This Christmas was different. With Santa Claus too sick to deliver presents, everything fell on Mrs. Claus. Before she left, she innocently asked,
“Should I eat all the cookies the children leave out?”
Santa, with a mischievous grin, replied, “Of course, darling, it’s tradition. Don’t leave a single one!”
Trusting him, Mrs. Claus set out, eating every single cookie she found in the homes she visited. At first, it was delightful, but as the night wore on, her belly began to swell. By the time she returned to the North Pole, her stomach was enormous, so round it looked like she was pregnant.
Santa burst out laughing the moment he saw her. “You ate all the cookies! Look at your belly!” he said, unable to contain his amusement.
But Mrs. Claus was not amused. She stepped forward with determination, and before Santa could react, she picked him up and swallowed him whole.
With her belly now even larger, Mrs. Claus rubbed her round stomach and declared, “From now on, I’ll deliver the presents—and I’ll be the only one getting cookies.”
Since that day, children eagerly await Christmas, not just for the presents but for the sight of Mrs. Claus, with her belly full of holiday cheer... and Santa Claus, still inside.