It first occurred to him the night he returned all tarnished with ashes and soot from Clement Moore’s home way back in 1822.  He had a jolly time distributing gifts, but Mrs. Claus was furious about the black coal stains covering his suit. “There must be a better way,” he mused.

       Over the ensuing years Nick took notice of the declining air quality and heard stories about the rise in children’s asthma.  He also learned that each year 13,000 deaths in the U.S alone are attributed to coal pollution, and that burning fossil fuels causes $120 billion annually in health-related damage.  Not to mention the untold cost of lives and treasure countries worldwide spend trying to maintain control over oil fields.  “There’s gotta be a better way!” Nick resolved.

       One frosty night he shared his concerns with the elves.  “Dolls and toys are all well and good, but I wish we could give the world a REAL gift.  “Hmm…,” he mused, “how about free, clean energy that is shared equally with all people?” he imagined.  “But that seems like an impossible dream,” he relented.

       However, Nick’s clever elves took his message to heart and began to sprinkle their magic throughout the land.  And by the Christmas of 2017 his sack was full of gifts that are beginning to make his dream come true.

       This year his present to Australia is the world’s largest battery.  It’s parked right next to a 315 mega-watt wind farm providing Australians with clean, renewable energy even when the wind doesn’t blow.

       St. Nick will deliver 35 million electric bikes this year equipped with trailers capable of hauling up to 440 lbs.  Think of these not as alternatives to pedal bikes, but as alternatives to small cars providing clean transportation on crowded urban streets.

       Elf-Tech, the North Pole research branch, has made amazing progress with utility scale solar and wind power generation.  This season, your tree can be lit with electricity produced at prices BELOW natural gas and other fossil fuel generated energy.
 
       Truckers’ stockings will bulge with proto-types of all-electric big rigs capable of hauling 80,000 lbs. and traveling 500 miles on a single charge.  And some lucky school children will be riding diesel-fume-free electric school buses home for Christmas break.

       “Ho, Ho, Ho!  God bless us every one.  My dream is coming true right here on our only home where we’re forever… Earthbound.”

       Ever since they were toddlers, Lonny and Chet loved to roughhouse with each other.  Born just a few weeks apart, these cousins were practically inseparable.  Chet and Lonny loved to try to out-maneuver each other on the wrestling mat.  In high school they were co-captains of the squad that went to state their senior year.

       Then Lon Starr’s family moved to Houston, Texas.  Meanwhile, Chet Arre remained in small town Wisconsin.  At the annual holiday family reunions, they love to gab about their wrestling glory days and catch up on the changes in their lives.  But one “change” topic, namely climate change, was off limits.  They once tussled over that topic, and it almost ruined their friendship.  “Well, at least it’s not happening yet,” was Lonny’s final remark.

       The next year, 2011, Lonny told about the severe drought back home in Texas.  “You can drop a penny 8 ft. down into cracks in the parched soil.  It’s the driest and 2nd hottest year on record!”  Later, Cousin Sally happened to make a comment about the changing climate.  “Well, at least it’s not happening yet,” Lonny mumbled as he quickly changed the subject.

       Chet’s family brought their new dog to the 2013 reunion. “Yeah, we had to take Lucy to the vet because a deer tick bit her, and she got Lyme disease.  Can’t believe those ticks are still around this late in the fall.”  Later, during the evening news broadcast, one segment mentioned climate change.  “Well, at least it’s not happening yet,” Lonny muttered as he left the room.

       In 2015 Houston was drenched with a “500 year” flood.  The same thing happened in 2016 causing Lonny’s flight to be delayed.  “Aren’t those supposed to happen on average once every 500 years?” Chet asked when Lonny finally arrived.  Apparently not anymore, because Hurricane Harvey flooded Lonny’s home this past year – another “500 year” flood. 

       That evening when Aunt Ethel was paging through the daily paper Lonny eyed the lead article referring to recent climate change research.  It said to expect more droughts, an increase in vector-borne (bug carried) diseases, and more extreme weather events.  “Well,” Lonny said, “at least it’s not happening…  huh, maybe it is.  I guess I need to wrestle a bit more with the evidence because we need to protect the only home we’ll ever know where we’re forever… Earthbound.”