Once upon a time, a young girl named Alice stepped through a looking glass into Wonderland. She fell in love with this land and visited occasionally. This is the story of one of those journeys. Based on the stories of Lewis Carrol.

One Christmas Eve, Alice was lying in her bed trying to sleep, waiting for Santa Claus to come. She hoped he knew the way to her house, for she had been very good this year. Suddenly she thought that maybe he had gotten lost and decided to go looking for him. It was too late to leave the house, so she figured that she would start her search in Wonderland. She walked up to the looking glass and looked at her reflection. The moon shone through the curtains on her dark brown hair and unnaturally paled her face. Suddenly the mirror shimmered, as if a rock had been dropped in a pond. She raised her foot and stepped through the glass.

She found herself in the Looking-Glass House, mirroring her own room. She walked down the stairs and out the back door to the garden. Passing through the garden, she found herself in the middle of a forest, surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights. The entire Tulgey Woods was covered from top to bottom with twinkling lights of all colors: periwinkle, chartreuse, pink, purple, and lots of white. She walked down the path, stepping over the horn ducks and the mome raths, dazzled by the lights. Suddenly, down the path came the Cheshire cat. She knew it was he for she saw only his smile and the footprints he made walking down the road.

“Hello Cheshire Cat,” Alice said. The cat’s eye’s appeared and looked at Alice.

“Oh hello my dear!” the cat exclaimed. “Thank you for joining us this Christmas. Aren’t the decorations simply mad?”

“Why yes they are,” Alice responded. “Have you perchance seen a jolly old man in a bright red suit around here?”

“You wouldn’t be referring to the Queen of Hearts, would you?” the Cheshire grinned wickedly.

“Oh no, you mustn’t upset her. Remember what happened last time?”

“Oh, it took us weeks to get her out of that rabbit hole, and boy was she ever mad.”

“But have you seen anybody fitting that description?” Alice asked, feeling slightly exasperated with the Cheshire’s playfulness.

“Oh, do you mean Santa Claus? I believe I saw him at tea with the March Hare. Then again, it might have been at the Mad Hatter’s house. You might as well try both of them . . . since they live together.” The Cheshire cat broke into thunderous laughter, silencing the rest of the woods. Alice tried to quiet him down, but a thud behind her told her that it was too late. She turned around to see the Jabberwocky.

“Oopsie,” laughed the Cheshire cat. “Toodle-oo!” he shouted, disappearing with a wink of his eye.

“Oh drat,” Alice muttered, looking around for help. Suddenly she heard a bugle blowing from behind her.

“TALLY-HO!” shouted a voice. Alice spun around to see none other than the White Knight, ready to defend the damsel in distress.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Alice breathed, clearing the way for the Knight to skewer the Jabberwocky on his lance.

“Fear not, young maiden. I shall slay the beast and save thee from certain doom.” The knight made quick work of the Jabberwocky then lifted Alice onto his saddle.

“Where shall we away, mistress?” the knight asked Alice.

“I need your help,” Alice told the knight. “I’m looking for Santa Claus. The Cheshire cat thought he saw him at the Mad Hatter and the March Hare’s. Can you give me a ride and help me find him? I don’t want him to get lost on the way to my house.”

“The White Knight at your service,” the knight said.

So off they rode, in search of jolly old St. Nick. Their first point of search was, obviously, the Mad Hatter and March Hare’s house. Arriving there, they were greeted with the cheery strains of the Unbirthday Song. Alice asked the knight to wait outside while she asked the Mad Hatter and March Hare if they had seen Santa. Entering the house she could see nothing but a table laden with teacups, covered in smoke. She walked around the table and sat at one of the chairs near the end of the table.

“A very merry un-a-birth-a-day . . . too-o-o . . . y-a-h-o-o,” the pair finished the song with a flourish before taking another sip of tea.

“Hello,” Alice said. The pair looked at her once, went back to take another sip then did a double take.

“Welcome my dear,” the Mad Hatter said, taking another sip of tea.

“Have a cup of tea, will you?” the March Hare said, offering her a fresh cup.

“Oh, no thank you,” Alice said. “I was actually wondering if either of you have seen Santa Claus recently.”

“Recently as in last week? Or recently as in five minutes ago?” the March Hare asked.

“Recently as in five minutes ago,” said Alice, excited at the prospect that they might actually know something.

“No we haven’t,” the Mad Hatter said, finishing his tea.

“Would you like some more?” the March Hare asked the Mad Hatter.

“Just half a cup, please.” The March Hare proceeded to cut a cup in half with a butter knife and fill it to the brim with tea.

“Well,” Alice asked, “have you seen him in the last week?”

“We did see him just ten minutes ago,” the March Hare said.

“Well why didn’t you say so?”

“Because you asked if we had seen him in the last five minutes, not ten.”

“Well, did you see which way he went?”

“I think he went that way,” the Mad Hatter pointed left.

“No, he went that way,” the March Hare pointed left.

“Thank you for your help,” Alice said.

“Are you sure you won’t have a cup of tea?” the March Hare asked again.

“Quite positive, thank you,” Alice responded.

“Not at all, madam,” the Mad Hatter said. “Farewell.”

So Alice and the White Knight went in the direction the Hatter and Hare had indicated. They had been traveling for a while when they turned a bend and found themselves facing a pair of figures so straight and stern that they could have been waxworks. But they weren’t; they were none other then Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. The White Knight had no idea what to do, so Alice dismounted and walked up to the twins and poked them each in the belly. They jumped to life and began dancing around Alice like boxers.

“Forgive me for awakening you so rudely, but we must pass. We’re looking for Santa Claus,” Alice said.

“Apology accepted, Alice,” Tweedle-Dee said.

“Yeah,” Tweedle-Dum interjected, “if we had known it was you we would ‘ave cleared out of the way. Are you still looking for the White Rabbit?”

“No, I’m looking for Santa Claus,” Alice replied. “Have you seen him?”

“Why yes!” exclaimed Tweedle Dee. “He passed this way just moments ago.”

“Why thank you!” Alice said. “I’ll see you later!”

“Good-bye, Alice,” the twins said as she re-mounted the horse and rode off down the path. They then proceeded to continue their battle, for Tweedle-Dee had broken Tweedle-Dum’s rattle. Alice and the White Knight continued down the path only to run into a dead end.

“I don’t understand,” Alice said. “They said he went this way. Where could he have gone?”

“Well maybe Santa Claus never really came to Wonderland in the first place,” the White Knight said.

“What do you mean?” Alice asked.

“Well, quite simply, I mean that maybe Santa Claus doesn’t visit Wonderland because . . . because . . .”

“Because what?” Alice inquired, very curious indeed.

“Because his reindeer aren’t allowed here.”

“Why not?”

“Because they aren’t mad enough.”

“Oh really. Well I think that that’s a bunch of . . .” Alice’s vision became blurry as she got off the White Knight’s horse. She felt like she was falling down a long dark tunnel. Suddenly she heard her sister’s voice.

“Alice! Alice!”

“Mm?” Alice said, opening her eyes. Why, she was safe in her bed and it was morning.

“What?” Alice asked.

“Why, it’s Christmas morning,” Alice’s sister said. “Come downstairs and open up your presents from Santa.” Alice followed her sister down the stairs to find presents littered under the tree.

“I guess the Knight was right,” Alice pondered.

“What’s that, darling?” Alice’s sister puzzled.

“Oh, nothing,” Alice replied. “Just a dream I had.”

THE END