Hi Everybody,

So much to report this morning! First of all, yesterday's test ride was... How can I put it? ...Unsatisfactory. Okay, the truth was that it went pretty badly, with almost every one of the reindeer lagging, tired, or performing at a fraction of their usual ability. Mechanically, the sled ran just fine, but there were a couple of times when the team abruptly lost altitude, nearly crash-landed, and once, near the end of the test, we couldn't even get off the ground! This with only a half-loaded sleigh! And specially-trained reindeer!

I was flummoxed.

But then, later, after dinner, Rufus Instubble, the animal keeper, came to me with information that explains a lot, if not everything about the reindeers' performance. Turns out that Cupid had just come to him and explained that the poor things haven't slept for nearly a week -- since the 12th, in fact, the night of the elves' birthday party, when Rudolph accidentally lost the little knitted cap that covers his nose! His nose, just like the song says, is SO bright, it's been keeping the other reindeer awake at night!

Now, you'd think it would be easy to find something to cover his nose with, but because of the particular light frequency of the color his nose emits, not just any old strip of duct tape will do! Years ago, Mrs. Claus knitted him a special nose-cozy (you know, like a tea cozy) using extremely rare, magical fibers we could only find in a special yarn store in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Somehow that yarn was the only yarn that could block Rudolph's nose light without disintegrating! But we bought all the store had, and it's closed now, and it'll take months -- i.e., much longer than the time left before Christmas -- to find more. I know, because ever since Rufus told me, I've been frantically searching for it online.

Even if we could find the yarn, the thread is so fine (it requires size 00000000 knitting needles) that Mrs. Claus couldn't possibly knit a new one in time for Flight Night. (And she's a fast knitter.)

I feel bad for the poor reindeer, yet I'm worried that somehow we won't figure out a solution before Christmas. We have to find that cozy!

I'll keep you posted what happens.

Love,

Santa