Ten nights before Christmas Eve,  some years ago, Santa leaned back in his big, comfortable chair beside a crackling fire in the hearth.  He sighed. Mrs. Santa, enjoying the warmth from her chair, similar in size, never ceased her knitting, as she glanced inquiringly at her weary husband.  She knew that the past busy days,  completing many details for his annual Flight, had been unusually tiring for him.

She had even suggested, many times,  that he consider retiring.  After all, she pointed out,  so few children even believed in him any more.  Most were jaded with the opulence showered on them by doting parents.  Others were amply provided with toys and candy by well-meaning charity organizations.

It was becoming more and more difficult for him to make the long flight, and often he had to resort to actually going in the front doors of those dwellings which no longer had any semblance of a fireplace.  Why, just last year when he was leaving some toys under a tree,  an irate man had come into the living room waving a pistol,  and demanding to know what he thought he was doing? No explanation was enough to satisfy him,  as he claimed he was well able to take care of his own children's presents.   Besides,  he said,  he had raised them to be practical and not even believe in such  mythical beings as Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.    Santa had tried to explain that the man was robbing his children of some childhood Joys,  but nevertheless, he had left the house,  promising not to return again.

Now Santa sighed again,  remembering the long years stretching into the past, and wondering how he was going to continue in the future.   The population explosion in all countries of the world alone made the statistics difficult to handle,  even though many countries had children who were not taught to believe in him.   He considered that a sad state of affairs,  but had always just worked around the situation,  and gone where he was appreciated.

"Well,  dear,"   Santa said to his wife,  "I think the hardest part of the whole Christmas Eve situation is trying to go so many places in such a short time. If that could somehow be solved,  it would really make my job easier!"

She nodded sympathetically,  never missing a stitch of her knitting.  This was one of her tasks,  trying to finish up so many pairs of mittens for Santa to take with him.   She could not even begin to count the numbers of them she had made to warm the hands of the World's children over the years.

"Have the Elves been a lot of help to you this year?"  She inquired.  Sometimes it was difficult to recruit enough of them to fashion the many kinds of toys and games,  especially the past few years.  More and more of them were preferring to go work in big factories out in the World, for better pay. There were still enough left in Santa's  North Pole Workshop,  however,  to cover the orders which Santa had determined he must take with him this year.

Santa's countenance brightened. "Yes!"  he was suddently enthused.  "There is the new Elf  I hired earler this year.   She is a marvel of productivity, and her knowledge of organization has really speeded up the whole work force!"

Mrs. Santa asked in surprise,  "She?   You hired a female Elf?  I thought they only wanted to stay inside their homes?"

"Well,  she persuaded me to give her a chance and even buy some computer equipment.   I must say,  Erika has completely upgraded the whole production lines,  and made all the other Elves' work that much easier."

Santa rubbed his nose thoughtfully.  "She has another idea,  which I was going to go over with you.   She has a twin brother,  Erik,--says he is also redheaded like she is,--and he works in Seattle.  The past few years he has given his boss lots of ideas for all sorts of advanced technology.   Made his company one of the leading performers in the whole world."

Mrs. Santa  frowned slightly.   "Both of them are red-heads?   Isn't that rather unusual?   The only Elves I've seen have dark hair.   Where do you suppose they came from, anyway?"

Santa stretched and massaged the back of his neck.   "I really don't know. I did ask Erika once,  but she just replied that she chose to come here to help me,  because of the desperate need of so many children in the world. And her brother chose to go help his boss in Seattle because the technology needed to be brought out in America."

Santa arose from his chair and added another log to the fire.  When he sait down again there was a puzzled frown on his face.   "The ideas which Erika gave me do not fully make sense,  but she assured me that they would work, and revolutionize  my Christmas Eve flights after this.   She has just about finished up a new sleigh model.  It will not require the Reindeer any longer,
and That should make all of them very pleased!   Especially Rudolph,  who has been complaining about a pulled tendon in his left hind leg all Fall. And Prancer asked me a couple of weeks ago,  with many gestures, if maybe he could stay behind this year because of rheumatism."

Mrs. Santa looked up in surprise.   "What in the world would make the sleigh go through the air, then?   I've heard about airplanes and dirigibles,  but they don't seem to go fast enough to cover the long distances you have to travel!"

"I really don't understand all the details, either,  but Erika assures me that it will travel fast enough  and have  even more room  inside for  all the toys, games and clothing.   She will be going along with me this year,  and even perhaps next year, and whatever following ones that are necessary for me to become fully proficient in flying the Sleigh."

Santa frowned again.   "There's another thing  that I probably will never under- stand.   Erika explained it to me over and over again,  but it just doesn't seem logical at all.  It has something to do with time-travel, and quantum-something- or-other,  and with Beaming.   She says she will take care of everything and I won't have to worry about it at all."

Mrs. Santa looked at him with a glazed expression on her face.   She was really just an old-fashioned person,  even though wife of one of the most famous people in the world.   It was beyond her comprehension that Erika the Elf was working in Santa's Work Shop,  doing computer planning  and all this talk of Sleighs flying through the air without reindeer, time-travel, and so forth dazed her mind.  She finally gave up trying to understand it at all and returned to kntting.

Five nights before Christmas Eve,   Erika took Santa to see the new Sleigh. He considered it from several angles and decided it reminded him of one of the landing craft from the Star Ship Enterprise.   He mentioned this to Erika, but she just smiled,  and invited him for a Ride.

After an hour's flight Santa had to admit that it certainly handled very well, and was Very Fast.   Erika smiled again.   She then had him stand in a certain spot,  and Beamed him back into his Workshop.  That was a rather startling experience,  but later he had to agree it was Scintillating!  He was rather dubious when she then told him that was how he would be delivering toys into each house.   No more trying to squeeze down through chimneys, or trying out front or back unlocked doors.   Furthermore,  it would be set so that the whole experience would only last a millisecond.   No one would see him,  and later when the toys were discovered it would be a complete mystery as to how they had appeared.   Santa liked That idea very much!

Two nights before Christmas Eve,  everything was loaded on the new Sleigh. Even the reindeer came to inspect it, and to show their approval.  They were very happy they no longer had to brave the elements to travel the world.  Santa had assured them that because of their faithful years of service,  they would now be permanently retired to a warm Barn in the winter,  and green pastures in  the Summer.  If little Vixen looked slightly wistful at the thoughts of no more traveling, she hid it well.   Erika had explained to all the reindeer,  in a manner which was incomprehensible to Santa,  that this new Sleigh would help  Santa,  and  all the  children  of  the  World  from  henceforth  in the distribution of toys and games.

Even the other Elves were enthusiastic about the new methods.  At first they had been skeptical, especially since Erika was a Female.  They had never known a Female Elf to work for Santa,  or anywhere else in the world, either. But they had to admit she certainly had a way with the computers, and it made all of their work much more simplified.   At the end they all cheered
her as the Sleigh was loaded and ready to leave.

On Christmas Eve,  Santa and Erika boarded the loaded Sleigh.  Santa was very surprised at the sheer quantities of toys, games and clothing which were stored on board.   Erika had explained to him about the 4th dimensional storage rooms,  which were able to hold more than appeared possible from the outside.   Santa did not even begin to understand about that Technology
and just took her word for everything.

To eliminate many details of its first Christmas Eve flight,  suffice it to say the Sleigh performed admirably in every situation and in every country where it was planned they would visit.   Santa was Beamed in and out of so many houses,  apartments,  and condos he soon lost track,  and he wondered just how he ever managed without Erika before!

One thing Erika requested was that she wanted to visit her brother, Erik,  in Seattle.  She also wanted Santa to meet him.   So they did.   First Santa was beamed down into Erik's bedroom,  then they were both beamed back up into the Sleigh.   Erik did not seem at all surprised  at  what  his  sister had accomplished with the outfitting of the Sleigh,  the Beaming Technology, and
so forth.  Santa observed the two of them together, their tousled red heads so alike, and the simple joys at being together again.   He invited Erik to visit at the North Pole any time.   He said that perhaps Erika could come get him with the Sleigh.   Erik smiled and said he had an airship similar to the Sleigh, and would come  to the North Pole in the  Spring.   Right  then he was  working on some more very important Technology for his Boss,  and had to complete it first.

Santa asked him who his Boss was.   Erik again smiled, and said  "You know!" and left it at that.   Santa supposed that he did know, and did not press him further.    He told Erik he was very glad that Erika had decided to come work at the North Pole Workshop,  and he didn't know what he would have done without her this year.

"Ummm,  yes,"  Erik  mused.. "This was a Pivotal Year in the history of the World,   and it was very necessary that both of us come here where we did and alter History slightly.   Not enough to radically change things,  but just enough so that the lives of many children and adults would be made all the better."     He smiled and extended his hand.   "I'm so glad to have met you,
Santa!   Now I can understand just why Erika insisted that she go to the North Pole and help you!"

After that,  Santa and Erika took off again in the Sleigh, completing their long journey.   When they finally were back at the North Pole Workshop, Santa was astonished to see that it was only 1 A.M!   When he commented on that fact to Erika,  she just smiled and suggested he go to bed and get some rest,  so he could enjoy  Christmas Day.

Erika also informed Santa that she was going to use the Sleigh for a few days to go visit her parents.  "Erik will be there, too,"  she said.  Santa asked where they lived, but she just said that perhaps someday she'd tell him.

"You've had too much new information given to you all at once now.   Better not to overload your brain!   Go relax for a few days with your wife.   When I return,  we will be gearing up for another year,  and I will be introducing you to even more  startling ideas!"

So that was the end,--or was it only the Beginning?   Remember,  all that happened a number of years ago.   What new Technology have you noticed coming out since then?