IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE ON 34TH STREET

Posted on February 19, 2009. Filed under: best christmas story, it's a wonderful life, Jim Greenleaf, mirical on 34th street, santa, self-management | Tags: best story, hollywood, New Classic Christmas Story, santa |

 

 

 Hollywood come get this! This new Christmas Classic Story combines to greatest Christmas Movie’s and is based on real events in my life.   

 

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE ON 34TH STREET

     

 

     Only 5 days to go before Christmas Eve, I was frantically working out in my gym, practicing my technique for dropping down chimneys without the possibility of getting stuck.

     Mrs Claus arrived with the morning post, and informed me of the exciting news that my Story Book had arrived from the publishers!

     Suddenly, Yodule came running in, in a rather agitated state of panic. “Santa, Harry the Snowman has run away!” I calmly reassured Yodule that there was nothing to worry about and that I will personally sort out Harry’s problems and bring him back home safe and sound. I told Yodule to alert the elves and began a search whilst I headed back to the stable for my sleigh.

     I took to the skies to find Harry and as I looked down I could see him alone in the snow heading away from Santa’s village.

     I flew down and landed beside him but he ignored me and just kept walking. “Jump aboard Harry” I beckoned, but he just kept on walking away. I shouted again, “Harry please listen to me!” He slowly turned around with a tear in his eye. “Harry,” I said, “There comes a point in everybody’s life when they feel like running away but that is not the answer. Please tell Santa your troubles.” Harry broke down, “No one ever listens to me, no one has time for me,” sobbing quietly, “I am just a stupid worthless snowman.”

     I walked over to Harry and hugged him. “Harry my boy, you are not worthless. Dry your eyes and wipe your face. I am going to show you, how important you really are. Jump aboard!”

     I looked at Rudolph and he had his head hung low. “Rudolph, take to the skies” I ordered. Rudolph looked up and smiled and off we went to prove to Harry how important he was.

     As we travelled around the world I showed Harry millions of Snowmen all built by children having fun with the help of their friends and family. I told him “Building snowmen brings people together. Imagine a Christmas without a snowman. Imagine our family without you. Come on Harry let’s go home where you belong. Rudolph, take us home.” I commanded.

    The mood changed and everybody was happy.  We approached the North Pole I looked down from the sleigh and I could see written in the snow, in huge letters “WELCOME HOME HARRY! WE LOVE YOU!” Everybody from Santa’s Village was there to welcome Harry back home. This made Harry so happy.

I thought to myself, “Harry could have made a big mistake by running away and that is not the answer. Just talk to someone and you will find a caring spirit who has time for you and truly cares.”

     Having returned a happier Harry back to the fold, I moved to the more pressing task of reading my mail, still excited about the news of my story book, when the contents of one particular letter greatly disturbed me! Gravely, I turned to Mrs Claus and asked in distress. “Can you pack my bag my dear? I need to go to the City. It appears that the people have lost their Christmas spirit! I have also received a letter from a little girl, asking for her Daddy to come back home, and be part of their family again.”

       I immediately set off in my talking car Stancer and I was unaware that Yodule had hid himself in the trunk of the car. During the journey I explained to Stancer that since it was so close to Christmas I was going to share my new story book with the children in the shopping mall.

       When we arrived at the mall, I noticed a sign in a shop window; ‘SANTA WANTED’ at the same time, I noticed a Santa look-a -like being evicted from the very same store!  I took pity on the poor fellow, and after enquiring about the job, and being duly accepted, I insisted that the manager should take pity on the other fellow, and re-employ him as a gesture of goodwill, it is after all Christmas!  The manager agreed, and offered the other the Mall Santa the job of store Janitor.

       I observed the crowds in the mall and noticed a distinct absence of any Christmas spirit. I was distracted by a commotion out in the street.  I went to the store entrance to see what all the fuss is about. I then found a Traffic Cop trying to pin a parking ticket on Stancer, but the mischievous little car was having none of it, and so, a crowd starts to gather, greatly amused by his teasing of the hapless Traffic Cop. The adults were distracted by this unexpected comedy show. 

 

     The appearance of Santa at the doorway attracted and excited the children.  I returned into the store, and the children followed. I saw this as a great opportunity to sit down and read the children my first story.

“Children gather around,” I said with a tempered heart. They huddled and sat around me with eyes wide open in wonderment.

       “There are days, when I am sitting quietly alone by the fireside; I often think what do people really think of me?  Now I want you all to look at me and ask yourselves, do you like me?  Do I look jolly?  Well, I hope the answer to those questions is YES!” The children nodded their heads in agreement.

 

        I continued in my warmest voice, “During these quiet moments I also get very nostalgic, and I remember a time long ago when, as a little boy I was not jolly at all.  In fact, I was so unhappy because I thought I was never any good at anything!  As hard as I tried, I was never top of the class, I was never picked for the football team, and I couldn’t even run as fast as the other boys and girls. One day, feeling very unhappy and sorry for myself I decided to take a walk, on my own, to the enchanted forest.

 

       Feeling ever so miserable, I walked with my head held down, hands in my pockets and stubbing my toes into the ground when suddenly I saw a beautiful robin red breast, lying still in the grass. He had a broken wing, “oh, you poor thing” I said softly as I picked him up gently.  “Where do you live little robin?  Tell me and I will take you home immediately.” The robin looked at me sadly and said, “ I live in the castle at the end of the rainbow.” 

      Just then, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky, a perfect arc made of the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet!  There were seven colours in all, and do you know how I remember them?  In school I was taught a phrase which goes like this; Richard Of York Gained Battles In Vain! That’s how I remembered the colours. So, perhaps I wasn’t bottom of the class after all!

 

      Now I may have thought of myself as an unhappy lonely boy who was no good at anything, but even then I always wanted to be kind and helpful, and so with little robin red breast cradled safely in my hands, I started to follow the rainbow.  For miles I walked, uphill and down dale, across rivers and though valleys until daylight passed, and the sky started to turn dark!  Suddenly, in the distance there it was, a beautiful, magical castle perched high on a hill, surrounded by Christmas trees whose twinkling lights seemed to dance in the moonlight!  At last I had found the end of the rainbow!

 

      I walked up the hill in wonder at the beautiful and enchanting sight before me, hardly believing my eyes, and pushed firmly on the huge golden gates at the entrance of the castle until they opened wide as if they were expecting me!  Imagine my surprise when, as if by magic, the little robin flew out of my hand, his wing no longer broken, and perched on the branch of a tree. 

 

       Standing next to the tree was the shadowy figure of an old man. I looked closer I realised it was Old Father Time! “Welcome little Santa” he said in a kind but firm voice, “we have been waiting for your arrival for a thousand years, and tonight you have proved to us, with your kindness, that you are the true spirit of Christmas!”

“But I am just a sad, lonely little boy who is not good at anything” I exclaimed rather forlornly!  “That is nonsense what is more important is that you are good at being good. You’re are a kind, thoughtful little boy, and from this day forward, you will be known as Santa Clause, the spirit of Christmas, and everyone will love you, and believe in you.” For the first time in my life I felt good, and happy, and it didn’t really matter anymore whether I was the fastest or the cleverest, what really mattered was that I would always do my best to be good to others.

 

      Although this happened many years ago, whenever I feel sad, or that perhaps I am not good at anything, I remember the kind words of Old Father Time, when he told me “you only have to be good at being good” and I realise I am good at what I do best!  I was reminded of this yesterday when someone shouted after me, “hey Santa, you are the greatest guy on the planet!” to which I replied, “there is a Santa in all of us, all we have to do is find him within our hearts! So, next time you see a rainbow, remember my story, and try to find the goodness of Santa within your own heart.”

      Looking around I had gathered quite a crowd, even the new janitor Jim had a tear in his eye. I felt a bond between myself, and the man whose job I saved.

 

      Jim led Santa to the back of the Mall. Jim now feeling he could trust Santa opened his heart, and shared with Santa the reason why he has fallen on hard times. Having lost his last job, and his self respect, he felt he could no longer support his family, or have their respect. He had a daughter called Ally, and a wife who was a successful career lady in her own right, and he could no longer provide for them.

      The next couple of days the crowds grew in huge numbers to take pages and listen to the Stories and to see Stancer this incredible car. There were even rumours going around, that a monster had been seen? The Mall Manager was now happy his store was full and decided to get into the Christmas Spirit and fix the Christmas Lights.

 

      After the Mall finally closed Jim walked with Santa. Santa turned to Jim and asked if he would listen to a story from his book.

      Gently Santa said, “Jim I now know I wrote this story just for you.  “Jim I am going to tell you the story of how I met Yodule Elf. It all happened long ago after taking Snowy for a walk one day.  We would always walk along the same path every morning, and sometimes I would see huge footprints in the snow.  I often wondered if it could be the footprints of a Yeti, but then I would tell myself that it could not possibly be because here in the North Pole, where everything is magical and nice, we do not have such monsters.  

      The more I thought about these footprints, the more I wanted to find out who they belonged to so one day, with Snowy by my side, I decided to follow them.  We followed them for many miles when, all of a sudden, the weather began to change.  The once blue sky suddenly turned dark and stormy and it began to snow very heavily indeed. I realised we were lost!  “Snowy” I said, with a little tremor in my voice, “I think I will have to call Rudolph, and ask him to come and rescue us!”  I reached into my pocket and got out my mobile phone, but when I dialled the number, to my dismay, I could not get a signal.  A storm was brewing, and all communications were temporarily lost!  

       Oh dear, what was I to do?  It had become so cold, and the snow blizzard made it impossible to see anything around me!  “I’m so sorry Snowy,” I said shivering, “we are lost, and the only thing to do is to wait until the storm blows over!” Snowy and I lay down in the snow, and huddled together for warmth.  Would the storm pass soon, would we survive the night I thought?  Although I was afraid and shivering from the cold, I soon fell asleep with Snowy by my side.

      When I woke up, to my surprise, I found that we were no longer outside in the snow, but under a big, fluffy blanket beside a huge roaring fire and on the hearth stood two cups of steaming hot chocolate.  Thankfully, someone very kind had found us, and saved our lives. But who could it be, and how did we get here?

       Just then, a big cheerful looking monster appeared before us and said, “Good morning Santa, I am Yodule,” He had saved our lives I thought to myself. He told me that he lived by himself and he did not have a family of his own. I felt so sorry for him, he must be so lonely when suddenly Snowy ran over to him and started to lick him with affection. “He’s made of ice cream,” Snowy barked, his tail wagging with excitement!  Imagine my surprise!

      Before I could ask him why he lived alone, Yodule told me he was the little boy that Santa forgot because every year he never gets a present from Santa.  Oh how ashamed I felt because, until now I did not even know who Yodule was!  I told Yodule that this year, I would not forget him, and on Christmas Eve, I would bring him a very special present.

        I looked up into the sky, the storm had passed and I could see Rudolph who had come for us. Yodule became scared and ran away before we could thank him. Rudolph landed, and both Snowy and I climbed onto the sleigh with a sigh, before flying home safely back to the North Pole. All the way home I kept thinking of Yodule, so when we landed, I went straight over to head elf and whispered in his ear what I would like him to make for Yodule.

      Christmas Eve arrived, and after delivering all of the other presents I then flew off to see Yodule. As I flew over the ice cap, I could see Yodule sitting down there all alone.  As I landed I said, “Merry Christmas Yodule!”  “Oh Santa, where is my present? Your sleigh is empty, have you forgotten me again?” he said so sadly. 

     “Yodule, I told you that you would have a very special present this year, but it is too big to carry on the sleigh, so jump on board, and I will take you to see it!”                                         

     When we landed in the North Pole, Head Elf ran over to greet us. “Yodule’s present is finished!” he exclaimed excitedly!  “Come and see.”  We followed him around a corner, and there it was, an ICE CASTLE for Yodule to live in!  He would never be alone again. He would become part of our family in Santa‘s village.

      Yodule started to cry with happiness. “Oh Santa, I am so happy, I have always wanted to be part of a family.”  “You now have a family my dear friend,” I assured him, “and from this day on you will be known as Yodule Elf.”

      From that day, it has been wonderful to have Yodule around, especially for the elves that visit his ice castle every day, and tuck into a brand of ice cream that only Yodule can make!  It is called Yodule Elf Treat.”

     “See Jim all Yodule wanted was a family. You are lucky you have got one, go back to your family” Santa said to Jim, but Jim just ignored him…

      I had another idea I would send a letter to Alley’s School and invite the Children to see Santa. I left to find Patrick the Pigeon Post and as I passed Stancer I caught Yodule getting out of the trunk of the car. The fun started but Santa had to forgive Yodule.

      Christmas Eve arrived and the Teacher brought the pupils to see Santa. “Children line up and put your letters you got from Santa in your pockets” said the teacher.  

      One by one the children went up to Santa.  As Alley got near, I said to a cast member, get Jim to take over I’m not feeling well. Jim agreed to take over not knowing his daughter was in the line. When Alley walked in she did not recognise her dad and her teacher said “Tell Santa what you want for Christmas.” “I want my Daddy to come Home for Christmas so we can be a family again” Jim couldn’t speak as the tears welled into his eyes.
        When all the Children had gone, Jim said to Santa, “I can’t go home”. Santa then held Jim in his arms, “Jim let me share one last story with you before I have to leave.”

     “Jim One morning I was reading one of the hundreds of letters I receive each day from the children of the world when I came across a letter from a little girl asking me for a kitten for Christmas. I saw no problem with it and because she had been a good girl all year, I decided she would get the present she deserved.

      One year passed and on Christmas Eve I loaded up my sleigh and off we went delivering presents. We went from house to house, landing on the roof if the house had a chimney, or if not we would land in the garden of the house and I would use my magic key.

       I landed in one garden I noticed the house was in darkness; there were no Christmas lights. The house looked deserted. I checked my computer and pulled up the wish list to see if I had made a mistake and come to the wrong house. There was a letter from a little girl living in this house wanting presents. I then suddenly remembered the little girl and the house; I had delivered a kitten there only last year.

      We were then with a dilemma. What should we do with the presents? I asked Rudolph but he did not know either. Snowy my dog jumped off the sleigh and ran over to the hedge. “I can see the eyes of a cat” Snowy exclaimed. “Quick! Come and look” So I trudged through the snow over to the hedge and there was a little cat lying in the snow shivering. She was hungry and cold. I recognised her as being Alley, the kitten I had delivered here one year ago. Oh my Dear! She had been abandoned. I picked Alley up and wrapped my coat around her to keep her warm. “Bring some hot milk and something to eat!” I shouted. I then realised what a mistake I had made by giving Alley as a present. “A pet is for life not just for Christmas”

        We delivered the rest of the presents and then off we went back to the North Pole with one extra guest and a set of toys that had not been delivered.

        I assured Alley she would become part of Santa’s village and I introduced her to everyone there. She would become member of our Family.

       I went back to my office and began checking my Christmas wish list to see where the toys should now be delivered. I checked every house in the world. Just then my computer came up with the answer, one house showed no deliveries. Christmas Eve was still not over, I jumped back in my sleigh and off we went off to investigate.

       I found the house and went down the chimney. I could see it was a poor house and the family had fallen on hard times, which is why they had left their previous home and also their pet. I quietly went up the stairs and there was the little girl asleep with a picture of Alley by her bedside.

       I realised then that although she still loved Alley, her family simply could just not afford to keep a cat. This made Santa so sad and so I left her presents and a letter telling her that Alley was now safe and well and had found a new home and one day she would come back and visit her. 

       I prayed that the fortunes of the family would change, but it taught me a lesson, that we should all remember, especially at Christmas time. A pet is not a present it is a family member. Alley is now a happy cat and loves visiting children, just like Santa.”   

      I looked deep into Jim’s eyes, “the little girl in that Story was your wife. When she was a little girl she lost something she dearly loved, please don’t do it to her again, she loves you, please go home”.

       Jim then built up the courage and headed home. His wife was putting up the Christmas tree. It was now Christmas Eve as Jim walked in his home. As she embraced him she was so happy to see him and asked why he had come home. “I’ve been working as a Santa and Alley came and didn’t recognize me since I was dressed as Santa. All she wanted for Christmas was her Daddy.” Jim pulled out the photo of Ally sitting on his lap and with his heart pounding he whispered to his lovely wife, “Now she is going to have her Daddy forever, please forgive me.”
   

       Jim hugged his wife “Darling you wouldn’t believe it, if I told you, but, I’ve been working with this guy who believes he is Santa. He’s so convincing I want to believe him but he tells these fantasy stories and insists they are true. He told me one of Stories was about you and your cat as a little girl and how you lost it.”
      His wife dropped into her chair. “Jim it’s true that really happened. I couldn’t tell you, my family were so poor and I was scared you wouldn’t like me if I told you. It’s true I still have the letter”. His wife ran upstairs. Jim followed her. She got the letter that was sent to her thirty years ago and it was an identical colour to the one Alley was carrying in the mall. Jim went to Alley’s coat to find the letter and the writing on both letters were the same.

     “Darling I didn’t believe! But I do know. I’ll be back I promise in an hour”.  Jim went running back to the Mall. “Is Santa still here?” The security guard answered “No he’s gone. Santa said he would have to go as he has a busy night ahead of him.” “I must see him,” said Jim. “You will not see him tonight. Santa only comes when you close your eyes” said the security guard jokingly.

      During the night Santa slips down the chimney in Jim’s House to leave a present for Jim, Mom and Daughter and a card to thank him for Believing. As he pats the cat Santa reveals, “Ally you’re home let’s keep this family together.”

THE END

 

 

 

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