Games Elves Play

Elves are great game players. They can mess around with a single
game for hours on end and never get tired. And they're always
good sports. An elf never worries about losing or looking foolish
in a game. All he cares about is the fun he's having while he
plays.

LEAPFROG:
One of their favorite games is leapfrog. The first step in this
game is finding the frogs. In fact, that's half the fun. Once
each elf has found --and caught--a large frog, they're ready to
play. When the frogs are caught, they're already lined up in a
row. Then, with a running start, the elves leap over one after
another. The frogs don't have to do much but wait patiently.
When the game is over, the elves let them go until next time.

FORMATION FLYING:
This game was devised by Limlim as he was training the first
reindeer. It works only when the reindeer are in a mood to play.
Each elf trains a group of deer for the great competition. Then,
on the assigned day, the reindeer put on a dazzling display of
formation flying. The prize to the winning elf: No more cleaning
out stables for the rest of the year!

MUSH FACE:
This game is a game that has caught on among some children in
England and South America. The rules are simple. While the elves
are eating, suddenly someone yells "Mush Face!" It's amazing to
watch the mad scramble that follows. The elves grab their food--
and everyone else's--and do all they can to get it all over the
other fellow's face. The elf who ends up with the cleanest face
is the winner. As far as Mrs. Santa is concerned, this is her
least favorite elvish game.

BIG BALL:
No one is sure who invented this game--but once the idea gets out,
it will surely spread from Pole to Pole. In Big Ball, the first
elf (usually selected by drawing sticks--the one with the short
stick gets to go first) climbs into the ball. Then the other
elves seal it up. Don't worry--there's plenty of air in the ball!
Once the elf is comfortable in the ball, his companions start to
roll it around. They roll and roll, over snowbanks, across the
garden, down ice hills. When the elf inside finally starts to
moan, they stop and pull him out. The elf who can roll around
the longest without moaning is the winner.

HIDE AND SEEK:
Elves play hide and seek the way everyone else does--except that
they can hide anywhere! Raful, for instance, was once found in
Cincinnati under a garbage can--fourteen weeks after the game
started! And Fringle once hid so well that he had to go into
hibernation in Mexico. The other players found him that following
June.

HOPSCOTCH:
The elves introduced this game to the North Pole, but now it's been
adopted by Santa and Mrs. Santa. Santa first played the game in
the late 1700s--and beat even the best elves. Then Mrs. Santa
played him -- and won! Pretty soon it had turned into a real
contest, to see who could win the most times at hopscotch. For
quite a while Santa had a real winning streak. He and Mrs. Santa
would play every day (except for Christmas season) and Santa won
1329 times in a row. But then Mrs. Santa changed her strategy.
Now she has a slight edge on Santa. The overall score is: Mrs.
Santa - 31,222 Santa -- 30,961. The elves dropped out of the
contest quite early, since they couldn't keep up--even though
they invented the game!