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Eight-year-old Connor came over to Motorcycle Santa and tugged at his sleeve. "Get up," said Connor. "Go outside with me and ride on the new sled I got."
Motorcycle Santa got up slowly. His arthritis was acting up again. "Let me put on my coat first," said Motorcycle Santa. "It's cold out there."
"My Dad bought this sled but it's pretty big," said Connor. "You could put you and me both on it and your bag of toys too."
They went out the front door and found the sled leaning against the fence. Connor ran over and dragged it to the top of a hill next to the front porch. "Come on Uncle, let's go, and go fast," said Connor excitedly.
Motorcycle Santa was used to sleds. After all, he had the biggest sled in the world, except it was designed to fly through the sky and not slide down hills. They got on the sled and Motorcycle Santa placed his toy bag in front of him. Connor grabbed a toy bell out of the bag and sat down in his Uncle's lap. Then he started ringing the bell.
That gave Motorcycle Santa an idea for a new toy. He remembered that his mother used to call him home from play by ringing a cowbell out the front door. Everyone in the neighborhood could hear it and someone would always make sure to tell him it was time to come home. I'll make a new bell for mothers to call their kids home from play, he thought. Then he remembered that these days hardly anyone is even out playing in the yard. They're all into soccer, dance lessons, karate, cub scouts, after-school sessions, watching TV, Internet forums, chat rooms, blogs, iPods, and cellphones. No time for old-school playtime.
Kids still seem to like sledding though, he thought. "Connor, how about I make a smaller sled with pockets to hold your iPod, cellphone, and a small TV?" said Motorcycle Santa.
"Whee," said Connor. "Down the hill we go!"
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