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A Balloon in Cactus
Deporting Santa Claus
By Maggie Van Ostrand
Her Email
Her Bio
Associated Press reports the U.S. Department of Immigration apprehended Santa Claus attempting to illegally enter the United States from Mexico. He was caught maneuvering his sleigh over a fence recently erected by the Border Patrol.
When Santa lived up north, his transportation consisted of eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. However, after his historic move to Mexico, he hired flying burros named Margarita, Josefina, Maria-Luisa, Esmeralda, Concepción, Bonita, Carmelita and Lupita. They were already over the fence awaiting further instructions.
The AP reports that a ninth burro, Rudolfo con la Nariz Rojo, accidentally caused Santa's sleigh to get caught on the fence, leaving the sleigh hoisted high above ground, the tinkling sleigh bells alerting the Border Patrol.
Santa, a cheerful, chubby, bespectacled fellow in red, appears each year to distribute toys once created in his North Pole workshop, but now made in Mexico. He is ably assisted in this endeavor by dozens of anonymous elves and his long-suffering wife, Evangelina Garcia-Claus.
The Clauses relocated to Mexico in the late 20th Century due to marketing stress from Walmart, always harping for more speed and demanding "newer, better, cheaper." And there was a second reason to move south.
"You just cannot continue at this rate," said Mrs. Claus. "Your blood pressure is already sky high and if you get sick, who will make the toys?" She reminded her absent-minded husband that the elves could not work without direction as their focus was easily disabled by such things as were common at the North Pole: cold toes and runny noses. "Their union rep wants them relocated to a sunny climate and who can say they are wrong?" After contemplating this conversation as Santa always did when his wife remembered to remind him, he vowed to relocate the entire workshop south of the border.
Deciding upon Mexico was relatively easy, although they had once considered Hawaii. They changed their minds because three elves suffered from an allergy to poi, while not a single elf had an allergy to tequila.
There were many things to consider in such a move -- the acquisition of property vast enough to accommodate the woodcarving shop with attendant banding wheels, assorted hammers, screwdrivers, mallets, saws, adequate space for kilns and pottery equipment, another building devoted solely to books, with printing presses and a bindery, sewing frame, and leather storage facilities, additional buildings for the Art Department with drafting tables, airbrushes, palettes and paints, and a separate Barbie section.
There were also the Embroidery, Weaving, and Sewing departments with their diversified looms, and needlework facilities. With population growing at an alarming rate, pinking sheers alone took up an entire wall. Yes, moving south would be an enormous undertaking.
Realtors managed to find just the right building compound on the north shore of Lake Chapala in the village of Axixic. Santa suggested the name be re-spelled Ajijic to get four whimsical dots in a row, and the Mayor was delighted to comply. The property's purchase contract stipulated the villagers not disclose the compound's secret location to the National Enquirer, the New York Times, or the French paparazzi. Mail addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole," would be forwarded.
Neither the trusting Santa nor his wife was aware that their activities were being monitored by immigration's Covert Operations. Santa's private phone calls, mail, and movements were carefully noted in Washington's infamous "Stealth Activities" ledger. American authorities had never been suspicious when Santa entered the U.S. from the north but from the south, it was a reindeer of a different color. When a bewildered Santa got stuck on a fence that was never there before, he was summarily detained.
"But," cried Santa through the chain link, "Superman doesn't have a green card or a pilot's license either and you let him in. Why not me?" . . .
Maggie Van Ostrand is a wonderful storyteller. To read all her articles all the time, we invite you to join our family of subscribers... it isn't expensive. A monthly subscription is just $5.00 USD - that's $1.15 per week. An annual subscription costs $30.00 USD - only $2.50 per month or 58 cents per week. If you're interested in living or retiring in Mexico, we think you'll find it's money well spent.
Subscribe today and always read all the articles!Maggie Van Ostrand, writer, lives in Ajijic, Mexico and Pine Mountain, California. Her stories appear in the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, El Ojo Del Lago, and various magazines. She co-authored "Home Is Where The Hurt Is" with Tony- and Grammy-winning country humorist Roger Miller, and ghostwrites for television sitcoms.
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