Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in furs from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedlar just opening his pack.
His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump - a right jolly old elf -
And laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
"Oi! Watch where you're going!"
The shout came from a random person. Who? Denmark knew not. But he did know the roads and the streets of the country, and he could hear his loud footsteps on the pavements as he rushed towards wherever it was he was going. Snow was not falling, yet he could sense Christmas, and the feeling overwhelmed him as he turned another corner, grinning. There was no reason for him to be running, but he did so anyways.
Clutching the envelope tightly, he continued to run, faster and faster and faster. The house was in sight, large and daunting and incredibly intimidating. Just like who owned it. It was almost time, and he couldn't miss it, he really couldn't! They'd been waiting all year to do this, and he couldn't mess up something so important to them all. He just couldn't.
There he was, in front of the house, knocking frantically on the door in his freezing cold state. It was a while before Sweden answered, his head peeking around the door, and then Finland, Iceland and Norway joined him.
"H-hey guys, I'm back! And I brought the list!" Denmark exclaimed, still cold as ice. Sweden and the others beckoned him inside, and Finland took the envelope with small yet sturdy hands.
"Woah...so this is everyone, then?"
"Yup! It'll be great, don't you worry. And we're here to help you this year!"
"Yes," Iceland added, "you were really tired out last year. We'll gather up the stuff for you."
"And I guess we can wrap stuff too," Norway suggested.
Finland beamed- the Nordics would stop at nothing to help him. It was great to have them as friends. "Thanks, guys!"
All five were ready. There was just one thing in their way, and that was doubt.
Sweden knew it the moment they began.