It was Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus was having a very bad night.
First, Rudolph’s nose stopped glowing and started blinking like a dying Wi-Fi router. Second, the sleigh’s GPS kept rerouting him through “shortcuts” that were definitely just cornfields. And third—worst of all—Santa realized he had forgotten to renew the sleigh’s registration.
“Ho ho… oh no,” Santa muttered.
Meanwhile, in the small town of Frosty Pines, Officer Linda Jingle was working the night shift. She hated Christmas Eve. Everyone was either drunk on eggnog or dressed as elves for no good reason.
That’s when she heard it.
THUD.
Something massive landed in the town square.
She stepped outside and stared up at a sleigh parked directly in front of a NO PARKING – EMERGENCY VEHICLES ONLY sign.
Eight reindeer were chewing on decorative wreaths.
A very round man in red was trying to shove a parking meter into a sack.
“Sir,” Officer Jingle said, hand on her taser, “you can’t park here.”
Santa froze. Slowly, he turned around.
“Officer,” he said cheerfully, “I can explain.”
“Is that… a flying sleigh?”
“Yes.”
“And are those reindeer?”
“Technically, they’re contractors.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sir, this is a pedestrian plaza.”
Santa sighed. “Look, I’m running late. A raccoon stole my cookies in Minnesota, a kid in Ohio asked for a tax attorney, and Mrs. Claus keeps texting me asking if I ‘remember the almond milk.’ Can we let this slide?”
Officer Jingle crossed her arms. “License and registration.”
Santa rummaged through his pockets. Candy canes. Wrapping paper. A live elf.
“Not that,” she said.
Finally, Santa handed over a card. It read:
SANTA CLAUS
North Pole
Class A Magical Operator
Officer Jingle stared at it.
“…Is this laminated?”
“Yes. The DMV insisted.”
She looked at the sleigh. Looked at the reindeer. Looked at Santa, who was now sweating powdered sugar.
Then she sighed. “I’m issuing you a warning.”
Santa beamed. “Ho ho ho!”
“But,” she added, “only if you bring my kids the new gaming console they asked for.”
Santa nodded solemnly. “Done.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
She pointed at the reindeer. “They clean up their wreath mess.”
Rudolph saluted.
Moments later, Santa took off into the night, sleigh soaring high above the town. Officer Jingle watched him disappear, shaking her head.
When she got home later, she found a brand-new console under her tree.
And a parking ticket taped to it
stake: Vilska123