The Edmondson Blog

When four of Father Christmas's elves called in sick, the junior elves did not produce toys as fast as the senior ones, and Father Christmas began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Father Christmas's mother* rang to say she was coming to visit, which stressed him even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped over the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Father Christmas went in the house for a cup of mulled wine and a tot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the wine and hidden the rum. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the wine jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the bristles off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang. Fasther Christmas, yanked open the door, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, Father Christmas. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?"

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

*For those who follow the Otford English Dictionary,we all know that Father Christmas's mother is Granule.