It was that time of the year when things were getting hectic at the North Pole. Santa and the elves had been working overtime to make certain that everything would be ready to go on Christmas Eve. After all, children of all ages throughout the world were waiting for Santa to bring them the gifts which they had been wishing for, gifts to make their dreams come true.
“Rufus,” Santa called out. “Are all of the presents ready to load into my bag? Have our helpers down on Earth, the toy manufacturers, gotten their toys and games ready for the kids? And how about the parents? You know, they all have to do their part too! Hey, we only have a few days left!”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Claus,” Rufus replied. “There won’t be any foul-ups this year. The toys are all ready to go!”
“And is my sleigh ready? Are the reindeer in good shape?”
“Don’t worry, Santa,” Rufus reassuringly replied. “The sleigh has been repainted, the runners greased and the harnesses repaired. And the reindeer are just fine. Comet and Cupid are over their colds and the others have even gotten used to Rudolf, who wasn’t even in that poem about us. Even Donder and Blitzen have calmed down. Santa, you must stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine!”
It had been three years since Rufus had been promoted to the position of Chief Elf in Santa’s workshop. Of course, he had been helping out there for many years but only recently had Santa learned of Rufus’ prior experience working closely with Merlin the Magician centuries ago. Some of Rufus’ innovations, obviously learned from that apprenticeship with the ancient wizard, had greatly increased the efficiency of Santa’s operation. For example, it was Rufus who had developed the mathematical formulas which, when put into practice, enabled Santa to defy mere physical laws and be in many different of places at the same time. Rufus had solved the problem of running out of toys with a procedure which in effect, cloned one toy from another, so Santa’s bag was never empty. And of course, he used a lot of old Merlin’s techniques to ease Santa’s trip up and down chimneys throughout the world, without his red outfit ever getting dirty. Finally, it was Rufus who convinced Santa to include intangible things such as peace, love, brotherhood and wellbeing among the gifts he left on Earth for those who deserved them.
It was just a few nights before Christmas when Rufus encountered Santa in a state of real panic.
“Santa, what’s the matter? Why are you holding your waist like that?”
“Can’t you see, you darn fool! I’m holding my pants up! If I let go, they’ll fall down. It happened this morning. My suspenders snapped and I don’t have a belt big enough to fit around me to hold my pants up. Rufus, they keep falling down and if we can’t fix them, how can I go out on Christmas Eve? Rufus, do something to help me! You must!”
“Now, Mr. Claus” the elf answered, holding back a snicker. “I can see how this happened. Come to think of it, I should have seen it coming and done something about it. I’ve watched the way you’ve been eating all of that delicious food Mrs. Claus prepares for you. Pies and cakes, chickens and steaks, soups and puddings, pizzas and knishes, pasta and dumplings and on and on. I’ve seen you put away enough for an army at one sitting and top it off with a banana split and a chocolate bar. What did you expect?”
“Stop your preaching, Rufus! What would your Merlin do? Come on. Think of something so that I don’t disappoint all the children who’ll be waiting for me on Christmas Eve! I can’t go out there with my pants falling down!”
“Santa, I don’t think suspenders will do the job for you any more because of the pear shape you’ve developed! We must to get you a belt big enough to hold up your pants!”
“What do you think I’ve been doing all day? I’ve been looking for one and there just aren’t any made that big.”
Rufus thought for a minute and stroked his chin. He then turned his eyes upward and look toward the stars, fixing them on the constellation Orion the Hunter. In an instant, using a mystic incantation remembered from his days with Merlin, he turned himself into a thunderbolt and flew up into the heavens directly at the strip of stars which formed Orion’s belt. Grasping as many as he could, Rufus flew back to Earth and fashioned a belt from them for Santa. The old man, finding for the first time since his suspenders had snapped that he was able to keep his pants up, was ecstatic.
Star map showing the constellation, Orion the Hunter
A few nights later, Santa was able to travel his appointed rounds delivering gifts to children of all ages throughout the world. As he headed back toward the North Pole, he smiled up at the constellation Orion the Hunter, whose belt, as you can see on any clear evening when you look up in the sky, consists of only three stars, which was all that Rufus left up there.
Circling the Earth, Santa made a promise to go on a diet. He had learned his lesson. Soon, recognizing the welcoming lights of the workshop far below, the reindeer guided the sleigh into a slow descent and the jovial old man once more waved his hand to the world, crying out, “Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night, especially to you, Rufus!”
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