4:
Someone was gently shaking Woody's shoulder. A pretty white face began to focus into view. "Are you awake?" She asked gently.
The Cowboy sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I…I think so." He smiled sleepily. "Either that or you're the most beautiful dream I've ever had."
Bo blushed and smiled. "Flatterer." Behind her a group of toys, led by Buzz and Jessie, shuffled into the closet.
Buzz looked down. The others were avoiding eye contact too. They all looked almost ashamed. "Woody, we're all sorry we wouldn't help you with the party." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"We were being jerks…" Jessie started to say but Woody interrupted.
"No! No! Look, I was the jerk!" He said. With a sigh, he continued, "You guys are more than just my best friends. We're family."
"Even Potato Head?" Jessie asked. Mr. Potato Head gave her a dirty look.
"Even Potato Head," Woody answered. "I'm grateful for all of you, party or not."
Bo put her arms around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. "We're grateful for you too."
"Yeah…"
Jessie let out a loud sniffle. "Ok, you guys are making me feel all soft and mushy!" She knocked Buzz on the shoulder. "Let's just give him his present before we all get soggy!"
"Present?" Woody repeated.
Bo took his hand and smiled. "We've got something to show you…"
The gang let Woody out of the closet first and followed close behind. He stopped. "Oh wow!"
The entire room was decorated. Christmas lights were strung across the bookshelves. Cotton stuffing was piled in various spots around the room and sprinkled with silver glitter to make it look like snow with cotton ball snowmen taped to top. The two windowsills had gold garland across them. Paper snowflakes and angels were taped to the desk drawers. In the corner Andy's CD was playing "O Tannenbaum" in German.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, SHERRIFF WOODY!" Everyone suddenly screamed.
Woody put his hands to his ears. "Ow."
"Buzz picked out the music tracks," said Jessie. "Bo and me did the snow…"
"The Mrs., Rocky and I hung up the lights!" Said Potato Head.
"Slinky and I did the garland!"
"I put up the snowflakes and the angels!"
Woody looked around. "This place looks great!" Something in the corner caught his eye. "The tree?" As he walked over to look, the other toys followed. "You guys even finished the tree!"
"Not quite," said Buzz with a smile.
"It's covered in all the ornaments we made three years ago. What could be missing?"
Bo tapped him on the shoulder her crook. As he turned, she held up a plastic gold star. "We saved this for you."
Woody smiled as she handed it to him. Bullseye knelt down at the base of the tree and let Woody climb on top of his saddle, then stood up. As the Cowboy put the star on the tiptop, everybody started to clap.
He jumped down and stood back to look. "Thank you," he said, putting his arm around Bo's shoulders. "Thank you, everyone."
Jessie snapped her fingers. "Ooh, we almost forgot!" She dashed to the toy box where she had hidden something earlier. A moment later, she raced back carrying an old tattered brown book. "Lookit lookit lookit!" She held it up. "It's A Christmas Carol! It had fallen behind the desk but Buzz found it so now you can read to us…"
"No!" Woody cried. "No Christmas Carol!"Everyone looked at him in shock. "I mean," he said hastily. "This year, can't we just watch A Charlie Brown Christmas instead?"
Jessie tossed the book over her shoulder, sending pages flying as it hit the floor. "Yeah!" She grinned. "I'll take Charles Schultz over Charles Dickens any day!"
As the toys trooped to the TV, Bo pulled Woody back with her crook and pointed up. Woody craned his neck to look. "Mistletoe," he said with a smile. "Well, there's one tradition we can always keep." Bo giggled and stood on her toes to give him his Christmas kiss.
"Merry Christmas Sherriff." She whispered.
As Woody hugged her, he looked at the window behind her head. For a moment, he could've sworn he saw someone. Someone white and waving. But in a flash it was gone.
Woody smiled and squeezed Bo tighter. "Merry Christmas."
MERRY CHRISTMAS READERS!