“Alright I’m off,” said Santa Clause with a wave. 

“Bye Santa Clause,” “Bye Bye,” said the elves. 

“Be safe dear,” said mrs. Clause with a smile. 

As Santa hopped in the sleigh,  he said with a wink “I will.”

And with that last parting word, he headed off into the night to deliver presents. 

“I miss you so much mom. Christmas isn’t the same without you,” said ten year old Anna, a young and cheerful girl from Arizona. 

She has two twin older brothers Hayes and Huddson. Hayes is usually pretty nice to Anna, but Huddson is not. They all used to be close when they were younger, but the boys drifted apart from Anna as they got older. Their dad was working Christmas Eve, so they would be home alone. Anna was looking through some old photos her mom once took when she noticed something weird. A black boot with red pants attached were sticking out of the corner of the picture. 

“What are you looking at weirdo?” said Huddson with a smirk.

“Omg! Where is Hayes,” she said.

“Upstairs, why?” he replied. 

“Hayes, get down here. Look what I found!” she screamed. 

“Why are you screaming?” he said as he walked down the steps and looked at the both of them with a confused expression on his face. 

“Guys, look at this picture. What do you see?’ she said with excitement. 

“Ummm, a Christmas tree?” said Huddson. 

She explains to her brothers that Santa’s boot is in the picture. She convinces them to help her get a full picture of Santa. They gather supplies and set up traps to try and catch him. They get pillows, blankets and snacks to try and keep them awake and they hunker down in the coat closet. Hayes takes out the door knob on the closet and Anna sets up her mom’s old camera. She makes sure the entire living room is visible – especially the Christmas tree and fireplace. They put a string leading from the fireplace to the door and attached a bell to it, so that when he hits the string, the bell will shake. They wait until he gets there. 

After hours of waiting, the three kids are suddenly awoken by the sounds of bells chiming in the night. 

“Guys wake up,” she whispers. “He’s here. Guys get up.”

Anna looks through the camera and sees him. She snaps a picture right before he goes up the chimney, then she runs out and puts on a coat, hat, gloves and shoes. 

“What are you doing?” the boys say. 

“I’m going after him. Are you coming?” 

“I guess,” says Huddson. “Let’s go Hayes.” 

The boys get their winter gear, and they all head after him. They see him on a roof and Anna snaps another picture. Huddson tells them to look up and the sleigh is right over them. Before the boys even realise what is going on, Anna is up a light post and attempting to hop on board. 

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” said Huddson. 

“Come on. How many kids get to ride in Santa’s sleigh with Santa on Christmas Eve?” she replied. 

As the kids settle in Anna bumps the presents and they fly off the sleigh. 

“Oh no!” shouted Anna.

Startled by the noise, Santa turns around and is surprised by his three new guests on board.