Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong first and foremost to Mr. L. Frank Baum. The characters of Tin Man (sadly, including Wyatt Cain) do not belong to me and no infringement is intended.

All right. It was officially getting out of hand.

DG had been thrilled to learn that Christmas was a tradition celebrated in the Outer Zone. Dorothy, the original slipper and her great-grandmother, had loved the holiday so much that she had shared it with her new-found friends after deciding to make the OZ her permanent home. While it did not hold with the traditional religious connotations, it was still a time of peace and joy.

Since it was the first DG would be spending with her family in fifteen years, everyone had gone out of their way to make it special. The topmost branches of a thirty-foot evergreen tree skimmed the ceiling of the main entrance hall of the Northern Palace. From every bough hung glittering ornaments of brilliantly gold filigreed glass or delicately carved crystal, each hand-made and passed down through generations of her family. Her sister, Azkadellia, had conjured small orbs of glowing light that she cast among the branches, illuminating the tree with a warm soft light.

Swags of evergreen hung from the railings, sugar cookies came in a continuous steady supply from the kitchens, and the royal family and their friends had spent the last few weeks surreptitiously sliding brightly wrapped packages under the tree. DG smiled at the mound that had accumulated as she trotted past and took the steps to the next floor two at time. She had even caught Wyatt Cain, staunch Tin Man (and someone she may have unjustly labeled a Grinch) adding some presents to the stack.

But everyone was going just a little too far. This Christmas Eve would live on in her memory as one of the most glorious she had ever experienced. Carols had filled the halls. There had been a lively snowball fight in front of the palace in which Jeb Cain had retaliated to a snowball to the back of the head by shoving a large handful of snow down the back of her coat. Her parents had taken Azkadellia and DG on a wonderful horse-drawn sleigh ride through the evergreen forest as they sipped hot cider, just talking and basking in the comfort of being together again.

She felt closer to her family, safe in her home and surrounded by friends. There was just one thing agitating her to no end. It was why she had volunteered to personally go get Cain from his suite of rooms. She needed to talk to him. As crazy as it sounded, it seemed that he was the one person that would answer her straight, no gloss and no fluff.

DG knocked solidly on the dark wood door and heard the Tin Man call, "Come on in."

Cain's suite was simply furnished. The fire in the fireplace provided the only light, save for the windows that let in the soft, grayness of the cloudy day. Two deep chairs sat near the warmth and in them were Cain and his son, sitting together and talking over a couple of cups of strong coffee.

"Hi." DG smiled at the sight of them. It had been a long road back for the Cain's after the fall of the Witch but everyday had brought them closer. "Dinner is almost ready."

Cain stood up and stretched before reaching for the dark blue suit jacket that hung from the back of the chair and pulling it on over the silver vest he wore. "Is our guest here yet?"

"Yeah, um. I wanted to talk to you about that." DG hurriedly closed the door behind her. "Okay. Drop the act. Why are my parents doing this?"

"What?"Cain looked puzzled as Jeb stood up as well, straightening his dress uniform.

"You know what."

Cain sighed testily. "Princess, if I knew what you were talking about, I'd answer you."

"Come on." DG pressed. "You know. The whole "Santa Claus" thing."

Cain cocked an eyebrow. "What 'Santa Claus thing'?"

DG was getting frustrated. "Why are they talking to me like I'm five years old? 'DG, Santa is coming this evening.' 'DG, you better be good' 'DG, aren't you excited?'"

"Aren't you?" Jeb replied mildly. "I'm pretty excited. It's a great honor."

She studied him for a few seconds, trying to gauge whether or not he was kidding. He looked back with an expression such of complete seriousness that she blurted out. "Jeb, there is no Santa Claus."

Jeb stared at her before looking to his father. Cain had put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I get it." DG smiled wryly, "They missed my childhood. And I understand that, but they have to get clued in. I haven't believed in Santa since I was seven. It's all about the spirit of giving inside of each of us. He's not a real man-"

"DG-"She was vaguely aware of Cain waving a hand at Jeb and muttering, "Just stand down, son."

"I mean, I always thought it was cute that my mom, you know the robot one, always signed the gift tags 'From: Santa'. But she's got that big, loopy handwriting you can spot from a mile away. I figured that out years ago.

"I mean, come on! I'm twenty-one! Even Az is trying to convince me that there's a Santa Claus. Running around, getting all dressed up." She had begun to pace and talk with her hands. Both the Cain men took a few steps back, lest her magic get away from her. "What did they do? Hire some poor old man from Central City to hike all the way up here dressed in a Santa suit?"

"What's she talking about?" Jeb whispered quietly to his father.

"I don't know."

"It's been a perfectly wonderful Christmas." DG ignored them. "Why do they have to insult my intelligence?"

"I've got a few comments on it myself." Cain crossed his arms.

"Come on. How much are my mother and Ahamo paying the two of you?"

"Tin Man salary." Cain came back easily. He motioned to Jeb who was chuckling a little now. "And as far as I know, he's getting standard pay for a commissioned officer of the Royal Army."

DG stomped her foot. "I meant to play along!"

"We're not playing, Princess." Cain headed for the door. "And you better straighten up and be polite when Mr. Nicholas arrives. Otherwise all you're going to get is coal in your stocking."

She made an irritated noise at Cain's back as Jeb fell in behind her. "Et tu, Tin Man?

"This is so ridiculous." DG ground through her teeth as she smoothed the velvet green dress she wore.

Jeb pulled even with her as they followed his father down the hall. He smiled. "Do you ever stop and think that maybe you don't know everything?"

In the spirit of Christmas, she bit back a retort. "I just hope the poor guy they hired doesn't die of hypothermia on the way up here."

Shaking his head, Jeb offered her his arm. "Dad's right. There is no talking to you sometimes."

By the time they had reached the hall, the door had already been swung open. Dressed warmly against the cold were all of the people she cared about over two worlds. Her robotic parents stood together near Ahamo and Queen Orianah. Glitch and Azkadellia stood nearest the door, looking towards the horizon. Tutor, apparently warmer as Toto, wagged his tail and yapped excitedly near their feet. DG smiled at Raw as she and Jeb drew closer. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Raw bowed, a smile on his face. "Guest approaching."

DG forced herself not to make a face. "Yeah, yeah. Royal duty. This poor man. . . ."

Raw gave her a look, but DG left Jeb with his father and Raw, going to stand by Azkadellia. Her older sister grinned and opened the large blanket she had wound around herself over her red satin dress. "Come on. You're going to freeze."

DG gratefully stepped into the warmth as Az tightened the blanket around them both. "I've been waiting a long time. If he's coming back, I feel like the OZ is really healing."

The words threw DG a little but she didn't have time to contemplate them.

"There!" Glitch, comical in his oversized, puffy coat bounded over. "There he is!"

DG looked to the south, fully expecting to see some poor old man dragging a sack through the two feet of freshly-fallen snow. She saw no one among the trees.

She jumped a little at the light touch on her shoulder. Cain smiled a knowing smile and pointed towards the sunset. The clouds had broken there and the first of the OZ's two suns was just touching the peak of the mountains. Silhouetted in the soft orange light was a sight DG had never thought she would see.

It was the outline of a sleigh pulled by eight small creatures she knew had to be reindeer flying gracefully and easily through the cold air. Distantly, she heard the music of the harness bells as they moved.

The sleigh drew closer and DG could make out the form of a bearded man holding the reins. With practiced ease, he banked the team over the palace and descended. Smoothly, their hooves came to ground, sending up a soft spray of snow. The driver, wearing a red cloak, drew them to an easy stop a few yards away.

Before the sleigh had even halted a small creature dressed in brown leapt out. Bells jingled from the ruff of his collar. "Hello! Hola! Guten Tag! Bonjour!"

"English, Tingler," a gnarled bent beast in a purple robe growled as he climbed from the sleigh. DG caught sight of small, bat-like wings sprouting from his back and lizard-like tail. "They speak English in the Outer Zone!"

"It's Christmas, Peter Nook!" The man in brown danced around, whistling like a bird. "Even you could be a little more pleasant."

Astonished, DG tore her gaze away from the pair of small, squabbling creatures to the small, delicate looking young woman standing in the sleigh. She was little bigger than a child with translucent wings at her back. The waning sunlight glinted off of her green hair which peeked from beneath a cloak of white.

With a deceptive spryness, an old man leapt from the sleigh and offered a mittened hand to the lady. She took it and stepped delicately to the snow, leaving no trace of a footprint in the wake of her emerald slippers. "Thank you, Claus."

"You're most welcome, Mother." The man returned gently guiding the small woman over to where the royal family was gathered.

He was nothing like what DG would expect. From shopping malls and cartoons as a kid, she had always imagined the man to be short and fat, outwardly boisterous, and a little unnerving. This man was tall and although he wore the silver hair and long beard of an old man, he didn't seem old. He just seemed a person who had gathered the wisdom of a long life. His face was smooth beneath the beard, though his eyes bespoke of all the things, both good and bad, that he had ever seen in the world. He moved easily, showing no signs of aches and pains that a man his age usually suffered from. His demeanor was one of openness and friendship and his warm smile put her instantly at ease. As he approached, DG took in the red robe. The hem, trimmed in white fur, brushed the ground and she caught the flash of shiny black boots beneath it.

Azkadellia's whispered voice in her ear broke the spell. "Your mouth is hanging open."

There was a good deal of snickering beside her and she clicked her jaw shut. She looked to see Glitch, eyes shut tight, trying to contain his mirth. Hank and Emily were grinning. Raw's deep gentle chuckle sounded behind her. Even the Queen's eyes sparkled with laughter. Jeb was shaking his head. It was then that she noticed that Ahamo and Cain were studiously avoiding her gaze.

"How did she take the comment about the coal?" Ahamo asked Cain, whispering loudly.

"Riled her right up." Cain replied, his blue eyes sparking. "Just like you said it would."

DG's jaw dropped again. They set her up.

"A pleasure to see you again, Nicholas." Orianah stepped forward and gently kissed the man on the cheek. "Please forgive us. You see, our youngest daughter had some preconceived notions about you and what to expect. My husband found it amusing to let her continue with them until she met you in person."

The tall man released the small woman that he had called 'Mother', removing his driving gloves before reaching for Orianah's hand. "I understand. The Other Side can be a strange place. Strange, but wonderful."

"Why," DG had managed to find her voice, "why didn't you tell me he was a real person?"

"We did." Cain replied. "You were to busy whinin' that you were a kid to sit back and think that maybe we were telling the truth."

Ahamo laughed a little before turning to his youngest daughter. "You forget that I lived the first part of my life on the Other Side, too. The first time I mentioned Santa Claus and you flew off the handle about not being a kid, I couldn't resist. I figured that if we kept bringing it up, talking about Nicholas the way you're used to with Other Side children, you'd be pretty wound up by Christmas Eve."

DG tried to be angry, but she couldn't. Truth be told, she knew if she had thought about it for a couple of minutes, she probably could have seen right through them. She smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Santa Claus. I've heard so much about you."

Pushing back the hood of his cloak, the man laughed from deep down, making everyone else smile widely. Introductions were made quickly. The little man in brown, Tingler, was a sound nymph, a being who spoke every language to know to man and animal. The sour, crooked creature was Peter a Nook, responsible for caring for all beasts, wild or domestic. Apparently, it was with his blessing that the reindeer pulled the sleigh. The small lady was Nacille, a wood nymph who had raised Claus after he was abandoned in the forest.

"Come in, all of you." Ahamo moved aside. "You have a long journey this evening. We've got enough to food to keep you all going."

DG left the blanket, following Santa Claus into the palace. "I have so many things to ask you."

"Not surprising," Santa Claus replied as he removed the cloak to reveal simple trousers and a thick wool shirt and vest. "As I recall, you used to ask me all sorts of questions when you were a little girl."

"Yeah, well. I still can't remember a whole lot." DG said as they entered the dining hall.

"Obviously." Jeb muttered behind her and DG shot him a dirty look.

The table was splendid. Large candelabras set in the middle, casting golden light into the room. A place was set for each of them, with crystal glasses and fine silver. Platters of roast chicken and vegetables sat along the length.

"Thank you for your kindness." Nacille told Orianah as Claus pulled out a chair for her. "It is always so wonderful to visit your land."

"It's the least would could do for you all." The Queen replied, taking her place at the head of the table. "You have a long night ahead. Will you be staying with us this evening?"

The little nymph nodded. "If you'll have me. I was so excited to return to the Outer Zone, now that the House of Gayle has returned to the throne."

"You are always welcome in our home," Ahamo replied as he sat beside his wife.

DG settled into a chair between Azkadellia and Raw as Tutor transformed to his human form. "Do you come every year? I mean, is it like a tradition that you stop here before you go out?"

"Yes." Claus smiled at her. "Since your ancestor Dorothy, first invited me. Such a kind soul, that one. She never asked for anything in return."

"Dorothy? But that's gotta make you pretty old-"DG slapped a hand over her mouth. "That came out wrong."

Azkadellia shook her head. "Sorry, Nicholas. She lacks the ability to filter what she says before it comes out of her mouth."

"It's all right." He sat down beside Nacille. "We lack the time this particular evening for the whole story but perhaps I can provide the Princess DG with enough answers while we eat."

While they dined, Nicholas told his story. He began with his childhood in the Forest of Burzee where he learned so much from the nymphs, ryls, and nooks. DG noted the pain in his face as he talked about his first encounters with 'mortals' and their cruelty to one another. It was these experiences that had created in him a need to leave the world better than when he had entered it. He loved children, and in an effort to brighten their lives, he had begun to make toys. His immortal friends had helped. In the end, they had decided that Nicholas was worthy of an extremely precious gift, the Cloak of Immortality.

"A gift," he smiled at Nacille, "for which I'm still grateful."

The wood nymph's large eyes filled with tears, placing a small hand on his much larger one. "So am I, my son."

He patted her hand before looking to the window. "I believe the hour is upon us. Peter! Tingler! We best be off!"

Tingler scurried from the room quickly, trilling like a sparrow as the old Nook grumbled along behind him. Nicholas pulled on his cloak. "Perhaps when I return for Nacille we can talk some more, Princess DG."

"I'd like that." DG rose. "I'll walk with you."

He fastened the cloak as they walked into the main hall again. DG cleared her throat. "Can I ask you one more question before you go?"

"You want to know how the reindeer fly?" He guessed giving her a sideways grin. "Everyone always wants to know that."

"No- well, yeah I do, but not at this moment." DG stopped, "I was just wondering if anyone ever gives you a Christmas present."

The tall man stopped and turned, looking at her with intense gray eyes. "Why do you ask?"

DG shrugged. "It always bugged me as a kid. Is there a Mrs. Claus? She gives you something, right?"

"No," he answered slowly. "No Mrs. Claus."

"Are you sure? 'Cause, you know, I'm pretty much willing to believe anything at the moment."

"I'm sure." He cocked his head slightly. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"

"You do so much for everyone else, it seemed like you should get something in return."

"I do." He put a hand on her shoulder. "The joy in knowing that I can make someone a little happier."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that. Hang on." DG looked quickly to the tree. There had to be something . . .

Walking quickly to the evergreen, she plucked a crystal sphere from the branches. Quietly, she closed her eyes and covered the delicate glass with her hands. Letting her light flow, she sent to the ornament all the feelings of warmth, love, and hope she was feeling this night.

With deliberate steps, she moved back to the man. "It's not much. But it's gotta be cold up there. Maybe this will help."

She placed the orb in Nicholas's hands. A warm red glow emanated from it before the color rolled over to a deep purple, and then to a green. For a few seconds, he stood speechless. Finally, he stepped forward and embraced her. "Thank you, Princess. It's people like you who keep the spirit of giving alive, even if perhaps they have given up in believing in me."

She pulled back and looked down, muttering. "It's nothing."

"On the contrary," he tucked a finger under her chin and gently raised her head. "It's a gift from the heart. It gives an old man hope yet for this weary old world."

"You're not going to let me live that 'old' comment down, are you?"

"Not in all your long years." He assured her. "It's a story I'll recount to your grandchildren one day."

"Another scary thought." DG replied as she gave him one last hug. "Have a safe trip."

Nicholas climbed up into his sleigh and made sure his small companions were comfortable beneath the thick blankets. As he pulled his mittens back on, he called back to DG. "Now behave yourself. No explosive experiments with Glitch. No adventure hikes into the woods with Raw. And try not to give Mr. Cain such a hard time."

"Thank you." Cain called as he came through the door to stand beside DG. "Maybe the threat of coal in a sock will make her think twice."

"I wouldn't count on it, Mr. Cain." Santa Claus laughed. "I'll see you all in the morning."

The reindeer became restless, plunging against the harness and snorting, clearly anticipating the night's work ahead. The man in red picked up the reins and gave a sharp whistle. With no further encouragement, the team raced forward and as graceful as any bird, took to the starlit sky. DG and Cain stood together and watched them draw further and further away. It was a few moments after the sleigh bells were clearly audible that Cain spoke. "Are you convinced that he exists now?"

DG smiled, tears stinging her eyes as a memory of her life on the Other Side intruded. "He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist. Ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

The Tin Man stepped forward, opening his arms. It wasn't often that Cain initiated a hug, but as DG moved into her friend's embrace, she thanked the fates a thousand fold for all of the gifts in her life; the love of family and the loyalty of people like Cain and Glitch and Raw. One day she hoped everyone in the world to experience that and understand that it was more precious than any other gift. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Cain."

"Merry Christmas, Princess."

Author's Notes:

In 1897, 8- year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun asking if Santa Claus was real. The editorial by Francis Church in response to the note (quotes from which are above) has become one of the most reprinted articles in history. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. . .

Mr. Baum wrote many wonderful tales about fantastic worlds. Ideas from the story "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" were used for this plot bunny. At least some of the characters from the Rankin/Bass production based on the work. Either or, but both are wonderful stories.