The Christmas Elf and the Lost Socks (Part 2 of 2)

In the morning, little Eddy jumped out of bed and rushed to check his elf trap. A surprise was waiting for him…

The box contained not the candy, nor the cookie…and to Eddy’s disappointment, not the elf either!

But the box was not empty. Inside was a sheet of paper with a short message:

Dear Eddy,

Thank you for the delicious candy and the cookie. That was very generous of you.

Signed: Dainty the elf
P.S. I love your style. I think you are very elegant (and very polite)!

Eddy was very excited by this confirmation that there was an elf in his house! He was also flattered by the compliment that the elf gave him, but it did not solve his missing socks problem. He decided to write a note back to the elf:

Dear Dainty the elf,

Thank you for your visit and for your kind words about my style. I have a question for you though. Was it you who took the socks that I cannot find? I apologize in advance if you are not responsible for this, but it is a very annoying situation for me.

Signed: Eddy
P.S. Here’s more candy for you.

Before going to bed that night, Eddy placed the message in the box with some extra candy for the elf. He had great difficulty falling asleep because he was so anxious to find out if the elf took his socks!

In the morning, Eddy nervously approached the box, hoping to find the elf so that he could finally talk with him face to face. Alas, there was no elf inside. Instead, the box contained a letter…and socks! Eddy grabbed the letter first.

Dear Eddy,

I must confess it was I who borrowed some of your socks. I’m very sorry about this, but I can’t help it!

I belong to the Do-Good elf clan. We are sent on missions to children’s homes to watch over them and report back to Santa if the kids have been good or bad. This information is analyzed by a machine that conducts calculations and delivers the final “Naughty” or “Nice” verdict.

We know we have to be discreet, but sometimes we get really attached to the children we watch. When this happens, we are tempted to keep an object to help us remember the child. It warms our hearts later on to look at this object and to remember all the gestures of kindness and generosity of its owner.

I’ve been watching over you for a while and I really admire the respectful attitude you have towards your mother. I am also impressed with the care that you put in choosing your outfits. You have very pretty socks…so I wanted to keep some to remember you!

I understand, however, that this may bother you.  I have decided to give you some socks back, so both of your feet can stay warm!

Sincerely,
Dainty the elf

Eddy looked around his room, wondering where the elf could be hiding..No sign of him, apart from the socks he had left at the bottom of the box! Eddy observed them one by one and quickly figured out that none of these socks belonged to him! The boy was puzzled…He decided to write another message to the elf.

Dear Dainty the elf,

Thank you again for your kind words which have warmed my heart. I also thank you for giving me back some socks. Unfortunately, none of them are mine!  I put them back in the box so that you can give them back to the person they belong to.

Signed: Eddy
P.S. I hope you can find my socks.

Eddy put the socks in the box and added more candy for the elf. He tried to stay awake that night so he could see if Dainty came to visit, but fatigue overcame him and he fell sound asleep.

As soon as he woke up, little Eddy ran to check the box. Once again, he found some mismatched socks and a message.

Dear Eddy,

Once again, I apologize. I am unfortunately not as tidy and organized as you are and I do not remember where I put your socks. Time is pressing now, and I must return to the North Pole. Here are some more socks that I think look particularly good! I encourage you to be original and to mismatch them with each other. Free your creativity! A bit of fantasy won’t hurt you… I am sure you will come up with interesting combinations.

Good-bye dear friend! It was a pleasure and an honour watching over you!

Dainty the elf

At first, the boy was rather upset about not getting back his precious socks. He took a closer look at the socks that Dainty left for him. He had to admit the elf was right. These socks had playful patterns that were pleasing to the eye, and could match well together…

Encouraged by the elf, Eddy decided to get creative and wear two different socks. It added some whimsiness to his life and made preparing his outfits so much more fun! In school at first, some kids made fun of him. But little by little, children began to imitate him. Over the weeks, many other kids joined in on this new fashion created by Eddy. They sought his advice on colour and pattern combinations. He ended up making a lot of new friends.

Even when he grew up to become an adult, Eddy continued to wear mismatched socks. He had a career in the fashion industry and his original style won him admirers all around the world. Whenever he looked down at his funny socks sticking out of the bottom of his pants, grown-up Eddy had a warm thought about the elf who helped him add a nice dose of creativity to his life.