The mission

escape up a set of tacky pirate-themed Christmas lights that would make even Captain Morgan cringe.

I learned later that thanks to my message GIFT forces were able to thwart all but one of the planned transport hijackings. Unfortunately, the warehouse they were able to hit was here in Central Wisconsin.

We almost got Dr. Snow here, but just missed them. Fortunately we know that instead of carrying through with their plans to grind all the presents into road base material for the city of Medford’s 2020 capital improvement plans, they instead hid them.

After telling his story, the elf I always knew as Norman, turned to me and said, “Mipsy, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to use your crew and whatever means necessary to locate and recover all the missing presents.”

Under the Code Jingle protocols, there was no choice if I would accept the challenge. There was only the doubt of if I and my crew of misfit elves would be able to find the presents and in the process save Christmas for the good boys and girls in Central Wisconsin.

A dozen sets of almond-shaped eyes stared at me as I paused and stood taking in the weight of Norman’s words. I realized they were waiting for me to say something.

“This is no time to let tinsel pile on our pillows,” I said. “Let’s go find those presents.”

When visiting this holiday season remember to bring a gift for your host or hostess. Wine is always a welcome addition and Black River Spirits in Medford has a wide variety of wines for every taste and occasion.