The Christmas Ogres
It was getting close to Christmas time. All the elves were busy in Santa Claus’ workshop. He was making out the lists of all the little boys and girls who had been good and not so good in the past year. The head of the elves had prepared a nice list of all the children in the world. When he was reading the long list to Santa Claus, he noticed that there was not yet a list for the State of New Mexico in North America. Santa Claus thought: “Wow, what a strange thing! Doesn’t anyone celebrate Christmas time in New Mexico?
Soon, he put out a telephone call to his friend Ole Johnny Mudd who lived in the desert: “Good morning Johnny,” Santa Claus said. “I am calling all the way from the North Pole.”
“Hi, Santa!” Ole Johnny Mudd replied. “It’s nearly been a year since we’ve talked together. What’s up?”
“Well, I’ll tell you,” Santa Claus said. “We’re preparing a list of all the children of the world and I see that there isn’t a list from the State of New Mexico.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ole Johnny Mudd answered. “We really love Christmas time here. However, we celebrate it a little different here than how it is celebrated in other places. Why don’t you come and spend a few days here with us?”
“I would really like to but Rudolph’s bright, red nose hasn’t been working very well. It keeps on flickering out. Do you have any idea of just how I might fix it?”
“Yes, Santa,” Ole Johnny Mudd replied. “Replace the nose with a bright, red chile pepper. Our chiles here is New Mexico are good for many things.”
Santa Claus was very curious and he sent his head elf to replace Rudolph’s nose with a red hot chile pepper. He was so pleased with its instant glow that without further ado, he jumped in his sleigh and he flew all the way to where Ole Johnny Mudd lived. He was sweating. “My word, it certainly is hot here!” Santa Claus exclaimed.
“This is nothing, my friend,” Ole Johnny Mudd replied. “Naturally compared to the North Pole, any place is going to be very hot.”
“You’re right, my friend,” Santa Claus replied. “So, tell me Johnny, what has happened with Christmas in New Mexico? Don’t the children believe in St. Nicholas anymore?”
“Oh yes they do,” Ole Johnny Mudd said. “We have thousands of ways of celebrating Christmas here. For us, Christmas is not only a time when we exchange gifts. For us, Christmas is a way of life.”
As Ole Johnny Mudd was speaking, Santa Claus noticed that a scary old man was coming down the mountainside. He was dressed in a long dark gown and he had a long beard and an old hat on top of his head. He had a whip in his hand the type of which Santa Claus used to guide his deer.
“W-w-w-who is he?” Santa Claus asked Ole Johnny Mudd, very frightened.
“That scary old man,” Ole Johnny Mudd replied, “is a Christmas Ogre. Here in New Mexico we called them ‘the Ancient Ones.’ They are the Christmas Spirits who sleep all year round in the caves up in the mountains. Every year they wake up from their long sleep and they come down from the mountains to see if we’ve forgotten the ancient customs.
Those Ogres are frightful!” Santa Claus exclaimed.