me alone. I don’t know if you only give toys and games for Christmas, or whatever, but I do not want any of that. You can skip my house this year. Just make William Hamilton and Daniel Easterling leave me alone. That is all I want for Christmas. Thank you, Santa!
~ Jonathan David Brandon
P.S. Give them an extra lump of coal this year too. They deserve it!
Jonathan tri-folded his letter and stuffed it into a white envelope. He addressed it to Santa Claus at the North Pole. Return address: Jonathan Brandon, 616 Silverton Lane, Restwood, TX 76695.
* * *
Santa Claus dropped another log into the fireplace and jabbed at the small pile with an iron poker. Embers rose from the crackling fire as the chubby man with the fluffy white beard arranged the logs. He set the poker back onto its stand and rubbed his hands near the fire. Then he headed back to his mahogany desk, where a bag full of letters awaited him.
Santa rubbed his belly and smiled, his rosy cheeks glistening. He eyed the fresh batch of cookies Mrs. Claus had made for him. He grabbed one and dunked it in a glass of milk. As he bit into the sugary treat, he lifted an envelope from the mail bag and sat in his antique chair. It squeaked as it resisted his weight. The jolly old fellow chewed on his cookie while he removed the letter from the envelope.
“Ho-ho-ho,” Santa chimed as he unfolded the letter. “Let’s see what little Johnny Brandon wants for Christmas this year.”
Santa’s cheery face turned sour. He set the cookie down and frowned, adjusting his wire-framed glasses. He read the letter again and pulled open the desk drawer. He removed a computer tablet, placed it on his desk, and turned it on. He swiped his chubby finger across the screen and tapped on an animated icon of a little boy's face. NICE flashed below the face when he smiled. NAUGHTY flashed when he frowned. A couple of seconds later the Naughty or Nice List welcome message filled the screen. Folks were right when they claimed there was an app for everything.
He pressed a little square button at the bottom of his tablet. “William Hamilton,” he said. “Restwood, Texas.”
A few seconds later, a photo of William popped up on the upper left hand of the screen, along with a short biography. It also included his birthday, names of his parents, his home address, and the school he attended. NAUGHTY flashed in bold red letters underneath the biography. Santa read the lengthy list of naughty things William had done over the past year. He'd lied to his parents, cheated on tests at school, and bullied younger kids. He’d also scratched his neighbor’s car with a key, and even defecated on the same neighbor’s porch. Santa cringed at that one. And those were from the list of minor infractions.
Santa tapped on a few of the listings and watched videos of William’s naughtiness. The fifteen-year-old’s behavior appalled Santa. What sickened him most, even more than the defecation prank, was what he'd done to a stray cat on Halloween. It wasn’t just naughty, it was downright evil. He watched William toss the poor animal into a barbecue pit. Charcoal was flaming underneath the grill. He slammed the hood shut, blocking the cat’s escape, and laughed as it shrieked inside.
Santa frowned and lowered his brow, tossing his half-eaten cookie onto the plate. He then checked Daniel Easterling’s file. He too was on the Naughty List. His violations weren’t anywhere near as severe as William Hamilton’s, though. The worst he'd done was minor bullying and stealing snacks from a convenience store. The two teenagers did have one thing in common. Neither of them believed in Santa Claus and had made it a point to tell younger kids that he didn’t exist.
Santa narrowed his eyes and twisted the corners of his mouth upwards. “Ho-ho-ho,” he laughed as he retrieved his half-eaten cookie. “I’ve got a special visit planned for you this year,
~ Jonathan David Brandon
P.S. Give them an extra lump of coal this year too. They deserve it!
Jonathan tri-folded his letter and stuffed it into a white envelope. He addressed it to Santa Claus at the North Pole. Return address: Jonathan Brandon, 616 Silverton Lane, Restwood, TX 76695.
* * *
Santa Claus dropped another log into the fireplace and jabbed at the small pile with an iron poker. Embers rose from the crackling fire as the chubby man with the fluffy white beard arranged the logs. He set the poker back onto its stand and rubbed his hands near the fire. Then he headed back to his mahogany desk, where a bag full of letters awaited him.
Santa rubbed his belly and smiled, his rosy cheeks glistening. He eyed the fresh batch of cookies Mrs. Claus had made for him. He grabbed one and dunked it in a glass of milk. As he bit into the sugary treat, he lifted an envelope from the mail bag and sat in his antique chair. It squeaked as it resisted his weight. The jolly old fellow chewed on his cookie while he removed the letter from the envelope.
“Ho-ho-ho,” Santa chimed as he unfolded the letter. “Let’s see what little Johnny Brandon wants for Christmas this year.”
Santa’s cheery face turned sour. He set the cookie down and frowned, adjusting his wire-framed glasses. He read the letter again and pulled open the desk drawer. He removed a computer tablet, placed it on his desk, and turned it on. He swiped his chubby finger across the screen and tapped on an animated icon of a little boy's face. NICE flashed below the face when he smiled. NAUGHTY flashed when he frowned. A couple of seconds later the Naughty or Nice List welcome message filled the screen. Folks were right when they claimed there was an app for everything.
He pressed a little square button at the bottom of his tablet. “William Hamilton,” he said. “Restwood, Texas.”
A few seconds later, a photo of William popped up on the upper left hand of the screen, along with a short biography. It also included his birthday, names of his parents, his home address, and the school he attended. NAUGHTY flashed in bold red letters underneath the biography. Santa read the lengthy list of naughty things William had done over the past year. He'd lied to his parents, cheated on tests at school, and bullied younger kids. He’d also scratched his neighbor’s car with a key, and even defecated on the same neighbor’s porch. Santa cringed at that one. And those were from the list of minor infractions.
Santa tapped on a few of the listings and watched videos of William’s naughtiness. The fifteen-year-old’s behavior appalled Santa. What sickened him most, even more than the defecation prank, was what he'd done to a stray cat on Halloween. It wasn’t just naughty, it was downright evil. He watched William toss the poor animal into a barbecue pit. Charcoal was flaming underneath the grill. He slammed the hood shut, blocking the cat’s escape, and laughed as it shrieked inside.
Santa frowned and lowered his brow, tossing his half-eaten cookie onto the plate. He then checked Daniel Easterling’s file. He too was on the Naughty List. His violations weren’t anywhere near as severe as William Hamilton’s, though. The worst he'd done was minor bullying and stealing snacks from a convenience store. The two teenagers did have one thing in common. Neither of them believed in Santa Claus and had made it a point to tell younger kids that he didn’t exist.
Santa narrowed his eyes and twisted the corners of his mouth upwards. “Ho-ho-ho,” he laughed as he retrieved his half-eaten cookie. “I’ve got a special visit planned for you this year,
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