Many children are struggling, but Santa’s ready to deliver some magic

OF course this is the busiest time of the year, up here at the North Pole. There are reindeer to be fed and watered, their harnesses polished so they gleam.

There are toys to be prepared and packed, each one destined for a sleepy child. There’s a sleigh to be stocked full to the brim. I can tell you, there’s very little time for sleep right now.

And tonight, because it’s Christmas Eve, we’ll be off, whirling right around the world, not stopping for a second, trying to ensure that we make our Christmas journey on time. We’ve never failed, and we never will. By the time all the children wake tomorrow morning, I’ll have come and gone. There’ll be nothing left on the sleigh to unpack, and the reindeer and I will be ready for a nice long snooze.