It was Christmas Eve like any other. Santa Claus, after centuries of impeccable service, had decided, for once, to relax before his big annual journey. In a discreet corner of his workshop, an old barrel of elf wine, an ancient and extremely strong drink, awaited him. Santa Claus, thinking that a small glass wouldn't do any harm, poured himself a glass… then a second. Very quickly, the alcohol went to his head, but, confident, he climbed into his sleigh nonetheless.
Sensing something was amiss, the reindeer hesitated. But Santa Claus, with a mischievous grin, called out to them, "Come on, my friends, it's time to make the children's dreams come true!" With a flick of his whip, the sleigh soared into the starry sky. But this time, something was different. The reindeer flew in a zigzag pattern, and Santa Claus, overcome with dizziness, gave them incoherent directions.
The Christmas nightmare
The first house he landed in was little Emma's. Santa Claus, struggling to get down the chimney, took a spectacular tumble into the living room. In his confusion, he scattered the presents haphazardly: toys for the adults and bottles of wine for the children. Unbeknownst to him, he had just begun a night of disaster that would change the world forever.
The mistakes multiplied at an alarming rate. In some houses, he completely forgot to deliver gifts. In others, he left strange packages: dangerous tools, malfunctioning electronic gadgets, and even forbidden items. But this was only the beginning of the chaos.
Santa Claus, in his advanced state of inebriation, lost all sense of time and space. Rather than remaining discreet, he appeared in the middle of a small town's street. The astonished residents watched in horror as Santa Claus staggered about, trying to climb a lamppost as if it were a chimney. Photos and videos were immediately taken and shared worldwide, causing a global shock.
The world with a hangover
The next day, social media erupted. Millions of children woke up to completely inappropriate gifts or nothing at all under the tree. Families protested, and governments were quickly brought in. Emergency psychologists were dispatched to manage the trauma of children whose Christmas dreams had turned into nightmares.
Worse still, the very magic of Christmas began to fade. The illusion of a wondrous world where a benevolent man traveled the Earth in a single night to deliver gifts crumbled. The revelation that Santa Claus could fail—and worse, be human with weaknesses as common as alcohol—plunged the world into deep doubt.
The media broadcast images of Santa Claus staggering, talking to himself, leaving exploded packages in his wake. Children cried upon discovering broken toys or terrifying objects like knives or hunting gear. Some even had nightmares for weeks, convinced that Santa Claus, in a fit of madness, would return to destroy Christmas forever.
Governments around the world convened urgently to understand what had happened. A heated debate ensued: should Santa Claus be banned? Should he be monitored by a special authority? Even the elves were questioned, and some fled the workshop for fear of reprisals. Trust in the spirit of Christmas plummeted like never before.
Toy companies, in a panic, launched emergency repair campaigns, offering to replace defective gifts. But nothing could erase the now-revealed truth: Santa Claus was fallible, capable of monumental errors.
The consequences were catastrophic. Worried parents decided to break with tradition and abandon Christmas. Christmas trees remained bare, fireplaces unlit, and the world plunged into a period of mourning for what it had lost. That Christmas marked the end of an era of magic, innocence, and shared hope.
Yet, amidst all this debacle, there was a lesson to be learned. Santa Claus, himself overwhelmed by shame and regret, understood that he could no longer afford to indulge in alcohol and its excesses. What he needed was not escape into an intoxicating drink, but a new way to rediscover that joyful energy, to reconnect with the true magic of Christmas: the magic that is born in hearts, in shared love, and in the authenticity of smiles.
Joyful Mouth: Towards a New Magic
If only Santa Claus had known about Jolly Goodnight that night, things would have been very different. Instead of getting lost in the excesses of elf wine, he could have toasted with a bottle of sparkling kombucha or a non-alcoholic cocktail as surprising as it was festive. The reindeer would have flown straight, the presents would have found their rightful recipients, and the children would have woken up with stars in their eyes.
With Gueule de Joie , Santa Claus would have discovered that you don't need to get drunk to experience magic, and that true joy lies in sincere sharing and genuine wonder. Because giving happiness isn't about a bottle, but about choices that bring people together and celebrate life, simply and naturally.
And who knows? Perhaps by choosing Gueule de Joie , Santa Claus would not only have saved that fateful night, but also inspired the whole world to dare to celebrate in a new way. A way where we toast to magic and not to oblivion, where every smile becomes a gift, and where the intoxication of the moment is born from a life full of lightness and shared love.
So, at Christmas as in everyday life, why not do as Santa Claus should have done and choose Gueule de Joie ? After all, true magic is that which makes everyone happy, without ever losing sight of the goal.
