Holidaze

Once upon a time there was an elf named Agora Phobia who was one of Santa’s most loyal and hard-working colleagues. He was an elf of Greek origin which was something of a rarity at the North Pole, it being rather a cold bleak location for those accustomed to the lush Greek landscape and varied weather. Agora had met the great Claus on one of his very rare vacations from overseeing toy-making for the naughty and nice and the two had become instant and fast friends. There was another way in which Agora was somewhat unusual. He was very shy and insecure as elfs go and he was both embarrassed by and deeply ashamed of this quality in himself. He had long admired the famous Santa Claus as a “true and most worthy” elf, an elf of merit and exceeding virtue. He had always assumed, you see, that Santa Claus, that most famous of elves, was an extrovert extrordinaire without a shy bone in his porcine body.

Imagine Agora’s astonishment then, on meeting his idol, to discover him actually rather reserved behind the loud “Ho, Ho, Ho,” for which he was so famous. “I’m so thrilled to meet you Elf Claus,” he had stammered. “I so admire your work and your joyful out-going nature.”

“Oh, if only that were the case,” Santa chuckled. “I’m actually quite the opposite of who I seem to be. Although I love them dearly, I often get quite anxious when I’m out among people. This is why I do my work the way I do, why I live so far from the beaten path and why I come out only at night one night a year. I much prefer to be safe in the peace and security of my own home. My wife and the staff do most of the “out in the world” tasks. I’m quite fortunate to have found a niche for myself that allows me to work around my anxieties.”

Agora was, to put it mildly, stunned. Shocked. Bowled over. Astonished. Amazed. Speechless. And utterly thrilled. “Your Clausness,” he gasped, “is this really true? You can’t imagine the gift you have given me with this news. I too am shy and extremely nervous – to the point of panic at times – when I am away from the safety of my little home. I have felt so unworthy of elfdom, of love, of respect…. And now to discover that you, my idol and role model, are also somewhat homebound… it’s a revelation and such a gift to me. Not that I want to take joy in your suffering, mind you, but… But, well, I mean, you are WONDERFUL and you are also like me, so maybe, just maybe…. Is it possible? Is it possible that I’m not as worthless as I think?”

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