The Sleigh That Became a Boat

In 2030, rising temperatures finished melting the polar ice caps. Santa Claus was displaced, along with the penguins, polar bears, and other species that call the North Pole home. 

Flooding destroyed the workshop and all the toys. Centuries-old traditions were washed away. Santa’s life’s work, bringing toys to children on Christmas Eve, seemed impossible now. But he would not give up so easily. 

He converted his sleigh into a floating workshop. It looked strange but proved seaworthy. The elves still toiled below deck, making Barbies, toy cars, iPads, and robot dogs. 

They toured the open ocean for weeks without a soul in sight, just the occasional breaching whale. Then one day they came upon some scattered objects in the water—floating plastic trash weathered by the salt and sun. Santa watched the brightly colored flotsam and jetsam that gathered in the gyroscopic waves. At the center was a great big island of trash. 

On closer inspection, Santa recognized several of these broken shapes as parts of toys he'd made in his workshop years ago. It was a veritable who’s who of the year’s hottest Christmas gifts dating back to the 1970’s.

Santa stared incredulously at the sight before him. Some even stared back at him with their painted doll eyes. He’d never once realized that his generosity would contribute to something so disgusting and harmful to the planet. The realization made him break down with shame and regret. Tears streamed down his rosy cheeks. He immediately ordered his elves to stop working and to kill the engines. They floated in silence for several days. 

Just as Mrs. Claus and the elves were about to lose hope, Santa tore open the red velvet sack that once held presents and hoisted it up like a sail. They would have to adapt in order to survive. Mrs. Claus became his co-captain and the elves his intrepid crew. They voyaged to find a new purpose. 

Santa came to resemble an old sea pirate. With milk and cookies scarce, he lost quite a bit of weight and braided his long gray beard to keep it from blowing around in the wind. 

Soon, the ship encountered other homemade rafts and boats full of climate refugees. Adults and sometimes children with distended bellies and cracked lips. Santa and his crew welcomed them aboard their sturdy vessel, gave them food and fresh water, and let them sleep in the ship’s cabin. 

The sleigh was magical, much bigger on the inside with seemingly unlimited capacity, not unlike Noah’s Ark. 

News would spread of the humanitarian ship with the red sail, bringing people safely inland. Santa acquired a radio so he could communicate with the authorities. He used his natural charm to find a home for every lost soul, for the ones they managed to save, that is.

The rising sea was rough and unforgiving. Thousands would be lost at sea before they reached the safety of the ship. 

Santa and his crew couldn’t save them all, but many others, inspired by his generous spirit, sailed ships of their own into the dangerous waters with the mission to save as many as possible. 

The remaining landmasses struggled to accommodate the survivors but did their best to rise to the occasion. Governments fell, and communities rose to take their place. The people had experienced too much death and sorrow to squabble over resources. “Build the wall,” the three-word anti-immigrant slogan of a fascist tyrant, was replaced by a new slogan that was popular in every language, and that was “Bring them home.”