It is now December 2nd, 23 days until Christmas, and once again our heroes our out and about! Today, having eaten a delicious lunch, Penelope and her favorite boys are on their way to a local tree farm to find the right Christmas tree for Penelope!
The next afternoon, Penelope, Peter, and the Ant Hill Mob were all riding in Chuggaboom to the local Christmas tree farm. It was sunny out, so during the ride, they couldn't help but admire how beautiful the sun made the snow look on the ground and on the trees.
They were also laughing with each other and singing Christmas carols, showing their Christmas spirits.
"There it is, fellas!" Penelope grinned. "Straight ahead!"
"No sense in just staying put." Said Clyde. "Let's go, Chuggaboom!"
Chuggaboom drove straight across into the tree farm's parking lot. Once everyone got out, they made time to look at the winter environment surrounding the farm. It was spacious and looked like a pure winter wonderland.
"Oh, isn't it such a beautiful sight?" Softy sobbed.
"Oh yes! It's so spacious!" Penelope smiled.
"There's room for us to have fun in the snow while searching for our tree!" Zippy nodded.
"I agree." Said Peter.
"And I came equipped with sleds, snowman-building kits, and pretty much everything we'll need for our trip!" Pockets told everyone else.
"You also remembered our tree cutting equipment, right?" Clyde reminded Pockets.
"That, and my own invention to keeping the tree in place on top of the car on the ride back home."
"Good. Now remember, when it comes to tree finding, not too big, and not too short."
All of a sudden, a snowball hit the back of Clyde's head, knocking his hat off.
"Alright, which one of you guys threw that snowball!?" Clyde scowled as he picked up his hat and dusted the snow off it.
A giggle from Penelope came from behind one of the trees, revealing that she threw the snowball.
"Well, Penelope..." Clyde smirked, preparing his own snowball. "You're gonna get it!"
Just as Clyde was about to throw the snowball, Peter threw his own snowball at him, knocking it out of his hands and enabling Penelope to throw another snowball.
Pretty soon the rest of the Mob took part in the snowball fight. The heroes knew that there was a time to be serious when it comes to getting things done, like finding the right Christmas tree, but there was also a time to have fun when doing such things, because they make for wonderful Christmas memories to last a lifetime.
Penelope knew she and the boys had to focus on their tree hunting, but she wanted a chance to play in the snow, too, so an idea came to her mind.
"Hey, fellas! I know what we can do!" She announced. "Since we're having too much fun with our snowball fights, I'm going to do a little ole combination!"
"Combination, Penelope?" Peter asked.
"Of what, Penelope?" Dum-Dum asked as well.
"Clyde, fellas, remember that water gun war we had over the summer?" Penelope asked the Ant Hill Mob.
"Like it was yesterday!" Yak-Yak chuckled.
"Well, I was just thinking of doing the same thing, except with snowballs of course. Just like this summer, we'll divide ourselves into two teams, and during our little ole snowball war, we'll take a few minutes in between to look at some fine trees and see which one will best fit in my home!" Penelope explained.
The boys were all smiles. They no doubt thought their girl's idea was a great one!
"Great idea, Penelope!" Pockets said.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Softy wept.
"Yeah, fun…" Snoozy snored.
"I agree." Clyde nodded before turning to his men and Peter. "Now let's get our teams set up!"
"Neat! Just like in the summer, I'll be captain of one team." Penelope told the boys.
"That makes me captain of the opposing team." Clyde replied. "But then again, Peter wasn't there when we had our water gun fight, so I think it's fair that we'll elect him captain of the opposing team."
"Oh, you're too kind, Clyde." Peter chuckled a bit, blushing with embarrassment. "It's too bad I lucked out on that tournament over the summer, but there's always next year. Now to select team members."
"Right, Peter." Penelope nodded. "I'll pick the same team members I had before."
"Softy, Dum-Dum, and Zippy!" She pointed to the Mob members she selected.
"Oh, goodie!" Zippy grinned.
"Just like this summer!" Dum-Dum said.
"Exactly!" Penelope giggled.
"Penelope's gonna be a great team captain, just like before!" Softy cried.
"Now it's my turn." Said Peter. "And it looks to me like you chaps will be on my team."
Sorry to say this, Penelope, but it looks like your team is outnumbered by one.
"No worries. I'm certain we'll take on Peter." Penelope smirked with a wink.
"And I'm certain I'll take on you, Pitstop." The Hooded Claw laughed as he hid behind one of the Christmas trees.
Now what are you planning to do Claw!?
"You'll see, wise guy. I just have to wait for the right timing!"
"Alright, gentlemen, here's our plan of attack." Peter gathered Clyde, Yak-Yak, Snoozy and Pockets into a huddle.
"You fellas get the idea of our little ole attack plan?" Penelope whispered as she, Dum-Dum, Softy and Zippy were also gathered in a huddle.
"Duh right Penelope!" Dum-Dum replied.
"Shh." Zippy and Softy shushed them.
"Are you trying to blow our cover here?" Zippy frowned.
"Sorry…" Dum-Dum sheepishly whispered.
"Their backs are turned right now." Penelope whispered. "This is our little ole chance to get hiding."
"Alright, now's our chance to hide." Peter whispered.
Penelope and her teammates were hiding behind one of the Christmas trees when they heard footsteps coming from Peter and his teammates.
"Attack!" Penelope yelled, making the opposing team members flinch.
Snowballs came flying towards the opposing team, hitting the opposing team.
"Don't just stand there you fools!" Clyde barked, preparing his own snowball. "Get ready for the attack yourselves!"
The opposing team members soon were throwing their own snowballs back at Penelope's team, causing them to both run to avoid the attacks and throw their snowballs back.
While the heroes were having fun with their snowball war, the Bully Brothers placed a small log on the ground a few feet from a hill and covered it with snow.
As Penelope ran with cheer and excitement from the fun she was having, she tripped on the snow-camouflaged log and fell down the hill, landing smack in the Hooded Claw's hands.
Uh oh! Penelope once again has fallen into the clutches of the Hooded Claw! And this time she literally fell into his clutches!
"Aww, poor Penelope fell." The Hooded Claw laughed. "Good thing I came to help you back up."
"Oh! Not you again, you killjoy!" Penelope gasped.
"Oh, yes me again! Now to get going before your snowball fight teams find out about your disappearing act!" The Hooded Claw laughed again as he took off with Penelope.
So once again that festive fiend makes off with Penelope! Now he's taken her to a farther, hidden away part of the tree farm. Say, what's Penelope doing in that bobsled?
"A sleigh ride more intense than even a roller coaster, except more dangerous of course."
Penelope found herself tied up and seated in a bobsled. This bobsled was no ordinary bobsled, because there was some kind of rocket in the back.
"If you'll notice, Pitstop, you're seated in a bobsled that is normally powered by one person pushing it forward while running and then hopping in to join his or her teammate." The Hooded Claw explained. "The only difference with this bobsled is that instead of a person starting the bobsled, it will be a rocket inserted in the back! When the rocket ignites, it'll send the bobsled speeding down the hill. The ride will keep speeding out of control until it hits one of the Christmas trees, straight a few miles down."
"And how's that supposed to be so fatal?" Penelope asked him.
"The back of that tree has been cut by the Bully Brothers as preparation for your doom!" The Hooded Claw replied. "When you hit the tree, it'll fall down, and its landing should be powerful enough to crush both the bobsled and its rider, you!"
The Hooded Claw gave an evil laugh after his explanation.
"Bully Brothers, the lighter, please." He turned to his men.
"Right, Claw." The Bully Brothers replied before handing their boss a lighter.
From there, the Hooded Claw lit the rocket in the back of the bobsled, preparing it for ignition.
"Farewell forever, Pitstop! What a shame you'll have to miss Christmas this year!"
The bobsled took off with great speed down the hill, sending Penelope on a wild ride through the fields of the tree farm.
"This is more intense than any ride little ole me has ever been on!" Penelope thought out loud.
Yes indeed, Penelope! However can you get out of this one? Wait a minute! Hold everything! Here comes the Ant Hill Mob and Peter Perfect, who found out about Penelope's disappearing act! Maybe they'll get her out of this!
The Ant Hill Mob and Peter were driving by in Chuggaboom when Penelope's bobsled sped past them.
"Duh, was that Penelope in that bobsled?" Dum-Dum wondered.
"I don't know, it went by too fast for me!" Softy sobbed.
"It didn't go too fast for me." Peter replied.
"Me neither." Said Clyde. "It was Penelope, and she's in danger! Quick everyone! We've got to catch up to her and put an end to that wild ride!"
"Y-y-yeah!" Chuggaboom darted off to the direction in which the bobsled hurdled.
I do hope they make it. This bobsled's going at more than just a few miles per hour, so who knows when she and the tree will collide?
"She's going at more than just a few miles per hour. Is there anything we can do?" Zippy asked Clyde.
"Yes there is, Zippy." Clyde answered. "We're gonna leave Peter in charge of the driving while we reach for her and grab her from that bobsled."
"Leave it to me!" Peter nodded.
Good luck gentlemen!
Peter stepped on the gas while the Ant Hill Mob stood on each other's shoulders in their signature human chain, with Clyde reaching to grab her. Chuggaboom's speed increased as the speed of the bobsled also intensified, but it wasn't until now that Peter made a startling discovery.
"Hey, chaps!" Peter called to the Mob. "Look ahead! There's an icy river just ahead!"
Upon hearing this, Clyde looked ahead and gasped.
"No kidding!" He cried. "If Penelope ends up on that ice, it'll only make her fate worse! We can't let that happen!"
They'd better think of something soon because Penelope is just inches close to the icy river!
"In case of such emergencies, I happened to bring a container of superglue, which should hopefully be work on ice!" Pockets took out a container of super glue and handed it to Zippy. "You take it from here!"
"Sure thing!" Zippy took the glue and sped to the icy river.
From there, Zippy poured the glue all over the ice just as the bobsled sped onto it. The super glue had worked, for Penelope immediately stopped as soon as the sled got on it.
"Oh, thank goodness! It worked!" Penelope smiled as she caught he breath and got he grips with reality again.
"Blast! It worked!" The Hooded Claw frowned.
So despite the Hooded Claw's no-good Noel knickknacks, our heroes are continuing their search for the right tree.
"Alright, everyone, like I said before, not too tall, not too short." Clyde told everyone.
As they walked, they once more admired the atmosphere that winter brought them in a place like this.
"I do hope we get this kind of weather on Christmas." Said Penelope. "It's just so beautiful isn't it, Peter?"
"Yes and it would make for all sorts of lovely walks with you my dear." Peter replied as he held Penelope's hand during the walk. "Plus it also makes for great hunting weather."
He turned to the Ant Hill Mob.
"As I promised before, boys, I'll take you boys to my hunting lodge for a weekend getaway and show you the ropes of fox, coon, buck and fowl hunting."
"Sounds good." Clyde nodded.
"Do it on a weekend I'm going Christmas shopping for you boys." Penelope suggested. "After all, I can't have you seeing what I got you."
"How true, we'll certainly plan around it for sure." Peter agreed.
"Look, fellas!" Penelope grinned. "Let's take a look at that one!"
Everyone looked at the tree Penelope told them about and couldn't help but admire its good health, evergreen features and, most importantly, size.
"Do y'all think it'll look good in my little ole living room?"
"Only one way to find out, Penelope." Pockets searched his pockets for something. "With my tall tree measuring tape."
Pockets took out the measuring tape, pulled it a bit, and turned to his fellow men.
"If you could help me up, I'd appreciate it."
The Mob formed another human chain with Pockets on top, enabling him to pull the measuring tape a little more until it ended at the top of the tree.
"Yep, it's just the right height for a house like Penelope's!"
"Good! Now we just need to get down and get chopping." Clyde told the other Mobsters as the left their spots.
"You gentlemen have done your part. I'll handle the last step of cutting down that tree." Peter took out a pruning saw and started cutting away. "Everyone stay out of the way!"
Peter's sawing did a perfect job in cutting the tree, and soon it began to fall.
"Timber!" The Ant Hill Mob yelled as the tree came to the ground.
"Oh, we did it, boys!" Penelope expressed excitement. "I can't wait to get all it decorated!"
"I don't think any of us can, Penelope!" Zippy grinned.
"It's gonna look so beautiful in the living room!" Softy bawled.
"Yeah, living room." Snoozy snored.
"Now to just get it back to Chuggaboom and go home, so we can get it all decorated." Peter, used his muscles to lift the tree, and with Penelope's help, carried the tree back to Chuggaboom and placed it on top.
"Okay, Pockets, you said you had something to hold this tree down while we drive home?" Clyde asked him.
"Thanks for the reminder! These leather tree-holding car straps are sure to be heavy enough to keep our tree in place until it's time to take it inside!" Pockets took out special, heavy leather straps with strong hooks at each end that attached to the side of Chuggaboom's roof.
Peter and Penelope hooked the straps holding the tree down onto the roof and double checked to make sure it was in place.
"They're in place, fellas!" Penelope told the Ant Hill Mob as she and Peter loaded into the car. "We can go home now!"
"Good! Now let's go home!" Clyde smiled. "We've got a house to get decorated for Christmas!"
So after a fun trip and finding the right tree, plus a breathtaking peril and rescue, Penelope and her boys head homeward to get ready for Christmas!