I know it seems like I've been doing a lot of holiday specials lately, but I've only been doing this because I haven't had enough time to do regular chapters. Hopefully this will end after Christmas.

A Grand Central Christmas

Thanksgiving was an enjoyable holiday, even for the engines. They had enjoyed spending the day together and talking about the jobs they had to do.

But just a few days later, November ended, and December began. And with that, the colder weather came. The cold wind battered the railway and all the surrounding towns and city. It was a good thing that the engines had hot fires to keep them warm.

But things just got worse with each passing day. The wind kicked up, and it started to snow. The snow pounded the Middle Eastern part of the country. This caused problems for the Grand Central.

Snow was piling up so high that it was reaching the cab of most engines. Seamus, Josh, and Spike had been taken off their freight duties to help clear the lines. But the snow kept coming down, and the engines just couldn't keep up.

One morning, the snow had stopped for a while. The engines were talking about the problems they were facing.

"It was almost impossible to get my passenger train up the hill yesterday" said Albus "the tracks were covered in snow and ice".

"I came up to a snow drift on Monday, and I had to back up and hit it three times before I got through" said Matthias.

Sam was sorry that his friends were having trouble, but he didn't see why they through snow was troublesome. He still remembered when he first saw snow.

Two Weeks Earlier

Sam had woken up earlier than the other engines. All of them were still asleep. All except Matthias, who had clearly gone to take his morning passenger train. The air was cold in the shed, which made Sam shiver.

"I wish I had my fire going right now" he said shivering.

But an hour later his driver and fireman arrived. But it was when they opened the shed door that Sam gasped. Outside, everything Sam saw was clear white. All the buildings, all the freight cars, and all the coaches.

"Oh my, what happened" he asked his driver. "Why it snowed of course" laughed the driver.

But Sam was confused. "Snow, what's snow" he asked.

"Well snow is frozen rain. It usually comes around this time of year" said the driver.

"Well I must say it is beautiful" said Sam. "Oh yes it is, but it can also be a danger to all vehicles" said the driver, and then he walked back to the cab. But Sam didn't understand. "How could something this beautiful be a danger" he asked himself.

Present

"I think snow is beautiful. I haven't had any problems with it" said Sam.

"Well that's lucky for you Sam, but the rest of us know that looks can be deceiving" said Roku.

But then, the snow began to fall again. "Oh great, just what we need; more snow" said Albus grumpily.

"I just hope that all this snow doesn't affect the Christmas celebrations" said Samantha.

"Oh yes, we don't what that to happen" said Sam seriously. When the engines had first told Sam about Christmas, he was all too excited to celebrate it. Every time he would pass houses while on his runs, he could see them covered in decorations, and see big Christmas trees inside. The engines had told Sam everything: about the presents, the signing, the beginning of the holiday, and the most important thing of all; Santa Clause.

"Well, if we want to get everything ready for Christmas, we need to be able to work fast. But all this snow on the line will definitely cause delays" said Rose.

"We've been doing the best we can, but it's just too hard" said Jake.

"What we need is help" said Josh.

"Exactly what I was thinking" said a voice. The engines looked over, and saw Mr. Copper walking towards the sheds. He had on a big winter coat, and snow shoes.

"All this snow is causing delays, and that means a bad reputation for my railway. Like you said Josh, help is needed. So, I have arranged for another engine to come and assist in clearing the tracks" he said.

"Alright, another engine" said Jake.

"When will he be here" asked Roku.

"He is already here. He's at Heartland Station, getting ready to go on his runs. Keep an eye out and you just might see him today" said Mr. Copper. "But also keep an eye on the rails. More snow is due and the tracks could be dangerous" said Mr. Copper, and then he left, albeit slowly.

"I don't get what Mr. Copper is so worried about" said Sam "snow is just beautiful soft stuff". And with that, he puffed out of the shed.

"The lad will be in trouble if he keeps thinking like that" said Merida.

Later, Sam was on the main line pulling a train of thirty box cars. He had to take them to two factories Orange County to be loaded with the last goods of the year. The track was mostly clear, thanks to Seamus clearing the tracks early this morning.

"I just don't get what they are at. I have not had a problem with snow since it started falling" said Sam. Then Sam arrived in Orange County. As the passed through the station there, he could hear people singing. "And Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas" he heard them sing.

This brought Sam's mind back to Christmas. It was only four days away, but to Sam if felt longer. "Oh, why can't time got faster" he said to himself.

"Don't get too worked up Sam. Just be happy when it arrives and enjoy it" said the driver.

Soon Sam had arrived at the first of three factories that he had to visit. The first factory made all sorts of toys. The crates carried Trucks, Dolls, mini-figures, and much more. Lionel had even shipped some of its model trains to the factor to be sent to the warehouses. After all the crates had been loaded into the first ten cars, Sam set off.

Then Sam arrived at the next factory. This factory made Christmas decorations; such as ornaments, wreaths, and much more. The men quickly loaded up the next ten cars, and then Sam left.

But the last factory wasn't in Orange County. It was located twenty miles east of Heartland Station. So that's where Sam was heading.

However, halfway there, he had to stop at a red signal. The snow was now blowing even harder. Sam's warm boiler easily melted the snow, but his face wasn't warm, so the snow just stuck to it.

"I,I,I, wi-wish I had so-som-some way of getting the snow of my fa-face" he shivered.

But then, Sam heard the sound of an engine coming toward him. Sam looked around, and then the engine pulled up in front of him on the opposite track.

The engine was a PRR H10s. It was painted in black and silver, and had a snowplow attached to the front of it. "Hello there" said the engine "who are you"?

"My name is Sam" he said. "Do you work on the Grand Central" asked the Engine.

"Yes I do" said Sam. "We so do I, well, at the moment. I've been called here to help clear the tracks" said the engine smiling.

"So you're the engine Mr. Copper was talking about this morning" said Sam.

"Guess so, oh by the way, my name is Jason" he said with a smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you Jason" said Sam. "Same here" said Jason.

"So, you're here to plow snow" said Sam. "Oh yes, that's why I've got this snow plow. It's really hard getting the snow to slip away. I came up to one drift were it was so thick that my driver had to throw hot coals on the rains to melt the snow so I could get a grip and clear it" said Jason.

Sam was confused "Why, snow is just soft stuff. You shouldn't have too much trouble in clearing it" he said.

"But snow isn't just soft stuff. It's frozen water, so it can make things slippery. Also, if it piles together, it can be very hard to get through. I've just got done with one part of the line and I'm exhausted" said Jason.

Then Sam's signal turned green. "Then maybe you aren't that strong" said Sam, and then he puffed away.

Jason couldn't believe what he had heard. "Was he calling me weak" he asked. "Don't worry Jason, if he keeps thinking like that, he'll be in a heap of trouble" said his driver.

Later, Sam had collected the last of the cargo from the factory and was now heading to the warehouses. The snow that was on the line was easily pushed away as Sam rolled along. "Snow is trouble they say, snow can cause delays they say, well I haven't had any problems so far, and I won't have one anytime soon" said Sam.

Finally, Sam arrived at the warehouses. His driver uncoupled him from the cars. "That's all we had to do today Sam, we can head back" said the fireman.

So after the driver was back in the cab, Sam puffed away from the warehouses and back towards Ramsey Sheds.

But the weather had gotten much worse. The wind was blowing even harder, and more snow coming down as hard as possible.

"Gee, the snow is blowing much harder" said Sam.

"I can barely see the line ahead" said the driver "even with your lamp".

But Sam continued to roll down the main line. But the snow was getting so thick that Sam had to work even harder. "Okay, so maybe the others were right about snow being able to slow an engine down" said Sam. Then Sam came to a hill. He started to climb up it, but his wheels continued to slip on the icy rails. "Come on, come on" said Sam. It took a lot of effort, but soon Sam was over the hill.

Sam was getting closer to Ramsey Sheds. But before he could get there, he had to go through the valley. The snow was blowing less here. Sam was able to puff easily. "One we get through the valley, we'll be that much closer to home" said Sam.

The fireman had to work hard to keep Sam's fire lit. He continued to shovel coal into the firebox. But as he went to put another load in, he tripped and fell. He reached out to grab for the controls, but he accidentally grabbed the whistle. It blew long and hard; the sound echoed around the valley.

The fireman quickly let the chain go, and the whistle stopped.

"What was that for" asked Sam. "Sorry Sam, my fault" said the fireman "I just…" but then he stopped. A loud rumbling sound was coming from the top of the valley. The driver looked out of the cab and up. Then, the gasped and screamed "AVALANCHE"!

Then snow came flowing down from the top. It came down and covered Sam. The only parts that weren't covered were Sam's face and the back of his tender.

"What happened" asked Sam. But he couldn't hear what his driver was saying. The snow had covered the cab.

"Get me out of here" said Sam. Then he felt his wheels trying to move. But the snow was keeping his pistons from moving.

"That means, I'm stuck here" said Sam. He looked around "HELP, SOMEONE, HELP" he screamed. But no one answered. Sam let out a small tear "I'm going to be stuck here until another engine passes, and who knows how long that will be" he said.

Well, it turned out to be an hour later.

The snow had covered Sam a little more during the hour. It was now almost up to his face. "Soon the snow will completely burry me. No one will find me until it all melts away. Which will probably be in Spring" said Sam, letting out a few more tears.

But then, Sam heard something. It sounded like puffing and clanking. It was an engine!

"Hello, is anyone there" called Sam. He looked ahead, then to his left, and engine pulled up and stopped. But the snow made it difficult to see who it was.

"Sam, what happened to you" said the engine. Sam was about to reply, but he stopped; he knew that voice.

"Jason" asked Sam. He squinted his eyes, and saw Jason sitting on the track to his left. "JASON, THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE" shouted Sam.

"Looks like you're in a jam. How did you get like this" asked Jason.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I need you to get help" said Sam.

"Okay Sam, I'll be right back. Just don't move" said Jason, and he puffed away.

"I WISH I COULD" Sam shouted angrily after him.

Soon Jason had returned with snow clearing machines and workmen. They first got Sam's crew out, who had been sitting in the cab in front of the fire. Then the men began to dig Sam out. A few hours later, Sam was free.

"Thank you very much" said Sam to the workmen. Then he looked up "And thank you to Jason".

"Not a problem at all. Clearing snow is my job" he said. And with a soft blow of his whistle, he puffed away with the workmen and equipment.

"Come on Sam; let's get home" said the driver. So Sam let off steam, and then set off toward Ramsey sheds.

But when he arrived, he found himself with a problem. Samantha was on the turntable, but she wasn't puffing off.
"What's the holdup Samantha" asked Sam. "My controls have jammed, so I can't move. I just need to reverse back into the shed" she said.

"But if your controls are jammed, shouldn't someone take you to the works" asked Sam.

"Oh, I'll be going to the works later. Right now I just need to get back into my birth" said Samantha.

"Oh, well it's a good thing I'm here. I can push you back" said Sam.

"Thank you Sam" said Samantha with a big smile. So Sam rolled up to Samantha. Then, he pushed her back into her shed.

"Thanks Sam. Now I can rest for a while" said Samantha. But then she looked up, and then said "uh oh".

"What is it" asked Sam.

"Look up" said Samantha.

So Sam looked up, and hanging from the top of the shed door was what looked like leaves and cherries attached to each other.

"Just some plant. What wrong with it" asked Sam.

"Sam, don't you know what that plant is" asked Samantha.

"Uh, no" said Sam, who was getting confused.

Samantha's cheeks began to turn red. "It's Mistletoe" she said.

"Uh, what's Mistletoe" asked Sam.

"Well, it's a Christmas decoration. But, if a boy and a girl are caught under it, then they have to, well" said Samantha, turning even more red.

"Have to what" asked Sam, wanting to know the point of this plant.

"They have to… Kiss" she said, now looking at the ground with her face as red as the cherries on the plant.

Sam was surprised; he didn't know there was a plant that made you kiss someone.

"Uh, so since we are under the Mistletoe, that means we are supposed to" began Sam.

"Kiss, yes" finished Samantha.

"But does this apply to engines as well" asked Sam, who was also starting to turn red.

"Maybe. I haven't seen it happen before. But I think we can do it" said Samantha.

"But, I mean, we don't really have to do this. It's just a silly Christmas thing" said Sam, who was getting nervous.

"But didn't you say you wanted to participate in celebrating Christmas" said Samantha.

"Well, yes, but" said Sam.

But then Samantha began to look sad. "Could it be that… you just don't want to kiss me" he asked.

"What, no, it's just" he began, trying to think of something to say.

"No, it's okay, I understand. Although, you could have just said that you didn't want to. That would have been better" said Samantha sadly.

Now Sam was upset. He had made Samantha, one of the sweetest engines he knows, sad. He thought for a moment, and then it hit him. He knew what he had to do.

"Samantha, close your eyes" said Sam.

"Oh, uh, okay" said Samantha, and she closed her eyes.

"Don't open them until I tell you" said Sam.

"Okay, I won't open them" said Samantha.

Sam let out a big sigh. Then, he slowly puffed up to Samantha's face. "Merry Christmas Samantha" he said. And then, he kissed her.

Samantha wanted to open her eyes, but she kept them closed. The kiss lasted for thirty seconds, then Sam broke it.

Samantha was red in the face, but it was nothing compared to Sam.

"Driver, could you take me to the yards" he whispered. "Why Sam" asked the driver, who had watched the whole thing.

"Just take me there" he whispered urgently. So the driver reversed Sam away from the sheds.

"You can open your eyes now" called Sam as he disappeared behind a building near the shed.

Samantha opened her eyes, and Sam was nowhere to be seen.

But then, Samantha smiled. "I can't believe it; he kissed me" she said. She looked up at the Mistletoe "I wonder who put you up" he asked.

What Samantha didn't see was that her driver was standing beside the shed. He had seen everything. "I knew it would be a good idea" he said.

Later, Sam had arrived at the yards.

"So why did you want to come here" asked the driver. Sam turned a little red. "Well, I can't stay there in the shed until the others are there" said Sam.

"Are you worried about being in the shed alone with Samantha" asked the fireman.

"Well, would you stay in a place alone after kissing a girl for the first time" asked Sam.

"Well, it didn't go the same way for me" said the driver.

"Can I just stay here for an hour" asked Sam.

"All right, all right" said the driver.

So the driver and fireman found an empty shed for Sam to stay in. "We'll be back in an hour" said the driver. And then he and the fireman walked towards the town near the yard.

Sam was left alone, and he started thinking.

"This has been the most eventful day I've ever had. First I get stuck in a snow drift, then I kiss Samantha" he said. The snow drift was one thing, but it was kissing Samantha that was most on his mind. "I knew I had to kiss her, but why. Was it because I wanted to participate in the traditions, or… was it because of something else" he asked himself. But he quickly shook the last one off. "No, I kissed her because I wanted to participate. Samantha is just a friend; just a friend" he said to himself. But very deep down in his boiler, there was a voice speaking to him. "You're Lying" said the voice.

An hour later, Sam's driver and fireman were back. "I'm ready to go back" said Sam as they lit his fire. "Good, now let's go" said the driver.

It took a while, but soon Sam was back at Ramsey Sheds. And to his relief, Jake and Merida were in there normal places. But there was another engine in the she as well. "Hello Sam" said Jason. "Oh, hello Jason" said Sam "what are you doing here"?

"Rose has extra work at the station, so she'll be staying there when she's done. So, she let me have her spot tonight" said Jason.

"Well, it'll be nice to have a new face in the shed for a change" said Sam.

"Ya, even if it's just for tonight" said Jason.

"So Sam, is what Jason said was true; you got buried in snow" asked Jake.

Sam gave a small smile "Oh, that. Well, yes I did".

"I knew ye'd be in trauchle" said Merida.

"Trau-what" asked Sam.

"Trauchle, it means trouble" said Merida.

"And she was right, you didn't think snow was trouble. But you went ahead and got BURIED in it" said Jake, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"Okay everyone, leave Sam alone. At least he learned his lesson" said Samantha.

Sam turned red; he had forgotten Samantha was there.

"So Sam, anything else happen today" asked Jake.

Sam looked around, still red. Samantha looked at him, as if she was waiting for him to say something.

Then Sam said "Nothing" very quickly. Samantha didn't look upset, but she did look at the ground.

The rest of the evening went by with just the engines talking about their day.

The next few days passed without much happening. Until, finally, it was Christmas eve. People were rushing about getting last minute gifts. This meant more passenger trains, and the Big Four and Albus were working their hardest.

"Why must people (huff) wait this long (huff) to do last minute shopping" asked Albus as he pulled thirty-five coaches up the hill.

Meanwhile, Sam was at Ramsey sheds. He was taking one of his occasional Passenger Trains. The town next to the station was decorated and everyone was walking about.

Sam was glad to see everyone happy, but it may have been too soon to think that. He saw a group of people talking to Mr. Copper; they sounded worried.

"If we don't have one by tonight, it won't be Christmas" said a woman.

"I will do my best to help. I will inform you if I've found anything" said Mr. Copper. The group then walked away. Sam decided to find out what was going on.

"Excuse me Mr. Copper, what's the problem" he asked.

Mr. Copper walked up to him "There seems to be a problem. Usually, the town puts up a Christmas tree in the town square. However, the tree that they ordered got lost in transit. Now they need to find a tree before tonight" said Mr. Copper.

"Oh my sir, that's terrible. Is there anything I can do to help" asked Sam.

"I don't think so Sam, but thanks for asking" said Mr. Copper, and then he left.

Sam wanted to say something, but the Conductor blew his whistle, which meant Sam had to go.

When Sam arrived at Wayward Station, he was still thinking about the Christmas Tree.

Royce was on the track opposite the platform. He saw that Sam was thinking hard.

"Hello Sam, what are you thinking about" he asked.

Sam snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Royce. "Oh, hello Royce. I was thinking about Mr. Copper's problem. The town square's Christmas tree was lost in transit, now Mr. Copper needs to find a Christmas tree before tonight" he said.

"Well, can't you do something" asked Royce.

"Mr. Copper says there isn't" said Sam. Then the Conductor blew his whistle.

"Well Sam, I don't know what to say. But I know you'll think of something. Merry Christmas" said Royce as Sam began pulling out of the station.

"Merry Christmas Royce. Tell the other NG engines that for me" called Sam.

"Will Do" Royce called back.

And the rest of the day, Sam couldn't think of anything that could help Mr. Copper.

That night, he was taking his last train of the night. He pulled up to Heartland Station, which was covered in candles.

Then Sam came to a stop at the other end of the station. "Finally, I'm done" he huffed. The passengers thanked Sam and his crew, and then left to participate in the celebrations.

"Well Sam, unless you want to stay here and watch people enjoy themselves, we should probably take you back to the sheds" said the driver.

"Yes please. I'm shure the other engines will be there to" said Sam. So Sam left his coaches for Otis, and set off towards Ramsey sheds.

Over with the Elementals they were already busy hauling a tree between them later that night in the Town Square.

"Tell me again what the point of this plan is?" Elesa asked.

"The point of this is that we're going to be away for the next five years," Flannery retorted doing the lights, "So we figure leave a little going away present for the town, leave the public alone for the holidays then when the holidays are over then we can resume terrorizing the land."

"Besides you know full well we always take the holidays off," Aqua said, "That's part of what we do."

"But why couldn't we have let the town figure out where to find another tree?" Phoebe asked, "I mean whoever ordered the tree should've asked our fathers to deliver it."

"Hello did you forget that our dads are mob bosses," Hikari retorted, "They don't' trust the mafia."

"And look at it this way," Bertha said, "If anybody asks we could just say that we're passing through that's all."

"Well that makes sense," Elesa said as the elementals finished decorating the tree in the town center before Elesa herself lit it up with her powers, "That should keep the tree light till the end of holidays."

Right on cue the elementals left but what they didn't know was that somebody had seen them.

Since the town square was near Heartland Station, everyone in the yard could see the Elementals working. But there wasn't one person in the yards… but there was one Engine.

Rose, who was sitting in a shed next to the station, had seen everything. However, she wasn't shure if she was seeing it right.

"Did the Elementals just do something…NICE" Rose asked herself. But then, she started to laugh. "It must be one of those Christmas miracles" she said. And she continued to think about the Elementals until she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, at Ramsey Sheds, the engines were also about to go to sleep. Sam, Jake, Roku, Albus, and Samantha were still awake.

"Well I guess we should get some sleep. Want to be wide awake tomorrow" said Roku as he closed his eyes.

"But we don't have to work tomorrow. Our drivers got the day off" said Sam.

"Ya (yawn) but we want to be awake on Christmas" said Jake, and then he closed his eyes.

"I agree. See you all tomorrow" said Albus, who fell asleep just after that.

Now Sam and Samantha were the only ones awake.

"Well, I'm hitting the hay" said Sam.

"Uh, Sam, wait. Could I ask you a quick question" asked Samantha.

"You just did" said Sam with a smile.

"Okay, so can I ask you a question that isn't this one" asked Samantha.

"Shure" said Sam.

Samantha sighed, and then she looked at Sam and said "Why did you kiss me".

Sam's face went red again; he thought he was done with this.

"Uh, why do you ask" he asked.

"No reason" said Samantha, sounding nervous.

Sam was silent for a moment. He was going to say because he wanted to participate in the Christmas celebration. However, something stopped him; something deep down in his boiler.

"To be honest, I don't know" said Sam. He didn't want to continue, so he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Meanwhile, things were happening in Bigg City Port. The tugs were asleep at the Star Dock, and Captain Star was doing some last minute work in his office.

But then, there was a bright red light in the sky. Captain Star jumped up and ran to the window. All the tugs woke up.

"What's going on" asked Warrior.

"Is it Santa" asked Sunshine, looking around with a smile on his face.

"No its not, look at the Sky" said Ten Cents. The tugs looked up, and gasped.

Words made of fire were burning in the sky. The words were a message:

To the people of America, this is an important message. Because of climbing threats from Germany and Japan, the Elementals are leaving the country to help with the war efforts. We will fight for our country, and make shure this war ends.

Signed, The Elementals

Never thought I'd finish this before Christmas. I want to thank D.J. Scales for writing the part about the Elementals. I also want to give thanks to whoever sent in the idea for Jason, and want to say I will try to get the rest of your character into the series. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.