The Doctor cupped his hands, looking up to the blip ferrying the enormous bag. "I may be just an old Time Lord," He shouted for all to hear, "And know very little about any sort of vehicle that's not my TARDIS, but from my layman's perspective… YOU NEED MORE ALTITUDE!"

"MORE ALTITUDE!" The Elves all around chanted in agreement.


"Altitude please!" The flight controller instructed. "A bit more altitude please!"

The four looked up, as some of the Elves on the zeppelin began making a commotion.

"Geronimo!" They yelled, jumping down from the metal skeleton on the zeppelin.

With that extra weight gone, the airship and the bag shot up.


The kids and the Elves below looked up in wonder, as the Elves from the zeppelin made a snowflake formation, and popped their parachutes, coming in for a landing.

"The Flying Elves!" The Doctor remarked, as one passed over his shoulder. "They're professionals, kids, don't try this at home. Seriously, don't."

But, for all the relief, something was still wrong.


"We're not gonna make it!" Mike realized, as the bag pushed into the top point of the tree topper.

The gargantuan glass star tipped off, flickering off as it began to fall, the Elves below shrieking in alarm.

A horn sounded twice from overhead, and four Elves attached to cords jumped down, speeding after the star. Maneuvering skillfully through the air, each one grabbed onto a point, clutching on, and narrowly slowing its descent before it could smash into the ground.

The topmost tip of the star poked the nose of an elf on the ground below, just slow enough not to cause any harm.

The four Elves were pulled back up post-haste, wasting no time placing the star back.

The toy bag passed by the tree, and hovered into position over Santa's sleigh, the cables being released for the bag to drop onto the back.

The four inside the bag looked up, as the zeppelin retreated into the night.

"Alright you stowaways," An Elf looked over the rim of the bag. "Party's over!"

"I was just following them!" Glasses was quick to shift the blame.

"It was a mistake!" Mike tried to defend.

The Elf with the moustache and beard waved it away. "Ah, fuhgeddaboudit. We knew you was in there the whole time!" He spoke like he'd just gotten done inhaling a whole tank's worth of helium. He offered a hand to help them out. "Come on, out you go."

"So that nobody gets hurt, here's how we're gonna get you guys down." The first Elf began as soon as all four were standing on the outside of the bag.

"Ah, this is simple." Glasses pushed in front of Clara. "Why I know-"

"What do you know?" The Elf standing on the shoulders of his colleague rhetorically asked, hands now on hips. "You're not supposed to be here in the first place. But… Since it's Christmas…" He grinned. "I'm gonna let you slide!"

One of the other Elves kicked out Glasses's legs, sending the boy sliding down the side of the bag, to the ground below.

The boy landed on his feet, right at the feet of the Doctor.

"We've been looking for you." The Doctor gestured him over to the other children.

Clara smiled, taking the plunge next with excited confidence.

The Doctor bowed with a smile as she landed. "Nice to see you again." He ushered her over to the others.

Then, came Mike, taking the slide down as well.

"Cutting it a bit close," The Doctor crossed his arms with a rhetorical grin, "Aren't we?" He led him over to the rest of the group from the train, looking on as Billy seemed reluctant to part with his gift.

Finally, the Elf seemed to get through to him, and Billy came sliding down, joining the others, as the Elves tied the bag shut.


A conductor Elf struck up the band, and they began playing fanfare, announcing finally that the main event had begun.

"Look!" Clara pointed over the crowd of cheering Elves, as they began leading reindeer, THE reindeer out towards the sled, the Elves struggling slightly to keep the rowdy animals under control, as the crowd began to sing a Christmas carol Mike hadn't heard before.

The Elves wrangling the reindeer led the magic animals into position, the band playing the opening bars of the fanfare again, pausing as another team of Elves carried out a harness with silver bells sown on.

With a drumroll, the Elves carrying the harness began to shake it…

And absolutely nothing happened.

Mike recoiled in confusion, as the crowd cheered.

Thinking it a fluke, Mike listened even closer, as the concert hit another pause, and the harness was shaken again.

Still… nothing.

The Elves marched up to the reindeer, bells shaking all the while and yet, producing no sound, before the Elves threw it on.

"Isn't that the most wonderful sound?" Clara asked with a giant smile, as the band played the opening bars of the fanfare again, going completely silent.

"OOOOOHHHH!" The Elves sung. "You'd better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming… to town!"

The doors on the far side of the square opened, a long shadow falling over the plaza… and everybody went wild. Elves climbed on top of each other, as Frank Sinatra's rendition of the old classic began to echo out at full blast.

"HE'S HERE!" Clara cried. "HE'S HERE!"

"Where!?" Mike asked, trying to see past the clamoring Elves stacked on top of each other blocking his vision.

"I SEE HIM!" Billy pointed with a gigantic smile. "OVER THERE!"

The Doctor smiled, excitedly snapping his fingers and pointing, looking in the direction of the Christmas icon, before producing a top hat out of his pocket, placing it on his head to tip it respectfully, before putting it away.

"I can't see him!" Mike shouted over the roar of the crowd. "I can't see him!"

The reindeer began clamoring as well, hopping up and down. The world seemed to move in slow motion, as one bell, hanging on by a single thread, was knocked loose, and thrown off.

The bell rolled, over the ice, under the feet of the cheering Elves, coming to a stop right under Mike's feet.

Mike bent down, and picked it up, going to ring it.

No sound came.

This was cruel. A gift from El, and he couldn't even hear the same thing as everybody else. This was for him, wasn't it? So why did they single him out? It was mean-spirited in the worst way! Did he do something to El?

No, no… if he'd done something, she wouldn't bother with the pretense of a gift in the first place. So then why? Why couldn't he hear? Then, he realized.

They'd wrapped it in fortune-cookie sentences, leaving him to puzzle it out instead of giving him the answer, but Mike knew what he had to do.

"I believe…" Mike whispered to himself, trying to ring the bell again. "I believe… I believe…"

An almost angelic ringing was the reward.

A smile split his face as he rung it again, hearing the otherworldly chime. Mike brought it away from his ear, the bell's silver surface sparkling as he held it up to see…

Mike froze, as he saw the face approaching.

Mike slowly turned around, the larger-than-life man towering above him at about eight feet tall, in his red and white suit, snowy white beard, rosy-red cheeks…

"…What was that you said?" Santa asked, voice deep, holding an almost ancient sort of kindness and wisdom.

"I… I believe…" Mike quietly stammered, not a teenager who'd faced down interdimensional monsters, but a little boy meeting a person who, when he'd last seen anything close to him, was only an imitator in a department store. "I believe… that this is yours?" He swallowed, shakily holding out the bell for him to take.

Santa looked at it, considering it for a moment, before nodding. "Well…" He took it gently, looking at it. "Thank you."

"Me, me!" Glasses called from over to the side. "Pick me, Santa!" He tried, even as Clara kept trying to shush him. "I want the first gift! I want the first gift!"

"Young lad," Santa turned to the boy. "Patience." He stated, but not unkindly. "And," He continued just as kindly. "A smidgen of humility might also serve you well."

Glasses looked chided, but not like he'd felt insulted, or belittled. "Yes, sir."

"And you, young lady." Santa turned to Clara. "Lady of decision, full of confidence and spirit…" He nodded approvingly. "Christmas spirit." He chuckled quietly. "Keep up the good work."

Clara smiled, as Santa moved on.

"And Billy." Santa paused for a moment. "It is Billy?"

Billy nodded quickly but didn't speak.

"I see you've made some new friends." Santa looked over at Clara and Mike.

Billy smiled bashfully. "Yes sir, I sure have."

"Lucky lad…" Santa smiled. "There's no greater gift than friendship. If others can depend on you… you can depend on them. Do well to remember that." Santa suddenly turned away. "And speaking of gifts!" He raised his voice for the Elves to hear. He turned back. "…Let's have this young fella right here."

The crowd erupted into cheers, as Santa pointed at Mike.

Mike could hardly believe it, jaw dropping at all of it, as Santa took the lead to his sleigh. Sitting down, the ethereal man waved for him to walk towards him, and Mike slowly approached.

The last time he'd done this, even with the fake Santas in the malls… God, it was so many years ago. He was only a few years old.

"Now," Santa began, as Mike stood next to him. "What would you like for Christmas?"

"Me?" Mike whispered.

Santa nodded, a kind smile on his face. "You."

Mike bit his lip for a moment…

He leaned in, whispering something.

When he was done, Santa looked at him, a considerate look upon his face. "Hm… Indeed. Yes, indeed!" The man stood up, holding up the silver bell for all to see. "The first gift of Christmas!" He bellowed in proclamation, the crowd cheering.

He brought his arm down, presenting the bell to Mike. "This bell… Is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas, as am I." Santa laughed quietly, as Mike took it gently from him. "Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas… lies in your heart. So long as you carry it within you… That bell shall never fall silent."

The clock chimed, as it hit midnight.

"Merry Christmas." Santa offered Mike, as the Doctor approached.

Mike returned it with a nod, smiling.

"Better keep that in a safe place." The Time Lord recommended.

Mike nodded and placed the bell in the left pocket of his robe, before stepping down from the sleigh.

The reindeer began getting antsy, bells ringing, as Mike walked over to the rest of the group, the Doctor staying behind for a moment.

"Thank you, Nick." The Doctor offered Santa.

Santa bowed politely. "Anything for an old friend, Doctor."

The fob watch in the man's pocket chimed, and he checked it, turning to Santa with a shrug. "Best be off."


"Hey, hey!" Glasses hopped up and down as Mike and the Doctor rejoined the group. "Man alive, are you lucky!"

Mike smiled, as he turned around to face the sleigh again, Santa producing a long whip, made from shining rainbow light.

Santa cracked the whip, and the reindeer began to float up, pulling the sleigh. "Ho-ho-ho!" He laughed, waving as the sleigh began to slide forward, towards the edge of the platform. "Pull, Comet! Pull, boy! Prancer, that's a girl! Good boy, Donner!" The sleigh slid off the edge, being pushed by Elves at the back, and it began to float, being pulled along by the reindeer. "Oh, ho-ho-ho!"

The group from the train stared on in awe, the Elves cheering on as the sleigh flew above the square. The sleigh climbed higher and higher, turning up the side of the nearby clocktower.

"Now, Dasher!" Santa called. "Now, Prancer and Vixen!" The sled shot over the train, turning back around, buzzing the group below.

"It's everything I dreamed it would be." Clara smiled, as snow began to fall.

"Is that what all this is?" Billy asked. "A dream?"

Mike shook his head, smiling. "No."

Santa's sled climbed around the tree, and at the very top, he cracked the whip, hitting the star, illuminating the whole tree in a rainbow.

"To the top of the roof!" Santa called, the sled passing over the square again. "To the top of the wall! Now, dash away, dash away! Dash away all-!"

The sled vanished into a puff of snowflakes and jingles, raining down on the square below.

Everything fell silent, before the Elves all let out one massive whoop, throwing their hats into the air.

His fob watch chimed, and the Doctor checked it. "ALLLLL ABOARD!" He called, the train's light turning on, the whistle blowing.