How the Christmas Star ended up on Rudolph’s sniffly nose

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through Santa Claus’ house and shop, not a creature was sleeping—everybody was working straight through the night! They were making toys and more toys for all of the girls and boys who had sent letters and tweets all the way to the North Pole, for Santa to send them something really special on Christmas Eve!

They worked all through the night into the next dawning day, but Santa’s many helpers didn’t mind. They all shared his eagerness to make Christmas truly joyous and dazzling and fun!

Finally, the last gleaming and beautiful toy had been polished and painted to excite every child’s heart, and it was time for Santa to hitch up his reindeer to his giant Christmas sleigh to do the “impossible”—to visit hundreds and thousands of houses in just one night, to leave much-hoped-for presents to make so many children happy!

This Christmas, however, Santa was not so sure he could do it. When he checked on his reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen were eager to get going—but not Rudolph!

He was the most important participant in the gift-giving journey, because of his shining, cherry nose. It served as a bright light, a beacon whereby Santa and his reindeer could navigate through the firmament, down to the sleeping planet beneath!

Tonight, however, Rudolph had a really bad cold, the very worst in all of the many, many years he’d been working for Santa—and he kept sneezing and snorting throughout the night!

But, what could Santa do? Rudolph was the only one of his reindeer who had “that” special nose and its “kid-finding” magnet! For his part, Rudolph promised to do his utmost to not disappoint the children.

—Alas, after only a few minutes, Rudolph let out a really loud sneeze that hit him so hard that his eyes got crossed! The sleigh started whirling in erratic circles—until Santa realized that they were completely lost!

Tonight could be the first time that he would be unable to deliver the children’s gifts! “Santa, boss, I’m so sorry,” Rudolph tearfully apologized. “I did my very best!”

“No, no, Rudolph!” Santa hastened to assure his old friend and guide, “it isn’t your fault! Nobody should blame you, least of all yourself! —But, all those waiting and hoping children—what else could we possibly do for them?”

Rudolph thought hard and long—and, slowly but surely, his big nose started to itch and twitch again.

“Oh, no,” he thought, absolutely terrified. “Not another really big sneeze!” That could throw them even farther off-course! “Oh, no!”

—But, it wasn’t a big sneeze that was building up at the very tip of his itching and twitching nose—it was an idea!

Yes, there was something else they could do to come up with a “replacement” beacon now that his nose wasn’t working! —He looked all around him—and finally found it: Off to one side, catching a few winks but still glowing brightly was—the Christmas Star!

—Yes, the very same famous and beloved heavenly body and sign from God that had lit the sky on that holiest of all nights more than 2,000 years ago when the baby Jesus was born!

“Ah, excuse me, o great Christmas Star,” Rudolph whispered, hoping to catch the Star in a good mood. “Excuse me?”

The Star stirred from its sleep, dreamily smiling—a good sign! “Yes? Oh, Rudolph, it’s you,” Star smiled, yawning. “What’s up, bro?”

Well, Rudolph told the Star everything—and Star agreed to help right away for the sake of the world’s children. —And the firmament was lit once again as it had most beautifully and miraculously been—oh, so long ago!

Santa on his big sleigh filled with gifts found the exactly right way down to earth to deliver them in time for midnight—with the Christmas Star happily and brightly leading the way—prettily perched and shining radiantly on Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’s sniffly nose!