Tall Tales of Johnny Mudd
The Christmas Ogres, Part IV
Santa Claus smiled as he climbed on his sleigh, calling out: ‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The light in this Land of Enchantment is as pretty as the Northern Lights,’ he said.
Ole Johnny Mudd stood there waving at Santa Claus until he disappeared just beyond the sun. He knew that the New Year would be good for him thanks to the Christmas Ogres.
“It is like a miracle!” Santa Claus exclaimed. “The people of the desert truly celebrate Christmas more than anywhere else. I am pleased to learn that there are 500 other Christmas spirits who can help me with my job here in the desert.”
Ole Johnny Mudd was so happy that he had been able to encourage Santa Claus with his tale of the desert people.
“It’s already time for me to return to the North Pole, Johnny. Thank you for sharing such a great Christmas with me. This year I’m going to bring you a very special gift.”
Ole Johnny Mudd brought out his guitar and, while Santa Claus was preparing to return to the North Pole, he said, “I hope that your little deer is feeling better. I’m going to sing you a song that an ole friend of mine sang for the first time. That cowboy’s name was Gene Autry.”
Raising his voice, he sang the carol about the deer: “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose and if you ever saw it, you would even say ‘it glows.’ All of the other reindeer used to shout and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say: ‘Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?’ Then all the reindeer loved him and they shouted out with glee: ‘Rudolph the rednosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history’!”
“I’ve already gotten the best gift of them all, Nick,” Ole Johnny Mudd smiled. “I’ve been able to share a little time with a good friend.”
Santa Claus smiled as he climbed on his sleigh, calling out: “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The light in this Land of Enchantment is as pretty as the Northern Lights,” he said.
Ole Johnny Mudd stood there waving at Santa Claus until he disappeared just beyond the sun. He knew that the New Year would be good for him thanks to the Christmas Ogres.
He sang: “En la Noche del Gallo throughout the whole state cayó tanta nieve that we could all skate. La nieve caía; the desert all covered, Santo Clós apenado alert as he cowered. Con toda la nieve from Cruces to Taos, desde Grants hasta Clovis the lights were all out. La gente hacía bonfires so bright con sombras gigantes they looked quite a fright. Pasteles de fruta each one in its case estaban pudridos, all packed in its place.
Y las muñequitas and also the truckies estaban solitas all feeling unlucky.
El Crismes estaba muy mal for the kiddies, con nada pa’darles, but blessings and pities. Y muy de repente they heard some loud shouts, de allá en las sierras, and then faded out. De allí en las sombras, with beards long and big, salieron los Ogres with whips, dancing jigs. Santo Clós los miraba with many alarms con barbas roñosas, flung over their arms. Y les preguntaba, “Who are those strange guys vestidos en garras y no son muy nice?”
La gente decía, “These guardians do keep las gran tradiciones and seldom can sleep. Son espectros de Crismes from old Spanish life que andan de noche ‘til dim morning light.” Y el gran duende viejo, then gave them the gifts pa’todos sus niños in snowy, white drifts. Los feos Agüelos all worked very hard llevando regalos with great Christmas cards. Cuando acabaron, they sat down to drink cafecito caliente with cookies and milk. Hicieron un brindis to their newly-found friends, Santo Clós en chalupa just waved at his friends. “Nos vemos pa’Crismes, my dear Spanish brother, gritando “Mis Crismes” they waved at each other.
All the people of the world look a little bit different, but underneath each skin, we are all brothers and sisters even if our traditions and customs are unique to each one of us. taosnews.com.