Ho-Ho-Helping Santa!
The Problem
Taylor Magee is dreading the Christmas Talent Show! Her father has offered their barn, complete with cows, to host the show—and he has entered Taylor as a contestant! Worried because she doesn’t think she has a talent, she seeks comfort and advice from her grandmother at the Sunnyside Seniors’ Home.
The Talent Show
The night of the talent show, Taylor waits on stage with her three friends, all of whom think they will win the prize. Alyssa, the M.C., begins the show by introducing two unusual judges, Mr. I. M. Serious, and Miss U. R. Froze. The zany presentations include: Marla Stewart- decorating for the holidays, Dean Turbo- spouting his knowledge of cars, and Kris Ham- delivering cow themed jokes. To add to the fun, a group of Song Cows offers hilarious one-liners and jazzy songs, always out of ear-shot of the humans.
When Taylor presents her speech on Friendship-the Best Gift of All, she stumbles on her words and almost quits. Her competitors urge her to finish. Realizing that their friend’s message has captured the meaning of Christmas, Marla, Dean, and Kris persuade the judges to give Taylor the prize.
The Song Cows’ Secret Plan
After the show, Alyssa confides that she will be leaving Admiral because her nursing job at the hospital has been eliminated. She reminds the group to decorate the barn with Christmas lights for the Sunnyside tour of lights. The Song Cows decide to help Alyssa keep her job, and put a plan into action.
Christmas Eve Crash!
On Christmas Eve, blinded by the multitude of Christmas lights, Santa and his team of reindeer crash into the barn. Santa breaks his leg and the reindeer flee. The Song Cows bellow for help. When Taylor arrives, Santa instructs her to get help for his leg, fix the dented sleigh, and finish delivering the gifts before morning. With her new-found confidence, Taylor calls Alyssa to care for Santa, and recruits her three friends to repair and motorize the sleigh in time to save Christmas.
Christmas Morning
As the friends celebrate on Christmas morning, Santa and Alyssa arrive. Santa praises the children for completing his work, and Alyssa shares the good news that she will retain her nursing job. When asked how this is possible, Alyssa admits that the reason is peculiar. An anonymous rancher in Texas has pledged one million dollars to the hospital because his cows sang to him, urging him to donate money to a small Saskatchewan town.
As Santa prepares to return to the North Pole in his new modern sleigh, he asks for one last favour – for the town folk to sing to him as he flies out of sight, and…to include the vocal talents of the Song Cows!
Saskatchewan Children's Writers' Round Robin 