NEW! Download and print Christmas coloring pages featuring Captain Dave’s North Pole Adventure! https://bit.ly/S2EP10ColouringPages
Join Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster on their most important Vancouver Island Christmas adventure yet! When Parksville-Qualicum’s mail plane breaks down, our submarine heroes race to deliver children’s Christmas letters directly to Santa’s secret underwater dock at the North Pole. Experience the magic of Northern Lights dancing beneath Arctic ice as the Mellow Submarine crew ensures no child’s letter to santa goes undelivered.
Perfect for Vancouver Island families from Nanaimo to Port Alberni, this heartwarming Christmas story teaches children about helping others, problem-solving, and the true meaning of the holidays. Young listeners will discover how even eight-legged lobsters can become Santa’s special helpers, proving that Christmas heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
“Send us a text about this episode!”
You can also voice message Skookum Kids Stories and be a part of the podcast!
Vancouver Island Christmas Stories for Kids on All Platforms
Find Skookum Kids Stories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube Podcasts. Also available at SkookumKids.com.
Support Our Show – Help us create more magical Vancouver Island Christmas stories for kids!
Special Thanks to Our Sponsor Ian Lindsay & Associates.
More Vancouver Island Family Podcasts
Don’t miss The PULSE Podcast featuring local stories and community updates from Parksville-Qualicum Beach and beyond. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Tik Tok and YouTube Podcasts.
Visit PULSECommunity.ca for more Vancouver Island content.
Stay Connected with Vancouver Island’s Best Christmas Content for Families
Sign up for our weekly newsletter featuring the latest Vancouver Island Christmas stories, ocean education resources, and exclusive holiday contests perfect for families from Nanaimo to Port Alberni!
Like, Share & Listen to more Vancouver Island Christmas stories for kids!
#SkookumKidsStories, #VancouverIslandChristmas, #ThePulseCommunity, #PulsePodcast, #ParksvilleQualicumBeach, #MellowSubmarine, #CaptainDave, #SantaLetters, #SkookumKidsStories
Transcription:
Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX, Vancouver Island’s most advanced real estate business network, since 1996, marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, and recreational investment and project development real estate. Ian has received several awards recognizing his exceptional community commitment locally, as well as awards for outstanding performance and achievement from both RE/MAX International and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. You’ll find true real estate professionals at IanLindsay.ca.
Eddie Van Haddock & The Rockfish: In a little town by the sea where the stories never end, lived Captain Dave and his crew, every child’s favourite friend. With a smile as wide as the ocean and a heart that’s full of dreams, he sails a mellow submarine where magic gleams and beams. Every morning at sunrise, when the world awakes anew, Captain Dave and his crew set sail in waters deep and blue. Through the ticking clock of time, where adventures come alive, they laugh and learn and play each day in their underwater dive.
Dave Graham: Captain Dave stood on the dock, looking at his wonderful yellow submarine bobbing gently in the harbour. It wasn’t just any submarine—it was the Mellow Yellow, the happiest submarine in all the seven seas.
The Mellow Yellow had round portholes that looked like friendly eyes and a painted smile on its front that made everyone who saw it smile too.
“Larry!” called Captain Dave, adjusting his blue captain’s hat with the golden anchor on it. “Larry the Lobster! Where are you?”
“Coming, Captain!” clicked a cheerful voice. Out from behind a pile of rope came Larry the Lobster, Captain Dave’s best friend and first mate.
Larry was a bright red lobster who wore a tiny sailor’s cap between his antennae and often carried a miniature telescope in one of his claws.
“Good morning, Captain Dave!” Larry saluted with his big claw, accidentally bonking himself on the head with it. “Oops! Still getting used to these things.”
Captain Dave chuckled, his kind eyes twinkling behind his round glasses. “Good morning, Larry. I have something very important to show you.” He pulled out a large bag from behind his back. It was filled to the brim with colourful envelopes—red ones, green ones, blue ones with glitter, even some that smelled like cookies.
“What are those?” asked Larry, his antennae wiggling with curiosity.
“These,” said Captain Dave proudly, “are letters to Santa Claus from all the children in our seaside town. You see, the mail plane that usually takes them to the North Pole broke down, and Christmas is coming soon.”
Larry gasped, his eight legs doing a worried little dance. “Oh no! But how will Santa know what the children want for Christmas?”
Captain Dave patted the side of the Mellow Yellow. “That’s where we come in, my friend. We are going to deliver these letters ourselves—all the way to the North Pole!”
“The North Pole?” Larry’s eyes grew as round as sand dollars. “But Captain, that’s so far away! And it’s under all that ice!”
“That’s exactly why we have a submarine,” Captain Dave said with a big smile. “We can travel under the ice where other boats can’t go. It will be the adventure of a lifetime!”
Larry thought for a moment, then stood up as tall as a lobster could stand. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Those letters won’t deliver themselves!”
The two friends quickly loaded the Mellow Yellow with everything they would need for their journey. They packed extra warm blankets, even though the submarine was always cosy inside. They packed plenty of peanut butter sandwiches for Captain Dave and lots of seaweed snacks for Larry. They also brought hot chocolate mix, because everyone knows that’s the best drink to have when you’re going to see Santa.
“All aboard!” Captain Dave called out, even though it was just the two of them. He loved saying that. With a gentle splash, the Mellow Yellow sank below the waves, and they began their journey north. Through the portholes, they could see schools of silvery fish swimming by like underwater clouds. A curious seal pressed its nose up against the glass, making Larry laugh.
As they travelled further north, the water became colder and darker. Captain Dave turned on the submarine’s special happy lights. They glowed warm and golden, lighting up the ocean around them like an underwater sunrise.
After a day of travelling, they began to see something magical above them—the bottom of the ice! It looked like an upside-down landscape made of crystal, with ridges and valleys all glowing pale blue and green.
“It’s beautiful,” whispered Larry, pressing all eight of his legs against the porthole to get a better look.
“Look there!” Captain Dave pointed ahead. “That’s the Northern Lights dancing on the ice!”
Above the ice, the Aurora Borealis—the Northern Lights—painted ribbons of green and pink and purple across the frozen ceiling of their underwater world. The lights seemed to dance and play, reflecting through the ice in the most wonderful way.
On the third day, Captain Dave checked his special North Pole map, which had been given to him by an old Arctic explorer penguin years ago. “We’re getting close, Larry. Look for Santa’s secret submarine dock.”
“Secret submarine dock?” Larry asked, his eyes wide.
“Oh yes,” Captain Dave nodded wisely. “How do you think Santa delivers presents to all the mer-children and the sea creatures? He has his own submarine dock for visitors like us!”
They searched carefully along the ice ceiling until finally Larry spotted something. “Captain! Over there! Is that a candy cane?”
Sure enough, there was a huge red-and-white-striped pole sticking down through the ice, like an upside-down candy cane. Next to it was a sign that said: “Santa’s Submarine Welcome Station—Ring Bell for Entry.”
Captain Dave carefully steered the Mellow Yellow up to the bell rope that hung down into the water, and using the submarine’s special robot arm, he pulled on the rope. The bell rang out with the most Christmassy sound you ever heard: “Ding-dong, ding-dong! Jingle-jingle!”
Suddenly, a round section of ice above them began to glow and slowly opened like a magic door. Warm light poured down into the water, and they could see a tunnel leading up into a cosy underwater dock.
“Up we go!” said Captain Dave, and the Mellow Yellow rose through the opening into the most amazing place they had ever seen.
The submarine dock was inside a huge ice cave, but it wasn’t cold at all. The walls sparkled with what looked like diamonds but were really just special Christmas ice crystals. Everything was decorated with twinkling lights and garlands of seaweed and holly.
Standing on the dock waiting for them was an elf—but not just any elf. This was Bubbles, the swimming elf, who wore flippers instead of curly shoes and had a snorkel hanging around his neck.
“Welcome, welcome!” Bubbles called out cheerfully. “Santa’s been expecting you!”
“Expecting us?” Captain Dave asked as he and Larry climbed out of the submarine.
“Oh yes! Mrs. Claus saw you coming in her special telescope. She told Santa, ‘There’s a yellow submarine coming with something very important!’ Come on, follow me!”
Bubbles led them through a tunnel that went from the submarine dock up into Santa’s workshop. The tunnel was lined with pictures drawn by children from all around the world, and Larry stopped to look at each one.
“Come on, Larry!” Captain Dave called. “We don’t want to keep Santa waiting!”
When they emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves in the most wonderful place imaginable—Santa’s workshop! It was huge, bigger than ten sailing ships put together. Everywhere they looked, elves were busy making toys. Some were painting dollhouses, others were testing toy trains, and a whole group was adding glitter to fairy wings.
The workshop smelled like gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate and pine trees all mixed together. Christmas music played softly from somewhere, and every few seconds you could hear an elf giggle or a toy train whistle.
“Ho, ho, ho!” The jolly laugh echoed through the workshop, and there, walking toward them, was Santa Claus himself. He was exactly as wonderful as Captain Dave and Larry had imagined, with his red suit, white beard, and the kindest eyes that twinkled like stars.
“Captain Dave! Larry the Lobster! How wonderful to see you!”
Larry was so excited he started clicking his claws like castanets. “Santa! It’s really you!”
Santa bent down and shook Larry’s claw very gently. “Of course it’s me! And I hear you brought something very important.”
Captain Dave stepped forward, holding the bag of letters. “The mail plane broke down, Santa. We couldn’t let the children down, so we brought their Christmas letters to you ourselves.”
Santa’s eyes grew bright with joy. “You travelled all that way, under all that ice, just to make sure the children’s wishes reached me?” He took the bag carefully, holding it like it was the most precious treasure in the world. “This is what Christmas is truly about—friends helping friends and making sure no one is forgotten.”
He opened one of the letters and read it out loud: “Dear Santa, My name is Lucy, and I am five years old. I have been very good this year. I helped my mum with dishes and shared my toys with my little brother, even when he was annoying. Could I please have a toy submarine just like the yellow one I saw at the harbour? Thank you, Santa. Love, Lucy.”
Captain Dave and Larry looked at each other in amazement. “That sounds like the Mellow Yellow!” Larry exclaimed.
Santa winked. “Indeed it does. You two have inspired children just by being who you are. Now,” said Santa, “you must be hungry after your long journey. Mrs. Claus has prepared a special feast for you!”
Mrs. Claus appeared, carrying a tray of the most delicious-looking cookies shaped like submarines, lobsters, anchors, and snowflakes. There was hot chocolate with extra marshmallows for Captain Dave and a special seaweed salad that was Larry’s favourite.
As they ate, Santa read through every single letter, making notes in his special book. Sometimes he would chuckle, sometimes he would nod seriously, and once he even wiped away a happy tear.
“These letters are so important,” Santa explained, “not just because they tell me what toys to bring, but because they tell me about the children—their hopes, their dreams, what makes them happy. Thank you for making sure they reached me.”
After their feast, Bubbles, the swimming elf, gave them a tour of the workshop. They saw the reindeer stables (and yes, Rudolph’s nose really does glow!). They saw the wrapping paper room filled with mountains of sparkly paper in every colour. And they saw Santa’s special globe that showed every child’s house in the world.
But soon it was time to go home. Santa walked them back to the submarine dock, carrying a special waterproof bag.
Captain Dave and Larry climbed back into the Mellow Yellow, their hearts full of Christmas joy. As they prepared to leave, Santa called out, “Remember, the magic of Christmas isn’t just in the presents—it’s in friends like you who go out of their way to help others. Ho, ho, ho!”
Santa’s laugh followed them as they descended back through the magical entrance and into the ocean below.
The journey home seemed faster, maybe because they were so happy. They sang Christmas carols mixed with sea shanties and even taught some passing dolphins how to sing “Jingle Bells” in dolphin language. Of course, it sounded more like “Click-click-squee!”
That night, as Captain Dave and Larry sat in the Mellow Yellow watching the stars through the porthole, they opened Santa’s special gift to them. Inside were two beautiful snow globes. Captain Dave’s showed the Mellow Yellow travelling under the Northern Lights, and Larry’s showed him standing proud in Santa’s workshop.
But the best part was the note from Santa: “Dear Captain Dave and Larry, Thank you for reminding everyone that heroes come in all shapes and sizes—even submarine captains and lobsters. Your kindness and determination saved Christmas for so many children. You’ll always be welcome at the North Pole. Your friend, Santa. P.S. Larry, I’ve included some of Mrs. Claus’s special seaweed salad recipe. Captain Dave, there’s a lifetime supply of submarine fuel that smells like gingerbread!”
From that day on, Captain Dave and Larry became the official North Pole Submarine Postal Service. Every year, when the regular mail couldn’t get through, they would load up the Mellow Yellow and make the magical journey under the ice.
Captain Dave added a special mailbox to the dock where the Mellow Yellow was moored. It was painted bright red with golden trim and had a sign that read: “North Pole Express Mail—Captain Dave’s Submarine Postal Service.”
Children would come from neighbouring towns just to mail their letters in this special mailbox. And Santa never forgot his submarine friends. Every year on Captain Dave’s birthday, a waterproof package would mysteriously appear next to the Mellow Yellow. It was always filled with North Pole cookies that stayed fresh no matter how long you kept them. And on Larry’s birthday, he would receive a new tiny sailor’s cap, each one more special than the last.
Eddie Van Haddock & The Rockfish: When the night falls softly and stars light up the sky, Captain Dave tucks his crew in with a gentle lullaby. Dreams of whales and mermaids, of treasures lush and green, await each little sailor aboard the mellow submarine.
Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX, Vancouver Island’s most advanced real estate business network, since 1996, marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, and recreational investment and project development real estate. Ian has received several awards recognizing his exceptional community commitment locally, as well as awards for outstanding performance and achievement from both RE/MAX International and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. You’ll find true real estate professionals at IanLindsay.ca.
