listen to me! Remember that this is the most important night of the year, so could you please speed it up a bit? Okay, Selby, back we go.’
Just as Selby and Santa turned to go, one of the elves yelled out, ‘That’s it! I quit!’ and switched off his machine.
The elf next to him did the same, and then the one next to him as well. A wave of silence rolled through the workshop as all the elves shut down their machinery.
‘What’s this all about?’ Santa said in a jolly voice.
‘We’re sick of Christmas!’ an elf yelled. ‘We do all the work and you get all the credit!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You get stacks and stacks of letters from kids thanking you for this and thanking you for that. We’re the ones who make the toys but do
we
ever get a letter?’
‘No way!’ all the elves yelled.
‘We work all year long and you only work for one night!’ another elf called out. ‘It’s not fair!’
‘Goodness me,’ Santa said,‘I had no idea you felt this way. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say that Christmas is cancelled from now on because we’re not going to take it any more!’ an elf in the back called out. ‘It used to be fun when we got to make nice little wooden soldiers and stuff. But now kids only want things that you buy in shops, so we have to make toys that look like them. It’s not fun any more! If I have to make another DVD, I think I’ll throw up!’
Selby watched as the elves put on their pointy green hats and started to leave the workshop.
‘Hold on!’ Selby called out. ‘You’re making a big mistake.’
‘Who are you?’ an elf asked.
‘I’m Selby, the only talking dog in Australia and, perhaps, the world. But never mind about that. I love you little guys.’
‘You do?’ another elf said.
‘Yes. You don’t know how important you are.’
‘Are we?’
‘You make kids all over the world happy. I know that it can’t be easy or fun to make all those prezzies —’
‘Prezzies?’
‘Presents. That’s the way we say it in Australia,’ Selby explained. ‘If you cancel Christmas, think of how sad the kids will be. Think of kids getting up in the morning and, okay, getting some presents but not getting one from Santa Claus — which of course is really from you guys. Just imagine the tears in their eyes.’
‘I can imagine that,’ an elf said.
‘You guys are loved, you just don’t know it. Okay, so Santa should probably tell you sometimes.’
‘I should?’ Santa said. ‘Yes, I guess I should. I had no idea that you weren’t happy little chappies.’
‘Yours is the most wonderful work in the world,’ Selby went on. ‘Never before has so much been done for so many by so few … short people. Think of all the happiness you give. Please, on behalf of all the kids, I beg you to go back to work.’
The elves stood there silently. Soon there was whispering and then mumbling and then talking and finally one of them yelled, ‘He’s right! The dog is right!’
‘Come on, guys!’ another elf called out. ‘Let’s get this job done!’
One by one the machines started up and a buzz and a hum filled the workshop again.
‘Selby, that was wonderful,’ Santa said. ‘You’re a very good speaker. You should do it more often. I had no idea they were unhappy. Selby, you’ve saved Christmas. Now, there’s no time to waste. I’d better get back to my deliveries.’
Santa grabbed his bag and he and Selby hopped into the sleigh. The next thing Selbyknew, he was lying on the Trifles’ carpet in Bogusville and it was morning.
‘Hey! Where’s Santa?’ he thought. ‘He was here, wasn’t he? I mean I did go to the North Pole, didn’t I?’
Soon the Trifles were up and opening presents. They got all the presents that you read about in the previous story and then …
‘Look, there’s one last present,’ Mrs Trifle said, pulling it out. ‘It’s for Selby. I don’t remember seeing this before.’
‘Neither do I and I checked all the
Just as Selby and Santa turned to go, one of the elves yelled out, ‘That’s it! I quit!’ and switched off his machine.
The elf next to him did the same, and then the one next to him as well. A wave of silence rolled through the workshop as all the elves shut down their machinery.
‘What’s this all about?’ Santa said in a jolly voice.
‘We’re sick of Christmas!’ an elf yelled. ‘We do all the work and you get all the credit!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You get stacks and stacks of letters from kids thanking you for this and thanking you for that. We’re the ones who make the toys but do
we
ever get a letter?’
‘No way!’ all the elves yelled.
‘We work all year long and you only work for one night!’ another elf called out. ‘It’s not fair!’
‘Goodness me,’ Santa said,‘I had no idea you felt this way. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Say that Christmas is cancelled from now on because we’re not going to take it any more!’ an elf in the back called out. ‘It used to be fun when we got to make nice little wooden soldiers and stuff. But now kids only want things that you buy in shops, so we have to make toys that look like them. It’s not fun any more! If I have to make another DVD, I think I’ll throw up!’
Selby watched as the elves put on their pointy green hats and started to leave the workshop.
‘Hold on!’ Selby called out. ‘You’re making a big mistake.’
‘Who are you?’ an elf asked.
‘I’m Selby, the only talking dog in Australia and, perhaps, the world. But never mind about that. I love you little guys.’
‘You do?’ another elf said.
‘Yes. You don’t know how important you are.’
‘Are we?’
‘You make kids all over the world happy. I know that it can’t be easy or fun to make all those prezzies —’
‘Prezzies?’
‘Presents. That’s the way we say it in Australia,’ Selby explained. ‘If you cancel Christmas, think of how sad the kids will be. Think of kids getting up in the morning and, okay, getting some presents but not getting one from Santa Claus — which of course is really from you guys. Just imagine the tears in their eyes.’
‘I can imagine that,’ an elf said.
‘You guys are loved, you just don’t know it. Okay, so Santa should probably tell you sometimes.’
‘I should?’ Santa said. ‘Yes, I guess I should. I had no idea that you weren’t happy little chappies.’
‘Yours is the most wonderful work in the world,’ Selby went on. ‘Never before has so much been done for so many by so few … short people. Think of all the happiness you give. Please, on behalf of all the kids, I beg you to go back to work.’
The elves stood there silently. Soon there was whispering and then mumbling and then talking and finally one of them yelled, ‘He’s right! The dog is right!’
‘Come on, guys!’ another elf called out. ‘Let’s get this job done!’
One by one the machines started up and a buzz and a hum filled the workshop again.
‘Selby, that was wonderful,’ Santa said. ‘You’re a very good speaker. You should do it more often. I had no idea they were unhappy. Selby, you’ve saved Christmas. Now, there’s no time to waste. I’d better get back to my deliveries.’
Santa grabbed his bag and he and Selby hopped into the sleigh. The next thing Selbyknew, he was lying on the Trifles’ carpet in Bogusville and it was morning.
‘Hey! Where’s Santa?’ he thought. ‘He was here, wasn’t he? I mean I did go to the North Pole, didn’t I?’
Soon the Trifles were up and opening presents. They got all the presents that you read about in the previous story and then …
‘Look, there’s one last present,’ Mrs Trifle said, pulling it out. ‘It’s for Selby. I don’t remember seeing this before.’
‘Neither do I and I checked all the
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