It's offical December and my town in putting up Christmas lights so I'm excited and ready for the season. And the best way I know to start it off is with a holiday mix.
Enjoy
-S. Nightly
Jack had never celebrated Christmas before as a spirit. Even as a child Christmas had been a fairly small affair. But North made it seem so grand and wonderful, Jack had no idea what to think about it. All he knew was he wanted to help. To say the least he was excited when North asked him decorate for the big Christmas party. Normally, North left the halls bare as the yetis and himself were extremely busy (and he didn't want to imagine the horror the elves could cause with tinsel) and his home was very jolly as it was. But now that Jack was here he had someone with enough free time the halls could finally be decked. As he hung a long strand of colorful garland around the globe room Jack couldn't ignore the warm feeling growing inside his chest. Unconsciously he began to sing.
"Oh…city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas…" Jack sang flipping over a banister. "Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile and on every street corner you'll hear…"
"Raga go ta!"
Jack suddenly stopped as a yeti came bursting into the room chasing an elf driving a remote control car. With a sigh and a shake of the head he swooped down from the rafters. With a flip Jack created a small loop-d-loop in the cars path causing it to rocket into the air. Jack froze the offending elf as he threw up his arms and plucked him out of the car midair. With the diver gone the yeti dove and caught the toy and control. He sighed with relief.
"Da ay!" Phil said getting up.
"Any time Phil." Jack said posing the elf on top of the Christmas tree. "I needed a star anyway."
"Sa gut at ja?"
Jack froze. He pretended to cough and put on a fake smile.
"Me? No…I don't sing. I probably left the radio on upstairs." Jack said floating away slowly. "I'll just go make sure."
A split second later Jack was gone and Phil was left alone with the car. He shrugged his shoulders and prepared to go back to work when he felt something poking him in the leg. He looked down to see an annoyed elf looking up at him. Two more joined him and Phil raised the car as high as possible as he shook his head 'no'. The elves shook 'no' back at him and pointed to their playmate who was now frozen on top of the thirty foot pine tree. The little elf's eyes shift about in a panic though a look of joy was still frozen on his face.
"Ro ta ha?"
The elves glared at him. How was that his problem? Really? In their minds this was completely the yeti's fault and he would fix it. As in now. Phil rolled his eyes at them and sigh. He would go find a latter.
As he returned he nearly swallowed a little tooth fairy who had somehow found her way into the pole. She squeaked fearfully before bobbing the yeti on the nose. Baby Tooth scowled at Phil as he rubbed his nose. All she had come to do was show off her red holiday jacket to Jack. Being nearly eaten was not on her to do list and certainly not by something with such yellow teeth. She made these points clear as she poked Phil between the eyes.
"Ra sa! Ra sa!" He apologized.
The tooth fairy huffed and crossed her arms as she begrudgingly accepted his apology. With a quick slur of chirps she asked for Jack. She had been flying around for a while now and still couldn't find him.
"Da ya ba." He said pointing.
Baby Tooth stared at him. She hadn't the faintest idea where Jack's room was. The pole was twice the size of the Tooth Palace and rather than keep everything out in the open the yetis felt need to build it as a maze of doors and hallways. Phil sighed again and waved for her to follow.
Jack's room wasn't that far down the hall so it wasn't much a trip out of his way. Plus on the way he dropped the toy car back off at the workshop so all he had to juggle was the latter. A nice plan until the small tooth fairy, for some reason insisted, on riding on his shoulder. Quickly growing annoyed Phil was more than happy to drop her off at Jack's room and get back to work. Or at least the side task so he could get back to his real work with interruption.
"My world is changing…I'm rearranging…Does that mean that Christmas changes to?"
Tooth tugged on the side of the yetis head causing him to growl at her. She then shushed him and pointed to the door. Jack singing died down to humming as he forgot the words.
"Ya?"
To answered with a series of soft chirps. Jack never sang. Not for anyone. She had heard him only one time and when he found out she was listening he ran off embarrassed. If he opened the door Jack would undoubtedly run off until Christmas, if not long after. Phil rolled his eyes for what felt like the twenty time today. This was ridiculous, he had work to do.
"If you have love…in your hart and your mind…then you will feel like Christmas…all…the…time…" Jack sang dropping to humming once again.
Phil sighed. The spirit did have a beautiful voice though. The yeti suddenly cringed as a certain fairy pulled on his fur again. He sneered and looked out of her out of the corner of his eye. She had a wide smile on her face. The same kind of smile Jack had every time he had a plan. He huffed and held his head where he felt a migraine growing.
"Ya ga?"
Baby Tooth flew over and began to whisper in his ear. He nodded catching the important details. Everything sounded easy enough and the parts that weren't clear he could easily fill. Baby Tooth gave one last chirp asking if he was in. He nodded. Yeah…he could do that.
North hummed a happy tune as he put the finishing touches on a present he was wrapping. The old Russian could easily mass produce presents, but truly amazing gifts took a great amount of time and love. All he had left on this one was to tie the bow just right so all the loops were the exact same size. As he was a quarter of a centimeter to perfection a yeti burst through the door causing him to jump. As he did North's hand jerked back and the bow came completely unraveled.
"How many times have I told you to knock!" North said trying to stay calm as possible.
"Ja ra go ta!"
"What?! Let me see!"
North ran out into the workshop. He found Tooth, Sandy and Bunny waiting for him, but he was only concern with the Easter Bunny.
"Bunny, this is not funny. How many robot did you paint green?"
"What?" He asked confused. "You called me here sayin' there was trouble."
"What? Baby Tooth told me that a yeti was loosing a tooth."
Sandy created a question mark above his head followed by a strip of film and popcorn. He received a message they were all going to watch It's a Wonderful Life together.
"I have no idea what any of you are talking about. Marty? Why did you lie?" North asked turning to the yeti who had brought him in.
"Ba fi ja."
"Why would Phil tell you to lie? Where is he?"
Marty immediately pointed down the hall. As he did a small swarm of fairies past him and flew off in that direction.
"Girls?" Tooth said before flying after.
"Looks like we will have ta get ta the bottom of this." Bunny said following.
North and Sandy looked at each other and shrugged. The might as well since it was so important that they all get together.
"Jara ga. Ba ja go ni tab ba." Phil explained leading Jack into the room.
"So you need me to test the piano for you?"
"Ra ya." Phil said with a nodded.
"But you have to over see work productions?"
"Ra ya. Bo tag na so da go."
"Really this room is sound proof?"
Phil pretended to look up at an imaginary clock and acted surprised by the time. He patted Jack on the back and thanked him before running out of the room and shutting the door. Jack shrugged. The yetis were acting weird today. Looking at the piano Jack decided to get to work.
Jack sat down at the keys and cracked his fingers. How did Phil know he played? It was perplexing but it didn't matter. He was just going to test the piano before it was sent off. Picking up the music sheets Jack wondered how North would ever fit this into the sleigh.
"Believe huh?" Jack said reading the title. "I think I know the words to this..."
He hummed a few scales to jog his memory. He did know this song. Smiling Jack played a few scales to loosen up his fingers before starting the first line. At first Jack thought of just leaving. The piano seemed the work well enough. However, the song was already ringing his head. Jack paused and cleared his throat. What harm would it do? No one was listening.
Tooth found all her fairies pushing so they could be closest the door at the end of the hall. They were all arguing but as they whispered she couldn't understand any of it.
"Girls, what are you doing?"
The small legion shushed her and pointed to the door as the others joined her. Phil then appeared and encouraged everyone to come close and stay silent. North cocked and eye brow at him. The yeti only smiled at him and took hold of the door knob. Gently he turned the knob and let the door fall open. The Guardians were shocked as piano music flooded out into the hall. Inside the room was a grand piano that was sat below an open set of window as if to play to the sunset. At the keys was the young winter spirit, setting with his head down and eyes closed, absorbing every note as if he were pouring out his own soul into the song.
"I didn't know Frostbite could play." Bunny whispered.
Sandy shrugged. Jack had never told him any about it. North's eyes filled with joy as he recognized the song Jack was playing. However, they were all blown away when the spirit opened his mouth and began to sing.
Children sleeping, snow is softly falling
Dreams are calling like bells in the distance
We were dreamers not so long ago
But one by one we all had to grow up
When it seems the magic's slipped away
We find it all again on Christmas day
Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe
Trains move quickly to their journey's end
Destinations are where we begin again
Ships go sailing far across the sea
Trusting starlight to get where they need to be
When it seems that we have lost our way
We find ourselves again on Christmas day
Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
Jack lower his voice with each chord.
"If you just believe! If you just believe… If you just believe…Just…" Jack came to his peek and paused as he played the final notes on the piano. He sighed deeply before letting the last chord slip out and echo away into the hills beyond the open window. "Believe…"
Feeling warm once again Jack shut the lid on the piano and tapped the top.
"Works just fine. I'm sure whoever gets this will be very happy."
Applause erupted from the back of the room causing Jack to jump and land on top of the piano stool. His expression turned to horror as he found all of the Guardians, a collection tooth fairies and a small band of yetis starring at him. If he could die a second time Jack wished he would have dropped then.
"Jack that was beautiful." Tooth said wiping away tears.
Her tooth fairies mobilized into a heart shape. Sandy floated in and gave him a thumbs up. Jack thought they were joking. He didn't sing that well. He thought maybe they were just humoring him, but then Bunny started laughing.
"Nice snowflake. I didn't know you did acapella. Sound kind of girly though."
One of the yetis elbowed the mean rabbit in the side, but to Jack it was the first comment he could actually hear. The other Guardians were natural nice. Tooth and Sandy would never say anything to hurt him, even if he was terrible. However, Tooth would rip out Bunny's teeth if he said something truly hurtful. In fact if he had teased him Jack would have flown off without a second thought. He wanted to fly away anyway but that was a different point.
"Did you guys really like that?" Jack asked as he stepped down.
"Of course we did." Tooth assured as Sandy nodded.
Jack look to North who was just standing there. When he didn't say anything Jack began to fiddle with the rim of his hood as if he were going to pull it up and hide.
"North?" He said timidly.
The Russian walked forward, silently parting the crowd of spectators. The closer his came the more Jack felt his hands shake. When he was finally at the piano he looked down on the boy with a curious glance. After a moment a wide smile came across his face and he swept the boy into a hug.
"Cнежинка! (Snezhinka/snowflake) That was beautiful! You must sing at party!"
"That would be amazing! You could sing the Jingle Bell Rock!" Tooth added.
"North no…"
"What? why not?" Bunny asked. "You sound great."
"You have to sing!" North pleaded.
"No…North…Spine, being, crush… can't breath…" Jack said turning blue.
"Oh!"
North released the boy allowing him to gasp for breath. The pale color returned to Jack's face as he sucked in large amounts of air. As he recovered Phil yelled to North and waved a recorder over his head.
"Ja go ni ba ya!"
The yeti found himself immediately swarmed by tooth fairies.
"What!" Jack yelled in shock.
"He said he made recording." North translated.
"I got that. Phil that is not cool! As if this wasn't bad enough!" Jack yelled at the yeti. "I am so out of here."
North grabbed the teen by the hood before he could escape.
"Oh no. We will put song on and you will help me with wrappings. Is perfect way to get in Christmas spirit!"
"Can't I please just go die in a hole."
"Nope, but don't worry." Bunny assured. "I'll stick around to poke fun at you the entire time."
"I can spare a few hours. What about you Sandy?"
Sandy nodded and pointed to Phil as he created a music note over his head. This was about to become everyone's favorite song. Phil smile and waved for the other yetis to follow as he went to jack the recording up to the loud speaker.
"Phil no…" Jack whined still hanging by his hood. "Ugh…All I want for Christmas is my dignity."
"Too bad Jack." North smirked. "You have family now instead."
Jack sighed. He supposed he could live with that. However, over the course of the next few weeks he would slowly die as that song was on every time he got out of bed and found North singing along in Russia. And in a pitchy tone at that. Yep, Jack was certain now Christmas was just great.
Here are the songs for those who want to know.
Silver Bells by Relient K
Where are you Christmas by Faith Hill
and
Believe by Josh Gorban