The Christmas When Santa Joined A Rugby Club

Although it wasn't Spring, Mrs. Christmas was busy Spring cleaning everything. She dusted the angel on top of the tree and brushed up the crumbs under the table, left over from yesterday's tea. She put all the baubles into a box and tidied the fireplace, straightening the socks. As Mrs. Christmas tidies some more, she adjusted the creases in the mat on the floor. But on Christmas morning, when Santa came to look, it seemed all the presents had been mischeviously took. Where was the parcel containing the train set and the book ? Santa looked under the chair - nothing was there. When all the gnomes came in for their breakfast porridge, there was nothing to give them as a gift. No presents whatsoever for the Christmas fairy (all she'd asked for was a new wand), but now she wouldn't be able to bring any magic at all to Santaland. The snowman came in from the garden to help in the search and in flew the robin from off his snowy perch. One elf glanced on the bookshelf, another by the fireplace and a gnome looked in the old suitcases. Although Mrs.Christmas searched all around, there were no presents at all to be found. The snowman, too, high and low, suggested the presents had been lost in the snow. He asked the carol singers, nor did they know. Santa wondered if he had forgot, whether he'd wrapped the presents or not ? Perhaps the binman had taken the lot ? Soon, the grotto was in a frenzy - the elves joined n the hunt, for the lost Christmas cheer. Santa hoped that they'd find the goodies and that Christmas wouldn't have to be cancelled this year. Should he nip to the shops - to what presents they had possibly ? Santa looked in his purse, but there was only a rusty old h'penny. He kicked over the table in anger, then realised that he'd dropped a clanger ! Through the open door, he spotted the garden shed and a trail of footprints going down the path to where the gnomes slept in their bed. In the middle of the flower pots, between the lawn - mower and the spades, wrapped in sparkling paper and tied up with bows, were all the presents that he had made. Santa then remembered, that he'd chosen the garden shed as the best place to hide from view, so none of the gnomes could peep inside and even open one or two before Christmas was due. After a glass of sherry, he'd become quite scatter - brained. He had got a map, on which X marked the spot, but the ink ran when it rained !

X Marks The Spot

Draw a map of Santa's grotto which can be used as a treasure map. Then, based on the pictures, write a set of directions for each of Santa's friends to follow to find their presents.

1. The snowman's new pair of boots is in the garden shed.

2. The gnome's teddy bear is underneath the tree.

3. Mrs. Christmas's new cookery book is on the kitchen table.

4. The elf's toy car is in the garage.

5. The Christmas fairy's new dance shoes are underneath the Christmas tree.

6. Rudolph's new sleigh bell is outside in the porch.

7. The robin redbreast's new bird table is by the snowman in the garden.

© Jacqueline Richards 2008