2.2 billion kids. 9 hours, maybe less. A long night laid ahead, but it wasn’t anything new. With the sleigh all charged up, the reindeers all energized, and the gift sack full, it was time for another year of Christmas. Santa missed it all, but that feeling before takeoff was definitely at the top of his list. It hurts him in his heart that it might not be like that this year.

  Saint Nicholas grew up watching his father fulfill his duty of making every kid in the world happy. His childhood at the North Pole wasn’t too problematic, except for the fact that he never got to feel the warmth of a hot summer. Santa was used to staying inside with mom while she read stories of his grandparents and ancestors. When he became old enough, his mom finally let him hang out with the elves. 

  When he wasn’t playing with the elves at the factory, Saint Nicholas had a lot of free time to fill with different hobbies. One of the major ones was eating. Santa Sr. would always bring different foods from all the places he travelled to. This love for eating came from his father, he noticed it automatically. “I remember looking down at my tummy and a little pot belly was growing,” Santa Jr. said, “I looked right back up to see my dad had the same thing, just bigger.” From then on, he was happy to share this passion with his father.

  Eating was not the only thing that was passed down to him. As his father got older, Santa Jr. understood that he’d take over his job. This was a scary thing. It was a big responsibility that he thought only his dad would be able to handle. Time passed by, dad’s legs got weaker, and he got the call up. 

  Preparing for it truly drained him, physically and mentally. Nicholas knew he had to work out, practicing riding in the sleigh, getting to know each of the reindeers, and more. That type of preparing was expected, though. What he wasn’t ready for was the anxiety and stress that came along with it, especially since he was prone to overthinking and worrying about tiny things. His parents continued to have faith in him, especially his mom. “His father and I have raised him well enough to go out there,” Ms. Klaus stated, “He’s at the age where he is ready to make those kids happy.” This was more than enough motivation for him.

  Right from the jump, he did an exceptional job. Every Christmas went smoothly for him, every kid got their gifts they wanted, and he always got back in time. With all this momentum, nothing could stop him.

  That was until the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. Everybody was forced into quarantine, even the elves. It was very devastating, especially after learning that animals could get it too. This obviously meant that Rudolph and his team had to stay away from each other, 6 feet at least. 

  With Christmas coming in a couple weeks and everybody worried, Santa still does not know what will happen. With news of a vaccine being available to volunteers, however, there is still hope. Maybe a COVID Christmas won’t be so bad after all…