"Okay, ready?" "Whee!" "That was so great." " Yeah, let's go again." " Okay." "It's a tie." " Ready?" " Yeah." "Come on, Bobby, let's go again." "We'll call you when we get there." "Don't you worry about a thing." "We'll get the lease to the realtor." " Take care." " Okay." "You, too." " We'll be in touch." " Yeah." "See you." "Yeah, see you." "I guess you're ready." "In you get." "Buckle up." "Bye." " Okay, call us when you get there." " Yeah, we will." "Safe trip." "Come on, Jess." "Let's go home, sweetie." "Jess?" "Jessie?" "Honey, Derek Tynan's here to see you." "Do you want to go sledding with him?" "It's a beautiful day out, and you love sledding." "With Bobby." "Sweetie, I know you're sad, but you can't stay in here forever." "Leave me alone." " Not today, Derek." " Oh, okay." "Try again later, okay?" "Good." "Oh, the tree looks wonderful." "Good." " Oh, thank you." " You're welcome." " So, has Jess had any dinner at all?" " No." "She just needs time." "It's been almost a week." "Bob, she's heartbroken, and she's ten." "It took you three years to get over Greg Sewell moving away... and you were 27." "Well, it's not going to be a very merry Christmas around here." "What?" " I have an idea." " What?" "Well, I think she's herding kangaroos in the Australian outback..." "No, that was last month." "She's hot-air ballooning over the geti right now." "No, please, anybody but..." " Aunt Millie." " Aunt Millie." "Beautiful Bethy." "How's my only niece?" "I'm fine, Aunt Millie." "I'm so glad you came." "Hello, Aunt Millie." " Bill." " Bob." " Okay, Bill Bob." " Just plain Bob." "Oh, be a dear, Plain Bob, there's a little more in the car." "Come on in." "Lordy Lord, Christmas is a time for faith and family... and presents and turkey." " Is it Christmas here yet?" " No, it's tomorrow." "Then I made it with just a breath to spare." "Jessie, there's someone very special here to see you." "Bobby?" "No, honey, it's Aunt Millie, all the way from Africa." "Oh, hi, Aunt Millie." "Aren't you going to give your old auntie a hug?" "Oh, my, this can't be my Jessie... so beautiful and so sad." "Come, you tell your Aunt Millie all about the hurt in your heart." " Mind making some lunch, Bethy?" " Sure." "No problem." "There, there." "And do you know something?" "I know exactly how you feel." " No, you don't." " Oh, but I do." "You feel like you're all alone in the world... and there's this huge hole in your heart." "And no matter how hard you try, it just won't go away." " Is it like that?" " Uh-huh." "Oh, suffering sainthood, we can't have you feeling this way at Christmas." "Oh, what to do?" "There's always..." "No, that won't do." "Or we could go..." "No, that's too far." "There must be something." "Yes, I have it." " What?" " The story." "What story?" "Oh, only the story of one of the greatest friendships ever... that has the power to heal your broken heart." "Oh, but you probably don't want to hear a story." "Yes, yes, please, Aunt Millie, tell me the story." "Okay." "But first, you have to answer a simple question." "What?" "Do you believe in Santa Claus?" "You know, some people don't believe in Santa, or magic... or much of anything these days." "So, you know... it'll be perfectly pointless telling them the most magical story ever." "I think I believe." "Excellent." "Now you sit back and make yourself as comfortable as you can." "Oh, this is wonderful." "Throw me a pillow." "Thank you." "Now, many, many years ago, there was this little girl called Katie Andrews... she was about your age." "I just turned ten." "Jumping jimminy, so was Katie." "She was a wonderfully sensitive and spirited little girl... but her life was less than ideal." "And with good reason." "You see, she lived in the shadow of her two obnoxious brothers, Jack and Joe... and she felt awfully alone." " Here we go, now." " Give it back!" "Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming." "Fun's over, boys." "Now then, winter was Katie's favorite time of the year... because she loved one thing... more than anything else in the whole wide world... skating." "You are wearing the wrong kind of skates." "Katie." "It's time for dinner, honey." "Oh, he's very good." "I wish I could skate like that." "Hello." "Oh, my goodness, you're Otto Brewer." "Yes, I know." "You are this girl's mother?" "I'm Sarah Andrews." "Katie, you didn't tell me Otto Brewer was skating here." "He won the gold medal in the Olympics." "Oh, that was a longtime ago." " What is your name?" " Katie Andrews, sir." "I have watched you, Katie." "Do you want to learn proper skating?" "Then I will teach you." "Because I cannot abide what you are doing." "Oh, that's very generous of you, Mr. Brewer, but..." "But what?" "Speak up, but what?" "We couldn't afford to..." "Did I ask for payment?" "No, I did not." "What I'm asking is permission to teach her proper skating." "Then good." "I only require two things... one, you will do what I'm asking, yes?" "And you will get her proper skates." "Papa!" "Come on, Papa." "He would stay out here all night if he could." "Oh, I have one of those, too." "This is Alexandra, my troublesome daughter." "She thinks I'm too old to be on the ice." "This is Katie Andrews and her mother." " How do you do?" " How do you do?" " Katie is going to be my student." " Student?" "Yes, student!" "You wanted to go, now we go." "See you tomorrow, Katie." "Proper skates." "Proper skates." "You should have seen her out there today." "You know, her birthday's coming, we could get her figure skates." "Sarah, we're barely getting by now." "Ted, if it was the boys, we'd find a way." "Look, sit down a minute." "I didn't want to mention this, but..." "I did hear a rumor there may be more layoffs soon." "Really?" "But it is just a rumor." " Come on, Katie, make a wish." " Yeah, a wish." "Make a wish, honey." "Happy birthday, sweetheart." " How come she gets such a big present?" " Yeah, how come?" "Because it's her birthday." "It's not fair." "Pipe down, boys, let your sister open her gift." "Yellow skates?" "They're used, but at least they're not hockey skates." "Now you'll be a champion figure skater for sure." " Happy Birthday, sweetheart." " Happy Birthday." "They're banana skates!" "Look at me, I'm racing on my new banana skates!" "Ooh, I'm Katie skating." "Boys, stop it now." "Yellow skates." "Yellow skates?" "Yellow would be, like, totally ick." "Maybe to you, but to Katie... they were the most beautiful skates she had ever seen." "Inside edge." "Who has ever heard of yellow skates?" "Ugly." "Now, as it happens, Otto was not the only one... having a big problem with the way things looked." "One winter night, far away at the North Pole..." "Santa's village was in a tizzy... over the news of a very unusual arrival." "Step aside." "Make a path, that's what I would suggest." "That's it." "That's right." "Be out of my way." "Are you sitting or working, huh?" "Don't read them, just sort them." "Thank you." "Santa." "Santa?" "Santa." "Santa, wake up!" "Come quickly." "There is something you must see." "You're feeling sickly and hurt your knee?" "No, see, see." "Hurry, follow me." "What furry hollow tree?" "Santa, there is a crisis!" "You don't need to yell, you don't need to yell." "Crisis, you say?" "What crisis?" "Blitzen and Delphi had the baby." "But that's not a crisis... that's wonderful news." "Wonderful news!" "After all this while... it's high time they heard the clatter of little hooves." "What are we doing standing here?" "Let's go see him." "You may want to hold the jolly, sir." "The him is a her, and that's not all." "You say she's in the Great Hall?" "What's she doing there?" "She should be in the paddock." "Yes, of course." "After you." "All right, clear the way." "Enough gawking, it's not a petting zoo." "Blitzen." "Hi, boss." " Congratulations, old boy." " Thanks, Santa." "I hope you're not disappointed." "Sir." "Oh, my." "Oh, my, oh, my." "Isn't she..." "Yes, yes, but what is that there on her head?" "Well, that's..." "She's not exactly... she's certainly a lovely little..." "Oh, she looks like a pony." "Please." "Besides." "Blitzen and Delphi were hoping for a boy to take over... for Blitzen in his position in the sled when he retires." "As you can see, now this is impossible!" "Well, you may have a point there, however, there are other ways... to contribute to the community." "We each have our own talents." "We're going to have to assemble a full Council." "We need a name." "Now let me see, something appropriate." "We'll never get a Council in this blizzard, of course." "That's it, Blizzard." " That's it." " That's what?" " Well done, Archimedes." " What have I done?" "It's a wonderful name." "Blizzard." "Delphi, what do you think of Blizzard?" "It's wonderful." "Yes might I remind, Santa... that any new reindeer name must be approved by the Council." "Yes, and Archimedes, may I remind you that Blizzard... is the daughter of Blitzen and Delphi... and the granddaughter of Sirius, one of the greatest flyers ever." "And she is to be given all the love and respect... that her lineage deserves." "No matter how different she looks." "Indeed." "Well said, Delphi." "Well, Blitzen?" "So, behold Blizzard." "In accordance with our tradition, I declare her to be... a full member of the herd." "Welcome, Blizzard." "May you live long, little one... and contribute mightily to the work that is ours and ours alone." "All right, the fuss is over, back to work." "But the fuss Blizzard would cause was only just beginning... as was Archimedes' dislike for her." "You see, he lived for order, rules." "No, I'm not questioning your effectiveness at your job." "On the contrary, you made things run very smoothly." "Thank you." "I shudder to think what would happen if we fail to meet... even one of my timetables." "Chaos." "Not to mention thousands upon thousands of children... very disappointed come Christmas morning." "Oh, we can't have that." "No, I believe it is the rules that make Christmas happen!" ""Rules make Christmas happen." That's a lovely new slogan." "Oh, no blow guns, too dangerous." "The months flew by." "And as December approached... it seemed that everyone in Santa's village... had just one thing on their minds:" "Christmas." "Santa's reindeer were going out each day, practicing for the big night." "That's my girl." "Blitzen, looking good!" "Okay, Prancer, come on, baby, make that nice turn." "Yes!" "Keep your head up!" "And when it came to getting into the Christmas spirit..." "Blizzard was no exception." " Hey, good morning, Aphrodite." " What's so good about it?" "Just look around, it's a beautiful day." "Smell her." "Who does she think she is anyway?" "This is a team game, so if one goes down, what?" "We all go down." "All go down." "Tell me about it." "Hey, have any of you guys tried flying yet?" "I tried on my dad's harness." " How'd that go?" " I got a little lightheaded." "Cool." "You guys wanna try flying with me?" "Actually, we're doing guy stuff." " Blizzard, hi." " Hey Donner, Jr." "I told you, we're doing guy stuff." "No girls allowed." "You don't have to be so mean about it." " We don't want you here." " Well then, I'll just leave." "Wow." "Unbelievable." " How is it down there?" " This is incredible!" "I can't believe it!" "I can't fly." "Oh, well, boys, see you." "This isn't fair, I'm calling my dad." "Where do you think you're going?" "Guys, I've got to go." "Blizzard, hey, wait up." "Hey look, I'm on all fours here." "Slow down." "Blizzard, come on, not so fast." "Give me a break." "Oh, hi, Donner Jr." " Blizzard, you can really fly." " Yeah." "How do you do that?" "I just think "up," and the next thing I know, I'm up in the air." "What's the matter?" "Come on, try it." "So you just say to yourself, "up," and you go up?" "Pretty much." "I'm still kind of grounded here, Blizzard." "I don't know." "Maybe you're thinking too much." "Don't think about it, just try it." "Come on." "Don't think about it, just fly." "Don't think about it, just fly." "I almost had it." "Come on, catch me if you can." "Blizzard, slow down, no, wait." "I'm coming." "I'm coming, okay?" "Blizzard, slow down." "Oh, my God!" "I'm flying!" "I'm flying!" "Wow, I flew!" "Wait until my dad hears!" "Well, at about that time..." "Blizzard and Donner Jr." "weren't the only ones taking off." "So was Katie... who, under the watchful eye of Otto... was skating like never before." "And with each day... gaining more of the confidence she'd felt only in her dreams." "Katie, you are ready." " Ready for what, Otto?" " Exhibition." " But..." " No but, but!" "Go home, have some rest, have some good sleep." "And tomorrow, bring your family here." "Why do we have to go to see her stupid skating?" "But I don't want go." "We go to your hockey games... you can go to her figure skating, and that's final." "Dad..." "You heard your mother." "Now, eat your supper." "Pass the biscuits, please." "Can you imagine how Katie felt as she stepped on to the ice?" "You are ready?" "Good." "Katie, try to stay on your skates." "Yeah, and not on your bottom." "Silence, if you want to live another day." "Oh, Katie." "Way to go, Katie." "But life can sometimes change when you least expect it." "And Mr. Brewer says that she really has potential." "In a few months, she might even..." "Ted, are you listening to me?" "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "I got notice today at the mill." "I've been let go." "Oh, Ted." "There's work in the city." "You mean move?" "Sarah, you know as well as I do... that Grierson Lumber is the only game in town." "Moving to the city's our only option." "Otto, I want to stay here with you." "That's not possible, child." "Your family needs you." "Katie, when you are on the ice... you will sometimes fall down... but you will always get up and try again." "Yes?" "Keep getting up, Katie." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." " Stop!" " What's the matter?" "This is not cheering me up!" "But I haven't got to the..." "Tell me more about Blizzard." "You said this was about their great friendship." "I will, sweet pea, but first..." "No, please, Aunt Millie, now." "Oh, mercy me, child, all right." "Well, Blizzard grew... and one night she discovered she possessed not one... but two of the three magic reindeer gifts." "What magic reindeer gifts?" "Now, back then, it was very rare for female reindeer to be accomplished flyers." "Except, of course, for Vixen." "And it was well known that one of Archimedes' most important rules... was never, ever, to fly at night... without an approved flight plan." "But, as you know, Blizzard didn't care much for rules, so she flew anyway... simply because she loved to fly." "Blizzard, you were flying after hours without a flight plan." "This is in direct violation of rule B10, section 1 43." "These rules are not to be broken just because you feel like it." "Who made up these rules, anyway?" "Well, Blitzen." "Blizzard, you're grounded." "Grounded?" "You mean I can't..." "And you'll stay in this paddock until I say otherwise." "That's not fair!" "If only she were more like Cupid's daughter, Aphrodite." "This won't happen again, Archimedes." "Blizzard was unbelievably sad." "But this was how she discovered she had the second magic reindeer gift." "I can't believe they'd lock me in my paddock." ""Why can't you be more like Aphrodite?"" "I don't want to be more like Aphrodite." "At times I just wish I could..." "Wow!" "Now I see me." "Now I don't!" "Wow!" "This is great." "Oh man, my hooves are on fire." "I could really use a pedicure." "Yeah, no kidding." "I've got some nasty chafing from today's practice." "Yeah, my wife says I should soak in a warm bath with a little bit of lavender." "Lavender?" "Who knew?" "Yeah." "It's supposed to relieve stress." "Did you hear something?" "Good evening, sir." "Is it?" " Been working here long, have you?" " Yes, sir." " You enjoy working?" " Very much..." "You take pride in your work, that sort of thing?" "Yes, very much so, sir." "As I suspected." "Code P1359, section 1 1... subsection V1 2, clause 7-4." "It's not wide enough." "You understand?" "There's more work to be done, is the point." "Stupid." " Who did that?" " I didn't see anyone." " You didn't see anyone?" " Sir, did you trip?" "Did I trip?" "I was pushed!" "Did I trip!" "Whoever did that..." " Did you see anyone?" " I didn't see anyone, sir." "No one?" "For that, you're on report." "Back to work." "I'm on..." "Did you see his face?" "Blizzard, you were invisible." "Oh, Jeremy, you can see me?" "I'll have to remember that." "Listen, this will just have to stay our little secret, okay?" "But, as long as you know that secret, can I tell you another one?" "I know it's against the rules, but I'm going to go night flying." "You want to come?" "Why not, I'm on report anyway." " How much do you weigh?" " I don't know, why?" "Well, you'll be my first passenger, and I've never flown with baggage before." "Baggage?" "Thanks." "You're not going to crash, are you?" "I can't look." "Just hold on, baggage." ""Crash" and "Baggage" became great friends." "And they were together the day Blizzard learned that she had the third... and the most amazing of the magic reindeer gifts." "And so, the end." "Oh, wait a minute, Aunt Millie, what about the third magic gift?" "Do you want something more to eat?" "And Katie hasn't even met Blizzard, or become best friends... or anything." "No, wait!" "It can't be the end yet!" "But that's as far as you'll let me tell." "No, it isn't!" "So you do want to know what happened after Katie and Otto said goodbye?" "Can't you just tell me about the third magic gift?" "Nope." "Because what happened to Katie... is how Blizzard discovered she had the most magical reindeer gift of all." "Okay, but why does it have to be so sad?" "Every story has sad parts." "You've just got to get through them to get to the good bits." "Oh, don't be afraid of your feelings, Jess." "They let you know you're alive." "Okay." "So... where were we?" "Well, Katie's dad lost his job at the lumber mill... and Katie had to say goodbye to Otto." "Yeah." "Can you imagine how Katie felt when she had to say goodbye... to everything that was near and dear to her?" "And things got pretty grim for the whole family." "There, honey, that should give you some privacy." " I called it first." " You did not!" " Did too!" " Did not!" "Enough." "Joe, top." "Jack, bottom." "I win." "You lose." "But, Dad, that's not fair!" "Sucker." "How come he always gets what he wants?" "No arguments." "And don't pester your sister." "It won't be for long, I promise." "Stop it." "Last one's a dirty rotten egg." "Come on, get him!" "She must be a new girl." "Yeah, I haven't seen her before, either." "Why, thank you, Jeffrey." "Looks good." "Now, shoulders back." "Arms wide." "Nice." "Arch your back, knees bent." "Now watch your speed going in." "That girl was spying, she distracted me." "No, Erin, it was your sloppy takeoff." "Well, she shouldn't be here spying." "All right, now do it again, and this time, concentrate." "All right, the air tag master is here." "You guys ready?" "Who wants to have some fun now?" " This is power tag." " Want some of this?" " Who's it first?" " You're it." " All right." "All right, let's go." " Okay, let's go." "Go for it." "Come on." "That doesn't count." "What're you talking about?" "I tagged you." " Man, I got you." " He got you." "He totally got you." "You gonna cry or are you gonna fly?" "Tag!" "Tag!" "You're it!" "Now I'm going to give you boys a fighting chance." "Come on." " Come on, let's get her." " Yeah, let's go!" "Wow, isn't Blizzard great?" "Great?" "You're nuts." "She's a freak." " Freak?" " Yeah, freak." "Freak this!" "What's the matter, boys?" "You got a little lead in your hooves?" "Look out!" "Having a little trouble there?" "Sorry." "My antlers." "I don't see what's so great about her." "So she can fly." "Whoopie." "Give it back!" " Keep away!" " You're it." "My, but you're slow." "Hey, are you guys still back there?" "What's the matter, all tuckered out?" "What are you going to tell your friends?" "You got beat by a girl?" " Give it back!" " Come get it." "You'll have to do better if you want it back." "Hi, Dad!" " Got it!" " Not for long." "What the devil's going on in here?" "No!" " Where'd she go?" " She went this way." "I don't see her." "Gotcha!" "You're it." "Wait a minute, did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "I didn't hear anything." "No, listen." "What's the matter?" "I'm not sure." "Let's go find Jeremy." "You heard a voice?" "But I didn't just hear it, I mean, I saw a little girl." "And suddenly I felt this great sadness." " Oh, no!" " What?" " You had a vision of a human child?" " Yeah." " Blizzard, you've got it." " Got what?" "The third magical reindeer gift!" "The gift of empathic navigation." "Empathic navigation?" "It's how Santa finds the true hearts of good children at Christmas." "It's the greatest of the gifts... but only the Donner lineage is supposed to have it." "Then how come I don't have it?" "Don't worry, D.J., I'm sure you will." "This is unbelievable." "You have all three magic gifts." " Blizzard, do you know what this means?" " No." "What?" "No other reindeer in the history of Santa's reindeer has ever had all three gifts." " What do I do?" " Nothing." " Nothing?" " Do absolutely nothing." "This could only get you into really serious trouble." "Jeremy, she was so sad." "Crash, please listen to me for once... ignore her." "One of Archimedes' most important rules is that you can't contact humans." "Only Santa can do that, and only on Christmas." " There she is." "Blizzard!" " Oh, boy." "Uh-oh, it's your dad." "Blizzard, this time, young lady, you've gone too far." "What am I going to do with you?" "Thanks for your help, Aphrodite." "Glad I could help." "Blizzard, come with me!" "See you, Jeremy." "Remember what I said." "The rest of you get on home, too." "Blizzard was terribly torn... for she felt the sadness as if it were her own... and she saw the little girl so clearly... but breaking one of Archimedes three most important rules... would be completely, absolutely unthinkable!" "Mommy!" "Mom!" "Mommy, there was a monster." "What?" "No." "Katie, it was a bad dream." "No, I saw it." "It was staring at me." "Ooga-booga-boo, a scary monster." "All right, that's enough." "Back to bed." "But it was there." "I'm sure it was, but it's gone now." "Why don't you come and sleep in our room, would that be better?" "Okay?" "Not another peep." "Katie?" "I'm sorry I scared you." "Please don't scream." "What are you?" "I'm a reindeer from the North Pole." "My name is Blizzard." "Santa's reindeer?" "Yeah, you've probably heard of my dad." "Blitzen." "Do all of Santa's reindeer look like you?" "No." "I'm kind of special." "I mean, I can fly faster than anybody." "And I can become invisible." "And I have empa... empa something." "What it means is, I can see with my heart." "And that's what brought me here." "Katie, why are you so sad?" "Daddy lost his job, and we just moved here." "I miss my house, and I miss skating." "That's the thing I love most in the world." "But I can't skate anymore." "But why not?" "You just said that skating's the thing you love most in the world." "If you love skating, then you have to skate!" "What exactly is skating?" "See, you're laughing." "I already helped." "Okay, are you comfortable?" "Oh, watch the antlers, you don't want to get poked in the eye." "Now, I don't want to make you nervous, but you're only my second passenger." " All right, you ready?" " Yeah." "All right, Katie, hold on." "Don't worry, I will." "You know, I've discovered it's a whole different world from up here." "Oh, my." "Whoa, Blizzard." "Hang on." "Down we go." " How's this?" " Oh, Blizzard, it's perfect." " I'll be right back." " Katie, where are you going?" " Katie?" " You'll see." "Leave me in the dark all by myself." "Oh, my." "Oh, I see." "Skating is just like flying on ice." "You know what?" "I think I'll just stick to flying." "What fun they had." " lf only..." " No, not again." "What?" "Does something really bad happen to Katie?" "No, just the opposite." "It was a really good thing that led to all the trouble." "Hey, you." "This is a private club, for members only." " I just wanted..." " You don't belong here." "So beat it." "I told you to stay away, this place is for skaters." "I can skate." "Did you guys hear that?" "Snooper here says she can skate." "Snooper." " I can, too, as well as any of you." " Then I guess you'll just have to prove it." "Erin's the reigning club and city champion." "Unless you're a chicken as well as a snoop." "Look, tomorrow, after our practice... show up at your snoop door, and we'll see if you can really skate." "How are things going at your new school?" " Katie?" " Okay, I guess." "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make some friends soon." "Here, hold this." "Miss Brewer, what a surprise." "Come in." " Hello." " Hello." "Where's Otto?" "Isn't he coming?" "No, honey, he isn't." "Katie... my father hadn't been well for some time." "He was a good man... even though he could be a little prickly at times." "More than anything, my father loved skating... and in all of the years ever since he was in the Olympics... not once did he take on a student, until you." "He wanted you to have this." "You know... he used to tell me that the two of you were just alike... that you were both happiest when you were on the ice." "Maybe I shouldn't do this." "Katie, you love skating... and you can't let anyone stop you from doing it." " That's what Otto used to tell me." " Otto was a smart man." "And I have a feeling that if he were here right now, he'd say:" ""Katie, get in there, and skate circles around that little girl."" "You can do it." "Come on, Katie." "I'll see you inside." "Good work, girls." "See you all tomorrow." "Yes." "Miss Ward, is it okay to stay to work on my routine?" "With the city championships coming up and all..." "Good for you, Erin." "A little extra work never hurt anybody." "Hey, Snooper." "You ready?" "Are your skates yellow, or are you actually a chicken?" "What was that?" "Blizzard?" "Blizzard?" "I'm here." "Don't do anything, please." "I just want to skate fair." " Promise me." " Okay, I promise you." "Okay, chicken skates, let's see what you've got." " You first." " Okay, see if you can do any of this." "That was good." "What's going on here?" "Who are you, young lady?" "Katie Andrews." "We were just going to call you, Miss Ward." "We caught her skating here without permission." " Liar." " Blizzard, no." "All right, all of you, practice is over, get changed and go home." "Now!" "Katie Andrews, is it?" " Yes, ma'am." " Katie, you have some explaining to do." "Take off those skates and come to my office." "Erin, go." "Your father will be here any second... and you know how he hates to be kept waiting." "So, young lady, an explanation." "Where on earth did you learn to skate so beautifully?" "At home, on a pond." " But who taught you?" " My coach." "Otto Brewer." " Otto Brewer was your coach?" " You know him?" "In his day, he was the best that ever was." "But he vowed never to coach, why you?" "I don't know." "I guess because I love skating." "Well, it shows." "Katie... every year, just before Christmas, there's a city-wide skating championship... and from what I just saw out there, you have the talent to compete." "Every club's allowed to send two skaters... and in two weeks, we have our club qualifying meet." "But I'm not a member..." " and we can't afford to join." " You let me worry about that." "What do you say, Katie Andrews?" "Katie was on the ice again... practicing hard in order to get ready for the competition." "While at the North Pole..." "Santa's team was hard at work perfecting moves of their own." "Easy, team." "Moonwalk." "Whoa!" "Not bad for the first one of the day." "Christmas is only a few weeks away, we need to be a lot sharper than this." " More bags here." " Okay." " We need them." " They're changing the mounts." "All clear!" "All right, now, let's look alive." "Look alive." "Dasher, Dancer... on my mark, up, up, and away!" " D. J?" " Yeah, Blizzard?" "I'll bet someday you'll..." "You'll be as great a navigator as your dad." " Do you really think so?" " Yeah, I do." " D.J., you can do this." " Blizzard, where'd you go?" "All you have to do is believe in yourself." "You're right, I can do this." "I just have to believe in myself." "Just believe in myself enough." "I'm doing it." "I'm doing it, I'm feeling it." "I'm doing it." " Blizzard?" " Over here." "Yeah, I knew that." "You say Blizzard has the gift of invisibility?" "Interesting." "No wonder I have not caught her flying lately." "Exactly." "Unlike Blizzard, Aphrodite, you are a very good reindeer." " Stop." " I want you to keep an eye on this Blizzard." "You let me know if she breaks any more rules." "I believe one day she will break one too many, and then..." "I will banish the freak." "Don't you think banishment might be too good for her?" " At the very least I make an example." " That's what I'm thinking." "Tell me what you have in mind." "Blizzard!" "There you are." " Hey, Baggage, what's the hurry?" " What's going on?" "Listen, I don't know how she found out, but Aphrodite... told Archimedes about your gift of invisibility." "Blizzard, this is serious." "I mean, he's looking for any reason to get you banished." " Banished?" " From now on..." " you're going have to mind your p's and q's." " Baggage, you worry too much." "Crash, please." "I know Archimedes." "You don't want to do anything to provoke him." "This close to Christmas... he'll let nothing, and I mean nothing, stand in the way of the big day." "He's right, Blizzard, this is no time to be on Archimedes' bad side." "Boy, this is trouble I don't need." "And most importantly is that you're supposed to be having fun out there." "Can you remember that?" "It's going to look absolutely magnificent." "Now, before tomorrow..." "I just want to say how proud I am of how hard all of you have worked." "So, grab your skates, get a good night's sleep... and see you all bright and early for warm-ups." "Thank you, Miss Ward." "Katie." "Katie, wake up." " I have to talk to you." " Okay." "I'll be right up." "Blizzard, you're too early." "I don't skate until tomorrow morning." "I know, Katie, I know, but I'm in big trouble at home." "I mean, everybody's really mad at me, and I probably shouldn't even be here now... but I just had to come." "I'm not going to be here tomorrow..." " and I just wanted to wish you good luck." " It's okay, Blizzard." "Since you can't be here tomorrow why don't I skate my program tonight..." " just for you." "I'll go change." " Okay, but hurry." "There's something wrong." "Katie, are you all right?" " My skates." "They're ruined." " What do you mean, ruined?" "Blizzard, why?" "Why would anybody ruin my skates?" "Now what am I going to do?" "Hop on, Katie." "I think I have an idea." "Baggage, it's me." " I need a favor." " Go on." "Can my friend come in and warm up?" "Because she's really cold." " This is my friend Katie Andrews." " Hi." "Are you crazy?" "Bringing a human up here breaks Archimedes' second most important rule." " We could both get in a lot of trouble." " But I had to." " Why?" " Because she needs some skates." "Are your antlers loose?" "Wait a minute." "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" "Look, I just need to borrow them for a day." "Who's gonna know?" "Are you forgetting the number-one rule around here?" "Stealing a toy meant for another child will get you banished for sure." "She's my friend, Jeremy." "You know, I would do the same for you." "You're going to get us both sent to some polar-bear-infested iceberg." "Look, just do me a favor, keep her warm till I get back, okay?" "Thanks, Baggage." "Sure, we've got nothing else to do while you're out committing larceny." " I heard that." " Good." "So how hard could this be?" "Here we go." "Are you a real elf?" "No, I'm a fake elf." " I'm sorry, I've never seen one before." " You're not supposed to." "It's one of the rules here in the village." "No humans allowed." "Now listen, Katie... you have to promise, for Blizzard's sake... to make sure that those skates get back here as quickly as possible, or else..." " Just get them back, okay?" " I promise." " Here, these should fit." " Thank you, Blizzard." "Baggage, can you lend Katie something warm to wear?" "Why not?" " Katie, how you doing back there?" " Just great." "Wait till Archimedes hears about this." "Attagirl." "Great work, Erin, that's the best you've ever skated that routine." "Thank you, Miss Ward." "Has anyone seen Katie Andrews?" "She's next." "Have you seen Katie?" "I'm here." "I'm here." " Sorry I'm late." " It's all right." " Nice coat." " Thanks." "You better give me that." "Great." " How do you feel?" " Good." "Good." " Ladies and gentlemen..." " Ready?" " ... our final skater, Katie Andrews." " Go, go, go." "Bravo!" "And our two qualifiers for this year's regional competition..." "Erin Scott-Pierce... and Katie Andrews." "Way to go, Katie." " You were really good." " Thanks." "That was pathetic, Erin." "Do you hear me?" "Pathetic." "Daddy, I..." "I did my best." "It's obvious to me that, that wasn't very good." "You're going to have to do a lot better than that... if you want to win the city championship." "And you do want to win the championship, don't you, Erin?" "Yes." "I can't hear you, Erin." "Do you want to be a champion?" "Yes, Daddy." "Then skate like one, and not like some pathetic loser." "Hurry up and get dressed." "I will wait for you in the car." "I think you're a really great skater." "I..." "Katie, I'm sorry." "I..." "I ruined your skates." "I'm really sorry." "It's okay, Erin." "They were old... and really yellow." "Over here." " Blizzard." " You were great." "Thanks to you." "I'll meet you on the roof as soon as I get home." " Okay, but then I really have to get back." " Okay." "Good skate, Katie." " Congratulations, honey." " That was real nice, sweetheart." " You were really great, Katie." " Yeah, you were..." "You were really good." "Honey, where did this jacket come from?" "Blizzard?" " Blizzard, are you here?" " Katie, where are you?" "Up here, Mom." "What are you doing up here?" "Just looking at the stars." "Coach Ward is on the phone." "Erin is missing." "Her father says he waited in the car, but she didn't come out." " They've looked everywhere." "Any ideas?" " I haven't seen her since the rink." "Well, come inside." "It's freezing out here." "Blizzard." "Blizzard." "Over here." " Did you hear that?" " Yeah." "Her dad was yelling at her after the competition." "She was really upset." "She must have run away." "Could you find her?" "Sure." " She's in danger." " We have to help her." "Let's go." "Help!" "Help!" "Help me, somebody!" "Help me, please!" "Help!" "Help me, someone!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Help me, somebody!" " Help!" " There she is." "Help!" "Erin, don't be afraid." "We're going to get you out of here." " Give me your hand, we'll pull you out." " No." "If I let go, I'll slip in." "Erin, please, just give me your hand." " Come on!" " That's it, Erin." "Come on, hold on." "Try again." "Now, don't let go." " I'm slipping." " Erin, hold on." " Katie, do you have her?" " Come on, Blizzard." "Come on." " Hold on." " Erin, we're almost there." "Thanks, Katie." "Katie?" "It's okay, this is my best friend, Blizzard." "Yeah, the one that's in a whole lot of trouble." "She was the one that found you." "Katie, help is on the way." "I really have to go." "So, I think you'll both be okay now." "Thanks, Blizzard, for everything." "Don't mention it." "Hurry home, Blizzard." "I don't want you to get into trouble." "I'll see you soon, Katie." "But not until after Christmas." "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to keep it a secret." " Erin." " Daddy?" "Erin." "Are you all right?" "Goodness, you're freezing." "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you home." "The skates!" "Blizzard, come back." " Blizzard!" " Katie." "Blizzard!" "Haven't you been out in the cold enough tonight?" "There's someone on the phone for you, something about skates." "Blizzard is in trouble." "I'm telling you, really big trouble." "Jeremy told Katie how Aphrodite saw her at the North Pole... and how Blizzard broke three of the most important rules:" "That no one but Santa could contact a human." "That no human could ever set foot in Santa's Village." "But wait, it's..." "But the thing that really cooked Blizzard's goose... was that she broke the number-one most important rule:" "She took a finished Christmas toy that belonged to another child." "Archimedes has called a Council of Elders tomorrow... and he's going to ask Santa to banish her forever." " No, he can't." " Yes, he can, and he will." "What if you bring the skates back?" "You could come get them." "No." "That is exactly what got Blizzard into this mess in the first place." "It's her only chance." "Jeremy, she's your friend, too." "Look, I'm telling you, this is all one big misunderstanding." "I can explain everything." "See..." "Come on, Blizzard, don't make this harder than it already is." "And what's the point if you won't even listen?" "Let us know if you get hungry." "Listen, there's no way I can get there by myself." "I need you to take me." "I'd do anything for Blizzard, you know that, but I'm not sure I can find my way." "You just worry about the flying, I'll take care of the navigating." "All right, I'm in." "Jeremy, I can't see a thing." "Where are we?" "Hang on a second, I'll check." "I think it's somewhere down there!" "That's a big help." "Katie!" "Katie, where are you?" "Here." "I'm here!" "Jeremy!" "Katie, this is Donner Jr." "Donner Jr., this is Katie." "Okay, give me the skates, and we are out of here." "I have to go, too." "I got Blizzard into this mess." "I have to tell Santa." " I can't carry both of you." " Please, Jeremy." "This was all my fault." "I owe it to her." " Why don't I take Katie, and you stay here?" " Are you certain?" " 'Cause this is no time to fool around." " I can do it." "I can find my way." "I must have frozen my brain." "Go." "Just hurry back, okay?" "Thanks, Jeremy." "We'll be back before you have time to miss us." "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." "Just hurry." "I'm only wearing one pair of long underwear." "Thanks again, Jeremy." "Oh, and remember, Donner Jr., you're heading north." "North!" "Crash, if you can hear me, I hope you're happy now." "Believe me, sir, if we do not nip this in the bud right now... it will end our way of life, and possibly the Christmas mission." "Yes, well... you may be right." "But I don't have to like it." "I hereby call this hearing to order." "We have gathered to decide the fate of Blizzard... daughter of Blitzen and Delphi." "She stands accused... of breaking all of our most sacred rules." "Bring forward the accused." "Quite frankly... truth be told, I have amassed a litany of lesser charges... that she is guilty of." "However, in the interest of time, I will skip to the chase." "The first of our sacred rules that she has broken." "She had unauthorized contact with a human from the outside world." "Secondly, she brought this human... into Santa's village." "Finally... she stole a finished toy, specifically, a pair of skates... that was an assigned Christmas gift for another child." "Never before has anyone broken all three of our most sacred rules." "Therefore, I have no choice but to recommend immediate banishment!" "No!" " Blizzard?" " Yes, Santa." " Is what Archimedes says true?" " It is, Santa." "But how did you find the child in the first place?" "I heard her cries, and I felt her sadness..." " and I saw her in my heart." " Really?" "Empathic navigation?" "Why I've never heard of such a thing outside of the Donner lineage." "Tell me, Blizzard... how was it you were able to leave and return without anyone seeing you?" "I was invisible, Santa." "You were invisible?" "And you can fly?" "Why, then you have all three... of the magic reindeer gifts." "Nothing was stolen!" "Who are you?" "Katie Andrews, Santa." "She is Blizzard's thieving partner." "You, little girl, cannot be in here." "Santa, this is exactly what I was talking about." "Archimedes, for the love of Christmas, pipe down." "Pipe down and sit down!" "Let me hear what this child has to say." "Great balls of tinsel, you can be annoying sometimes." "Come over here, Katie Andrews." "These are the skates." " So now they aren't stolen." " I'm glad you brought these back." "And I can see that it was a very difficult and very brave thing to do." "But that doesn't take away from how serious this is for us." "Every society has its necessary rules." "And you just can't go around breaking them because you feel like it, now, can you?" "Now... so would you please mind telling me why I shouldn't punish..." "Blizzard for breaking all of our most important rules?" "Because..." "Because she's the most special reindeer ever... and she didn't use her gifts just to break the rules... because she felt like it." "She only wanted to help me." "She risked everything to come to me when I needed her the most... and, Santa..." "Blizzard helped change everything." "She showed me that I didn't have to be alone anymore... to try anything, even flying." "She made me believe in me, so I was able to skate again... the thing I wanted most in the world." "And together we rescued Erin from drowning in the pond." "But never once did Blizzard ask for anything in return... but only to be my friend." "And she is the best friend I'll ever have." "Santa, please." "Give Blizzard another chance." "Please, Santa?" "It's Christmas." "It certainly can be said... that there is no higher expression of the Christmas spirit... than the giving of oneself... with no thought of return or of personal consequences." "These are the very ideals upon which our community was founded." "All right, Katie Andrews..." "I'll grant you your Christmas wish... and give Blizzard another chance." "But, Santa..." " the rules." " Good point, Archimedes." "The rules." "I think there are too darn many." "One final thought." "Though Archimedes may get a trifle carried away... now and then, there are rules which need to be followed." " You understand that, don't you, Katie?" " Yes, Santa." " And do you understand that, little one?" " Yes, Santa." "Good." "Then after Blizzard flies you home... she will return here immediately... to live up to our faith in her... and abide by all those rules which bind us together... and serve as our mission in life." "Which means that you won't be able to see each other... anymore." "I can see you have found true friendship." "That's a precious gift... but trust me, this is for the best." "You must trust me." "Can you both... do that?" " I love you, Blizzard." " I love you, too, Katie." "And you know what?" "This won't be as bad as they tried to make it sound." "Because all I have to do is... close my eyes and look inside, and there you'll be." "So, whenever you just wondered how I was doing, you know... you could just close your eyes and think about me sometimes." "Can we go, please?" "I hate saying goodbye." "Goodbye, Katie." "Bye." "Bye, Katie." "Baggage, are you crying back there?" "What?" "I am not crying." "Just fly." "Merry Christmas, Katie." "And that was the last time Katie saw Blizzard... flying Jeremy through the aurora borealis." "No, Aunt Millie." "She had to see Blizzard again, after everything they went through." "But you said their friendship lasted forever." "This has been a terrible story." "I feel worse than before." "Why did you tell me this?" "So, Jessie, I haven't told you everything." "There's still the three Christmas gifts." "What gifts?" "Santa came that Christmas and left Katie another present." "And the second gift was even more valuable." "Katie and Erin became lifelong friends." "Santa was right." "True friendship is a very special gift indeed... and you never know where that gift is going to come from next." "How is this supposed to help me not miss Bobby?" "Because the third gift... was the greatest gift of all." "Whenever Katie wanted to be with Blizzard... all she had to do was close her eyes... and look inside." "Blizzard helped Katie to understand... that just because a friend goes away... a friendship doesn't." "It lives forever... here." "Thank you, Aunt Millie." "You're welcome, sweetie peetie." "It was my pleasure." "Well, let's all go downstairs and celebrate the season." "Plain Bob, did you bring my things in from outside?" " Yes, Aunt Millie." " You're stronger than you look." "Jess, there are more presents in the drawer of the big trunk over there." " This one's for you, from my mother." " Lovely." "Don't worry, it's gonna be nothing like last year." "Thank you, Aunt Millie." " Merry Christmas, Jessie." " Merry Christmas, Aunt Millie." " Merry Christmas, Mr. Cameron." " Merry Christmas, Derek." " A new sled, huh?" " Yeah." " It's nice." " Hey, Jess, wanna take it for a spin?" "Come on in, Derek." " Cool sled, Derek." " Thanks." " You're not afraid to go fast, are you?" " No, the faster, the better." "Merry Christmas, Blizzard." "Come on, everybody, keep up." "Yeah!" "Merry Christmas, Mildred Katie Andrews." "D. J..." " D.J., we're going this way." " Yes, dear, I knew that."