Chapter 1.

It took a while for Yoshi to thumb through the half-inch-thick catalog, his chubby fingers brushing the scrapbook-styled pages across his globe-shaped nose. The howling white wind battered the living room windows with thick snowflakes, but Yoshi paid it no heed. He peered at the photos in each page with a smile on his face; he pictured Birdo in each pose and imagined her admiring the jewelry that the models wore.

The doorbell ringing prompted a hup from him as he jumped from the sofa. He rested the catalog onto the coffee table, the pages of the magazine fluttering shut like a deck of shuffling cards. He waddled toward the door and opened it as a howling gust blew through.

"Oh, hey, guys!" he piped as he saw the two figures standing in jeans and leather jackets. "Get in here! It's crazy out there!"

"Hurb-ub-ub-uh!" Luigi shuddered. Each jerk of his head dropped snow to the wooden floor. "You wouldn't believe how far we had to walk here!"

"What happened?"

"Genius Luigi was listenin' to the radio when the announcer said Flower Drive was snowed out," accented Mario with a frown in opposition to Luigi's carefree grin. "Guess what? He drove right into it, got the front of the car wedged in between two snowdrifts. The car looks like red underwear running up the crack of a fat kid's butt."

Yoshi let out a laugh and closed the door behind his friends. "Wow, Mario, your goatee's really filling in! Has Peach seen it yet?"

"Nah, she'll see it tonight."

"Hey, weren't you going to be at the castle early?"

"We were supposed to. If I can't get my car out of the snow by six o'clock, I'll need a limo to pick us up."

"Go with the limo, anyway," said Yoshi, fetching his magazine from the coffee table.

"What's that you're reading?" Luigi asked. "Birdo Stock? What's this?"

"Give me that!" Yoshi protested, yanking the magazine away with a rip of the cover.

"What is that stuff?" Luigi mumbled.

"Yeah, what is that stuff?" asked Mario, hanging up the phone. "Wow-ee!Look at the price! That watch has gotta be worth a platinum coin!"

"I'm just trying to find something nice for Birdo that I can afford."

"Whoa. You haven't gotten her anything yet?" wondered Luigi. "Christmas is a week away, and it's on a Tuesday!"

"It's a good thing you aren't going to be at the Christmas party tonight," said Mario. "We're doin' the gift exchange there."

"And showing off your goatee," said Yoshi. "You know, the problem is finding something for her. I never know what to get women."

"Who does?" said Luigi with a light huff.

"You and Birdo have known each other for a long time. I know she'd love anything you give her," said Mario. "Even if it's just a bar of chocolate or a hat, she'll love it because she loves you and the gift's from your heart."

"So--" Luigi paused. "Birdo's gettin' a blood transfusion?"

In a heartbeat, the two brothers let out laughs and showed grins.

"Do you guys mind?" protested Yoshi. "It's just--I-I want to get her something really special. Something that looks like her--that-that sounds like her."

"A foghorn?"

On cue, Mario and Luigi exchanged laughs and a quick high-five.

"All right, all right. You know, I bet you're the only ones who think you're funny. I got to get changed."

"Whoa, what for?" asked Luigi. "Oh, yeah, you guys are finishing up your CD, right?"

"Yeah. Michelle's going to drive me insane until this is done," sighed Yoshi, sliding from the sofa and waddling down the hall.

"So what'd Toadsworth say on the phone?" asked Luigi in a whisper.

"The plane should touch down in an hour," breathed Mario. "The limo will be here in thirty."

Luigi showed a worried look. "We might not pull this off in time."

"We will. You can be sure of it."