THE SWEATER AND THE SUPER-SPECIAL UPGRADE

Chaos abounded in the Christmas post office, which wasn’t unusual for December 23^rd. Wish lists fluttered about like a blizzard of paper snowflakes. Elves darted through the aisles, tripping over packages and getting tangled up in huge masses of ribbons. A reindeer stood in everyone’s way, munching happily on an extra-long wish list. “Spit that out! We haven’t even read it yet!” shouted an elf indignantly. The unfazed reindeer continued chewing, enjoying the wish list like a deliciously crunchy cookie.

Into this chaos burst Santa Claus. On his way to the sleigh workshop, he decided to peek in and see if things were running smoothly. Looking somewhat overworked and dressed in his favorite old, threadbare sweater with a hole in the sleeve, he exclaimed, “What on earth is going on here? It looks like we’ll never be ready!” The elves all turned to look at him at once. “See if you can do it any better then!” they shot back in response. 

A grumbling Santa began a hasty retreat, nearly slipping on a puddle of punch-flavored syrup, when he suddenly froze. Amid boxes, star-shaped confetti, and three half-dried cups of punch, he spotted a huge cardboard box. Written on it in sparkling gold letters was: “SUPER SPECIAL X-MAS TERMINAL – for wish lists, wrapping packages, and festive holiday oversight!” It was unopened, still in its original packaging. “Why is this just sitting around?” Santa asked. One of the elves shrugged helplessly. “We were scared to use it.” Santa grumbled again as he pulled off his sweater, unceremoniously dumping it on a pile of wish lists before turning to remove the device from its packaging. Shiny metal on four rubber wheels, two cables here, three switches there, and, smack in the middle, a red star labeled “Ho!” He pressed it. 

The terminal sprang to life with a sound resembling the opening bell of a Christmas market. The elves jumped back in alarm. But one brave soul ventured forward and slid a wish list under it. Beep! Sorting by region. Beep-beep! Classification by gift size. Beep-beep—BRRRING! Warning: “Reindeer eating wish list 152. Backup generated.” And suddenly, the work began to flow like magic. The chaos was transformed into a smooth packaging assembly line. Wish lists flew into boxes, ribbons became perfect bows that landed on the right packages, and the elves worked with such focus and efficiency, it was as if someone had tidied up inside their noggins. Pleased, Santa stroked his beard. “Just press ‘Ho!’ and you’re all set!”

He was turning to leave for the sleigh workshop when a tiny elf popped up, holding the sweater Santa had taken off. “Look at this huge hole! Should I maybe… hold it underneath too?” 
Before Santa could protest, the elf took the sweater to the terminal. The machine flashed like an over-enthusiastic Christmas tree in disco mode. BEEP! Then HOOOOO! And out came the sweater: now soft, fresh, incredibly cozy, with the hole mended. And right in the center blazed a large, gleaming golden letter L.  
“What is THAT?!” Santa held it up. “L for… lights? Lists? Letters to Santa?” the elves guessed. The reindeer sniffed curiously, thinking perhaps “L for ‘Let me have a bite.’”
Santa grinned. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? L for Lantzerath. That’s the only place you can get SPECIAL TERMINALS like this one!” He pulled on the sweater. It was warm, and smelled of fresh cookies, cinnamon, and just a hint of cloud. Or cloud nine. Who can say for certain?

“All right, elves. Off to the sleigh. Christmas waits for no one.” He climbed aboard and the reindeer lurched forward, the ravenous one longingly casting a glance back at the terminal, wondering if it might also make reindeer treats.The terminal chimed “Jingle Bells” in farewell as the sleigh sped off into the cold winter night.