The Boy Who Fooled Santa Claus

This is a true story.

"Waa," the boy cried. "I want more toys."
Neither of his parents responded. So the
boy went to the library and looked through
rows of phone books in the reference section.
He found Santa's 800 number. He called on
the cell phone his father had given him.
"You forgot," he told Santa . ""I want my
presents."
"I did?" said the jolly old gentleman." But
dear boy, ho ho ho, my calendar says it's the
middle of August."
"Waa," the boy cried. "It's really
December , you old meanie. If you don't bring
me my toys, I'll stop believing in Christmas."
Santa said," "I guess I'm getting forgetful
in my old age, ho ho ho. What's your
address?"
An hour later Santa arrived at the boy's
home with a bulging sack. The boy saw him
from his window and hurried to the door, but
his mother got there first.
"Do I have the right address?" Santa
asked. ""I'm looking for...."
He told the mother about the phone call.
"I'm not surprised he did that," the
mother said. "I can't believe how spoiled that
kid is."
"What should I do with the toys?" Santa
asked.
"Take them back. My son already has
too may toys. I suggest you give him a lump of
coal when the real Christmas comes."
"Oh my," Santa said. "I hate to do that,
even for naughty boys and girls, but
sometimes it's necessary. Ho ho ho."
Tilting his his cap back and mopping
his his wet forehead, Santa left on a sleigh
pulled by thirteen sweaty reindeer.
"I can't believe you pulled a trick on
Santa," the mother said. "What kind of a
monster have I raised?"
The boy pressed against the closet
door. "But...uh...well...gee...I mean..."
The boy sat in his room all day. He knew
that what he did was rotten, but when it came
to toys, nothing else mattered.
He called Santa to apologize. The jolly
old man hung up on him.
"I guess Santa has done some
thinking himself," the boy said.
The boy gathered all of his father's Auto
Club maps and planned a trip to the North
Pole.
He hitched a ride to the beach.
Swimming out to the deep water, he climbed
on a bouy, stuck out his thumb, and hitched a
ride on a luxury liner.
"Crazy kid," the captain told the boy as
he dripped salt water in front of him. "You
could've been eaten by sharks. I mean,
jeeze."
"I'm going to see Santa," the boy
explained. "He's mad at me, and I don't blame
him, but I've got to make things right. "
After the captain let him off by a glacier,
the boy hitched a ride on a dogsled. His
thumb could barely be seen in the blizzard.
"Oh, it's you," Santa said when found
the boy at his door. "You naughty, naughty boy.
You're not supposed to fool Santa, you know."
"Dear don't be so harsh," Mrs. Claus
said, suddenly appearing at Santa's side.
"Can't you see the child is sorry?"
"Hmph," Santa said.
Mrs. Claus put a blanket around the
boy and gave him a cup of hot cocoa.
Then she left him with Santa.
"So you like toys?" Santa said,
looming over the child. "Well. I'll see that you
spend lots of time with toys. Ho ho ho. First, I'll
call your parents, though."
The boy worked the rest of August in
Santa's workshop. Elves taunted him. "Bad
boy, bad boy," they said. "Going to get a lump
of coal. Ha ha ha."
"I Sure am," the boy said. "And I'm
sorry."
The boy worked hard. He won the
respect of the elves. "Hey kid, you're all right,"
they said.
He was released in time for school.
By then Santa had forgiven him.
The boy grew up to be a radio
commentator who told inspirational stories.
This is a true story. How do I know?
Well, you see, I was that boy.