The Great Christmas Surprise

By Joe

Summary: Paddington Bear wants to capture Santa Claus, so he stays up all night and causes much chaos.

Author Notes: I do not own Paddington Bear, its characters, or any other copyrighted material.

Chapter 1

The Christmas season had begun once again. All over London, people began to decorate the buildings and get in the Christmas spirit. Things were no different at 32 Windsor Gardens, where the Brown family was preparing as well.

Mrs. Bird was preparing eggnog, Mrs. Brown went out Christmas shopping, and Paddington Bear was probably the most excited of them all. He had never celebrated Christmas very often in Darkest Peru, so all this was very interesting to him. Paddington decided to go visit his friend, Mr. Gruber.

When Paddington arrived, Mr. Gruber greeted him warmly and offered him a cup of cocoa. The two of them sat down on the couch and began to talk. "So, what's on your mind, Mr. Brown?" asked Mr. Gruber.

"Well," Paddington said, "I'm just curious. What is all this excitement over this Christmas holiday?"

"Christmas, Mr. Brown, is a holiday that is widely celebrated all over the world. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Also, during Christmas, many people put up trees in their houses and purchase all sorts of presents to give to others during the holiday. And little children receive gifts especially from a deity known as Santa Claus," explained Mr. Gruber.

"Santa Claus?" Paddington asked. "Who is this Santa Claus?"

Mr. Gruber smiled. "On Christmas Eve, Santa and his 9 reindeer fly all around the world and visit every house and give presents to all the children. Santa flies in a big sleigh, and his reindeer and he flies very high and very fast in the air. Most people leave Santa cookies and milk when he comes down peoples' chimneys. When he arrives, he puts gifts under the tree, and he puts little gifts inside stockings pinned to the mantle of the fireplace. Then, he goes straight up the chimney to deliver gifts to more houses. And he does the same thing every Christmas."

Paddington licked his chops. "This Santa sounds like a very interesting fellow. I cannot wait for Christmas Eve!" Paddington finished his cocoa and got off the sofa. "Goodbye, Mr. Gruber. I will see you later."

"Bye, Paddington," waved Mr. Gruber.

As Paddington walked back home to 32 Windsor Gardens, he thought to himself about Santa. "Santa gives people gifts on Christmas. Well, if I caught Santa, then perhaps he could give me some more marmalade sandwiches whenever I please." Paddington licked his lips and darted all the way home.