The TARDIS shuddered to a stop, flinging the Doctor halfway across the console and onto the floor with a satisfying thud. He leapt back up and ran clockwise around the central control module until he reached the monitor, checking the read out a huge smile broke across his face.
"Brilliant!" The Doctor enthused. Turning, he ran down a gangway and returned a few seconds later with his favourite brown trenchcoat. He slung it on and raced to the door, on this one day a year time was particularly of the essence, even for him.
Flinging the door open the Doctor went to charge outside but instead ran straight into a thigh high snowbank outside the door and lost his balance, toppling over into the snow face first. Extracting himself from the drift the Doctor climbed up onto the bank, closed the TARDIS door behind him and set off towards the lone building on the horizon.
After a few minutes walking the Doctor spotted the first signs of life. To children the world over, and some of the young at heart, the lifeforms before him would be called Elves, Santa's little helpers, but the wandering Time Lord knew better. They were Plethars, small, humanoid aliens, very good with their hands, they were excellent craftsmen, their work known throughout the galaxy. They did their best work, however, when they were part of a semi-symbiotic relationship with another race known as Speckars, two of whom happened to live in the building the Doctor had just arrived at.
The Doctor knocked and waited, a couple of Plethars hurried past him, heading for the workshop at the rear of the house and he watched them go until he heard the door open. Turning back he beamed a smile at the plump, rosy cheeked woman in the doorway.
"Mary, it's so good to see you. Lovely as ever I see." The Doctor chirruped.
"Doctor, welcome back. We've missed you. I do wish you would come and see us more often."
"Maybe next year," he replied as his hostess stood back and allowed him in. It never mattered how many times the Doctor visited this particular house, he could never help but gaze in wonder at his surroundings as he followed the woman inside.
Sitting at the table in the kitchen, the heart of the house, was a large man, all jolly fat belly and bushy white beard.
"Nicholas!" The Doctor crowed as the man stood up and wrapped his arms round him in a welcoming hug.
"Have you got time for something to eat?" the Speckar named Nicholas enquired, gesturing to the table in front of them, laden with food.
The Doctor looked from the table to the clock on the wall, "No," he replied, shaking his head, "We need to be getting on."
Nicholas looked up to the clock and then back to the Doctor, "I think you might be right. Mary."
The female Speckar who had answered the door trotted in with a large swathe of red fabric over her arm. She fluffed it out and held it up, Nicholas slid his arms into it and then fastened the buttons over his stomach. Once the jacket was done up Nicholas fastened a big black leather belt over the top and pulled on his hat. The Doctor looked him over with a grin and then the two men headed out to the workshop to begin the same job they had done on this day for hundreds of years.
Well, how else did you think Santa Claus delivers all those presents, all over the world, in just one night?