He lived on a kindly old farm with an kindly old Farmer.

Everyday he would do the sorts of things that cows like to do. And there was always plenty to do because cows like to do lots of different sorts of things.

He might play games with his friends,
walk through the meadow,
watch television with the Farmer,
eat his favorite foods,
read a book...

Herman was happy to do all of it or he might just lie down under his favorite big tree which stood at the top of a small hill overlooking the farm and watch happily as life went by.

In almost every way, Herman had a very good life.

...still, some times Herman was sad.

Why was Herman sad?

Because every year at Christmas time, for as long as he could remember, Herman the Cow wanted to be a reindeer. He wanted to be a reindeer and help Santa deliver toys to all of the boys in girls in the world on Christmas.

Christmas was Herman's favorite time of the year.

He liked to hang lights around the farm,
bake cookies (with help from the Farmer),
make presents and cards for all of his barnyard friends,
go caroling,
and decorate the Christmas tree.

And although he liked all of that very much, nothing seemed as wonderful to Herman as helping Santa.

Now usually Herman didn't think much about being a reindeer, in fact most of the time he hardly thought about it at all, because he did like being a cow so much. But, once a year, at Christmas time, Herman could hardly do anything but think about what it would be like. The idea would sneak into his head late in November and it wouldn't leave for quite a while. He would dream about presents, chimneys, Santa's red suit, and all of the reindeer.

And no matter how hard Herman tried, and no matter how much the Farmer tried to help, it was just no use trying to get Herman's mind off of his Christmas dream.

He had it all figured out. As a result of doing some very big thinking and considering all of the important variables from wind resistence to weight distribution he arrived at the conclusion that he could fit in line quite nicely right behind Cupid.

The way he figured it, the reindeer could probably use a little more help with more and more people in the world needing presents each year. And if nine reindeer could do the job, then nine reindeer and a cow could do the job even better.

And so, with it all figured out and after working through all of the important technical considerations with the Farmer, one winter's night Herman and the Farmer sat down to write a letter to Santa.

When the letter was done they put it into an envelope and addressed it

TO: Santa Claus at the North Pole
FROM: Herman the Cow

They put the letter in a mailbox, and all they had left to do was wait.

The letter had a long way to go before it finally arrived at the North Pole. When it did arrive, Santa was very excited. Herman's letters were some of Santa's favorites every year because Herman always said please and thank you, hardly ever asked for anything for himself, and because he always told Santa a funny joke that would make him laugh.

Santa opened the letter right away, and as he started to read a smile came to his face. He read about Herman's Christmas wish. Herman wrote that he would do his very best and explained all of his calculations. Herman also asked for a new pair of socks for the Farmer, red ones because red was the Farmer's favorite color.

Well, Santa knew that Herman would try his very best, and he thought that Herman might make a very good reindeer and there was no doubt that the reindeer could use the extra help, so Santa took the letter to his elves in charge of flying to see what would need to be done so that Herman could help this year.

The elves read the letter, and like Santa wanted to help. But the they knew that the magic dust that helps the reindeer fly wouldn't work on cows, it only works on reindeer, and it looked like Herman would never get to fly with Santa.

Weeks past, and soon it was Christmas Eve. Herman and the Farmer didn't know what could have happened when they didn't hear from Santa, and they were both a little sad, but not really. They knew that whether Herman got his wish or not the next day would still be Christmas, and Christmas was their favorite day.

Herman and the Farmer spent the night singing carols, watching Christmas specials on TV and baking cookies. Just as they were both about to go to bed, there was a knock at the door.

The Farmer went to the door and was surprised to see Santa standing on his front porch. Santa said hello and asked if Herman the cow was at home, and he was.

Santa introduced himself to Herman and thanked him for his letter. Santa apologized for not writing back and explained that things can get pretty busy for him around Christmas time. Herman said that he understood. And then Santa had to tell Herman about the flying dust, and why it wouldn't work on cows. Santa said he would like to help, but he didn't see how he could.

Then suddenly Santa had an idea. He explained that some times he gets lost which can be a real problem, and he had been running an ad in the newspapers for quite some time looking for someone to help him read his maps. Herman hadn't seen the ad of course because cows don't read newspapers, that would be silly, but he was happy to volunteer for the job. Santa said that Herman could sit in the sleigh and help with the maps and the presents, and Herman liked that idea very much.

Just as Herman was about ready to get into the sleigh, Santa handed him a present and said that it was for the Farmer. Herman handed the gift to to his friend, said good bye, and climbed into Santa's sled. The Farmer smiled as Herman and Santa flew away.

Back inside the farmhouse and still smiling, the Farmer opened his gift. It was a pair of socks, his favorite color red socks, just the kind that he had wanted.

The End