Hello, Invisible Friends.  Queen Bitty here.

Here at the Pond, we had a wonderful Christmas.  The Blond Duck’s aunts and uncles from New Mexico drove in for a San Antonio Christmas at the Pond, and all sorts of adventures will had.  We’ll reveal those next week, because currently the Blond Duck is busy.

You see, we’re currently in Shreveport.  Bear and I are terrorizing our cousin Ace, and the Blond Duck is busy doing what she does: twirling about and making people fat.

She also keeps cooing and shoving us in these sweaters.

I’m not amused.

So until then, enjoy today’s short story for Magical Monday.  Tomorrow, the Blond Duck will do a special four day run of a brand new Christmas story.  And trust me, even though Christmas is another year away, you’ll want to read it.  On Saturday, we’ll have the Pond’s New Year Resolutions.  Next week, we’ll get back to our regular stories, recipes and features along with a life changing confession and revelation from the Blond Duck on Tuesday.

Trust me.  You don’t want to miss it. Until then, enjoy this tale of Magical Monday!

***

Lana looked around in dismay at the disarray around her.  Surrounded by mounds of colorful wrapping paper, wrinkles of bright reds and glittering golds peeking out from snowmen-printed mounds and Rudolph speckled valleys covered with various bows and ribbons, she had never felt so lonely.  Sighing, she fished a golden ribbon from a crinkle of tissue paper and twirled it around her finger.

“What?” her younger brother Scott glanced up at her, his wide green eyes piercing under a fringe of thick lashes no boy should be allowed to have.  “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.”  Lana glumly flicked a red bow across a wheezing gift bag stuffed with various gifts.

Scott frowned.  “You’re frowning.  It’s Christmas.  You can’t frown on Christmas.”

“It’s the day after Christmas,” Lana pointed out.  “And I can frown whenever I want.”

“The day after Christmas is even more reason not to frown,” Scott argued, setting down the model kit he had been studying.  “So why are you frowning?”

Lana narrowed her eyes, then rolled them.  “Fine.  You win.  The truth is, I hate the day after Christmas.”

Scott blinked, his wide green eyes confused.  “How can you hate the day after Christmas?  There’s cookies everywhere, new presents to play with…”

“That’s just it!”  Lana collapsed into a batch of wrapping paper.  “It’s over!  There’s nothing more to look forward to until Easter!  Just dreary cold and sniffles and wet toes walking to school with socks that never dry, so you’ve got wet cold feet all day during class.”

“How do you always have wet feet?”  Scott cocked his head.  “It doesn’t rain all the time.”

“Snow!” Lana bellowed, flinging a bow at him.  “The snow, you twit!”

Ducking the flying gold ribbon that arched over his shoulder, Scott bit his lip, his face pensive.  “There’s New Year’s,” he said finally.  “New Year’s is fun.  And Valentine’s Day.”

“New Year’s is for people with someone to kiss,” Lana grumbled, crossing her arms.  She ran her teeth over her braces and scowled.  “And Valentine’s Day is for people with boyfriends.  Once you’re past the third grade, no one gets valentines from their friends, only boys.”

Scott made a face.  “So next year I have to get a girl a valentine?  Gross.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it.”  Lana pulled a torn chunk of silver paper dotted with colorful prints of angels over her face and closed her eyes.  “No boys in my class give girls valentines.  It’s a very distressing situation for all of us.”

Picking up his model, Scott chewed on his lower lip as he stared blankly at the box.  Suddenly, his eyes lit up.  “I know what to do!”

“What?” Lana snapped, not bothering to remove her wrapping paper mask.  “There’s nothing to do.  You just wait until Easter, when the sun shines and there’s cute baby rabbits everywhere.”

“You like the anticipation of Christmas, right?” Scott continued, ignoring her bad mood. “The frenzy before hand, the baking, the shopping…”

“I just like Christmas!” Lana bellowed.  “I don’t care about gifts and all that.  I just like everyone being together, being happy, singing and smiling and baking together.  It seems like we have to wait all year for that.  And I’m tired of waiting.”

Scott shrugged.  “So don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Lana growled. “You can’t make Christmas come just because you want it to.”

“Sure you can.”  Scott poked the wrapping paper.  “Look around.  What do you see?”

“A mess.” Lana didn’t even bother to open her eyes.

“No, that’s not it.” Scott shook his head.  “Look harder.”

“Fine.”  Huffing, Lana sat up, throwing the silver shred of wrapping paper off her eyes.  Snarling, she let her eyes travel over the mounds of colorful paper, the sprinkling of ribbons and bows.  In the lamp light and cozy glow from the fireplace, suddenly the mess appeared to be quite jubilant and festive.  A mound of gift bags gleamed with anticipation, a gathering of golden paper glittered with possibilities.

Lana turned to her brother, her eyes gleaming.  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Scott grinned.  “Oh yeah.”

Leaping to their feet, the children began to gather armfuls of paper and ribbons, ignoring their gifts scattered around the living room.  For, no matter what day it is on the calender, there’s nothing like a good wrapping paper fight to make it feel like Christmas.  Or a wrapping paper fort.  Or simply sliding down the hall on wrapping paper skates.

For Lana, it all felt like Christmas.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends, for a brand new tale tomorrow!

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