The After Christmas, Chrsitmas Story. I Might Be Fiction

Two policemen were discussing what they had to do about a place that still had up Christmas light up and running two months after Christmas.

"That house over on Lake Drive is breaking the ordinance about Christmas decoration not being up after February 25th. Sgt Samuels , What do you want to do? Maybe we can just put a warning on their door?" Chavez asked..

"The zoning officer already put two pink notices on their door. They're ignoring it."

Samuels started up the squad car. "Guess we need to make a personal call on those folks."

As he backed out of the Police Station parking lot he said to Chavez, "If they like breaking the law, maybe they won't be smiling when we take one of them off to jail.

Chavez grinned. "They can't claim ignorance, cause we know better. Don't we?"

The black and white headed toward Lake Drive with the police officers determined to stop the lawbreakers who didn't get their Christmas decorations down in a timely manner.

Upon their arrival, they walked up on the porch and rang the doorbell. There was a strange sound of bells ringing Silent Night inside the house, then the door finally opened.

"Hello officers! Is something wrong?" Standing in the opening was an ancient man with a long white beard, wearing a bright red suit.

"Yes sir, I'm afraid there is." Samuels waved his hands in the air pointing toward the display of Christmas lights. "You received several citations about these decorations and. you haven't made an effort to take them down yet. Your neighbors are complaining and now, as much as I hate to do it, It's my duty to arrest you for breaking the ordinance."

The oldster looked down contemplating the ground, "Well I guess you got me. You'll have to do your duty officers. I'm ready to go, just give me a second." With that, he reached behind the door, turned the lock on the door and headed toward the squad car. The whole place was still a bright blaze of blinking colored light bulbs.

"Hey, You need to turn the lights off." Chavez shouted. "You can't leave them on while we're taking you off to jail."

"Sorry, Officer, I have no choice. I don't control those lights. My partner does." He stuck his hands out in front of him and added, "You going to cuff me?"

The two officer's just shook their head.
Then Chavez led the old fellow over to the squad car. Samuels decided it was his job to turn off the lighting, so walked over to where the plug was and pulled it out.

Nothing happened.

Samuels frowned. He started walking around the house searching for other outlets, but could find none. He stood there scratching his head, thinking maybe there was some kind of a safety bar with a generator, but he could not figure out why the bulbs still burned brightly.

Chavez, the other officer walked over to him and said, "What's the problem? Can't you find the plug?"

The connection was hanging down on the corner of the house.

"I disconnected it and the darn things just keep burning. I can't figure out how or why."

"Here, let me see if I can help!" Chavez looked at the dangling wires and walked around the perimeter of the house. As he got back to where Samuels was standing, he scratched his head. "You got me, I don't see anyway they could be burning but they are. This is weird."

The two officers returned to the squad car where the man in the red suit sat with a smile on his face.

"OK Santa! I suppose that is who you claim to be," Chavez spoke softly. "Where is the cut off switch."

"Sorry, but the only one that can turn off those lights is Rudolph. He is visiting a sick little boy right now. Until he returns the lights will have to stay on as I've no control over them."

"Are you trying to tell me you are REALLY Santa Claus and Rudolph is your reindeer?" Samuels laughed.

"I won't deny it. It is all true."

About that time up in the sky a reindeer came flying down and landed on the roof top. The lights suddenly blinked off, all by themselves.

Chavez and Samuals stared at the house, then pointed at the roof line......"Well I will be damned. Look at that!"

"I don't believe my eyes," Samuel shouted.

He turned to the man in the red suit. "I guess under the circumstances you can go, but try and get your lights down next year on time so we don't have this same problem. Will you, Please. We don't want the neighbors complaining again, do we? If you will promise to tell your friend to shut those things off, we will let you go."

Santa agreed and answered, "Sorry for the trouble fellows. I'll tell Rudolph to get busy shutting them down. We didn't mean to cause any anyone any concern or problems, we've just had a busy year."

As the two officers headed out to their squad car Chavez shook his head. "Can you believe those two are for real?"

Samuels replied, "Yes I do! But if you tell a soul about what happened, I'll see you get fired. We'd be the laughing stock of the station house and no one would believe us."