Jennifer Joy Saves Christmas

Halls that always rang with shouts of laughter and cheerfully sung, off-key Christmas carols were hushed and solemn. Normally, the sounds of pattering feet and high-pitched giggles were almost deafening, as elves raced from one end of the cavernous toy factory to the other. But today, jingle-belled slippers were muffled and tiny feet tiptoed. Out in the stables, reindeer munched morosely on their annual Christmas Eve treat of gingerbread-spiced hay and wondered if they would be flying tonight as scheduled, or if for the first time ever, Christmas would be canceled.

"What's going on?" little Jennifer Joy asked her friend, Bartholemew. She kept her voice very low, so she wouldn't attract any attention.

Bartholomew looked at her sadly. "You haven't heard? Santa Claus has the flu. And if that's not bad enough, his crew caught it, too. Everyone's saying that the Big Flight might have to be called off this year."

Jennifer Joy gasped in dismay, causing heads to turn toward them. She quickly began tapping her little hammer again, pretending to work on the doll-sized bed in front of her, but her mind raced.

This was impossible - Santa hadn't been sick in 600 years! And the last time, it was just a little cold that he'd recovered from with plenty of time to make his annual Christmas deliveries. Even if he hadn't, his highly-trained crew - the Aviator Elves - could have gotten along without him if they'd had to. But with all of them sick... this was a disaster!

As far as she knew, there wasn't a plan in place for this kind of situation, because it wasn't necessary. Santa never missed Christmas, and neither did his backup elves! But if they were all out of commission, it seemed like the worst would actually happen.

Unless...

She watched the clock anxiously as the hands crept slowly toward 3:00 and the elves' next hot chocolate break. As soon as the clock began chiming a cheerful "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," she jumped from her seat and dashed out the door before anyone else even had a chance to put their tools down. Bartholemew stared after her in surprise.

Jennifer Joy flew out the front doors of the workshop, letting them slam behind her. She kicked up clouds of powdery snow as she raced across Yuletide Square toward the Claus's cozy cottage at the other side of Christmastown.

When she reached Santa's cottage, she darted around to the back and knocked at the kitchen door. A very flushed and unhappy-looking Mrs. Claus answered. Her twinkly blue eyes looked tired and a few white curls had escaped from her cap. But her smile, when she saw Jennifer Joy, was bright and sincere.

"Little Jenny, come on in!" Mrs. Claus grasped Jennifer's hand in her warm, flour-dusted one and tugged her into the kitchen, shutting the cold out behind them. The air smelled deliciously of Christmas sugar cookies, and Jennifer's tummy growled.

"Where's your coat, dear? You're going to get sick..." Abruptly, Mrs. Claus's welcoming smile faded and she looked glum again.

"Mrs. Claus," Jennifer Joy gasped, still out of breath from her mad dash. "I know how to save Christmas!"

Mrs. Claus just shook her head, her face sad. "I'm afraid it's all but official. Santa and his crew will be unable to make the trip this year. I had put off the announcement, hoping...."

Being the youngest member of the Elfin Guild, Jennifer Joy knew it would take some tricky convincing for anyone to take her plan seriously. She reached into the green velvet pouch that she always carried at her waist and took out her most prized possession. Reverently, she set it on the kitchen table.

It was a pair of old aviator goggles. They were uninspiring, their leather limp and cracked and their bottle-green lenses round and old-fashioned looking. Mrs. Claus studied them with a puzzled expression.

"Do you remember my Grandmother Sophie, Mrs. Claus?"

Mrs. Claus looked befuddled at the question. "No, dear, I'm afraid I can't place her."

"I think you might have known her by her nickname. They called her Skyrocket Sophie."

***

The clock was steadily ticking towards 4:00 as Jennifer Joy listened to the Leader's Council bicker amongst themselves. Most of the older elves that had retired from the factory remembered her famous grandmother well, but few were willing to give Jennifer Joy the chance to follow in her footsteps.

She wished that Mrs. Claus could have addressed the council with her, but she'd called the meeting to order and then hurried off on an urgent errand. Plucking up her courage, she tried to explain again why her plan would work.

"My grandmother was the greatest Aviator Elf who ever lived," Jennifer Joy said firmly. "She died before I was born, but I have all of her journals and the books she wrote and have studied them cover to cover since I was old enough to read. I've memorized them. Give me a chance!"

"Young lady," said one kindly old elf, "Flying a sleigh takes years of practice. And you're so young and small... we're afraid you might be injured. Even if we let you go, who would fly as your crew?"

Before she could answer, the door to the council room opened and two figures dressed in old-fashioned brown wool flight suits (the newer ones were sparkly red with silver trim) walked in, the shorter one carrying a small bundle. Jennifer Joy couldn't immediately tell who they were, since both were wearing round, bottle-green flight goggles and leather caps with earflaps.

She laughed out loud when the shorter one pushed his goggles up to reveal Bartholemew's excited face.

The taller person tucked a stray white curl under her cap. "Well, for Pete's sake. Are we waiting 'till midnight to hitch up the reindeer?" she asked in exasperation.

Bartholomew ran to where Jennifer Joy stood and handed her the bundle. It was Skyrocket Sophie's flight suit.

***

With the appearance of her "crew," things began to move so quickly that it seemed only seconds before Jennifer Joy was in the gleaming green and chrome sleigh, presents piled in gigantic bags behind her, and Mrs. Claus and Bartholemew seated on either side. Her hands trembled inside her gloves, which fit her perfectly, along with the rest of her flight suit. Grandma Sophie had been an exceptionally tiny elf, too.

Lined up on either side of the runway were the members of the Leader's Council, her parents, her co-workers from the workshop, and the rest of the elves of Christmastown. Standing far away from the crowd and bundled up warmly with down quilts and woolen scarves were Santa and his crew, who refused to stay in their sickbeds and insisted on coming to show their support. Everyone was silent, waiting for the countdown and Jennifer Joy shivered nervously. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what she'd read in her grandma's books and journals about takeoff. All she could see in her mind was a blank page.

In a booming voice, the Sleigh Traffic Controller began. "10, 9, 8...."

Mrs. Claus put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Bartholomew laughed happily and shouted, "Don't worry, Jenny! Just think of what Skyrocket Sophie would do, and we'll be fine!"

Jennifer Joy opened her eyes, straightened her shoulders and gripped the reins tighter. You are Skyrocket Sophie's granddaughter, she reminded herself. Flying is what you were meant to do.

"3, 2, 1, TAKEOFF," the controller roared, as he leapt from the runway with his red and green checkered flags.

Jennifer Joy grinned and gave a piercing whistle to the reindeer before her. As they began to streak forward, the crowd on either side cheered wildly and Mrs. Claus gave an enthusiastic whoop. Seconds later, they were in the sky, headed toward a magical night that would live on in the Christmastown history books forever.