It was the busiest time of year for all mail carriers. Kids from all across the Galaxy sent letters to Santa, asking for what they wanted to find underneath their Life Day trees, and hoping they would find them under the tree or stuffed in their stockings on Life Day morning.

Gabby felt herself being jerked around as she was still trapped in the sack of letters. She tried calling for help and wiggling around to get the bag open, but no one could hear her. She had no idea where she was headed, or if her parents even knew she was gone.

This was the worst possible thing that could've happened on Life Day Eve. What was she going to do?

Suddenly, Gabby felt herself being lifted up and dumped into another area.

Gabby popped up and gasped for a breath as she found herself in a huge pile of letters, and occasional video and audio disks. Gabby looked around and saw all the envelopes were addressed to... Santa.

Gabby tried looking above the wall of the box where all the letters were being sorted through, but found that all of it was moving because it was being transported to another part of wherever she was.

In another part of wherever Gabby was, there were some people dressed in fun-looking red and green outfits. Elves. But, not all of them looked quite like the elves most saw in Christmas/Life Day films. Most would imagine very short creatures with pointy ears.

These creatures did have pointy ears, and many of them had colorful hair too, but some were tall, and some were short. You see, the stereotypical short elves were a certain type of elf called Dwarf Elves. But, no matter how big or small, these elves all shared one special job every year: helping Santa make all the good girls and boys' wishes come true on Life Day morning.

"A lot of kids seem to be moving on to making audio lists this year." said a female elf named Twinkle.

"Just wait till you see some of the video ones I've seen." said a male elf named Snow. "You should see the music video Angela Parkington sent in, asking for the new Count Crescendo CD."

"I don't blame her. Everyone loves Count Crescendo." said Twinkle, picking out some letters to sort through. "I'm telling you, kids are creative, and they'll come up with lots of ways to emphasize to Santa that they want a certain something for Life Day."

That was when a little girl suddenly dropped into the pile.

"Oof!" Gabby shook herself as she sat in the pile again.

"You weren't kidding." said Snow. "Never thought a kid would actually send herself here."

"Where'd you come from, little one?" said Twinkle. "Aww, and you're a cutie too."

Gabby's eyes were wide with awe when she looked at who she saw, and even more when she looked at what was behind them. There were toys being built, gifts being wrapped, and candy canes being made and tied with ribbons.

"Is this...?" Gabby gasped.

"Santa's workshop." said Twinkle, picking Gabby up from the letters and setting her down. "What's your name, little one?"

"Gabriella. Gabriella Skywalker." Gabby said, shivering a little. "My friends call me Gabby."

The two elves took the little girl to a computer, where an elf typed in her name.

"What's that?" Gabby asked.

"This is how we help Santa check his list." Twinkle said. "These days, we've updated how we do some things around here."

They looked up Gabby's name, and it showed her information and her picture. And... the heart by her picture was green, indicating she was on the Nice List.

"Yay! I'm on the nice list!" Gabby cheered.

"Were you that worried, little one?" Twinkle said.

"Actually... I'm here by accident." Gabby said.

Gabby explained to the elves that she'd forgotten to send in her letter, and when she tried to get it in before the mail took off, she fell into one of the sacks and couldn't get out until now. And, she didn't even know if her family knew she was missing.

"Looks like we best inform the big guy we'll need to prepare to bring another passenger."

"I get to ride in Santa's sleigh?" Gabby said excitedly.

"How else would you get home? We best get preparing. It'll be time to fill the sleigh soon."

Twinkle asked an elf named Garland to look after Gabby and get her some hot cocoa to warm her up.

Gabby was a little curious though, she asked the elf in charge of the list if they could look up her brother. And, she was relieved to see his profile with "Nice" as the label.

"Boba will be so happy to hear he made the list."

"It looks like saving a little girl's life really bumped him high and away from the Naughty list." said the elf, named Jingle. "And... mailing himself to rescue his sister?"

"What?"

Gabby could not believe what she'd just heard.

The elf then took note of when the next shipment of letters would arrive. And he made an announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all letter-sorting elves. We've just received word that another child may be coming in the mail. So be on the lookout for any packages big enough to hold an eleven-year-old boy and proceed with caution."

Gabby was taken by Garland to be given a snack while she waited to see her brother.

"Thanks for the cookies and cocoa." Gabby said, munching a snowflake cookie.

"That's a very cute sweater you're wearing." Garland said.

"Thanks. My grandparents gave it to me." Gabby said. "My parents and I are spending Life Day with them this year. It's gonna be great. I made cards for everyone, and there's gonna be a big party at the palace too."

"Sounds like a lot of fun. You must be excited."

"I am. And it's my big brother's first Life Day gala. He's never been to any Life Day parties before. But... it's also his first Life Day without his birth daddy."

Gabby shared with Garland, the story of how Boba and she met and became siblings, and how she wanted more than anything else to give her brother the very best gift she could possibly give him.

"I thought about making something for him, but I'm not sure it'd be good enough." Gabby said. "I know I'm only three, but Boba's the first real sibling I ever had. And who wants a preschool arts and crafts project for their first Life Day?"

"You know... a very wise man once told me it's not what you give, but what goes into what you give that counts."

"Santa?"

"How'd you guess?"

Gabby shrugged. "Lots of holiday stories?"

"Santa knows a lot about lots of kids, and from what he's got about you, your artwork is not like other toddlers."

"Thanks. But how is that supposed to help my brother get a great gift?"

Gabby pulled out a picture. The very first family photo she and her parents took with Boba. Garland took a look at it and had an idea.

"I think you've already found a great gift for your brother." Garland said. "All you need are a few more pictures and some art supplies."

Gabby looked at the picture and realized what the elf meant.

"Do you have any extra art supplies I could use?" Gabby asked.

Sometime later, a big package fell into the letter sorting area, and some elves noticed it was moving like something inside was trying to break out.

"We got a package here!" an elf exclaimed. "And it's moving on its own."

Then, a fist popped through it, and out came... Boba.

Boba stretched himself out, feeling a cramp as he'd been squeezed tight into the box.

"Okay, I seriously gotta take Roya up on her offer to teach me yoga." Boba groaned.

"Another one?" said one elf.

"How many kids mailed themselves here tonight?" said another.

"Look kid, if you're trying to get your gifts early, you gotta wait till Life Day morning like everyone else."

Boba immediately climbed down. "Sorry I dropped in like this. But I'm not looking for presents. I'm looking for my sister. I saw her get trapped in the mail, and I think she got sent here. She's three years old, brown hair, green eyes, had a green sweater with reindeer and snowflakes on it? Name: Gabby Skywalker."

"Odd name for a boy." One elf joked.

"My name is Boba Skywalker." Boba corrected. "Please. Have you seen my sister?"

That was when Gabby ran in and saw her big brother. "Boba!"

"Gabby!" Boba ran right to his little sister and picked her up in a big hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Big Brother. How did you find me?"

"I saw you fall into that sack. I tried to stop them, but the freighter left before I could. And I didn't think there was enough time to get Mom and Dad, so when I realized all the trucks were delivering letters to Santa, I mailed myself in a package to come find you. Although, I didn't exactly think of how I would get us back home."

"Actually, the elves said they'd talk to the big guy." Gabby said. "We can ride in the sleigh for real!"

"Wow, that sounds- ow!" Boba winced.

"What's wrong?"

Boba pulled up his sleeve and showed he'd gotten a paper cut in his arm. That must have happened when he broke out of the box.

"Ooh, that looks painful." said Garland. "Let's get you to Nurse Sparkle. She'll fix you right up."

Boba's arm was carefully cleaned and bandaged by the nurse.

"There we go, young man." said Nurse Sparkle. "You've definitely been a good boy."

And she gave him a candy cane as a reward for being a good patient.

"Thanks." Boba said. "Too bad I can't find a cure for uncertainty right now."

"What are you uncertain about?"

"Well... it's my first Life Day since I got adopted. And my first without my father."

Boba told his story of how he lost Jango Fett and then got adopted into the Skywalker family and became a better person thanks to his new little sister.

"I saw her look at this toy in the mall when we were doing last-minute shopping, so I got her that. But, somehow I still feel incomplete."

"Incomplete, how?"

"Like... like what I got her won't be good enough. She's a princess. I was born a clone, a commoner. She gets everything handed to her on a silver platter even when she doesn't even ask for anything. She has everything, more than any three-year-old needs. What could I give her that she doesn't already have?"

"Maybe you already did. A very wise man once said the greatest gift is something that's been given to us already. And the greatest gift isn't bought at a store. The greatest gift is something that cannot be bought."

Boba had no idea what that was supposed to mean. If he did give Gabby the greatest gift already, what was it that he gave her?

Gabby did a lot of cutting and pasting while she waited for her brother to be back from the nurse's office. She knew exactly what she was making for Boba now. But she had to work fast because it was almost time for Santa to make his run across the Galaxy to deliver gifts.

Gabby got out a pen and wrote something down on a piece of paper, and then she wrapped up her gift perfectly.

"It's perfect." Gabby said.

And just in time too, because Boba came back.

"How are you feeling, Big Brother?" Gabby asked.

"Much better." Boba said, feeling the candy-striped bandage he wore now.

"It's time to load the sleight." Twinkle announced.

"Hey, kids. You wanna see the reindeer before you go?"

"Yes!" Gabby cheered.

"Well, come on. We'll show you how we get them ready for the night ride."

Gabby and Boba were placed into some cozy Life Day winter clothes so they would be kept warm on the route to home. The first stop Santa typically made, according to them, were pretty cold.

Gabby and Boba couldn't believe how big the reindeer were up close. They couldn't believe Rudolph was a real reindeer either.

"I always thought Rudolph was just a fun story for caroling." Boba said.

"There's a lot of stuff you still don't know about Santa's workshop." Twinkle said.

The elves got to work lining up the reindeer and getting them reined and donned with their bells.

"So pretty." Gabby said, tapping one of the silver bells so they'd jingle.

"Careful, little one. We don't want the bells to fall off." said an elf.

"Sorry." Gabby said.

Gabby took a look at the sleigh. It was so big and beautiful, and she looked at the big bag loaded onto the sleigh. Except, it only looked to be as big as a forty-pound sack for potatoes.

"How does Santa fit so many presents in this thing?" Gabby wondered out loud.

"A little holiday magic, of course." said a new voice.

Gabby and Boba were both filled with so much shock and disbelief when they saw who said that. (If you haven't seen Christmas Chronicles, I recommend it)

"You're... you're..." Gabby gasped.

"The one and only said," the man, picking up Gabby and setting her onto the sleigh. "Didn't expect you'd be riding with me tonight, did you, rascals?"

"No." Gabby shook her head. "I just fell into a mail sack, then my brother came after me. And I can't believe I'm talking to Santa!"

Santa chuckled and said, "Believe it or not, it wouldn't be the first time I've had a couple of kids ride with me. Only last time, those two were stowaways."

Boba then climbed into the sleigh, nearly face-planting, until he was caught.

"Careful there, Boba. No one gets hurt on Life Day on my watch."

"I always wondered what it'd be like to ride in the sleigh." Gabby said. "I have so many questions. Like, I know you give coal to naughty kids, but have any people on the nice list ever asked for some?"

"Why would someone ask for coal?" Boba said.

"Believe it or not, a few artistic children have asked for some." Santa told them. "You'd be surprised some of the crazier things people will ask for."

And soon, it was time to start flying the sleigh.

Before the kids knew it, they were in the air, flying through the night across different worlds.

Boba held onto his sister as she felt the wind in her hair, and they watched as stars passed by throughout the night. Everywhere they passed, they couldn't help looking down and seeing how beautiful all the Life Day decorations looked from above. So many families sleeping and dreaming, waiting to find what Santa would leave for them underneath the tree tonight.

But, after a while, the two kids were getting sleepy themselves.

Gabby was the first to shut her eyes. She leaned into her big brother, and he held her close to keep her warm. As Boba hugged his sister, he suddenly thought of something.

Before he got adopted, Gabby had been an only child. In other words, she'd never had a sibling, and she'd always wanted one and wished for one for so long. And then one day, they met, and Gabby's parents adopted a boy in need. Since then, Gabby and Boba shared a very special bond. Gabby started calling him Big Brother on their first night together as a family. Sometimes, he thought she called him Big Brother more than by his name. Maybe... being her big brother was the greatest gift he'd given her. And as he began falling asleep, he remembered... in all the Life Day stories and movies he'd seen, no matter what the plot, they all taught the same thing: The greatest gift in any universe was... family.