It was the night before Christmas, and all was quiet in the stable yard. The sky was clear, the air was still, and there was a touch of frost on the ground. Alli and Treggy were talking softly over their stable doors and Wicky, who was supposed to be on guard duty, was fast asleep. Suddenly, a battered-looking horse-box appeared in-between the rows of stables, preceded by six very strange looking horses. A very upset looking old gentlrman got out from the drver's cab and began to cry.

"Who's the man dressed in red?" asked Tregony. "It's not normal for people to come around here in the middle of the night.
The man in the red coat started to talk to his animals, and the horses couldn't help overhearing what he was saying - even Wicky woke up!

"You've ruined it you old fool Prancer, ruined it. We'll never get done now. I should have retired you last year, but I couldn't bear to see you left behind whilst all of your friends went off to work. And now that's my year's work wasted. Oh, dearie me!".

"Steady on there" said Wicky. What's the problem?"

"I've got this important delivery round to do" said Santa (for that was who it was.) "but old Prancer went and got his feet tangled up in Drybridge, just up the road there, and we have had to make a crash landing! ....... Oh no! just look ... there are legs and antlers all over the place. They can't go on now."


"We aren't doing much before the Boxing Day Ride” said Alli kindly, because she is a very kind mare, and she was worried that Rubens, Beth, Elsa and all the other chidren she knew wouldn't get their presents."Can we help you out?

A grateful Santa quickly harnessed up Alli. Tregony and little Wicky and his elves sprinkled them with magic dust. He sat back in the cab of the battered old horse box and jingled his magic bells ready to go. Nothing happened. He jingled again, and again nothing happened. He was about to crack his magic whip when Alli, explained what was wrong "We don't go for bells you know!!"

Santa was not used horses and he didn't know what to do, but a helpful elf came and whispered in his ear. "Ah ha" he said, and dipped his hand into a large sack lying by his side. He pulled out a shiny new huntsman's horn, and after a few failed attempts managed to blow a couple of notes. The horses responded immediately, and the box lifted off into the night sky.
And so the team sped to homes around the country, delivering presents to good boys and girls everywhere.