Flamingos love Christmas, too! In fact, they love everything about it!
The trees, the gifts, the presents (of course), dressing up, parties, and of course, there’s always Santa Flamingo!
Now you may not have heard of him as much as Santa Claus himself, but Santa Flamingo is a very important bird. And very important to the main man, Santa Claus himself!
You see, the Christmas route got so big, that Santa Claus was wondering how in the world he’d ever manage to keep up with it, and how he’d be able to get to every child on his list in just one night. He wasn’t getting any younger, and between eating all those cookies the kids left for him, and going down and back up all those chimneys, plus having to use his special Santa key to get in the homes where there wasn’t a fireplace, well, it was really getting hard to get it all done in one night! And that red velvet suit really got hot when he was delivering gifts in all the hot, tropical areas. It just wasn’t good for his health any more.
He knew he needed help, so he decided to branch out and hire some other Santas to help him out. This wasn’t an easy thing to do, because he had to hire just the right ones for the job. He had to trust them to make all the deliveries on time, and at the right houses; his helpers had to be sure to eat the cookies left out by he kids; and they had to be absolutely sure NO ONE saw them while they were carrying out their duties.
That’s a tough job to fill. How in the world was he going to do it? After all, there weren’t any places on line where he could post an ad for such positions, because he didn’t want the kids to know!
What to do……
He still had about six weeks before Christmas Eve so he decided to take a quick vacation to somewhere warm, away from the North Pole, and without that signature red velvet suit, so he chose Aruba! Great idea, Santa! That’s one of my very favorite places!
So he gave instructions to the elves on what to do while he was gone (after all it was only for 4-5 days), and he and Mrs. Claus packed their bags, jumped on an airplane, and a few hours later they were checked into a beautiful hotel in Aruba. Right on the beach. They quickly changed their clothes, put on their swimsuits, and soon they were relaxing by the pool, with a cold drink in their hands. Ahhhhh….now this is what he needed, thought Santa!
But he still couldn’t get his mind off the fact that he really, really needed to get some help. And quickly. And as nice as it was there, it didn’t make it any easier when everything on the island was already decorated for Christmas. He even saw flamingos wearing red Santa hats.
Wait a minute. Flamingos. Well, his sleigh was pulled by flying reindeer, which can only fly one night a year, by the way, and only then because of the special food he gave them a few nights before that trip. He knew flamingos couldn’t fly either, but if he gave them the same food….
Something to think about.
He thought about it all afternoon and mentioned his idea to Mrs. Claus that night over dinner. “So that would solve the problem, at least in one part of the world. They wouldn’t need the red suit, not with those bright pink feathers anyway. They could just wear some of my hats, and it would be perfect! I can even interview some flamingos while we’re here. I’m sure we’ll find just the right one. And then he can select the ones that he’ll use to pull the sleigh. We have a few extra ones anyway, and they all have GPS now, so there’s no way any children will be missed. What do you think?”
“Santa, have you had too much eggnog??”
Well I have to admit I was skeptical, too, when I first heard this story.
However..
Santa asked around at the hotel next morning, and that afternoon, a flamingo stopped over by Santa’s lounge chair. He was even wearing a Santa hat, decorated with a sprig of holly. “I heard you’re looking for some help,” he squawked. “I’m here to apply. My friends and I would love to help you out! They’re ready to fly, and I’m ready to drive. They even have reindeer antlers! I already have my hat, and the wife and I agreed a change of scenery for a few weeks, you know, up to the North Pole and all to learn everything, would be a great vacation. We’ve always wanted to see snow, so this is perfect! What do you say?”
Santa just smiled, and laughed his famous, “Ho, ho, ho!”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Santa Flamingo and Mrs. Flamingo, along with his flying flamingo friends, went back to the North Pole with Santa, and quickly learned just what to do. Flamingos are very intelligent, you know, and they learn very quickly.
The elves were delighted at the idea, and the flamingo sled team had a great time with Santa’s reindeer, and the reindeer even gave them some flying tips that even Santa didn’t know about. (And he still doesn’t. They’re secrets!)
So on Christmas Eve, after promising Santa he’d bring all the cookies back to him, and Santa promising to have a huge feast of shrimp waiting for them when they returned, Santa Flamingo and his team of flying flamingos took off with their flamingo sleigh, and made all the toy deliveries in the tropical climates!
Relaxing with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Christmas Day, enjoying shrimp and pina coladas, while Santa and his crew enjoyed cookies and hot cocoa, they all agreed this had been the perfect idea!
They toasted each other and decided this would be an annual thing! And a new tradition was born!
Merry Christmas from Santa Flamingo!!
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Photo Sources: 1st Row: gardenhouseflags.com; 2nd Row: i4-mirror-co-uk; 3rd Row: everyonescreativetravelspot viafacebook; 4th Row: Christmas-treasures.com; 5th Row: from constant contact archives; 6th Row: gardenhouseflags.com; 7th Row: via eBay; via Pinterest; maggiestewartdesigns.com; 8th Row: paradisenewsfl.com; amelielegault on Etsy; shorelychic.blogspot.com; 9th Row: via Etsy