Holiday Magick (48 page)

Barry was ready to question the existence of Santa Claus, but he realized that it would be a tad silly given who he was talking to. Instead he asked, “So you were the one who gave out coal, then?”

“Oh no, no, no, no. The little runts would have been grateful for coal, back in my day. My gift to the nasty ones was a taste of birch! Yes indeed, I was good with the stick. I could whack a kid from his head to his rump before he even knew what was happening.” The Krampus's smile was terrible to behold. “I had a bag of my own, but it was always empty when the night began. I'd fill it up with the worst of the worst, and carry them off to my lair to keep the old whipping arm in shape until next year.”

Barry gulped. “That's awful!”

“Well, you see, I almost never actually used the bag,” the Krampus admitted, somewhat bashfully. “Even the birch was kind of a special occasion. It was more about the threat than anything; as soon as a bad child caught a glimpse of me, they'd turn good in a second. That's what being a good bogeyman is all about, really. Intimidation. Nothing encourages proper behavior more than knowing some big awful bugbear will grab you by the ankles if you misbehave.”

“And you worked alongside…Santa Claus?”

“Yeah, me and him had a pretty good arrangement. We didn't always get along, of course, but there was always professional respect. We were two halves of a team, keeping all the kids in line with punishment and reward.”

“But you aren't anymore, I take it.”

The cruel joy that had animated the Krampus's bestial face flickered out. “It wasn't
my
fault, I never lost my touch. It was the people who ruined everything. After a while they stopped appreciating the work I did, and
he
got more and more of the spotlight. People were writing poems about him, drawing quaint little cartoons of him…when he made a deal with that soda company I knew it was all over for me. The jolly old elf threw me under the bus.” It shrugged. “‘Beatings and abduction just aren't marketable,' he said. Last time we ever spoke.” The mug, having been refilled earlier in their conversation, was hastily emptied again. “And we'd been partners for centuries, you know? Through thick and thin. The pagans respected us before there was anyone around to tell them they were pagans, and then when there was a church in every town we just changed our names and kept doing what we'd always done. But he was a little bit better at cleaning up, a little more willing to change with the times…and that must be the secret to success, because now I'm skulking around in the shadows while he's got a wife, a whole horde of little workers, and a house on top of the freakin' world. I've got just enough power left to manifest on the holiday, but even that's pointless, since I only ever use it to get sloshed and forget being forgotten.”

Barry reached out a tentative hand and gave the bogeyman a gentle pat on the shoulder. Its fur was matted and dirty.

“Well, now you know the sad, sad tale of the Krampus. But I've been blubbering away at you like an old widow; why's a man such as yourself drinking alone on Christmas Eve?”

“I'm Jewish.”

“Oh. Well…Happy Hanukah, I guess.”

“Thanks.”

Around the world, children await Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, or someone similar to bring presents on Christmas Eve. In the mid-1800s, Christmas was transformed into a festive holiday, and many of the traditions celebrated in the United States today, including decorating Christmas trees, exchanging gifts, and singing carols, were started during that time. The concept of elves helping Santa was also introduced and popularized by authors and illustrators around the world at that time. In Scandinavia, the centuries-old idea of “house gnomes” morphed into Santa's helper “elves.” In the United States, the idea was popularized in part by
Godey's Lady's Book
, an influential magazine, which first pictured Santa surrounded by small elves in 1873.

Despite these ideas and images, Santa and his elves remain a mystery. Does Santa
really
have elves? If so, who are they? What is their
real
role in creating toys?

I got my first inkling that there might really be a Santa Claus last Christmas morning, when I was celebrating, as usual, with my parents, my sister Catherine, her husband Dan, and their two kids, six-year-old Eric and two-year-old Allison. Sometime in the midst of all the paper ripping and ribbon flying, Eric opened a most surprising present. It was the Super Racer Ball Ramp I had designed!

Catherine whispered to me, “I thought you said you couldn't get one.”

Shocked, I realized it wasn't from Catherine. I replied, “It isn't from me. Every store, even the company one, has been sold out since it was released in August. They promised me that I'd have one from the last shipment, but that blizzard in the Midwest slowed down the shipments so I didn't get it.” I had felt so bad that I hadn't been able to get my toy for my own nephew in time for Christmas; I had tried everything I could think of, but it was the
it
toy that year and completely unattainable. My thoughts were interrupted by Eric jumping on top of me and hugging me so hard that I thought my ribs would crack.

“Thank you, Uncle Ryan! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I can't believe the Super Racer we talked about last summer is a real toy now! Wow! Thank you!” Eric could barely contain his enthusiasm and went on and on, which melted my heart. “Wow, you put in the bucket to dump the balls onto the next track! Did you use my idea for the swirly ramp, too? Wait, I see it! And the super-curvy tracks, too! Cool!”

As Eric switched from examining the box to opening it up, I whispered to my mom, “Did
you
buy the ball ramp?”

“No, dear, I couldn't find it anywhere. Dad and I had all our friends checking every time they went shopping, but none of us saw it,” Mom replied.

I caught my brother-in-law's attention and raised my eyebrows while pointing at the toy.

Dan replied, “No idea,” with a shrug.

Catherine picked up its piece of wrapping paper and looked for a tag. “I don't see a name on it anywhere and I know this box wasn't under the tree last night. I would have noticed this unique wrapping paper. The silver stars look like they're sparkling!”

No one admitted to having bought the Super Racer or having seen the box before Eric opened it. How had the ball ramp gotten in the house? Was it from Santa? Had Santa and his elves been able to get one of the most popular toys of the year for Eric? Their magic was the only answer that I could think of, though it didn't seem likely.

I shook my head and returned to reality to help Eric set up our creation. He had all of the ramps and the various accessory pieces spread out on the floor, and was examining every one of them. “Eric, thank you for all of your help in designing this toy. I couldn't have made it so great without you.”

Eric was so enthralled with the Super Racer that he didn't even respond, and I took that as the greatest compliment.

I had a wonderful Christmas vacation visiting with my family. I especially enjoyed testing out, critiquing, and talking about ways to redesign some of the kids' other new toys. No one ever admitted to having bought the Super Racer Ball Ramp, but the important thing was that Eric had gotten it, and I decided that it was just a Christmas miracle.

On January 2nd, I drove the two hours back to my apartment in Westport and settled back into “real life.” In sorting through my mail, I noticed an invitation to a toy design conference that I had never heard of. It was taking place three weeks later, in Toronto, and it said “by invitation only” very clearly on the letter. I was asked to present a poster showing my design techniques in creating the ball ramp.

Unfortunately, the process hadn't been all that exciting; I had spent a week of my summer vacation playing with Eric and Allison. While I was there, we had fun playing around with new toy ideas, like always. Eric loved playing with his friends' complex marble runs, but Allison was still in the “put everything in your mouth” stage, so he couldn't play with marbles around her. Therefore, we designed an interchangeable wooden track system with a variety of accessory pieces that used large, soft, baby-safe balls and had even more cool design features than a regular marble track. I was really excited when the company decided to produce it, and it had started selling out as soon as it was released!

I was intrigued by the conference and the invitation to present. The next day at work, I asked if anyone had ever heard of this conference, since I didn't want to waste my time on a dud. Jane was the only person who had. “I went several years ago, after my magnetic blocks were a top seller at Christmas. It was the most amazing experience! I met Theo Lunstern, and Cindy Melvin, and so many others from top toy companies! I haven't heard of the conference since, and just assumed that it wasn't happening anymore. You must go!”

Jane's enthusiastic endorsement was enough for me. I sent in my “yes” reply and started working on my presentation.