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Slide 1: The Last Christmas By Lindsay Hershberger The Christmas of 2011 was unlike any Christmas we had ever had. The North Pole was usually a town with bustling elves preparing the town for the best day of the year. A huge Christmas tree in the middle of town lit up the entire North Pole and you could hear Christmas music from miles and miles away. The week before Christmas was normally the busiest week of the year. However, something was peculiar about this year. No tree was in sight, no Christmas music was heard, and all of the workshops downtown were out of business. Few cars filled the streets and it looked like a complete ghost town.
Slide 2: As the week continued, the elves started getting a funny feeling about everything. Papa elf made sure to keep all of the other elves under control, but even he knew that due to the poor conditions of the North Pole, they may have to relocate.
Slide 3: On December 24, the day before Christmas, Santa made a very important announcement to the citizens of the North Pole. Santa said, “ I am very sad to say that this will be the last Christmas, ever. “ The audience gasped. “How could this be?” one shouted. “No more presents!” another cried. As the elves held back their tears and the reindeer stomped their hooves in disappointment, Santa apologized for the terrible news and made his way back into his house to be comforted by Mrs. Claus. The elves never thought this day would come and they had been dreading this news all week.
Slide 4: That night, the elves worried they were going to be sent to the South Pole to work for Jack Frost. They wanted to work in Santa’s workshop forever making toys for little girls and boys. Even the reindeer barely touched their food and Rudolph’s nose was not as bright. No more Christmas? How could this be?
Slide 5: Santa sat by the fireplace while watching the evening news. His speech was being broadcasted all over the world and he knew the children would be so upset. The North Pole news said that due to high gas prices, Santa could not afford to put gas in his sleigh to travel all over the world. His gas tank cost him over $2,000 dollars to fill up and he could just not afford it anymore. He could not even feed the reindeer. They had been nibbling on grass the past two months, instead of their favorite reindeer food, carrots. Santa’s bank account was running low, just like the rest of the town’s. The news then interviewed the elves of the town. Many elves feared they would lose their job because there was no need for them to make toys. Santa thought of his elves working for Jack Frost in the South Pole and shook his head.
Slide 6: Late that night Santa was getting ready to make his last trip around the world to deliver presents. He walked into a very quiet workshop and the elves dropped their heads and continued making toys. He knew they were sad because it was their last day working and even though it was Christmas day and there were toys to be delivered, the Christmas spirit was missing. Papa elf helped Santa pack his sleigh and Mrs. Claus gathered up the reindeer. Rudolph was crying. He did not want this to be the last Christmas.
Slide 7: Santa waved goodbye to the sad elves as he disappeared into the night sky. Santa was making his last trip delivering presents on Christmas. He began thinking about all of the good times he had at the North Pole. He also thought about what he was going to do now without a job. He decided he was going to go to college and get a degree. He also wanted to move somewhere warm with Mrs. Claus.
Slide 8: Back at the workshop, the elves began packing up their tools and saying their goodbyes. Mrs. Claus sniffled as the last elf left Santa’s workshop. She returned inside and began packing. She was sad that the elves would be homeless and had no place to go. They were out of work and had elf families to feed.
Slide 9: When Santa returned on Christmas day, he took the reindeer to the zoo where they would be placed in a petting area. They were not thrilled, but Santa could not afford to feed them and Hawaii was too hot for them. Santa kissed each one goodbye and left the zoo. When he returned home, he saw an elf on the street with a sign that said “will work for food.” His heart sank. He passed the Marathon gas station and realized gas was up to $4.00. Good thing Hawaii was cheaper living than the North Pole.
Slide 10: When Santa got home to Mrs. Claus, they put Santa’s workshop up for sale, closed the reindeer barn, and packed up for Hawaii. They said their last goodbyes and headed for the airport.
Slide 11: After a long flight to Hawaii, Santa took off his hat and red vest and headed toward the beach. As he relaxed in the sand getting horrible tan lines and sweating from the heat, he looked back on the last 245 years of his life as Santa Claus. He was sad he left his friends behind and the North Pole, but he knew it was not financially stable there. The town was broke and he had to leave. Santa and Mrs. Claus enjoyed the sand and the sun and knew that even though they missed their old home in the North Pole, sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
Slide 12: A month later, Santa enrolled at the University of Hawaii. His old elves were working for Jack Frost in the South Pole. Even though they hated it, it was job that put food on the table and clothes on their bodies. The reindeer were being placed into the wild and no longer at the petting zoo. They were not happy with little kids pulling at their antlers and pinching their noses and would sometimes bite!
Slide 13: Within that year, Mrs. Claus was also running for president and she was eager to provide more jobs for people and help make more money for the economy. Mrs. Claus promoted ways to decrease taxes and she was even going to provide more money for education! In the campaign against Mrs. Frost in the 2012 election, she definitely got the elves vote!
Slide 15: Works Cited Ballantine, Jeanne H., and Keith A. Roberts. "Exploring the Social World." Our Social World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge, 2010. 50-56. Print. Engel, Mary. "Real Unemployment Rate Higher than Federal Figures - MSN Money - New Investor Center." Commentary Index - MSN Money. 4 June 2010. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. Goldfarb, Zachary A. "Obama’s Jobs Speech Will Renew Push for Spending to Boost Economy The Washington Post." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. Web. 05 Oct. 2011.