O*O*O*	GAMES ELVES PLAY  *O*O*O

Elves are great game players.  They can mess around with a single game for
hours on end and never get tired.  And they're always good sports.  An elf
never worries about losing or looking foolish in a game.  All he cares about
is the fun he's having while he plays.

LEAPFROG:
One of their favorite games is leapfrog.  The first step in this game is
finding the frogs.  In fact, that's half the fun.  Once each elf has found
--and caught--a large frog, they're ready to play.  When the frogs are
caught, they're already lined up in a row.  Then, with a running start, the
elves leap over one after another.  The frogs don't have to do much but
wait patiently.  When the game is over, the elves let them go until next time.

FORMATION FLYING:
This game was devised by Limlim as he was training the first reindeer.	It
works only when the reindeer are in a mood to play.  Each elf trains a group
of deer for the great competition.  Then, on the assigned day, the reindeer
put on a dazzling display of formation flying.	The prize to the winning
elf:  No more cleaning out stables for the rest of the year!

MUSH FACE:
This game is a game that has caught on among some children in England and
South America.	The rules are simple.  While the elves are eating, suddenly
someone yells "Mush Face!"  It's amazing to watch the mad scramble that
follows.  The elves grab their food--and everyone else's--and do all they
can to get it all over the other fellow's face.  The elf who ends up with
the cleanest face is the winner.  As far as Mrs. Santa is concerned, this is
her least favorite elvish game.

BIG BALL:
No one is sure who invented this game--but once the idea gets out, it will
surely spread from Pole to Pole.  In Big Ball, the first elf (usually
selected by drawing sticks--the one with the short stick gets to go first)
climbs into the ball.  Then the other elves seal it up.  Don't worry--
there's plenty of air in the ball!  Once the elf is comfortable in the ball,
his companions start to roll it around.  They roll and roll, over snowbanks,
across the garden, down ice hills.  When the elf inside finally starts to
moan, they stop and pull him out.  The elf who can roll around the longest
without moaning is the winner.

HIDE AND SEEK:
Elves play hide and seek the way everyone else does--except that they can
hide anywhere!	Raful, for instance, was once found in Cincinnati under a
garbage can--fourteen weeks after the game started!  And Fringle once hid
so well that he had to go into hibernation in Mexico.  The other players
found him that following June.

HOPSCOTCH:
The elves introduced this game to the North Pole, but now it's been adopted
by Santa and Mrs. Santa.  Santa first played the game in the late 1700s--
and beat even the best elves.  Then Mrs. Santa played him -- and won!  Pretty
soon it had turned into a real contest, to see who could win the most times
at hopscotch.  For quite a while Santa had a real winning streak.  He and
Mrs. Santa would play every day (except for Christmas season) and Santa
won 1329 times in a row.  But then Mrs. Santa changed her strategy.  Now
she has a slight edge on Santa.  The overall score is: Mrs. Santa - 31,222
Santa -- 30,961.  The elves dropped out of the contest quite early, since
they couldn't keep up--even though they invented the game!