A Christmas Story or How the Angel Got Top Billing

It was just a few days before Christmas and God had given all His angels important jobs to do to get ready for the big celebration. That is, all but one little angel. The little guy was so eager to please that he kept bugging God for something to do.

Casting around for a task for the little guy God noticed that St. Nick was falling behind in his preparations for the annual sleigh ride so he sent the little angel down to the North Pole.

When the angel arrived the place was a mess of overworked, tired, cranky elves. Santa and Mrs. Clause were at their whits ends trying to smooth over the arguments that were constantly breaking out. The little angel arrived just in the middle of a big row and started in explaining how happy he was to be there and how exciting it was going to be to help the real live Santa bring happiness to all the children in the world. Santa, taken totally by surprise, said a quick "Hi." and turned back to the ever expanding row.

Our little guy kept pressing Santa for something to do, explaining how no task would be beneath him how he really, really was happy to be there and how he really, really thought he should get to work as soon a possible and how he really, really would do any job at all.

Santa, that kindly old elf, on the edge of committing murder reigned in his emotions, turned to the angel and told him to go cut down the perfect Christmas tree. "That should take him a day or two", thought Santa.

The little angel, did some time skipping, searched the whole of the world for the prefect Christmas tree, found it, cut it down and had it back to the North Pole in less than a minute! "Santa, Santa, I found it!", he cried. "Now what should I do with it?"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the tradition of placing an angel on top of a Christmas tree was born.