Read How Santa Changed Page 1

 How Santa

  Changed

  Written by: Karl Steam

  Illustrated by: Maksym Stasiuk

 

  Twas quite long ago,

  when not even a mouse,

  would dare eat the cookies

  made in Santa’s house.

 

 

  To my mother, the best cookie baker I know.

  Text and Illustrations © 2016 Karl Steam

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

  transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

  including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage

  and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN: 978-163578-002-4

  Printed and bound in the United States

  First Edition

  Current contact information for Karl Steam can be found at www.karlsteam.com

 

 

  Back then, Santa alone

  made all of the toys

  That he would give out

  to the good girls and boys.

 

 

  He’d pack up his gift bag,

  until it was full

  making his sleigh

  too heavy to pull.

 

  So each Christmas Eve

  he’d dress up and go out.

  He’d walk through the meadow

  and let out a shout,

  “Come forth the one creature

  who has the most might,

  to help me deliver

  my presents tonight.”

 

 

 

  Slowly the largest of beasts would appear,

  each wanting to be Santa’s moose for the year.

  They’d push and they’d shove to show off their might,

  then Santa would say, “That’s enough! Do not fight.”

 

  Onto one he would hang a big silver bell.

  “You are now my Christmas Moose,” he would yell.

  Then after the moose was tied tight to his sleigh,

 

  they would race through the sky,

  up, up, and away.

 

  So this is the way every year Santa flew,

 

  until cities all over built higher and grew.

 

  With many more children

  all over the place,

  making their toys

  was a nonending race.

  He would hurry all day.

  He would worry at night.

 

  And Mrs. Claus noticed

  his beard turning white.

 

 

 

  “You work too hard, dear, you need to slow down.”

  “I haven’t the time,” he would say with a frown.

  “But you look so gloomy as you rush about,

  perhaps you should find someone else to help you out.”

  “Nonsense, I am Santa. I work by myself.

  Everyone knows I’m the most magical elf.

  The gifts I deliver are presents from me.

  If I cannot do it, no gifts will there be.”

 

  Santa went back to work and labored each day.

  He packed more and more toys up onto his sleigh.

  But when that year’s Christmas Moose pulled the ropes tight,

  the sleigh did not budge despite all of its might.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  So Santa tied one more moose up to his sleigh.

  The two carried him off, up, up, and away.

  But the thing about moose is that they like to fight.

  One wanted to go left. The other went right.

 

 

  As they continued to heave back and forth,

  the sleigh was pulled farther and farther up north.

  That’s when Santa first saw herds of reindeer,

  and he shouted, “Please stop! Just land me right here.

 

 

 

 

 

  You two are sure mighty but don’t get along.

  Just look at those creatures. Together they’re strong.”

 

 

 

  It’s said that the rest of that Christmas Eve night

  some people reported a very strange sight.

 

 

 

  And when Santa went home, he said, “Honey dear,

  you were right. I will make a few changes next year.

  Even I, Santa, the most magical elf,

  cannot prepare for Christmas all by myself.”

 

 

 

  Then she and some helpers hopped into the sleigh,

  and the elves left the forest on that Christmas Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Much closer to reindeer is where they would move,

  And toy production soon began to improve.

  Mrs. Claus also saw that it was clear:

  Her husband now walked with more jolly and cheer.

 

 

 

  But the best part of all,

  Mrs. Claus finally,