“Hey Santa; haven’t seen you since last year; how are you? Wow, you have a new sleigh, what a beauty”
“Ho Ho, it’s that time of year again when all the hard work has been done by the elves and now it’s the turn of the reindeer. The old herd has been retired; the poor things were starting to feel their age after covering thousands of miles. They became harder to get going in the morning and were prone to the odd breakdown; you cannot imagine how embarrassing it is being stuck on a chimney and not just up one. As for the sleigh, well this too was starting to look shabby and the cost of upkeep forced me to look for another model, but not without some sadness as it had been with me for many a Christmas
I took a look around Spain for newer models, but the prices were ridiculous so started looking in America where of course my forebears came from. Such wonderful animals and models of sleigh and very cheap too, or at least I thought so. As they would be coming from outside the EE YOU I took advice from some helpful chap who writes in the Costa News; he advised that with Customs Duty; IVA and other charges it could add 50% to the purchase price. Furthermore only red lights exist on the US models so I would have to fix amber indicators to the reindeer’s antlers plus rear fog and reverse lights!
The emissions given off by the reindeer may have been too much for the Spanish too and I can tell you the American ones really do give off some harmful emissions! The after effect of Brussels sprouts is a mild odour by comparison”
“So come on Santa, how did you get such lovely animals and sleigh?”
“Well I clearly needed a sleigh and animals that were suitable for anywhere in Europe; Germany seemed the best bet and I almost bought one there. It could even have been registered to me in the country of “Silent Night” to make the paperwork easier when it got here, but I just did not have the time to collect one. I was running out of time and wondering if my older models would get me through the days ahead when one of the younger elves mentioned that he was looking at something called the web.
I thought that the cleaners had not done their job properly again, but no it was through some electronic gismo that the younger ones all want as presents these days. Anyhow we found a couple of companies in the YOO KAY who could get me just what I wanted at excellent prices and deliver them to my grotto. These young reindeer don’t eat as much as the older ones and their emissions would keep even Greenpeace happy. As for the sleigh she looks lovely, is easier to maintain and should keep me right on schedule this year; see me out before I too pass over my reigns to the next generation of Santas”
“Hang on Santa; what about Customs Duties, taxes and the grief of dealing with the “bah humbugs” that call themselves civil servants when often that is far from what they are?”
“No Customs Duties in Europe my friend and yes I had to pay a registration tax which seemed a bit much as we are all Europeans, but the low emissions kept this to smaller amount, so I still saved money overall. A pal of mine recommended a fellow with hair the same colour as my beard who took care of it all as smoothly as my new sleigh glides through the snow. I am so glad that I did some research before jumping in with both black boots So happy Christmas to you and all others who take to the