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Christmas story for preschoolers: Santa has a cold
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One morning, Santa woke up with a tickle in his nose.
It was a very small tickle. A tiny, wriggly, feathery tickle.
"Hmm," said Santa. "That's funny."
He sat up in bed. He reached for his slippers. And then...
"Ah... ah... AAAH-CHOO!"
Whoosh! Both slippers flew across the bedroom and landed on top of the dresser.
Breakfast
Santa went downstairs in his socks. Pip the elf was already in the kitchen, making oatmeal.
"Good morning, Santa," said Pip. "You sound a bit croaky."
"I'm perfectly fine," said Santa, in a voice like a squeaky door. "Just a little... ah... ah... AAAH-CHOO!"
Whoosh! The oatmeal jumped out of the bowl and landed on the ceiling. Splat.
Pip looked up. The oatmeal looked down.
"Santa," said Pip, "I think you have a cold."
In the workshop
"Nonsense," sniffed Santa. "There's far too much to do."
He walked into the workshop. The elves were busy painting little wooden trains and sewing soft teddy bears.
"Good morning, everyone," said Santa. "Ah... ah..."
The elves all looked up.
"Ah... AAAH-CHOO!"
Whoosh! Every piece of paper in the workshop flew up into the air. The lists, the drawings, the plans for the trains. They floated down like snow, all over the elves.
One elf had a drawing of a teddy bear on his head. Another had a list stuck to her nose.
The elves giggled. Santa sniffed.
"Oh dear," he said. "Perhaps I do have a cold after all."
The elves take care
"Right," said Pip. "Back to bed, Santa."
The elves sprang into action.
One elf fetched a hot water bottle with a woolly cover. One elf brought a big box of tissues. Two elves carried the softest blanket in the North Pole. And Pip made a mug of warm milk with honey.
They tucked Santa into bed. They put a scarf around his neck. Pip climbed onto the dresser and fetched the slippers.
"But the workshop," said Santa. "But the reindeer. But the letters."
"We'll take care of everything," said Pip. "You just rest. That is your only job today."
Rest
Santa sipped his warm milk. He closed his eyes. Outside, the snow fell softly. Downstairs, he could hear the elves humming while they worked.
He slept all morning. He slept all afternoon. He only woke up once, for a bowl of soup.
The next morning, Santa woke up and sat up in bed.
No tickle.
He took a deep breath. Nothing flew anywhere.
"Pip!" he called, in his own big, warm voice. "I feel much better!"
Pip came running in, with a fresh bowl of oatmeal.
"Good," said Pip. "But maybe I'll stand over here, just in case."
And Santa laughed so much that his tummy wobbled. But he did not sneeze. Not even once.
Things to do together
- What flew away when Santa sneezed? Can you remember everything?
- What did the elves do to help him get better?
- What helps you feel better when you have a cold?
- Do you remember to sneeze into your elbow?
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