December 24th calls the start of Santa's work. He has a good job; 364 and a half days off with only one nights' work annually.
However, this Christmas eve was different, as for some strange reason, all of the reindeer cam down with Ozzy Flu, and flying with them would be too risky for Santa. So, he had to hire another form of transport......
Somehow, Santa had piloted his DC-3 ALL THE WAY up to the base of Mt Everest. There were many remote villages here, of which he wanted to visit first so all the easier-to-reach towns and cities could come afterwards.
Santa named his aircraft after "Rudolph", as this DC-3 happened to have a red nose and a red nose light.
Soon he reached Lukla, a small, remote airstrip. Fortunately, nobody was around, so it was time for a quick refuel and some mince pies. Instead of giving "rudolph" carrots, there would be gallons of AvGas for him.
After the refuel, and some food, Santa was ready to set off again. By now, nightfall had come in.
The engines on "rudolph" roared to a start as Santa pushed the throttles to the max. "Rudolph" bumped down the runway, and the presents and the elves in the cabin were thrown around. Then, as Santa pulled back on the yoke, "rudolph" lifted off!
After an hour of flying, Santa finally reached his destination - the first of many small, remote villages. The elves opened the doors of "rudolph", and away went the presents!!!
More presents followed. "Rudolph" soon became lighter and lighter. A lot of children would have a good Christmas this year.
By now, Santa's work was done. It was time for him to move on, to be able to reach the easier-to-reach settlements.
It was going to be a long night.......
