"W e've been pretty hard on Santa Claus for the last four years," says Steve Fowler, co-writer and director of Pegasus Theatre's popular annual fundraiser The HollyDay Show , "but this year we finally give the guy a little rest. First, though, we send him to the shrink."

That's right, Santa Claus, the beleaguered toymaker who, in the previous HollyDay productions, has seen his North Pole empire attacked by corporate interests, been subjected to a hostile takeover by his one-time favorite reindeer Rudy, had his elves facing unemployment after their jobs were outsourced to the South Pole, and experienced his beloved land of ice and snow melted from global warming has decided to consult a psychiatrist.

The whole Santa-in-therapy gag turned out to be the perfect framework for this year's show, because Fowler and his co-creator, Andrea Van Dyke, have decided to make this one the last. "It's a lot of work," Fowler laughs, "and this year we've pulled out all the stops to try to make this one as amazing and as fun as we can, but over the last few years we've spent so much time writing and creating these shows, we've put a lot of other projects on the back burner. It's time to let the HollyDay Show go and move on to other things, but first we'll be revisiting some of our favorite moments from the last three shows."

That's right, as Santa takes the couch to vent his pent-up emotions, he'll be having a series of singing-and-dancing flashbacks, visited by characters—and musical numbers—from the past. "There will be plenty of singing reindeer and dancing elves," Fowler assures. "We'll bring back the dancing dreidels that were such a hit in the past. We're bringing back the Jolly Llama. Santa will be revisited by the Universal Child. It's going to be one big enormous fun time, with the usual social commentary thrown in, because that's what we always do."

And will Santa get a happy ending?

"Does Santa live happily ever after?" Fowler chuckles. "You'll have to come see the show and decide for yourself."

The HollyDay Show runs Thursday–Sunday, Dec. 11–21, at Pegasus Theatre. 20347 Hwy. 116, Monte Rio. Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm. $15–$18; Dec. 18, pay what you can; matinees, $5 for kids under 10. 707.522.9043.

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