Christmas comes to Baker Street as Holmes and Watson go on a wild goose chase with a difference.
It is Christmas morning and Watson pops in to Baker Street to check on his friend. He finds Holmes closely examine a hat and trying to deduce who it belongs to. It was brought to him after a policeman called Peterson witnesses an attack in the street in which a man looses not only his hat but a goose to be cooked that morning for Christmas.
Holmes kept the hat and Peterson keeps the goose but he soon returns to Baker Street. Inside the bird was a blue carbuncle. A priceless gem, it has recently been stolen from the Countess of Morcar and a plumber called John Horner is in custody for the crime. But how did the gem get inside the bird?
This is a more light-hearted tale and on that Doyle wrote for the January 1892 issue of The Strand. Holmes and Watson are involved in a literal goose chase as they try to track down the source of the not only the bird but also the gem. Once again Holmes takes pity on the real culprit and, perhaps in a moment of Christmas spirit, allows the man to flee the country.
Tomorrow we review the latest episode of Sherlock before turning our attention to the Speckled Band.