It was Christmas Eve, and the world outside Ender’s window was covered in soft, sparkling snow. Ender pulled on his boots, ChickaLetta clucked at his heels, and together they walked out to the chicken coop to say goodnight to the hens.

But something was wrong.

A loud WHOOSH—THUMP! came from the woods. ChickaLetta squawked and puffed up her feathers. Ender grabbed his lantern and tiptoed forward.

There, half-buried in a snowdrift, was Santa’s sleigh—tilted sideways, presents spilling out, one reindeer slipping and scrambling to stand.

And Santa himself was sitting in the snow, brushing ice out of his beard.

“Oh dear! Oh my!” Santa said. “My sleigh slid off the trail in this storm. I still have so many deliveries left—what am I going to do?”

Ender and ChickaLetta looked at each other. They knew exactly what they had to do.

“Don’t worry, Santa,” Ender said bravely. “We can help!”

ChickaLetta gave her fiercest hero-cluck.

First, Ender tied a rope to the front of the sleigh. He leaned back with all his strength. ChickaLetta grabbed the rope with her beak and pulled right beside him.

The hens—all four of them—fluttered out of the coop, lined up behind the sleigh, and started pushing with their feathery might.

“Push, girls! Push!” ChickaLetta squawked like a general.

Santa climbed in and held tight to the reins while the reindeer scrambled to help.

The snow swirled. The wind howled. Ender pulled. The hens pushed. ChickaLetta clucked battle cries.

And slowly—inch by inch—the sleigh lifted back onto the snowy trail.

Santa cheered. The reindeer pranced excitedly. The hens puffed up proudly.

“You’ve saved Christmas!” Santa said, his eyes twinkling. “Without your help, I never would have finished my rounds tonight.”

Then he reached into his sack and handed Ender a tiny golden bell.

“For bravery,” he said. “And teamwork.”

He placed a small sparkly ribbon around ChickaLetta’s neck.

“For leadership,” he whispered.

“And for the hens…” Santa sprinkled a handful of enchanted corn, which made them wiggle with joy.

With a crack of his reins, the sleigh lifted into the air. Snowflakes shimmered around them like magic dust.

As he soared into the sky, Santa called out:

“Merry Christmas, Ender! Merry Christmas, ChickaLetta! And thank you—again!”

Ender waved until the sleigh became a twinkling star.

Then he and ChickaLetta headed back to the coop, tired but happy.

Christmas had almost been lost… but together, they saved the day.