The Christmas Watchlist

It was Christmas morning in the Melberry household. The sun had not yet risen, but Elsie and Oscar were already wide awake with excited anticipation. Elsie had run into her little brothers’ room to check he was also awake. He greeted her with the warmest smile. They had such a close bond, the two of them were always together. But as siblings do, they often fought; Oscar was very young and still learning the concept of sharing, it didn’t come naturally to him. But this was Christmas, and they played happily and waited patiently, but children can wait only so long on Christmas morning. They waited until 6 am and then burst into their parent’s bedroom to wake them, they could barely hold their excitement any longer. It was time to see the tree and open their presents!

Together they entered what was usually their living room but now transformed into a magical world of twinkling lights and Christmas spirit. Unexpectantly their faces changed quickly from excitement to confusion. There were fewer presents under the tree than usual, had they done something wrong? They thought. They looked up at Mum and Dad for reassurance, but even they looked confused. Mum and Dad shared a puzzled look but continued as if all was well (as parents often do), “go on children, open your presents”, said Mum reassuringly. That’s all the encouragement they needed as Elsie and Oscar were still wrapped up in the Christmas spirit and eager to enjoy the festivities. They hurried over to investigate.

Much to Elsie’s delight, there were plenty of presents for her to open. As she began opening presents, her little brother Oscar was still searching for his first one. Just as his smile was starting to fade, he found two small boxes with his name on, which he opened hurriedly. Toy cars! Oscar liked cars, they were only small, but he turned and showed them proudly to his father. His Dad had spotted them on his way home from work one evening and couldn’t resist buying them. He knew Oscar would love them. But his Dad began to wonder where the rest of his presents might be. “Keep looking, Oscar. I’m sure there’s more for you somewhere”. Elsie had stopped opening her gifts to help her brother search for his. “Oscar, I’ve found one!” she announced happily. “Here you go, Oscar”, she handed it to him with a warm smile. Oscar smiled in reply and opened it with newfound excitement, but he burst into tears. “Oh no, what’s wrong, sweety?” asked Mum. Elsie took the box from her brother and looked inside “it’s a lump of coal, mummy”. Mum and Dad both gasped and then hugged him whilst quietly quizzing each other over how this might have happened.

Elsie, being the loving older sister swooped in to save the day without a moment thought for herself. She handed Oscar some of her presents and said, “here, Oscar, you can share mine”. “There’s too many for me. I’m sure some of them are yours anyway”. Oscar looked up at his big sister, smiled, and hugged her. He wiped away his tears and joined his sister, opening presents.

By the time they’d opened them all, Oscar was feeling better. He’d forgotten about the coal and had regained his smile. The two of them played happily with their new toys. Oscar had now learned the benefit of sharing. Feeling incredibly proud of their daughter, their parents left the room to fix some breakfast for them all. A little while later, Elsie heard a jingling sound coming from the Christmas tree, she turned to look, and a star-shaped ornament sparkled brightly, catching her eye. Elsie walked over to the tree and held the star in her hand; she looked closely and saw the words “make a wish” appear, so she did. Their parents returned with their breakfast and surprised them both with some gingerbread as an extra treat. It was Christmas, after all.

Later that year, away in the North Pole, Santa began making his list in preparation for the new Christmas season approaching. Once he’d finished, something unusual happened. Over in the Melberry household, Elsie and Oscar were playing together when they heard the sound of jingle bells. “What’s that?” said Elsie. She ran to the living room and looked around for the Christmas tree, but it wasn’t there; it was not yet winter. Oscar followed after her, and the bells jingled once more. It was coming from the fireplace. They both looked in awe as the fire came to life, it was only a tiny flame, but it was red and green in colour. The small flames swirled in motion and then puffed into a cloud of smoke from which a letter appeared. The fire disappeared, and the letter floated softly into Elsie’s hands. She gasped, eyes wide and turned to Oscar, whose expression matched her own. He then smiled and asked, “what does it say, Elsie?”. Elsie opened the letter, “The Christmas Watchlist”, it read. “What does it mean, Elsie?”. “It’s Santa’s naughty list, Oscar”, she said with amazement. “Oh,” he replied softly. Oscar’s head dropped slightly, “am I on it, Elsie?” he asked expectantly. Elsie quickly read through the list and then checked it twice. “Oscar, you’re not on the naughty list!” she said with genuine joy.

Ever since Christmas, Oscar had worked hard to learn how to share. He was determined not to make the naughty list again. Elsie was proud of her little brother and all the progress he’d made, but ever since that day, she had vowed to make sure no child would endure the same. The Christmas Watchlist is the preliminary naughty list. Santa uses his time between now and Christmas to check the children are on the right list. Elsie used her Christmas wish to ask for the naughty list to ensure her brother wasn’t on it again. Looking at the list once more, Elsie notices a familiar name, Harry Henley. Harry was an old classmate of Elsie, but he’d moved to a new town at the start of the year. Elsie was shocked to see her friend was on the naughty list; he was too nice, she thought, he must need her help. Later she asked her parents to take her to visit. Though, she never mentioned the watchlist to her parents. It was a secret.

A few weeks after leaving the North Pole to check on the children on the naughty list, Santa noticed something strange. One of the pages was glowing. He turned it over to find one of the names crossed out. That was odd, he thought, I haven’t visited Harry Henley yet. How could this be? He thought to himself. It had never happened before. So, he decided to return to the North Pole and visit his old friend Atticus for counsel. Atticus was one of Santa’s oldest friends and the head elf for all things magical. He was very wise and knew all there was to know about Christmas magic. “Atticus, my dear friend, could you help me?”. Atticus, delighted to see Santa, welcomed him into his home with open arms. “Hot Chocolate Santa?”. After all, it was always wintering in the North Pole. “Oh yes, please, Atticus, I’d love one, thank you”.

Santa explained what had happened, and after a couple of delicious swigs of hot chocolate, he looked at his friend and asked, “so what do you think any ideas?”. Atticus considered the question for a moment “hmm, you know, it might just be…” and began walking out of the room mid-sentence, “let me check the wish tree”. “The wish tree?” Santa asked. He followed Atticus through to his old study full of books, letters and small bottles of colourful potions. But there, in the corner of the room, was a beautiful Christmas tree shimmering with gold. “It was the first-ever Christmas tree, you know?” He remarked. “I know,” said Santa, “I was there, remember?” He said with a wry smile. Atticus smiled back “of course, how silly of me, Santa!” He was a wise old elf but somewhat forgetful at times. All part of his endearing charm, all the elves loved him. “I knew it!” Atticus exclaimed. Santa looked over to where Atticus was reaching; one of the golden ornaments was glowing. He plucked the star from the tree and hurried over to his desk to pick up his sunglasses which might have seemed odd to most people, but not Santa. He knows what usually follows is something magical.

Atticus gave the star a gentle rub, and it began to sparkle ever so brightly. Santa covered his eyes “so, you only have the one pair then!” he quipped. “My apologies Santa...” but before he could finish his sentence, the sound of jingle bells rung out around them. Red and Green smoke swirled in the centre of the room until an image appeared as if floating. It was the scene from Christmas morning; Elsie was making her wish. “But of course! It could only be a Christmas wish!” Atticus said. “What a wonderful girl she must be. Very few are able to summon magic. Only the very best”, he said with a cheeky grin.

Santa thought back to his list, “but this still doesn’t explain the list”. “I have an idea,” said Atticus as he took off his sunglasses and swapped them for his reading glasses, “Let me see the list”. Santa handed Atticus the list and continued to watch in awe as his old friend began using his magic once more. He set the list aside for a moment, picked up two small potion bottles, and started mixing. With a small explosion of glitter, “It’s ready!” he declared. He then sprinkled a cloud of golden dust-like powder over Harry’s name, and sure enough, the red and green smoke began to swirl. This time it was both Elsie & Oscar who appeared, and they were talking to Harry. Sounding concerned for her friend, “Harry, you can’t be mean to your sister or Santa won’t bring you any presents”, said Elsie. “But Santa always brings presents”, he replied defensively. “That’s not true!” Oscar screeched, his voice breaking with emotion. “Last Christmas, Santa brought me coal because I didn’t share”, he sobbed. “Oh no!” exclaimed Harry, “Ok, Elsie and Oscar, I will be nice to my sister, I promise!”. Harry ran off towards his sister with eagerness. “Well done, Oscar,” said Elsie with a loving smile. Atticus looked up at Santa and laughed; Santa was wearing his sunglasses. “Well”, said Atticus “, it seems young Elsie and Oscar are helping the other children to be nice”. “So he’s no longer naughty,” Santa replied with sudden clarity.

Santa took a moment to consider what he’d just seen. He decided that a good deed such as this needed to be encouraged. He thanked his friend and left to visit two younger elves in the village, Alma & Abel. He thought of them because they were also siblings and occasionally squabbled as siblings do, but they were just as close as Elsie and Oscar, so they were perfect for the job. Santa asked the young elves to take Dancer & Prancer (the reindeer) and the small sleigh to visit Elsie and Oscar. “You have until Christmas Eve to complete the list. Are you up for the challenge?” he asked. “Challenge accepted, Santa”, they replied with an excited giggle. Santa knew it would be last minute, but he’d have just enough time to check the list once more (because he always checks it twice) and prepare the sleigh for Christmas.

By now, the autumn was in full swing, and winter was fast approaching. Soon enough, it would be Christmas, and there was a lot of work to be done. Alma & Abel left the North Pole to visit their new friends Elsie & Oscar, who were over the moon to meet Santa’s elves and his reindeer. They couldn’t believe their eyes!

Once a week until Christmas Eve, the newly appointed ‘team watchlist’ would fly all over the world visiting naughty children. You’d be surprised how many children were on the naughty list, but Elsie, Oscar and the elves made a great team and quickly started crossing names off the list. With the help of Dancer & Prancer, they were able to fly from one country to the next without a hitch and with a bit of extra help from Christmas magic, they could do so unseen. Elsie and Oscar helped many children, and Alma & Abel always ensured they had plenty of gingerbread and hot chocolate for their journey. They also made sure they were home safe and well before their parents noticed they were gone. It was hard for Elsie and Oscar not to tell their parents what they had been doing, but they wouldn’t believe them if they did.

Finally, it was Christmas Eve. Elsie & Oscar were back home playing happily after helping to spread the Christmas spirit. Santa and his elves were rushing around getting the extra presents ready; Elsie & Oscar had helped many children get on the good list.

Later that night, as they were sleeping with smiles on their faces, Elsie & Oscar woke to the sound of footsteps on the roof and the familiar sound of jingle bells. Alma & Abel appeared from the fireplace and invited the children up for a surprise. “Santa!!!” they both screamed in unison. “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas, Children!” he bellowed. Santa had come to greet his little helpers. He wanted to thank them for all the incredible work they had done helping all those boys and girls be nice. He introduced them to the remaining reindeer and invited them onto his sleigh. “Would the two of you like to help me deliver some very special gifts for Christmas?”. “Yes, please”, they both said excitedly. “Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen. On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donner and Blitzen”. And with a crack of his whip, they were off into the night sky.

The first house they arrived at looked familiar. Santa handed the gifts to the children “ready?”, “ready, Santa”, they replied. He touched his nose and gave a wink. The fireplace opened up, and out they popped in a puff of smoke. They were inside the house, “wow” they both said, “quickly children, put the gifts under the tree; we don’t want to wake them”. Elsie paused as she placed the gift under the tree; the Christmas tag had caught her eye “My Dear Harry”, it read. “This is Harry’s house”, she gasped. Santa chuckled “but of course, Elsie, I saved all the children you helped until last. I thought you’d like to make sure they get their presents”. “Oh, Santa”, she cried and ran over to give him the biggest hug. Oscar joined “we love you, Santa,” he said.

Santa did just as he promised and took the children to the house of every child they’d helped to deliver their gifts. He even shared the milk and mince pies with them, which they gladly received. Once they had delivered the presents, Santa took the two of them home to get some sleep in time for Christmas morning. He thanked them for all they had done to inspire him and the many children around the world. “You’re very special, you know Elsie, you too, Oscar”. He handed them each a gift and said, “if you ever need me, just give it a little ring”, he winked, said good night and returned to his sleigh. They each opened their gift to find a small jingle bell. They smiled, hugged each other and said good night.

Santa hopped in his sleigh and took off into the night sky. Before he was out of sight, he sang out with glee, “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”