back. He had an idea, and it was outrageous, but since the sign did state Santa Claus Lane, and inside the building there were elves, he considered, could I be at the North Pole? He decided to play along, even if it wasn’t real. I might as well accept my insanity instead of trying to fight it. He never actually believed in Santa having elves at the North Pole working in shops, building toys, so he didn’t believe this was a fabrication of his own wild imagination. He knew he couldn’t have made this up, and so it was starting to become more believable.
He stepped back and was still, calm, and quiet, trying to soak up all the wonder. Here he was on Santa Claus Lane on Christmas Eve! How can it be? He was frozen in amazement, and then for a moment startled, as out from a blue building down the lane, ran a rather large woman. She ran with sudden joyous shrieks and exclamations. With each step she took, her whole weight flailed up and down. Her flowery poinsettia apron held on for dear life. When the woman drew closer, she displayed a big jolly smile, kind sincere eyes, and small spectacles perched just above her nose. They had fallen off on the run, but she brushed off the snow and put them back on. Her hair was a silvery grey and held up in a bun with two protruding candy canes. Though she was large, she was nevertheless short. Her size was fitting enough that when reached Dan, she was able to pick him up in her arms and give him a big warm hug with welcoming laughter. She treated him as if he was some dear relative in some moment of celebration. Her demeanor was contagious, Dan broke out in laughter in response.
“We’ve been expecting you!” she said, in her very soft and squeaky mouse-like voice which certainly did not match her large estate. She set Dan back down from her all-consuming hug. I feel like I’ve just been hugged by a cartoon character, Dan thought.
“You’ve been expecting me?” He repeated what she said as a question.
“That’s right.” She paused for a moment, “Oh, I am so sorry, I must introduce myself.” Just then a chill ran down Dan’s spine. He was experiencing a very extreme case of deja vou. “I am Gloria Hapsburg Claus. Just call me Mrs. Claus.”
This is insane. Dan wanted to crash into bed, put his head under the pillows, to block out reality, and wake up back on the living room floor of Dakota’s house…or….wait… maybe just the opposite. Curiosity was too strong. This could be something good, but it is so strange.
“Welcome to the North Pole!” said Mrs. Claus. “How do you like it here?” she asked.
“It’s very cold,” said Dan, while his teeth chattered and his body shivered. He wasn’t exactly sure if it was all from the temperature or the chill of this strange unfolding.
“Oh it surely is. Come on inside and get warmed up by the fire, before we put you to work.”
“Work?”
“Yes, you are here to help, aren’t you?” Mrs. Claus spoke as if Dan should have known everything that was going on, but he didn’t. “Check your back pocket,” she instructed. Dan reached his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it, and immediately remembered it was the note he found in his locker that morning: “…your help is needed, and you have been summoned. We are sending for you promptly.” Dan could almost fall over, but Mrs. Claus coaxed him onward.
“Follow me,” she said.
Dan followed Mrs. Claus to the door of a small red building, the last on the row. The others had the unified charm of cabin-like features, but this one was extra small, and residential, built more like a grandmother’s cottage. It would have seemed suiting for Hansel and Gretal or Little Red Riding Hood to have come running out from it, but without the foreboding sense of danger, for Dan knew he was safe.
As they were passing through the threshold, Dan had to duck. He was thinking If it really was Santa Claus’ wife, he would want to be very polite and not say anything wrong, for Mr. and Mrs. Claus were very influential. They had the ability to determine who went on the naughty list and who went on the nice list. Wait…I don’t even believe this…or do I?
Dan felt a sense of weight and importance to the situation, and before everything he said, he thought a little while. Every word he said was premeditated. “Can you please tell me why I am here?” he asked over-politely. Mrs. Claus only smiled in return. Dan didn’t think she was going to respond, but when she did, what she said was of no use at all.
“All I can tell you is that there must be a reason, but I don’t know what that reason is. You know everything happens for a reason.” She closed the door behind Dan. It was all so mysterious, all so strange, yet Dan was beginning to feel there was something at stake.
The inside of the home was cozy beyond comparison. Everything looked soft, comfortable, and warm. There were flannel patterned pillows in every little nook, lace draped from every surface, and sweet scented candles carefully placed all about for added ambience. All Dan really saw was the entryway and the kitchen, but that alone was a spectacle. There were so many beautiful details all around. The floor and walls were most notable, made of hewn logs. All faces of the wood beams displayed intricate images carved into them of reindeer, polar bears, Santa Claus, and pathways of the northern lights. Mrs. Claus welcomed Dan to take a seat at the snug little kitchen table. As he went to sid down, he noticed out the window, draped with lace, a magnificent view of the northern lights, just as depicted in the wood carvings. Soft streams of green and purple hues angelically swayed in the heavens.
“I can get quite lonely here at Christmastime.” Mrs. Clause brought Dan back to earth. “Santa is always gone. He is always with his elves down in Toy Town, making toys, or making an appearance at some shopping mall. I told him to stop the mall tour, but he insists he must go… I do think it’s quite nice he doesn’t just boss around the elves though, but he gets into the work with them. He’s a man of the elves. He’s a good man, really.”
“Where is Santa now?” Dan curiously asked. He never thought he would be asking such a question.
“He is down in Toy Town right now with the elves. Most of the work is done. It is Christmas Eve after all. Just a few elves are putting in overtime, packaging up defective toys to be sent to the Island of Misfits.” Mrs. Claus shifted tone, “Just between me and you…” She lowered her voice “…Elves don’t make much for company. So, your being here…” Mrs. Claus gave Dan a friendly poke “…is very appreciated!”
Mrs. Claus paused and her face hinted that she was stirring up a wonderful thought. “This is Christmas Eve. You have never been to the North Pole. I miss my husband. So, why don’t we take a trip down to Toy Town?”
“Where’s Toy Town?”
“About an hour south of here, through the Candy Cane Forest. We can ride in Santa’s old sleigh.” Her hands arose in glee. “This is a wonderful idea! Doesn’t it sound just lovely?”
“Yeah!” Dan replied, forcing a bit of enthusiasm to match Mrs. Claus but actually uneasy about what he was getting himself into.
“Oh, I am so excited! It’s been years since I’ve had a guest. I support the last one was Mother Goose in ‘92. I’m just delighted to have such a charming young fellow as yourself here with me.” Mrs. Claus patted her hands together in excitement. Dan was fixated on her word choice of “charming”. Wow, I’ve never been called that before. Am I charming?
“You know what I think we deserve?” Mrs. Clause didn’t wait even a second for Dan to reply. “We need Christmas cookies!” she declared.
“Cookies?”
“That’s right. Oh, why don’t we just make it a tea party. I’ll get the peppermint tea, and I’ll warm the cookies up a bit in the oven. Let me get my special tea set– the one with the hand painted junipers!” Mrs. Clause fetched a footstool. On top of it she reached into the top shelf of her wooden china cabinet. Mrs. Claus was over-exuberant and her expressions just magnified her emotion. “You do like peppermint tea. Don’t you?”
“I’ve never had it before.”
“Never? Well, you’re in for a real treat. The peppermint is grown in this cute little province down below, called Saskatchewan. Ever heard of it? Of course everything down below is littler compared to up here at the North Pole.”
Dan sat silent at the kitchen table, just watching Mrs. Claus scurry about her kitchen, and occasionally he shifted his eyes to the grandeur of the Northern Lights outside putting on a show. She turned on the stove on which her teapot sat, and then she grabbed her tin of Christmas cookies. She plopped down across from Dan at the table. She just smiled for a moment, looking at Dan. It was a real smile with nothing to hide.
“Tell me about you,” she inquired.
“There’s nothing much about me. My life isn’t very interesting.”
“Oh, that’s a lie. I know your life must be filled with some interesting experiences.”
“No…. I mean, well, I did get a good grade on my psychology project today,”
“Oh piddle paddle! I mean, have you ever gone on any adventures?”
“Not really.”
“I’m sure you have, but you probably haven’t realized it.”
The teapot began to squeal. Mrs. Claus went over to turn the stove off. “Oh, stop your fussin’,” she spoke to the kettle. “Why, everyday is an adventure! It just all depends on how you look at it. You know a wise man once said, ‘Life is an adventure. Accept it in such a spirit’.”
During their entire tea party, Mrs. Claus did most of the speaking while Dan just replied with a nodding of his head or a simple remark, then he’d take a bite from the most detail oriented Christmas cookie he had ever seen. He cupped the tea-cup in his hand for extra warmth and comfort, as soothing peppermint vapers rose up to tingle his nose. The home, Mrs. Claus, the North Pole, the northern lights, and peppermint tea were all so surreal to Dan.
“So, what about that trip to Toy Town?” asked Dan.
Mrs. Claus’ face lit up again. Her eyes widened and her brown lifted.”Oh, yes!” she exclaimed as if she had forgot but was suddenly reminded, and the excitement was fresh all over again. “I am going to have to get you a warmer coat,” she said, examining Dan’s sweatshirt. She spun around to a closet and fetched out a well-insulated blue quilted jacket. “The weather outside is brutally cold– colder than a penguin’s playground.” She held the coat open for Dan to slide his arms in. She pulled it up over his shoulders, and ushered him towards the door. “Let’s go!”
As they stepped out in the arctic chill, a gust of wind blew Mrs. Claus’ cooking apron up onto her face. Dan noticed Mrs. Claus had nothing but her ordinary clothes and cooking apron on.
“Don’t you want a coat?” he asked.
Mrs. Claus paused with a serious face. She looked down upon herself as if to check what she was wearing. She then broke out in a laugh and slapped her leg in jest. “You’re right, Daniel!” She leaned in to talk to Dan more discreetly. “I’ll tell you something… We really rely on magic around here. Without it we’d be doomed. We really aren’t the smartest bunch. You’ll see. We are rather simple people. The magic makes up for what we lack.” She shifted to a more sincere tone. “Why don’t you go next door and wait with the elves. You can meet them and get acquainted. I’ll get ready for the trip, and I ought to leave some kibble for the wompus cat out back. The last thing we need is the wampus cat getting angry and going around stealing souls this Christmas Eve.”
Dan wasn’t sure what a “wompus cat” was, and he thought about what else Mrs. Claus may need to get ready for such a short trip. How long will it take? He decided to give her her space, because if she was like any other older person he had come across in his life, he knew she needed time to prepare before doing anything. Dan took Mrs. Claus’ suggestion and walked over to the next building. He was just about to meet his next most unusual character.
Read more about Wild Christmas on my website: www.joshhodge.com/wild-christmas
Read Chapter 6: https://joshthehodge.com/2026/01/25/joshua-hodges-wild-christmas-chapter-6/
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