I wanted to design this special holiday site, just for the fun of it , & to spread a little joy, during this special season. This site will feature some of my Christmas poetry, including a modern up-dated 21st century version of "The Night Before Christmas." My children's short story, "Santa's diet", will be published here, for the first time.

Also, we have some fun online holiday games, (above &  on their own page), several pages of beautiful Christmas graphics, & tons of links to other free Christmas goodies.

We also have our very own card site, (link at the bottom left of this page).

ENJOY!

Santa was bored! Spaghetti, again! Sometimes it seemed he never ate anything else! He knew he was over-reacting, but he was so upset, he just couldn't help it! He felt so angry & frustrated he thought he'd jump out of his skin,if he didn't do something!

Santa was pacing angrily, across the rug, in his den.Suddenly, his breathing became shallow, his face grew flushed, & his chest hurt.

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In a hushed hallway of the Inuvik hospital,outside the intensive care unit,Mrs. Claus sat, waiting. She glanced up, & saw Dr. Williamson coming down the hall.
"Is he going to be all right?" she asked, anxiously, tears shining in her blue eyes.
"Yes. The heart attack wasn't serious. A warning, you might say. But, if you want to prevent another, more serious one,you & I will have to convince Santa, that some life-style changes are neccesary. His blood pressure is dangerously high & his muscle tone is terrible. We've given him some medication to start eating away at the plaque & cholesterol lining his arteries,but what good can it do, if he goes right back into the situation that caused it?I'm going to need your help. Please make me a list of everything you & Santa eat, oh say, for a month. I'll analyse it, & make suggestions for improvement. His schedule will need some adjustments, as well.He needs to exercise more, but he also needs to relax sometimes, too. He told me that he's had trouble sleeping & little appetite, for nearly a year now. Did you know that?"
"Yes. But he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. He kept saying it was nothing.Why won't he let me help?!" cried Mrs. Claus.
Dr. Williamson did her best to re-assure Mrs. Claus. "He probably has no idea, why he's so miserable.It's quite commom for people to become depressed & unhappy, if they're over-weight & don't get enough exercise. "
"What can I do to help?"
"For now, go & visit your husband. I know how worried you've been. Then, you get some rest. We can work on that list, tomorrow."
"Mmmm-hmmm. Just as I suspected. " said Dr. Williamson, as she studied the list that Mrs. Claus brought her. She'd checked her shopping list, the fridge & all the cupboards, to make sure she hadn't missed anything.
"What is it, Doctor? What have you found?"
"Nothing very surprising. Like many people, your diet is too high in animal fats. You will need to eat less red meat, more lean meats like chicken or fish, or alternates, such as soy meat substitutes or beans & nuts. Switching to low-fat milk products would also be a good idea. You should always use pure vegetable oil, for baking or frying. You also need to eat more fruits & vegetables. Fresh is best of course, but canned or frozen, are also a good nutritional choice. " replied Dr. Williamson.
"I see you already eat whole-grain breads. That's good, as they are the most nutritious kind. When using white flour in a recipe, make sure it's unbleached."
Together, Dr. Williamson & Mrs. Claus read the Canada Food Guide. It taught Mrs. Claus how to make good food choices. There was even an address, she could write to, for more information on nutrition, exercise & other health-related topics.

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Several weeks later, Santa was ready to go home. He had lost some weight while he was in the hospital. Mrs. Claus even had to take in his suit! Most surprising of all, Santa was no longer smoking his pipe! He had it in his hand, & as the crowd of well-wishers & reporters looked on in astonishment, he dropped it into the garbage can. The crowd cheered!

Many other changes were underway. Santa had the elevators taken out of his house & workshop.He used the stairs, he rode his new 10-speed bicycle (a Christmas present from Mrs. Claus) to the elf-village, instead of using the telephone. He & Mrs. Claus, even took a vacatiion this summer.Santa & the elves decided to build a greenhouse, to try to grow some of their own vegetables.They need special lights, because there isn't enough sunshine at the North Pole.

There were some reporters in Inuvik, so we heard about Santa's heart attack, in the newspapers & on TV. We mailed him a get-well card & maybe this Christmas we'll leave him a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, with a mandarine orange, instead of the usual milk & cookies.
We love you, Santa!

To check out my newest poetry web site
click the link below
Michaelann's Poetry, at Freewebs.com