A/N: Decided to try another suggestion - this one is from anonymous reviewer MarioFan88.

And yes, I know Yoshi can/does talk (or at least he seems to in some games), but for fun, I decided to make him not speak here. I honestly have a hard time imagining him talking in full sentences.

Day 9

Prompt: Christmas Lists

Characters: Toad and Yoshi

Summary: On a frosty evening, a group of friends gather before the fireplace at Mario's house. Some of them are already thinking about what Christmas might bring them.

The house was warm, and the gentle sound of crackling firewood made it feel cosy. Mario and Luigi had decided to host a small party at their house - well, less of a party and more of a casual evening with friends. And admittedly, it had been more Mario's idea than his brother's. But still, it was happening now, and even Luigi seemed to be enjoying the warm atmosphere despite the house being much too crowded for his comfort.

In front of the fireplace was a soft floor rug, and two young individuals had already stolen this comfortable spot to guard against all others. Yoshi was scribbling on a piece of paper, his large nose almost touching it. It was obvious to anyone watching that he was writing some sort of list. Beside him, Toad was doing the same, but on a considerably longer piece of paper.

'Yo, what are you writing?' he asked, pausing to crane his head over his friend's shoulder.

Yoshi just shrugged a little, making a small grunting noise. However, he willingly turned his list around so that Toad could see what he'd written. Strangely, even though he was never heard speaking more than simple words, he seemed perfectly literate; the words on the paper were carefully and neatly written, and not a single spelling mistake could be seen.

'Huh... there's not much on it,' Toad pointed out. Of the five things on Yoshi's list, four were actually legible. The fifth had been scribbled out, leaving him to wonder what it had been and why it had given Yoshi second thoughts. He decided to ignore it and focus on the other items that he could make out, which, he quickly discovered, were all quite fitting of his friend's personality: a basket of melons, a fruit juicing machine, a top hat, and a plush toy Shy Guy.

After showing his list, Yoshi made a gesture to ask if he could see Toad's. Toad revealed his own, shamelessly long list without hesitation. The piece of paper was almost a foot long, the end trailing onto the floor. There were far too many items for Yoshi to read them all in a single quick pass, but his gaze settled on a few specific things - a bouncy ball, a colouring book, a wooden toy train, wooden toy cars, a set of watercolour paints, mushroom-shaped chocolates, and plush toys in more different animals than he could imagine.

I could get him some of these things for Christmas... Yoshi mused. I'd like to get him something he really wants...

'You should write more things on your list!' Toad encouraged him. 'C'mon, there's hardly anything on it!'

Yoshi just shrugged again. He didn't really know what he wanted this year; he already had so many cherished things from previous Christmases. What could he ask for that he didn't already have? In the end, he decided that material items weren't so important. No, for him, the best part of Christmas was the chance to give gifts to others... and, of course, all the delicious food.