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In the cold, barren skies of the North Pole, nothing was stirring except for the blistering winds. All of a sudden, a joyous sight appeared up above; soaring through the dark skies was jolly old Saint Nick, his sleigh being pulled by his steadfast and loyal reindeer. Santa Claus had just finished another successful Christmas run, making sure everyone got what they wanted for the holiday season. Now he was returning to home base, ready to rest up and prepare for the next Yuletide.
As the reindeer descended, Santa’s workshop appeared out of the desolate nothingness of the North Pole, as if by holiday magic. The sleigh garage opened up just as the reindeer made their landing, trotting along the snowy grounds with the sleigh in tow. Once safely tucked into the garage, Santa exited the sleigh and went over to his steeds, petting each of them on their snouts and congratulating them for their hard work. Taking the reins off them, Santa walked over to the gates at the end of the garage to open up the grazing fields for the animals. The grateful steed trotted to their wide space as the big man in red made his way to his home near the workshop.
As he passed by the main workshop, Santa Claus saw the elves playing about, now having more time to goof about with the Christmas season over. Curiously, rather than wearing the iconic green uniforms as one would expect, the elves were completely nude and unbothered by the weather, as befitting fair folk such as themselves. When they noticed Saint Nick, the elves all cheered, “Great job as usual Santa sir! Hope we can top next year!”
“You were all a great help this year! Christmas wouldn’t be the same if you all weren’t helping!” Santa waved at them, sincerely grateful to have them around.
Arriving at his modest little cottage, Santa took a deep breath and sighed, relieved to be home after a long day’s work. Kris Kringle stepped through the door, calling out, “Honey, I’m back!”
Appearing from the kitchen was Santa’s beloved wife, Mrs. Claus, clad only in apron and a warm smile for her husband. “So good to have you back safe and sound dearie.”
“Great to be back sugarplum! It’s worth spreading joy to those who need it but I nothing beats coming back home,” Santa beamed happily.
“I had some hot cocoa ready just for when you came back,” said Mrs. Claus, “Strip off that silly red suit while I bring it out.”
As she walked back into the kitchen, Father Christmas did not wait a single second longer, hanging his hat on a nearby rack as he removed the rest of his ensemble. With his boots, coat and pants removed, the naked and happy Santa walked over and sat on his favorite chair near the fireplace.
Mrs. Claus came into the den; sans apron and carrying two mugs of cocoa in each hand. Santa thanked her and took a mug as she sat down.
As Santa blew on his drink, Mrs. Claus spoke up, “Honestly, I wish regular humans would be less uptight about modesty. It must get annoying having to wear that hot, itchy old get up every time you need to go out and deliver presents.”
Santa took a sip of cocoa and replied to his wife, “Consider it an issue of image my poinsettia, just like how we had to put Krampus on coal mining duty. When humans are ready for a naked Santa Claus, I’ll throw away the red coat. Until then, I put it on because it makes others happy.”
He took another swig before raising his mug for a toast. “Besides, getting dressed one day out of the year instead of all year long isn’t such a bad deal, is it?”
“Can’t argue with that gingerbread,” Mother Christmas agreed, clinking her cup to his. The two holiday icons then sat around and talked near the fireplace, relishing the chance to relax naturally with each other for the rest of the year.