Christmas Day was a day off for everyone - the professors, the staff, and the students of the Dino Institute, regardless of their religion or country of national origin.

With nothing to do in the Dino Institute, the Boneyard, or anywhere else in Diggs County, many of them turned to the tourist trap next door, the Dino-Rama.

Chester and Hester loved the annual boost of palaeontologist money. They loved it so much, that they didn't care about their tacky tourist trap being ripped to shreds and heckled and mocked by the palaeontologists. As long as they were getting the money.

'Pachycephalosaurus is not spelled with a "k",' complained the uptight and stiff dig professor, Dr Bernard Dunn, standing in front of the "Whac-A-Packycephalosaur" dinosaur styled Whac-A-Mole carnival game.

'All due respect, Professor, but who cares?' asked Sam Gonzales, one of his students, with a shrug. 'It's not like we come here for scientific accuracy. We're here because it's Christmas and nowhere else is open.'

'Speak for yourself,' said party animal Mark Rios, more commonly known by his nickname, Animal. 'I'm here to have a good time.' He grabbed the mallet of the Whac-A-Mole.

Hester came from nowhere and snatched the mallet back. 'You need a game token to play.'

'Come on, Hester,' Animal complained. 'It's Christmas Day!'

'I'm sorry, Mark, but you can't play without a token,' said Hester, 'Christmas Day or not.'

'That's bogus,' Animal huffed.

'That's the rules,' said Hester, firmly.

Over by the Fossil Fueler water squirting game, Chandler was counting their game tokens while their partner, Dr Woodson, looked on.

'Chandler, can you please finish counting your tokens so you can actually play a game?' Dr Woodson complained. 'We might not need to work today, but we still have that iguanodon that needs looking after.'

'Lucky's Seeker's problem,' said Chandler. 'Not yours or mine.'

'If you're going to play that water squirting game, I suggest you do it now,' said Woodson.

'I don't know if I'll play it, but I love the name,' said Chandler. 'Because the dinos we haven't found as skeletons probably turned into fossil fuels. Not just dinos, of course. Trilobites, pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plants, and who knows what else too.

'Play the game, Chandler,' said Woodson.

Chandler nodded and produced one token to the attendant. 'I'll play a round.'

'I'll go with you,' said dig team leader and renowned author Tina Lee.

'And me,' said student Max Feldman. Though he had since been nicknamed "Trilobite" after finding many of them on a dig. 'It'll be fun going against my professors to try and win a scientifically inaccurate triceratops stuffy.'

'Who doesn't love palaeontologically inaccurate triceratopses?' asked Tina. 'I, for one, love them. I've just got off TriceraTop Spin after all.'

Standing in the line for TriceraTop Spin were students John Hiriade and Jenny Weinstein.

'This is taking forever,' John complained. 'I hate Christmas.'

'You're not the only one,' said Jenny. 'Hanukkah ended eighteen days ago. I'm not Christian, so why do I get the day off for Christmas. Stupid,' she complained.

'You're Jewish?' asked John.

'My last name is literally Weinstein,' said Jenny. 'Doesn't get more Jewish than that.'

'Would you rather be working?' asked John.

'Studying, for sure,' said Jenny. 'I feel like I'm falling behind with my palaeontology work, especially with the number of parties Animal has been hosting lately.'

John shrugged. 'Well, that's just Animal, isn't it?'

Finally, the gate to the triceratops themed aerial carousel ride opened and one of Chester or Hester's nieces let people through to pick their ride vehicle. And that included Jenny and John.

Coming off the ride, however, were the students and the pirate radio hosts of W-DINO (Can you dig it?), The Digger and The Bonehead. They each had proper names, of course, but The Digger and The Bonehead is what everyone knew them as.

'That was fun,' said The Bonehead. 'Where to now?'

'The only other ride here is Primeval Whirl,' said The Digger. 'So, I guess there.'

'I've never actually been on Primeval Whirl,' said The Bonehead. 'I heard Chester and Hester based it on Dr Seeker's little trip to the past to retrieve Lucky.'

'How would they know what happened?' asked The Digger. 'And how did they do that - it's just a wild mouse ride.'

'I don't know, dude,' said The Bonehead. 'But wouldn't it be awesome to find out?' he asked.

The Digger considered it. 'Sure. But we're gonna check out the Bronto-Score carny game after - I'm sure I can net those balls for that grand prize.'

'What would you do with it?' asked The Bonehead.

The Digger shrugged. 'Put it in The Hip Joint, probably. Like all the other little trinkets and tchotchkes people leave there.'

Already trying to win the grand prize, were the hippy palaeoecologist Shirley Woo, and the eccentric palaeophysiologist Eugene McGee.

Shirley threw the basketball towards the net, but it didn't go in.

Eugene had just exhausted the last of his balls and pulled out another token from his jeans pocket. 'Another round please, Chester.'

Chester nodded and took the token from Eugene. 'Coming up, Dr McGee.'

'I want that grand prize, Eugene,' said Shirley. 'I'm going to win it first.'

'What are you going to do with it? Put it in your Volkswagen van?' Eugene asked. 'No, I'm getting the prize.'

Chester put three basketballs on the counter in front of Eugene. 'Good luck,' he said.

'It's Christmas, Eugene,' said Shirley. 'Why can't you let me win?'

'Because I want that giant iguanodon for my Christmas,' said Eugene.

Behind the quarrelling academics came Diana Sore, the curator of the museum at the Dino Institute. 'What are you two arguing about?' she asked.

'We both want the giant iguanodon plush prize,' said Shirley. 'But I want it more.'

'You're grown adults,' said Diana. 'Both of you. Leave the iguanodon for Seeker -'

'Where is Seeker?' asked Eugene, looking around the Dino-Rama, but seeing no sign of the unruly palaeontologist.

'Busy, I presume,' said Diana. 'Come on. Finish your game and we'll go on the TriceraTop Spin.'

'We'd rather try and win the iguanodon,' said Shirley.

'But -'

'Diana, they want to win the iguanodon,' said Chester. 'Let them.'

Diana nodded and walked away, passing Animal and Sam at a cheesy looking giant Dino-Rama postcard background photo opportunity.

'Hey, curator, take our picture!' said Animal. He was holding an anatomically incorrect plush raptor in one hand and in the other, a disposable camera, held out towards Diana.

Diana took the camera. 'You haven't had your picture here before?'

'Oh yeah, tons of times,' said Animal.

'But this is our first time for Christmas,' said Sam. 'Well. This Christmas.'

Diana nodded. She looked through the little view finder and took a snapshot of the two students in front of the tacky looking photo opportunity. Then she handed the camera back to Animal

'Dude,' Animal nudged Sam. 'We gotta have a pic with Cementy.'

'What's Cementy?' asked Diana.

Sam pointed to the back of the Dino-Rama, the orange painted giant cement sauropod behind both the Comet Crasher carnival game, which Trilobite, Jenny, and John were all playing and the face painting booth, where Tina was having her face painted. 'Cementy,' he said. 'He's a Cementosaurus.'

Diana simply nodded. 'Right.'

'This game is stupid,' Trilobite complained. 'It's just trying to toss a whiffle ball into a cup to win a prize. There's no skill to it.'

'It's a game of chance,' said Jenny. 'The only one in the Dino-Rama.'

'I'd rather it not be here,' said Trilobite.

'Come on, Trilobite, you're just sour because you haven't won anything,' said John, clutching the technicolour snake he'd won in the previous round.

'I haven't won anything either, and I'm still not as bitter as Trilobite is,' said Jenny.

'That's one more token for another game,' said Hester, again appearing out of nowhere.

'Hester, you are like a vacuum cleaner for what little money I have,' said Trilobite. 'Take all my Hanukkah money and give me more tokens. I want to win at least something.' He handed Hester a twenty dollar bill.

Hester took the bill and nodded. Then she walked over to the token booth.

At the token booth, Woodson and Chandler were buying more tokens to play more games.

'Mammoth Marathon or Dino-Whamma?' asked Chandler.

'I'm not good at skee ball,' said Woodson, 'nor am I good at any high striker strongman games.'

'Sure you're not,' said Chandler.

'Maybe it's best I go back to the Dino Institute,' said Woodson.

'No way. It's Christmas Day!' Chandler exclaimed happily. 'Can't you hear the music?'

'Unfortunately I can, and it's assailing my ears,' said Woodson.

'Then ignore the music,' said Chandler. 'Usually they have really good music playing around here, not just Was (Not Was). Not that this is Was (Not Was).'

'It's José Feliciano,' said Woodson. 'Which, although bad, is nowhere near Paul McCartney levels of bad.'

Chandler shuddered. 'Wonderful Christmastime isn't just bad, it's evil.'

Woodson sighed. 'Fine. I'll play one round of skee ball with you and then I'm heading back to the Dino Institute to check on Lucky.'

Chandler waved their hand dismissively. 'Eh, Seeker's with him. Don't worry about it.' They turned to either Chester or Hester's nephew selling the game tokens. 'Can I have two tokens please?'

Over at the trailer that housed the Dino-Diner near Primeval Whirl, stood Bernard Dunn, trying to choose his lunch.

'Professor. Just get a hot dog or something,' said The Bonehead, who was standing behind him with The Digger.

'Come on, Bonehead, you can't force Professor Dunn to get a hot dog if he doesn't want one.'

'I want a hot dog and he's holding up the line!' The Bonehead complained.

Bernard turned from one of Chester or Hester's nephews to The Digger and the Bonehead. 'I don't understand how you two can eat after you've just been on that,' he pointed at Primeval Whirl. 'I understand the students call it "Primeval Hurl".'

'I hurled,' said The Bonehead. 'That's why I'm hungry. Stomach's empty, Professor.'

Bernard shook his head and turned back to the Dino-Diner. 'Since I'm holding up the line, I'll just take a hot dog and a bottle of water, please.'

'A bottled water?' asked The Bonehead. 'Professor, dude, it's Christmas. Get a Coke.'

'I don't want a Coke, thank you. I want a bottled water,' said Bernard. He was handed his hot dog and bottled water, and went to sit down at a nearby table, where he could watch the happenings at the carnival games.

'Bernard!' Tina exclaimed happily. She was carrying a neon pink triceratops plush and her face was painted to look like a sabre-toothed tiger. 'I'm surprised you're here,' she said as she sat down.

'So am I,' said Bernard.

'It's just you're such a stick in the mud,' said Tina.

'I'm not a stick in the mud,' Bernard protested. He looked at Tina's triceratops she'd just put on the table. 'Triceratops isn't neon pink.'

'So what?' She shrugged. 'It's just a toy. I'm only going to give it to my niece anyway.'

'And give her unrealistic ideas about palaeontologists?' asked Bernard. 'I suppose you want her to watch Jurassic Park as well?'

'She's a bit young for Jurassic Park, but I have watched The Land Before Time with her,' said Tina. 'I know you're strict, but today is Christmas Day. You're not working, you're at an amusement park. Lighten up.'

Tina stood up, taking her pink triceratops with her. She walked away, passing the Bronto-Score game, where Eugene and Shirley were surrounded by stuffed animals they had won, but were still trying to win the grand prize of a plush iguanodon.

'Give up now,' said Shirley. 'I've come closer to winning the game than you have.'

'No way,' Eugene said. 'I have! I'm the one drowning in toy snakes here, not you.'

'I don't have to - I'm drowning in other stuffies,' said Shirley.

'Both of you are terrible,' said Chester. 'But as long as you continue to pay, you're welcome to play.'

Shirley slammed a token onto the counter. 'One more game, Chester.'

Eugene held out a token. 'And one for me too, Chester.'

A voice came from behind them. 'I want a round too, Chester.' It was Diana.

'Sure thing, Diana. And Dr McGee. And Dr Woo.' Chester took the tokens and ducked under the counter for the basketballs.

'What are you doing, Diana?' asked Shirley.

'Yeah, you can't play basketball,' said Eugene.

'No. You two can't play basketball,' said Diana, taking her seat at the counter. 'I can.' Chester put three balls on the counter in front of Diana. 'Watch.' She picked up a basketball and threw it at the net. It went in, as did the other two balls. While Shirley and Eugene's basketballs did not.

'Now, Chester, I believe that iguanodon is mine,' said Diana.

'Sure thing, Diana.' Chester turned to the iguanodon hanging from the side of the booth. 'Congratulations.'

'What are you going to do with it?' asked Eugene. 'Put it in the Dino Institute museum?'

Chester handed Diana the garish, ugly, sky blue and scientifically inaccurate looking iguanodon that was on two legs like a kangaroo, not four legs as it should.

'Thanks, Chester,' said Diana. 'I'm going to give it to Seeker. I was his Secret Santa after all and he's obsessed with iguanodons. Happy Christmas.' With that, Diana walked away, leaving the other two scientists speechless.

Happy Christmas!

No, Grant Seeker did not make an appearance here. He already was the focus of the earlier story It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. For this story, I wanted to focus on some of the other characters around DinoLand, and there's a lot. So much that I couldn't include them all here. Amazingly, absolutely none of the characters in this fic are OCs. They are all canon characters to DinoLand.

This fic is set in 2002. As such there are things in the Dino-Rama that were there in 2002 that are "extinct" (sorry, poor pun) in 2022, such as Primeval Whirl, the photo opportunity, the Dino-Whamma strongman game, and of course, Cementosaurus. I mean, Cementosaurus or "Cementy", as he's affectionately known, is stil, there and can now be won as a prize in one of these games, but he is no longer orange. He's painted green and it honestly looks a lot better. The carnival games also have better prizes themed to the land itself. I'm not one for carnival games, but when I was last in DinoLand, even I couldn't help but sit down for a couple games and play - I won a TriceraTop Spin plush triceratops and a Dino Institute Mickey Mouse.

The Hip Joint is an actual part of DinoLand's restaurant, Restaurantosaurus. According to the backstory, it was founded in the 60s, and it's just a lounge for the student palaeontologists. I suggest you Google it because it is truly magnificent.