Holly's Jolly Christmas

by Nancy Krulik

  As Nick and Mr. Frost spoke, Katie and her friends trudged through the snow to the little cottage. It looked just like a gingerbread house, with candy canes around the windowsills, and gumdrop designs on the doors. And when they opened the door, the smell of sweet hot chocolate came blasting out at them.

  “This place is amazing!” Jeremy exclaimed, as he hurried over and poured himself a big cup of hot chocolate.

  “I could eat this whole house,” George said. “If the gumdrops weren’t wood and the candy canes weren’t made of plaster, that is.”

  Katie giggled. Everything George said always came out sounding so funny.

  Suddenly, the kids heard bells outside the little cottage. Katie ran over to the window to see what was going on out there. Her face lit up with excitement.

  “Those are sleigh bells!” she exclaimed. “And the sleigh is being pulled by three real reindeer. You should see how huge their antlers are!”

  The kids all rushed outside for a closer look. Nick was standing beside the reindeer. He was feeding them sugar cubes.

  “Can I try?” Katie asked.

  “Sure,” Nick said. He handed her a sugar cube.

  As Katie held her hand up to the reindeer’s mouth, she noticed something odd. “He has fur on his lips,” she said.

  Nick nodded. “That protects his mouth from the cold. You’d need a fur coat over your mouth, too, if you lived at the North Pole.”

  “That’s why I have my scarf pulled over my mouth,” Katie told Nick.

  Nick smiled. “Exactly. But you have to admit, a reindeer would look pretty funny in a wool scarf.”

  Katie giggled at the thought of it.

  “Reindeer are so amazing,” Emma W. said.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet,” Nick told her. “Wait until you’re dashing through the snow, in a reindeer open sleigh . . .”

  The kids all laughed at Nick’s funny version of “Jingle Bells.”

  The driver of the sleigh, a tall, skinny man in a long overcoat, hopped down from his seat. He tipped his hat and bowed to Katie. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Tom.”

  “I’m Katie,” she answered.

  “Hi, Katie,” Tom said. “Let me help you up.” Tom lifted her into the sleigh.

  A few minutes later, Katie and her friends were all snuggled together under a thick, wool blanket. Nick was sitting up front with Tom.

  “Is everybody ready?” Tom asked.

  “Yeah!” The kids all cheered at once.

  “Then let’s giddyup!” Tom said.

  Chapter 16

  Woosh! The wind blew hard as the sleigh made its way down the path. Katie was glad the blanket blocked out this wind. That meant it was a real wind—not the magic kind. Katie didn’t want to miss a minute of this sleigh ride because of a silly switcheroo!

  “I feel just like Santa,” George said. “Except we’re not flying.”

  “I’m cold,” Matthew told his big sister.

  “We all are,” Emma told him. Then she pulled him a little closer to keep him warm. “But think about the reindeer. They’re not even wearing coats.”

  “They have thick fur,” Tom reminded Emma. “They’re plenty comfortable in this weather. Don’t you worry.”

  Nick said, “Imagine pulling a sleigh with Santa and a bundle of toys all around the world on Christmas Eve. Phew.”

  “I think Santa’s job is even harder,” Katie told Nick. “He’s the one carrying that heavy sack and squeezing down chimneys. The reindeer are just running in the air.”

  “I’ve never run through the air,” Emma said. “Maybe it’s harder than regular running.”

  “I can name all the reindeer,” Matthew shouted out. “There’s Dasher, and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet, and Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph.”

  “Exactly,” Katie told Matthew with a smile. “And they all pull the sleigh as a team. But there’s only one Santa.”

  “I love getting presents from Santa!” cried Matthew.

  Katie and her friends all laughed at that. Little kids could be so funny sometimes. They were also right a lot of times. After all, who doesn’t love getting presents?

  The sleigh ride was over way too soon. Before they knew it, the kids were back at the gingerbread shack.

  “Did you have a good time?” Mr. Frost asked the group.

  “The best,” Jeremy assured him.

  “It was amazing,” Katie agreed.

  “The reindeer were so fast,” George added.

  “I have to pee,” Matthew said.

  Emma W. laughed. Then she turned to Mr. Frost. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Mr. Frost pointed off to the left. “In the building just behind the candy cane maze.”

  “The candy cane what?” Katie asked.

  “It’s a giant maze,” Mr. Frost explained. “All the paths are marked with huge metal candy canes and licorice sticks. And at the end of the maze is Santa’s Workshop. He just might be in there working with the elves.”

  “That sounds like fun,” George said.

  “It is,” Mr. Frost assured him. “But I’m warning you, it’s pretty tricky!”

  “Not for me,” Jeremy said. “I’m great at mazes.”

  “Give it a try,” Mr. Frost told him.

  “All right!” Jeremy cheered. He ran off. Emma W., Matthew, and George followed closely behind him.

  “You want to come, too, Nick?” Katie asked.

  Nick shook his head. “These old bones need some hot chocolate.”

  Katie frowned. Soon, Tom and Mr. Frost would go back to work. That meant Nick would be all by himself.

  “Do you want me to stay here with you?”

  “No, Katie,” Nick said. “I’m fine. You go with your friends. I’ll meet you back at the cottage.”

  “Okay,” Katie said. She didn’t have to be told twice. She took off in the same direction as her friends. “Hey! Wait for me!” Katie called. But her friends were too far ahead to hear her.

  Brrr. Suddenly, Katie felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck. This might not be the real North Pole, but it sure felt like it. She pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck.

  But that didn’t help. A little wool scarf couldn’t protect Katie from this wind. After all, the breeze she felt was no ordinary wind. It was the magic wind!

  The magic wind picked up speed after that. It blew harder and harder, circling around Katie like an icy tornado. It was so cold, Katie was afraid she was going to freeze into a human snowgirl.

  And then it stopped. Just like that.

  The magic wind was gone. And so was Katie.

  She’d turned into someone new.

  But who?

  Chapter 17

  Katie blinked twice and looked around. She was standing in the snow at the North Pole Winter Fun Park. Right in front of her was the little gingerbread house where she and her friends had gotten hot chocolate. Okay, so now she knew where she was. But she still didn’t know who she was.

  It was weird. Although Katie was outside, she didn’t feel cold right now. In fact, she was kind of warm and comfortable. Like she was cuddled under a wool blanket. But she wasn’t under a blanket.

  Katie looked down at her feet. Uh-oh! Instead of her pink and white boots, Katie was staring at two hairy front hooves. How gross was that?

  Wait a minute. Hooves? Katie didn’t have hooves. They weren’t something fourth-grade girls stood on. Fourth-grade girls had feet.

  But reindeer had hooves. Hairy hooves. Just like the ones Katie was staring at right now. And that could only mean one thing.

  The magic wind had switcherooed Katie into one of Mr. Frost’s reindeer! Katie believed in getting into the Christmas spirit as much as anyone—but this was ridiculous!

  Katie licked her hairy reindeer lips. Boy was she thirsty. And before she could stop herself, Katie suddenly lowered her head and antlers and began licking at the snow on the ground.

  Hairy lips? What a yucky thought. Still, Nick was righ
t. Her reindeer lips weren’t chapped at all, despite the cold snow. That hair sure came in handy.

  Suddenly, Katie felt someone petting the back of her neck. “Kids, this is Randy the reindeer,” she heard Tom say. “He’s leading our sleigh tonight.”

  Katie turned her head and gulped. A bunch of little kids were in the sleigh. And did Tom just say she was supposed to lead it? How did you do that? She had no idea where to go. Tom was making a big mistake.

  But there was no way to warn Tom that Randy the reindeer wasn’t up for the job. It wasn’t like she could actually talk to him or anything. After all, Katie wasn’t Katie right now. She was a reindeer. And Katie was pretty sure that even though Tom loved reindeer, he couldn’t actually speak reindeer.

  “Okay, is everybody all bundled up?” Tom said as he climbed onto his seat at the front of the sleigh.

  “Yeah!” Katie heard the children shout.

  “Then, giddyup!” Tom cheered.

  And with that, they were off. Katie started walking slowly at first. It was hard getting used to the strange sensation of pulling a sleigh over slippery, icy ground.

  Luckily, her hooves were like big, hairy snowshoes.

  After a few minutes, Katie got the hang of it. Her hooves began to move faster and faster through the woods. The sleigh was heavy. However, with the other reindeer helping, it wasn’t as hard to pull as she thought it would be. And it felt so good to be running, to feel the cold air rushing around her. Her hairy lips broke into a smile. Even though she was hooked up to a sleigh, she felt really free, and really happy.

  And then, suddenly, she smelled something in the air. It wasn’t a smell she recognized, but the smell frightened her. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger (or her hoof!) on. She just sensed that something was wrong.

  Arooooo!

  Katie’s reindeer ears perked up at a howling sound coming from behind. Her reindeer heart began to pound harder.

  Arooooo!

  A wolf! There was a wolf in the woods somewhere. And he sounded hungry. That wolf would probably like a yummy reindeer dinner right about now. Or maybe some juicy little children!

  Katie gulped. Either way, this was nothing to “ho, ho, ho” about!

  Chapter 18

  Grunt! Grunt!

  At first, Katie didn’t even realize that the loud noises were coming from her throat. She didn’t even know reindeer could make noises. But there she was, grunting a warning to the other reindeer behind her.

  Grunt. Grunt. Grunt. “There’s a wolf in the woods!” she called to the other reindeer

  “What’s the matter, Randy?” Tom asked.

  Katie couldn’t answer him. She could only grunt. So that’s what she did.

  Grunt, grunt. “We have to get out of here!”

  Katie’s hooves picked up speed. She was running as fast as her reindeer legs could carry her. But it wasn’t fast enough. She could still hear that wolf.

  Arooooo! He sounded like he was getting closer.

  Katie had to get off the path. From the corner of her eye she spotted another path that forked off just to her left. If she could just make the turn fast enough, she could get out of the way of the oncoming wolf.

  Quickly, she made a sharp left turn, dragging the whole sleigh with her down a cold, snowy path.

  “Whoa!” Tom shouted. “Whoa, Randy. This isn’t the right way.”

  But Katie wouldn’t stop. She ran faster and faster.

  “No, Randy! This road hasn’t been plowed yet!” Tom shouted louder. He pulled on the reigns, trying to stop Katie and the other reindeer. But it was too late now. The other two reindeer had heard Katie’s warning grunts. They knew that meant they had to run.

  And run they did. For a minute, Katie’s hooves were moving so quickly, she felt like she really was flying. Just like Dancer or Prancer or Rudolph!

  Bam!

  And then, suddenly, she stopped short. The sleigh behind her would not move, no matter how hard she and the other reindeer tried to pull. It was stuck.

  “What’s wrong?” one of the kids in the sleigh called up to Tom.

  “We’ve hit a little snow bank, folks,” Tom told the passengers. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “What do you mean nothing to worry about?” a girl said. “We’re stuck out here in the cold, and we can’t get out.”

  “I’m freezing,” another girl said. She sounded like she was going to cry. “And it’s getting awfully dark.”

  Tom flicked the reindeer reigns. “Come on, Randy,” he said. “You and the other reindeer have to give it all you’ve got.”

  And that’s what Katie did. She took a deep breath, and tried to pull the sleigh. The other reindeer pulled as hard as they could, too. Still, the sled didn’t move an inch.

  “We’re really stuck,” one of the kids said nervously.

  Katie could sense that Tom was nervous now, too. It was getting colder and darker by the second. The children in the sleigh were upset. One sounded as though he was going to start crying.

  Not that Katie blamed him. She would have cried too—if she could. But reindeer didn’t cry. And Katie was a reindeer. A big, scared reindeer. A big, scared, STUCK reindeer.

  Suddenly, Katie sensed something coming toward them. Was it the wolf again? No! The sound was different.

  A moment later, a snowmobile appeared along the path. It stopped a few feet from the sleigh. A man got off and walked over toward the sleigh.

  As the man came closer, Katie’s hairy lips broke into a big smile. She knew that man. It was Mr. Frost. He’d driven the snow mobile out here to find the sleigh.

  Hooray! They were saved.

  “You’ve been gone so long, I figured I better come looking for you,” Mr. Frost said as he walked over to the sleigh. “How did you wind up on this path, Tom?”

  “I don’t know,” Tom admitted. “Randy just took off all of a sudden. He must have been spooked by something.”

  Katie tried to nod her head. She wanted Tom to know he was right.

  “That’s never happened before,” Mr. Frost told the passengers in the sleigh. “These reindeer have been here most of their lives. They know how safe it is here. The whole park is fenced in. Nothing can get in here to hurt them.”

  Katie frowned. She hadn’t known that. She thought everyone might have been attacked by a wolf. She’d gotten everyone stuck in a snow bank for no reason at all. And now Tom could be in trouble. After all, he was responsible for controlling the reindeer and keeping the passengers safe and on the right path.

  “I honestly don’t know what happened, Mr. Frost,” Tom said, shaking his head. “One minute everything was fine, and the next minute Randy was taking us on a wild ride.”

  “Well, I’m just glad you’re all safe,” Mr. Frost said.

  “Let’s get you back where you belong,” Mr. Frost said to the passengers. “Let me help you out of the sleigh. That will make it much lighter. Then Randy and the other reindeer will be able to pull it out of the bank.”

  One by one the passengers got out of the sleigh. Then Tom flicked the reigns. Once again, Katie and the other reindeer tugged at the sleigh. And this time, it moved!

  “The sleigh’s out of the snow bank,” Tom called to Mr. Frost.

  “Okay!” Mr. Frost replied happily. “Now let’s load these kids into the sleigh and take them back to the gingerbread cottage. I think they’re ready for some hot chocolate!”

  “We sure are,” one of the girls agreed.

  “Keep the sleigh on the main path all the way back,” Mr. Frost said to Tom.

  “I’ll try,” Tom assured him.

  So will I, Katie thought to herself. I’m not getting stuck again!

  Chapter 19

  A little while later, the children were returned to their parents. The reindeer were unhitched from the sleigh and back in the barn. Everybody was where they were supposed to be.

  Except Katie, of course. She was still Randy. And that wasn’t the way things were supposed to
be at all.

  “Here you go, Randy,” Mr. Frost said. “Have some nice mushrooms.”

  Katie happily nibbled the food from Mr. Frost’s hand. She was glad reindeer were vegetarians, just like she was.

  “What a night,” Mr. Frost told Tom. “It’s our busiest one yet.”

  “It was definitely not the best time for Randy to go on a joy ride,” Tom agreed.

  “When Christmas is over, I’m going on a long vacation,” Mr. Frost said. “It’s been so busy here, I haven’t even gotten to decorate my own house. I’ll bet my place is the only one in Cherrydale without lights or decorations.”

  “Now, that’s a shame,” Tom said.

  Mr. Frost sighed. “Well, come on,” he said. “We have more customers waiting for sleigh rides. At least I think we do. I hope the parents of those kids didn’t scare people off by telling them what Randy did.”

  Katie frowned. She hadn’t meant to cause Mr. Frost trouble. She was just running from a wolf.

  “Having a runaway reindeer is bad for business,” Mr. Frost continued. “I think Randy should stay here in the barn at least for tonight. Give him time to settle down.”

  Oh no! Katie thought. Poor Randy. He was getting the blame for something that had been Katie’s fault.

  “The other reindeer seem okay to go for another run,” Tom told him. “I’ll hitch them back up. We’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  With that, Tom and Mr. Frost left the barn. Now Katie was all by herself, chomping on the mushrooms Mr. Frost had left for her.

  But Katie wasn’t particularly hungry anymore. She felt bad for Mr. Frost. And she was also worried. It was dark out. Nick must be really upset that Katie was still missing.

  Katie had sure caused enough trouble for one night.

  Just then, Katie felt a cold breeze blowing on the back of her long, thick reindeer neck. She looked around the barn. The windows weren’t open and the doors were shut tight. So where was that draft coming from?

  It didn’t take Katie long to figure that one out. Suddenly that cold breeze became a wild, blustery, icy wind. It was a wind that didn’t have to come through doors or windows. This was the magic wind!