The icy wind was getting stronger and snow was beginning to fall — large fluffy flakes spinning and rushing on the cold arctic air currents. Schmoo kept her big head down and into the wind. Every so often she would put her nose up into the wind, sniff the air and cock her head to listen. What the others didn't know, was that Schmoo had a gift for rescue. Back on the farm, no thing or person ever went missing when Schmoo was around. She found everything with her uncanny sense of smell and her extra-sensory hearing. No other cow — no other animal — had her tremendous abilities. It wasn't just good hearing or a keen sense of smell, it was more like a sixth sense. And Schmoo could feel that sense tingling right now — it told her she was on the right track, that she was about to succeed.

It was almost dark when Schmoo first spotted a small igloo on the ice. Rising from the white chamber was a thin tendril of smoke. She hurried to the portal to see the very famous face peering out at her.

"Ho, Ho, Ho. Now, who do we have here?" asked Santa, as calmly as if he were sitting in a shopping mall greeting children on his lap. "Come in, come in. You wouldn't happen to have any firewood with you, would you? I had to burn my favorite fishing pole. Well, no matter, do come in and tell me what a cow is doing wandering the pack ice of the North Pole. I suspect you might be looking for me. Ho, Ho, Ho, I knew my friends would find me," Santa said smiling his biggest, warmest smile.

"And I am a friend, Santa, oh, I'm one of your biggest fans! Oh I bet everybody says that!" Schmoo giggled. Schmoo told Santa her name and how she had traveled to the North Pole. She told him about her dream of flying with the reindeer on Christmas Eve, and even about her special gift for finding people.

"The others will be here soon," Schmoo explained. "They would have found you without me. I was just lucky to find you first," she added modestly, "Oh Santa, it's such a thrill to meet you. Right now... at this happy moment... I don't care about my dream of flying. I'm just so happy that I helped to find you and save Christmas — the dream of so many boys and girls!" Schmoo's sincere speech had a powerful effect on Santa.

Santa's eyes glistened with emotion and he said softly, "Schmoo LaRue you are one heck of a Christmas cow. You can't fly with the reindeer. I can't make that happen for you. But you are clearly a gifted navigator to have found me here and I would like you to stay with us at the North Pole and be our official Chief Ground Navigator."

Just then Santa and Schmoo heard the voices of the other rescuers. Outside the igloo, the pewter sky was dotted with the illuminations of flashlights and lanterns.

"Here he is, look Santa built an igloo," Percy cried to the others in the rescue party, "Boy-oh-boy, I bet you're glad to see us..." Percy's sentence trailed off as he noticed Schmoo standing in the igloo behind Santa.

Amber squeezed past the search party, bursting through to give Santa a big hug, "Mrs. Claus was so worried. We all were! Oh Santa, we're so glad to see you!" Amber cried.

"Schmoo, you clever crazy cow! How did you find Santa?" Erno asked.

"It's a gift," shrugged Schmoo.

Rudolph arrived just in time to hear Schmoo's answer. "Well, well, this is a most welcome surprise. I guess you do have a gift, Miss Schmoo," Rudolph said warmly. Then turning to Santa, he said, "Santa, let's get you home – we have dogsleds, flying reindeer, snowmobiles. How would you like to travel?"

"You go on ahead Rudolph, I'll walk back with my new friend. It'll give me a chance to get to know her a bit better."

"Yeah, us too," cried Erno and his elf friends in unison.

Across the ice Santa, the jolly old elf, Percy, Amber, Erno, Roly and Schmoo set off toward home.

"But Santa, how will you find your way home?" Rudolph called.

"You don't need to worry about that," Santa called, "I've got my Chief Ground Navigator with me all the way on this trip! Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Christmas!"