As bedtime neared, I asked a very important question: “What should we leave out for Santa?” 🎅🏽

“Cookies and milk, of course!” said my little brother. 🍪

“Hmm, what if Santa gets tired of cookies?” I wondered. “Maybe Santa likes something else, like… wine!” 🍷

“Wine?!” my mom laughed. “Well, Santa works very hard. Maybe a little sip wouldn’t hurt!”

I was all giddy, thinking about the things I had wished ✨ for, as we laid out the cookies and milk on one plate, and a small glass of wine next to it. After all, Santa deserved some options!

Outside, there was no snow, ❄️but I didn’t mind. The coziness inside our house 🏠 was unmatched. The gas fireplace 🔥 flickered happily, casting a golden glow over the room. The family sat together, laughing and sharing stories, before dad whispered “it’s time to go to bed.”

The next morning, we raced to the living room. The cookies were gone, the milk glass was empty, and—wait!—the wine glass had just a tiny bit left. “Santa must have liked both!” I exclaimed.

The day after Christmas was just as magical. We packed up ➡️and headed to NYC to visit my big sister. The city was dazzling, with bright lights 🌟 and the giant tree at Rockefeller Center. 🎄My sister was waiting for us, surrounded by her friends who all seemed to sparkle like stars.

“I have something for you!” I said, handing her a special gift 🎁. Her smile lit up like the Rockefeller tree, and that smile, to me, felt like the best present in the world.

😨🥳🐩🐕🐈🍪🍪🍪🤢🤮

Uber Eats driver arrives at the house and sees the giant Christmas tree and tons of gift boxes under the tree. The driver offers to help Santa with his responsibility this year.

Santa loves that idea and gives out a five-star review. Happy December everyone 🤣

Once upon a time on the evening of December 10^th, Santa 🎅 was sitting at home thinking about the big day that was coming in two weeks. He was checking his list and studying his map. He wanted to make sure that he would bypass Mar-a-Lago.  He was enjoying a snack of grape juice 🍷 and cookies 🍪. The grape juice was sugar-free, and the cookies were of the low carb variety. That didn’t taste as good as the real stuff, but he was watching his weight. Anyway, he’d be eating lots of the real stuff when he visited the homes of the good little boys and girls. He hoped they’d remember to leave something out for Donner, Blitzen and the rest of the team.

He was also watching the Weather Channel long-range forecast to see where the skies would be starlit ✨ and where snow ❄️ would be falling on homes 🏠. He called out to Mrs. Claus to make sure that his suit had been Scotchgarded and fireproofed because some of those chimneys would be full of soot and fires 🔥 might still be smoldering in some of the fireplaces as he descended.

On his map, he included an arrow pointing East ➡️ in the direction of the glowing star 🌟 that led the Magi to the reason for the season. He didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that he was only in this business because of Him.

It was now getting late, and as he put on his Night Cap and PJs, he checked the tree 🎄 to make sure the bulbs were all lit and his present for Mrs. Claus 🎁 was hidden in the back out of sight.  As he climbed into bed for his long winter’s nap, he wished Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Upon arrival he hoped for cookies and a glass of Cabernet.

The stars were sparkling and there were snowflakes galore,

when he approached the house he opened the door.

A fire was burning, and warmth filled the air.

Then he looked to the right and saw something over there.

A star on the floor, how can that be,

isn’t supposed to be atop the Christmas Tree.

To the top of the tree, the star he uplifts, for now it is time to leave all the gifts.

But as the night grew darker, his guilt grew deeper, plus he had already bought all the gifts and return date had passed, so he came up with a star idea, of going down the chimney instead and keeping the gifts quietly under the Christmas tree. This way he would successfully avoid the small talk and still retain his good name.

And ever since that day! this has been his go-to style of delivering gifts!

-Connor Sargent

Eric Ma

It was time to put the toys together and pretty soon we were surrounded by tools, and batteries and eventually had wine in hand and started feeling very festive!

Somewhere between putting toys together and realizing "assembly required" is code for "you're going to fight with this for hours", we noticed it was snowing outside. So, naturally, we cranked up the fireplace like we were prepping for the Polar Express. By the time the tree's star was straight (or close enough), we decided the toys could build themselves and called it a night.

The next morning, the kids raced downstairs to their Christmas tree and tore into the presents like mini tornadoes. Meanwhile, we sat there sipping coffee and trying to remember how Santa manages this every year without passing out on someone's couch.

Lesson learned: Santa's job is no joke, and neither is the wine.

Cheers!

He thought “Pilates paid off,” while de-sooting his beard.

His nose danced about, smelling cookies so sweet,

But what he really was craving was a pinot noir treat.

The snowflakes all shimmered as stars kept their shine

While Santa was able to locate some wine!

He noticed the tree, so bare and so meek,

“Oh no!” he cried, “Not this weak!”

A small fire warmed the cottage and filled it with cheer,

While Santa wobbled over to his sleigh full of gear.

The Christmas tree was naked, with no star on top,

“Not anymore!” Santa declared with a POP!

With a wave of his hand and a jolly Ho Ho!,

Gifts filled the floor and the tree down below.

With wine in one hand and a grin on his face,

Santa just made this a fantastical place.

The mom came down upset since her wine was all gone,
The Mart doesn't open until the crack of dawn!
But her heart warmed with the joy of the tree,
Decorated with love and holiday glee.

Santa knew just what to do,
He whisked her off to the 24-hour mart so true.
There she found her wine, just in time,
To toast to the season, and all things sublime.

Santa was tired of his usual routine, so he decided to reinvent Christmas. Instead of delivering toys, he announced the first-ever "Holiday Cookie Battle Royale."

The contest attracted bakers from around the world, but things took a wild turn when the competitors realized the grand prize was a magical fireplace that could bake cookies instantly. Naturally, chaos ensued.

One contestant, an eccentric billionaire with a mansion made entirely of marshmallows, tried to sabotage the competition by heating the fireplace to dangerous levels. Flames shot out, and the crowd fled in a flurry of holiday panic.

Amid the chaos, Santa decided to save the day. Using a makeshift sled crafted from cookie sheets, he slid into the fireplace at full speed, cooling it down with a snowball he kept for emergencies. The crowd cheered, declaring Santa the ultimate champion.

From that year on, Christmas wasn’t about gifts—it was about wild, slightly dangerous cookie competitions. Santa had never been happier.