Vignette 4: Vixen’s Candy Cane
The warm, comforting scent of the barn filled Vixen’s nose when he awoke, fresh hay, soft bedding, and other reindeer, his favorite scents. A new scent tickled at his nose, one that had roused him from his deep sleep he had fallen into after pulling Santa’s sleigh throughout the night. It was a scent he only got to smell once a year on Christmas morning, the smell of candy canes.
Santa always gave each reindeer a peppermint candy cane as a special treat on Christmas morning to thank them for helping him deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
Vixen could hear the other eight reindeer slowly getting up as well. He could see fresh snow outside, it must have been snowing during his slumber. The red barn wood was decorated with festive banners and holly leaves dangled from the ceiling. Christmas lights blinking red, yellow, green, blue and purple were strung along the walls. There was a red, glittery, bow on each stall over top of the name tags spelling Rudolph, Blitzen, Donner, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, and Blitzen. Vixen could feel the scratchy feeling of his hay and bedding beneath him, which he had grown used to falling asleep on after years of service to Santa.
The peppermint of the candy cane tasted minty and fresh in his mouth, a much-appreciated change from his usual hay and oats breakfast. Something new and exciting always made him feel more awake and ready for the new day!
Vixen looked forward to Christmas morning every year because of this feeling, not only of the delicious candy cane, but to the rewarding and satisfactory feeling he felt from knowing that Santa appreciated him and recognized the reindeers’ work and dedication to their job, which they took very seriously.