The relentless blizzard was blowing outside Santa’s cabin, venting its frustration on unsuspecting reindeer. Thankfully, the elves had rounded up most of them, although some collapsed in exhaustion. At Santa’s command, the one with the brightest crimson nose was tied up by the legs and dragged into Mrs Claus kitchen.

“Our protein serve, honey.”

“You want me to cook Rudolf?”

“Oh, he has a name?”

Venison and sweets were the only food the Clauses lived on in the North Pole. As Santa heaved himself backwards in the giant rocking chair, he spotted Mrs Claus untying Rudolf and patting him.

“It would be a shame to cook him dear. He is the only one with the nose that lights up the sky.”

Santa shrugged and said “I’ll fetch another reindeer, then.”

He kicked Rudolf out the door and rubbed his hand over the luminous fireplace. He glanced outside, realising it was time to deliver presents. Without his diet, he would not have the energy to fly around the globe. It was his diet, under the spell which makes it possible for him to visit every home on Earth, that provided the fuel for the slay. But he still needed reindeer.

He harnessed the reindeer to the sleigh, with Rudolf at the lead. The reindeer fought back tears as Santa whipped them with his cat o’ nine tails, but Rudolf was ready to defy him. The bloodied wounds on the deer glistened in the night and reflected against the snow as Rudolf threw Santa into the frozen lake.

Santa pointed his magical finger at Rudolf, aiming to kill, but missed by milliseconds. As Santa drowned and sunk to the bottom of the lake, the other reindeer lifted Rudolf up high, now the hero they needed.

Not long after the incident, Mrs Claus found her way towards them and gasped when she saw Santa dead and drowning. She attempted to shoot with a rifle but was gored by the reindeer as they tore her flesh bit by bit. They did the same with the elves.

And so the reindeer got their revenge, and no child in the world, with Santa gone, ever believed in the magic of Christmas again.