By Santa Tom Irving

Far, far away and a long time ago, Santa Claus decided he needed to move his toy shop. His decision was worrisome but Mrs. Claus agreed. He was becoming too well known for his extreme generosity every year at Christmas time and it was very hard for him to concentrate on his toy making. What with so many people stopping by the toy shop every day, he couldn't complete the toys he needed for the next year. He loved all of the little children that stopped by and wanted to spend time with them but he was finding it very difficult to complete his work. He also knew that more and more children were being born each year requiring more time to get this work finished in a timely manner for Christmas.

So Santa asked two of his elves, Ollie and Elmo, to see if they could find just the right place to move the toy shop, a place where their work would not be interrupted. When they returned to Santa they had great news! They had found the perfect spot! It was a huge cavern deep in the ice beneath the North Pole. No one could ever find them there. They had plenty of room to work and store all of the toys they made. Ollie and Elmo had also met a very friendly herd of Reindeer who would love to help Santa deliver all of his gifts on Christmas. "Why, that sounds perfect!" cried Santa. "You boys have done a great thing for all of us." And so, Santa, Mrs. Claus and all of the elves moved the toy shop and set up their new home at the North Pole. Everything went very well for a few more years. Everyone was happy and Santa's work was going better than ever. The stock rooms were overflowing with toys, the elves were very happy because they didn't have to hide out and worry that the children were going to discover them and Santa and Mrs. Claus could take an evening sleigh ride nearly every night. There was great joy in the toy shop town they created.

One afternoon Mrs. Claus brought a plate of Santa's favorite chocolate chip cookies and a steaming hot cup of cocoa to him as he was relaxing. As she sat with Santa enjoying his cookies and cocoa, she noticed that Santa seemed troubled. He was unusually quiet and looked very worried. "Santa," she asked, "What is wrong? You look very worried." Santa told Mrs. Claus that he was getting older and realized that they had no children of their own. "Who will take over for me when I can no longer do this most important work? What will happen to all of the children at Christmas time?"

So Santa and Mrs. Claus thought and thought. They must come up with a plan to save Christmas when they could no longer manage. The next morning, Santa woke early and he excitedly rumbled around, making so much noise it awoke Mrs. Claus. "I had a dream last night", he gleefully exclaimed as Mrs. Claus started to stir, "and now I know just what we must do." So Santa sent for his elves, Henry and Hannah, and explained to them the special mission that he had in mind. Santa directed them to search the world over and bring him four gentlemen who had the right look but most of all, they must have a special love for the children. They must be kind, jolly and full of love.

Santa told Henry and Hannah that when they found the right men, to invite them and their wives to come to the North Pole to meet with Santa and Mrs. Claus. It wasn't long before Henry and Hannah returned with their special mission guests. They were warmly greeted by Santa, Mrs. Claus and several of the elves; they were first given a tour of Santa's workshop, then the large storage rooms, the sleigh shop and, as a special treat, they all visited the herd of reindeer.

After the excitement wore off they headed back to the house and sat down to a feast that Mrs. Claus and her kitchen elves Amy, Julie, Roxy, Jodi and LindaLou had prepared. Their feast included turkey with Mrs. Claus's special roasted chestnut dressing, lots of cranberry sauce, candied yams, sweet peas and corn. Their banquet was topped off with a large slice of Elf Amy's homemade apple pie and a big scoop of Elf Roxy's hand churned peppermint stick ice cream. After they had feasted well and were totally content, they all moved into Santa's sitting room to enjoy a steaming cup of hot cocoa and discuss Santa's plans. Santa told them of his worries about getting older and having no heirs to take over for him when he could no longer make the deliveries on Christmas. He laid out the proposal to them; Mrs. Claus and he would adopt them and then teach them all of the secrets that the North Pole holds. These four men were to become the direct descendants of Santa. They would become kindred spirits, brothers, and be known as The Brotherhood of the Direct Descendants of Santa. These brothers would help Santa carry on his work and bring Christmas joy to boys and girls all over the world. This band of brothers all agreed that they would do this and would always seek new members for the Brotherhood of the Direct Descendants of Santa. The qualifications for membership would simply be a profound love for children and a deep commitment to helping keep the traditions of Christmas alive throughout the world.