Thunder

   What a wonderful life I have. Just one of the many things I get to do is to be Santa and ride a Harley. Yes, Santa rides a big shiny red Harley named Thunder. If that sight doesn't bring a smile to your face I don't  know what will. I visit many places and meet very special people. Thunder is always a big hit as I explain that all the other reindeer prefer the cold but Thunder likes the warmth of South Carolina. Now you don't hear much about Thunder but he's a little like Rudolph. You can always depend on him.  This is "Thunder's " story .
   This past Christmas I was invited to appear on a local live TV morning show. All I had to do was to ride Thunder through the studio and stop and talk to the news anchor and weather man. We soon discovered that the only way for me to get Thunder in the studio was to enter through a garage door at the back of the studio. That garage door was behind the blue screen weather map so I would have to be in the studio long before the show started. I drove to the back of the TV station which backed up to a neighborhood and soon found that this entrance had not been used in many years. I would have to ride Thunder up a steep dirt bank to enter through a gate at the back of the property. The dirt bank was all washed out and rutted but I thought I could make it so plans were made to give it a try.
   My prayers were answered as the rain and sleet that were forcast for that morning never came. I was up at 3am getting dressed and at 4am Santa was on the road. It was a bit chilly at 25 degrees but I made a lot of "Believers" out of those on the interstate that morning.  I arrived at the studio about 4:30 and drove to the back of the station through the neighborhood. I was trying to be as quiet as possible but Thunder isn't very quiet. The engineers opened the gate and I could see the light of the studio through the open garage door. I soon realized that in the pitch dark this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. I hit a few small ruts and then the "BIG" one. The frame was on the ground and Thunder was really stuck.
   There Santa was , in a ditch and unable to move. I was only fifty feet from the studio but it might as well have been five hundred miles. There was no way I was going to get this seven hundred pound reindeer out of the ditch in time. But as we all know sometimes Santa has special powers.  There was going to be one chance and one chance only. I patted Thunder's  gas tank and said " Thunder with your engine so bright get Santa up this hill tonight".  The adrenaline started to flow as I revved Thunders engine.  I gave it full throttle and listened to the mighty roar as fire shot from the tail pipes. The front end raised up and the headlights pointed toward the pitch black sky. Like a rocket taking off from a launch pad we were free from our earthly bounds and for a moment I experienced true flight.  This reindeer can really fly.

                                                                           Santa Carl