It was Christmas Eve in Elmwood and the snow was falling in rather large flakes.
"The night before Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year," thought B-Jay, the marvelous, red beetle car, looking out of the garage window to the surrounding hills and the distant farmhouses. All around, the world was covered by a deep blanket of fresh, powdery snow. It resembled a picture postcard winter wonderland, painted inside a vigorously shaken snow globe. "Beautiful," he reflected as he watched the moonlight twinkling on the white rooftops like a myriad of joyful, dancing stars. All around seemed quiet; as quiet as a silent night.
In town, things were very different. Everywhere you cared to look, there were decorations. There wasn't a shop along Main St. that didn't have Christmas lights dangling from the window displays, illuminating the children's toys that were for sale in a kaleidoscopic rainbow of pulsating colors. Each of the street lamps that lined the road were draped in gold and silver tinsel and, at the very end of Main Street, stood the annual Christmas tree, looking splendid as usual with baubles hung on every visible branch and a silver five-pointed star perched on top.
The sound of the carol singers' traditional Christmas repertoire echoed loudly. The coins in their collection tins jingle-jangled as they shook them to the tune of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." It was more than enough on its own to drown out the sound of bustling footsteps as shoppers frantically criss-crossed the road, looking everywhere to find the perfect last-minute gifts.
B-Jay was feeling a warm glow in his engine that had nothing to do with his excitement. His owner had spent the morning polishing his red paint until it shone like a holly berry, and even tied a sprig of mistletoe to his rearview mirror. He was ready and full of anticipation. Not because it was Christmas Eve and not because it was going to be a white Christmas—and not even because he was going on another adventure, because in truth, no one had mentioned one. He was excited because this would be the first Christmas that he would be spending with his friends.
He recalled how incredible their Halloween adventure had been when they bravely saved Pinocchio from the pirates and wondered if that could ever be equaled, even at Christmas. He had no presents, no one would be dressing up in fancy Halloween costumes, but it did not seem to matter. The magic of Christmas was in spending time with loved ones, family, and friends. And he had five of the best friends that anyone could ask for. All that seemed to matter was being with them. He might not have an adventure to take them on, but he was determined on bringing the Christmas spirit to them, along with a little Christmas surprise.
It wasn't long after leaving the garage that he came upon their usual meeting place, the cottonwood tree. "Merry Christmas!" he tooted as he pulled up beside them, his horn sounding musical in the crisp air.
"Merry Christmas, B-Jay!" Zippo the ant shouted, wearing a tiny red Santa hat that kept flopping over his eyes. He was busy trying to teach Digger Bo the badger how to do a "festive tumble," which apparently involved spinning while holding a candy cane. Digger Bo seemed to be overjoyed that someone else had taken an interest in his tumbling and could be heard singing, "'Tis the season to eat lollies... tra-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," as he practiced.
Cressida the rather proud cat could not resist correcting him and, with her usual condescending tone, responded sharply, "For the love of Christmas, Badger, the word is 'jolly,' not 'lollies'!"
"'Tis the season to eat jollies... la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," he sang, correcting his mistake with a tumble and a smile.
Cressida turned away despairingly, muttering just one word. "Hopeless," she said before producing more cat spit for her Christmas pruning.
"Maybe we could write a Christmas song," mused Digger Bo, still tumbling. "You seem to know all the right words and you could help me make them rhyme."
Cressida didn’t respond to his latest remark feeling that it was beneath her to do so, and, for a moment, it was quiet.
"No chance of a silent night if we are all going to start singing," Aruna the Great Horned Owl observed, half-joking, perched regally on a branch.
"We just have to wait for the dog to stop snoring," Cressida remarked. "Although it does sound like a rather unusual instrument; there’s plenty of base to it, I feel."
Maxwell woke up with a start. "I wasn't snoring! I was… listening for sleigh bells. I’m sure I heard a jingle!"
"Actually," B-Jay said, "that jingle was me." He popped his trunk and revealed a most marvelous surprise: fairy lights. "I thought that, even though we might not have an adventure tonight, we could decorate the cottonwood tree!"
"Woo-hoo!" screamed Zippo, spinning his Santa hat around and moonwalking backwards towards the fairy lights. "Christmas has come and B-Jay has brought it to us!"
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and a thick fog began to roll in from the mountains.
"Oh dear," said Aruna, looking concerned. "The fog is so thick that Santa might lose his way over Elmwood. He won't be able to see the chimneys!"
Maxwell whimpered, "No chimneys means no stockings. No stockings means no biscuits!"
They all stared at each other at this sudden twist of fate. For once, they couldn't disagree. Maxwell was right. Something had to be done or Christmas would be ruined—not just for them, but for the whole wide world.
"How are we going to decorate the tree now?" asked Digger Bo, not quite grasping the severity of the situation.
Zippo responded by putting his hand on his friend's shoulder in an effort to brace him for what he was about to say. "This is end times, buddy! I don't think we will have time for the Christmas lights as we have to save the world." He could see the despair in Digger Bo's eyes and quickly responded, "But don't be alarmed; we might have time to decorate the tree after we have saved the world—as 'heroes'!"
Digger Bo's face changed entirely. He had never been a hero before, although he had no idea how they were going to save the world.
It was then that Cressida remarked loudly, "Save Santa, save the world!"
"But how do we save Santa?" asked Maxwell. "This isn't anywhere as easy as the time we saved B-Jay's wheel."
"And it isn't as simple as driving a Hop Toad back to his home in Canada!" stated B-Jay despairingly. "That was far easier."
"And the time we managed to get Jennifer the rabbit back home safe and sound was even easier than that," said Digger Bo, "although that wasn't much of a challenge seeing as her mother came and collected her."
"And this is all helping how?" remarked Cressida with an even more sarcastic tone than usual. "If we don't solve this, then Ludwig will not get my Christmas card and will think something bad has happened to me. Can you guys be serious just for one minute? There is more than the world at stake here!"
For a moment everyone froze. It looked like Cressida was crying and that, in itself, was disturbing. Without a moment to spare, Zippo grabbed the candy cane from Digger Bo, leapt onto the hood of B-Jay, and—holding the cane aloft—adopted a pose similar to Joan of Arc.
"My comrades," he began with a deep voice, measured for such an occasion. "Did we not, against all odds, succeed in our last adventure when all seemed lost? Did we not triumph in our darkest night when others would have cowered away? Did we not, as a band of brothers, rescue the long-lost Pinocchio from the hordes of sword-wielding, swashbuckling pirates? Yes! We did. It was us! And today, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance, we are called upon once again to summon that same courage. All we need is a plan!"
B-Jay waited for Zippo to finish his morale-boosting speech before speaking out. "This might sound too simple, but couldn't you just fly up to Santa, Aruna, and give him directions?"
"I am afraid it isn't that simple," responded the Great Horned Owl. "I cannot fly if I cannot see where I am going. We could use the fairy lights that you brought for the tree. We could lay them along the field like the landing lights they use at airports, but again, I have no way of flying to see if they are laid in a straight line across the field."
Just as he finished the sentence, Digger Bo ran off to the side, disappearing into his burrow.
"Oh, that's just great," cried Cressida, watching him go. "Now there are just five of us. This is hopeless!"
The mist grew thicker and thicker, and the minutes passed as they all sat thinking. Even Maxwell, who by now would normally be asleep, remained awake and sniffed at everything that surrounded them in the hope of uncovering an idea.
"So, it looks like you guys could need a hand," said the sudden sound of a not-so-familiar voice from the edge of the burrow.
"Jennifer!" shouted Digger Bo, tumbling up next to her. "Has agreed to help us."
Behind her were a dozen or so other rabbits from her warren. "We have an idea," she said, "or at least Digger Bo has come up with a way for Aruna's idea to work. And for that, you will need our assistance."
He looked at Cressida before remarking, "They grow up so quick—am I right?"
Being a parent, Cressida decided to nod. She knew that although Digger Bo was not her parent, he had grown very attached to Jennifer when she had been lost and was prepared to adopt her—that was until her mum appeared to take her home. And at this moment in time, all she could think of was her own son, Ludwig.
Aruna spoke with the rabbits while the others grabbed the fairy lights from B-Jay's trunk. The rabbits then set off back into the burrow as Aruna shared the plan with his friends. They all nodded before Digger Bo and Maxwell grabbed each end of the lights and disappeared back into the burrow. Aruna flew as high into the tree as he dared and began to make owl noises, occasionally updating Zippo, Cressida, and B-Jay on what was going on. They couldn't go on the mission. Their job was to stay behind and look for signs of Santa and to let Aruna know the minute he became visible. They felt a little left out but agreed that if this plan was to work, someone had to remain behind on overwatch. The minutes ticked by.
The plan was quite genius, and they realized that once again it would require teamwork to be successful. Maxwell would walk along one side of the field while Digger Bo remained stationary as an anchor point. Every ten feet or so, Maxwell would listen for the sound of a rabbit and follow his directions to the next hole, which would be another ten feet or so in front. By guiding him every step of the way, they could ensure that the lights were in a straight line, which was essential if they were to guide Santa towards the town. The going was slow and the mist made the sounds much quieter than normal, but Maxwell had good ears, and if that didn't work, he could smell the rabbits' scent.
"How is it going?" asked a rather anxious Cressida, looking up at the tree. Aruna was completely hidden by the mist, but she heard his voice when he replied.
"It is going great so far. I can see the lights. It won't be long now before the landing strip is complete. I estimate no more than another ten minutes, then all that will be left is to spot Santa. That is when we will know if it has worked."
The minutes ticked by and Zippo started pacing up and down, up and down.
"Wait! I see something!" shouted B-Jay, flashing lights and tooting his horn.
"What? What do you see?" shouted Aruna from above.
"I can’t be sure, but wait... yes, Yes, YES! I can see a bright red light flashing on and off. It is Rudolph, I am sure of it."
Cressida’s heart started thumping and Zippo was jumping higher than any ant ever did, such was their excitement. Everyone began cheering and seconds later the red light came closer, dropping lower in the sky. B-Jay was right: it was Rudolph, and they could see he was at the front of the sleigh as it glided down towards them.
Everyone started cheering, and the moment they heard the words, "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" before the sleigh launched itself upwards again, Zippo turned to Cressida and B-Jay, saying, "We did it—we saved Christmas. We really are heroes."
Moments later, Maxwell and Digger Bo reappeared back out of the burrow carrying the Christmas lights. Aruna came down from the tree, and they all hugged each other and began talking incessantly about what had just occurred. No one could quite believe what it was that they had just achieved.
The rabbits didn’t come back to share in the glory; they preferred to stay home and unwrap their presents, now that they were going to receive them. So the six friends then sat there alone, together, under the tree, taking it all in.
It was some minutes later before Zippo looked at Digger Bo, saying, "What do you say, hero? Shall we dress the tree now?"
And so they did.