Christmas was slowly approaching. Snow was all over the neighbourhood. Over at the Van Pelt place, Lucy was writing her Christmas list.
"Now, what to get for Christmas?" Pondered Lucy. "Well…."
Lucy wrote in large letters: REAL ESTATE.
Linus came around to see his big sister writing her Christmas list.
"Real Estate?! For Christmas?" Linus laughed.
"Come now, Little Brother! What better Christmas gift than Real Estate?" Lucy smiled.
"I don't think you can get real estate for Christmas, Lucy."
"Of course you can! First….."
Lucy was interrupted by her even younger brother Rerun coming to them with three letters.
Rerun: Look what just came in the mail, Linus and Lucy!
Lucy: Oh, I bet it's an early Christmas card from Schroeder!
Linus: I hope it's not a Christmas card from Sally! Every time she calls me her "Sweet Babboo"….
Rerun gave one letter to each sibling of his and kept one to himself. All three Van Pelt siblings opened their letter, it was an invitation of some sort.
Dear Linus,
You are formally invited
To the annual Christmas party
at the house of
Janice Emmons.
The party will be held on
December 25.
RSVP December 20.
"Wow! We're invited to Janice's Christmas Party! " Linus cried.
"We're invited to a Christmas Party for a girl who had cancer? Good grief!" groaned Lucy.
"Oh, don't you start that again, Lucy! Cancer is nothing to joke about."
"Tell her Lucy van Pelt won't be there because she doesn't want to catch her cancer."
"Well good! Because she might catch your crabbiness! Anyway, what day is it today?"
"It's December 13."
"Great! Plenty of time to tell Janice that Rerun and I will be there."
"You go and tell her. I'm staying home on Christmas. Grandma will be coming that day."
"You mean my blanket hating…."
"Precisely."
"Well, I'll have nothing to worry about because Rerun and I will be at Janice's."
Lucy put on her blue coat, and walked out of her place to Schroeder's.
"At least someone will appreciate my company."
There was Schroeder playing his little piano. He was playing Für Elise, when who should come in but Lucy.
"Oh no!" sighed Schroeder, not liking Lucy's company.
Lucy, as always, rested at the end of Schroeder's piano, ready to start a conversation with him.
"Schroeder, have you been invited to Janice's Christmas party?"
Schroeder ignored Lucy and continued to play his piano.
"Schroeder, are you planning on giving me Christmas presents this year?"
"No. I'm not." Schroeder said sternly.
"Tell me, Schroeder. Why do you never give me gifts, whether it be Christmas, Valentine's Day, or my birthday?"
"I don't like you, you're crabby all the time, and you're too bossy."
"So…. Why don't you like me anymore?"
"I never liked you, and I just explained."
"Really?"
"I wouldn't give you gifts unless you were the last person on Earth!"
"Did you say 'if' or 'unless'?"
"I clearly said 'unless'. Schroeder admitted.
"Alright!" Lucy cheered.
Whilst Lucy was at Schroeder's, Linus telephoned Janice.
"Hello?" Janice said, picking up the phone.
"Hello, Janice. This is Linus. I've just called to tell you that Rerun and I will be there."
"Will Lucy come?" asked Janice.
"No. I don't want you to catch her crabbiness."
"Oh. I see." Janice said flatly.
"Well, see you at the party, Janice." Linus said before he hung up and went to Charlie Brown's place.
Charlie Brown was making a Christmas card. He was thinking about how it should look. Sally walked in with concern.
"What are you doing, Big Brother?" Sally asked.
"I'm trying to make a Christmas card for Heather." Explained Charlie Brown.
"Hmm….. If my sweet babboo were to write a Christmas card to me, he would draw a Christmas Tree with some love hearts and twinkling stars surrounding it." Smiled Sally.
Sally had no sooner said this than Linus arriving at the Brown place. He'd overheard Sally's affectionate nickname for him and was aggravated.
"I am NOT your sweet babboo! And I wouldn't write you a Halloween card!" Linus groaned.
"Isn't he the cutest thing?" Sally swooned, not taking Linus' anger seriously.
"Hey, Charlie Brown." Said Linus. "What are you doing?"
"Hi, Linus. I'm making a Christmas card for the Little Red-Haired Girl, and I've just taken Sally's advice."
Charlie Brown had just finished his Christmas card for Heather. He'd drawn a Christmas tree with many red love hearts hanging from it as well as a shiny yellow star on top.
"There. All finished. Have a read, Linus."
Charlie Brown handed the Christmas card to Linus, and Linus read it.
"Merry Christmas Heather… from your Sweet Babboo?!" Linus exclaimed.
Linus glared angrily at Charlie Brown for what he'd written, to which Charlie Brown acted all sheepish.
"It's a family expression." Sighed Charlie Brown with embarrassment.
Later, Snoopy was walking up the hill with a cardboard with his little avian friend Woodstock. They were going to go sledding down the hill. Snoopy placed Woodstock in the box, and once they'd reached the top, Snoopy hopped in, and both the dog and bird slid down the hill.
"Yay!" cheered Snoopy.
"Wheeeeee!" Woodstock added.
The cardboard box continued to slide down, when at last, it had reached the frozen pond where all the kids were skating.
"Oh!" Snoopy cried.
There was Linus skating with his blanket. Snoopy saw this as the perfect opportunity to grab the security blanket with his teeth. Snoopy got on all fours, grabbed the blanket with his mouth, and ran across the frozen pond.
"Whoa! Hey!" Linus exclaimed.
Linus met numerous obstacles in his way, first, there was Sally, who was already skating. Sally grabbed Linus' right hand. Sally realised who was pulling her along the pond.
"Aw, my sweet babboo!" swooned Sally.
"Ah! I'm not your sweet babboo!" Linus cried.
Linus shook his arm and got Sally off, sending her into a snow drift, along with the love hearts.
"Isn't he the cutest thing?" Sally smiled.
The next obstacle Linus faced was Janice, who was skating on her own. Linus grabbed Janice's left hand with his right.
"Whoa!" cried Janice, grabbing hold to Linus' hand.
"Oh! Janice!" Linus cried.
"Aw, Linus!"
Janice grabbed Linus' right arm with both her hands, sighing dreamily.
But little did the two or Snoopy realise they were heading towards Violet Gray and Patty Swanson, who were practicing their figure skating together.
"Violet! Patty! Look out!" Linus shouted.
It was too late. Linus and Janice crashed into Patty and Violet, causing Snoopy to let go of Linus' security blanket
"Why don't you watch where you're going, you blockheads?!" shouted Violet.
"Listen to me. There isn't enough room on this pond for all of us." Patty said sternly.
"Whoa! They talk harsh!" shivered Janice.
"Get lost, you two! This is our pond!" demanded Violet.
"Good grief!" sighed Linus.
As Linus and Janice picked themselves up, they skated off the pond, feeling angered.
"Those girls think they're so big!" grumbled Linus.
"Who do they think they are?" Janice said angrily.
"They've done the same thing to Charlie Brown multiple times so I hear! My sister does it too!" Linus said.
"How exactly can we change their behaviour?" Janice pondered. "Hmm….. I've got it!"
Janice whispered into Linus' ear.
"Oh! I like the sound of that, Janice!"
As the sun was going down, Lucy got a knock on her door.
"Good grief! Who could that be at this hour?" sighed Lucy.
Lucy walked to the front door, and much to her surprise, a girl with very curly brown hair in small pigtails, and was wearing a blue fur coat, a blue pleated skirt, blue socks, and black Mary Jane shoes.
"Oh no! And who might you be?" sighed Lucy.
"I AM CHARLOTTE BRAUN!"
"Charlie Brown?!" Lucy puzzled.
"NO! I AM CHARLOTTE BRAUN! GOOD OLD CHARLOTTE BRAUN!"
"Hey! Hey! Use your inside voice!" Lucy called.
"I DON'T HAVE AN INSIDE VOICE!"
"Come on inside, and I can understand you better."
Lucy brought Charlotte Braun inside and asked her to explain to her what she'd come for.
"So what did you come for…. Charlotte?
"YOU…." Charlotte Braun decided to quiet down. "I mean…. You need to go to the park tonight!"
"What for?" wondered Lucy.
"It's something important!"
Charlotte Braun shouted so loud, Mrs. Van Pelt called out to quite down.
"Charlotte Braun! Keep your voice down!" Lucy began. "And something important you say?"
"YES!"
"If you say so."
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown had gone over to Violet's place. He knocked on the door, and who should open it but Violet.
"Oh. Hello, Charlie Brown." Said Violet coldly.
"Violet. You need to go to the park tonight." Said Charlie Brown.
"What is it for, Charlie Brown?" asked Violet.
"Something important, Violet."
"Anything you say, Charlie."
"And bring Patty with you."
Later that evening, in the dead of night, Lucy, Violet and Patty went to the park. Lucy had dressed herself in a yellow coat, a yellow wool hat, and blue jeans. Violet dressed in a violet coat, while Patty dressed in a spring green coat.
"Violet? Patty? What are you doing here?" asked Lucy.
"Charlie Brown told us to come here." Said Violet.
"For something important he says." Patty Swanson added.
"Whatever it is, I hope it's real estate." Said Lucy.
"But whatever is the something important?" Violet wondered.
No sooner had Violet asked this when a spooky voice was heard.
"Woooooooooooooooo!"
"What the?!" Violet started.
"Was that?!" added Lucy.
Voice: Woooooooooooooooooo!
"A ghost!" Patty Swanson shrieked.
The three girls huddled each other as the chills were sent down their spines. The voice was only Linus, but neither Lucy, Violet nor Patty knew. Linus chuckled, and he came out with a red blanket. It wasn't his blue security blanket.
"Lucy van Pelt! Violet Gray! Patty Swanson! I am the Ghost of Christmas Past!" shouted Linus the Ghost.
"Good grief! It's a ghost!" exclaimed Lucy.
"Er….. we have to go now!" Violet stammered.
"We need to get Charlie Brown a Christmas present!" Patty Swanson added.
"Yeah! The best Christmas present a blockhead could ever receive!" smiled Lucy.
"You? Be nice to Charlie Brown?" giggled Linus. "How often have you two been nice to Charlie Brown?"
"Well….. er…" Lucy stuttered.
"Lucy! Have you ever let Charlie Brown kick the football?"
"Well… I've let him…"
"You kept pulling the football away from Charlie Brown during the homecoming football game every time he tried to kick it. And you pinned the blame on him for making your team lose!"
"Well, that was out of my control, you see." Lucy lied.
"What about those times you made fun of Linus for having his security blanket?"
"Come on! You know he's too old for a stupid blanket like that!"
"But he really needs his blanket for security! You have to be insecure in your own way too, Lucy!"
"Oh, er…"
"You weren't very nice to Janice either! You said she deserved to get leukaemia, didn't you? Didn't you?"
"Oh, come on!" Lucy moaned. "Leukaemia is cancer! It could….."
"And another thing, Lucy! You always annoyed Schroeder while he's trying to play his Beethoven music."
"Oh! Nice one, Ghost of Christmas Past!" laughed Violet. "That's….."
"You too, Violet!" said Linus. "You're annoying Schroeder too. And also, Lucy wasn't the first one to pull the football away from Charlie Brown."
"Whatever are you talking about?" asked Violet.
"You pulled the football away from Charlie Brown long before Lucy would do the same thing."
"Yeah, but I just didn't want him kicking my hand!"
"Oh. Wait a minute! You could've simply let go of the ball before allowing Charlie Brown to kick it!"
"Oh. Didn't think of that!" Violet cried.
"And the times you kept hitting Charlie Brown every time he'd verbally tease you."
"Is that so, Violet?" laughed Patty Swanson. "Well….."
"And Patty! Think about the time you punched Charlie Brown in the face." Said Linus.
"Oh, I just wanted to show him that girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice." Patty said.
"But punching people isn't nice, Patty." Said Linus.
"I just wanted to….." but Patty was cut off.
"But what about the time you yelled at Marcie?" asked Linus.
"She kept calling me 'Sir'! Who calls a girl 'Sir'?" said Patty Swanson angrily.
"All three of you! Think about the time you called Charlie Brown a failure face, and that song you sang to him before he took part in the spelling bee." Added Linus.
"We just doubted he would win just because he's a blockhead!" said Lucy.
"There you go again, Lucy!" said Linus.
"Good grief, help us!" cried Violet.
"And also, Violet and Patty." Added Linus. "You kicked Linus and Janice off the pond just because they crashed into you! Poor Linus! Poor Janice!"
"Roasted!" laughed Lucy.
"As for you, Lucy." Linus added. "Today, you made fun of Janice again today when she invited you and your brothers to her Christmas Party! Poor Janice. She'll be sad that Lucy won't be at her party."
"Bah Humbug!" scoffed Lucy.
"Your next destination is the schoolyard. Wooooooo!"
Lucy, Violet and Patty, hearing enough of the Ghost of Christmas Past, made their way to school.
"That Ghost of Christmas Past had no effect on me!" smirked Lucy.
"I agree, Lucy!" added Violet.
"Me neither!" finished Patty Swanson.
"So that ghost says we have to go to the schoolyard." Said Lucy.
"But it's too early for school, Lucy!" said Violet.
"It's the only way we can see sense so that ghost says!" said Lucy.
Once the three girls had reached the schoolyard, there, waiting for them, was a pink ghost wearing a pink bow on top.
"Wooooooooooo!"
"Jeebers!" cried Patty Swanson.
"Good grief!" cried Violet.
"Yipes!" screamed Lucy.
"Woooooooooooooooooooo!" the pink ghost went yet again.
"Another ghost!" shrieked Lucy.
"Yikes!" they all cried.
The three girls thought it was another ghost. Really, it was just Janice covered in a pink sheet, and wearing a pink bow on top of the sheet instead of her hair.
"Lucy! Violet! Patty! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!"
"Ghost of Christmas Present?!" Lucy scoffed.
"Seriously!" added Violet.
"If you think this is serious," started Janice. "then the serious thing you should be enjoying is all the nice people out there. There are nice people out there you shouldn't be putting down, especially the one everyone calls Good Old Charlie Brown!"
"That blockhead?!" quizzed Violet.
"But he caused me, Violet and Frieda to get tied up in our jump ropes!" called Patty Swanson.
"But he was doing that just to catch up with the Little Red-Haired Girl! Besides, he didn't mean to do what he did to you!" Janice reasoned.
"Is that so?" scoffed Patty Swanson.
"Lucy. You have every right to refuse Janice's invitation to her Christmas party, but you should've refused in a kinder manner." Janice said.
"Because she had cancer!" Lucy huffed.
"Janice did have cancer," Janice said. "but she'd recovered from it all thanks to chemotherapy. You wouldn't want to go through what she went through, would you?"
"Oh, she went that far!" said Patty Swanson with worry.
"You too, Violet and Patty!" said Janice. "You shouldn't be mean to Charlie Brown. You shouldn't be mean to other people either. You have to accept people for who they are, or else they'll be mean to you back."
"Is that so?" asked Lucy. "Er…."
"Your next destination is the graveyard." Janice said.
"A graveyard?" started Lucy. "But…."
"No buts, Lucy." Said Janice. "You three have to reach the graveyard."
"Come on, Violet and Patty! Let's go!" said Lucy.
"But there's ghosts out there!" whimpered Patty Swanson.
"Yes! Ghosts!" shivered Violet.
"Come on, scaredy cats!" demanded Lucy. "Follow me!"
As Lucy, Violet and Patty reached the graveyard, there was a mysterious figure waiting for them.
"Don't tell me!" cried Lucy.
"It's…" stuttered Violet.
"The symbol of death!" finished Patty Swanson.
It was a black cloak, a white paw holding a scythe handle with a bone instead of a scythe, and no face. Really it was Snoopy, but Lucy, Violet and Patty didn't know. Hiding from behind a tree was Heather the Little Red-Haired Girl, dressed in a turquoise coat covering her normal dress.
"Lucy! Violet! Patty!" Heather said spookily, imitating a ghost.
"Yipes!" screamed Lucy.
"It's real!" cried Violet.
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Future!" Heather said.
"This'll be the worst Christmas ever!" screamed Lucy.
"If you think this is the worst Christmas ever," Heather said. "you'll have to reconsider. You may have worst Christmases in the future!"
"Worse?!" began Lucy.
"Christmases?!" added Violet.
"Than this one?!" finished Patty Swanson.
"Lucy! If you don't stop bothering Schroeder, if you don't stop complaining about Linus' blanket, if you don't apologise to Janice for saying she deserved to have cancer, if you don't stop swiping the football away from Charlie Brown, then this is what will happen to you." Heather said.
"What? What will happen to me?" asked Lucy.
"Violet! If you don't stop putting people down, then I will show you what will happen to you." said Heather.
"Huh?!" exclaimed Violet.
"Patty! If you don't stop berating other people, I will show you what will happen." Heather finished.
"Berate?! Others?!" cried Patty Swanson.
"Follow me, girls!" Heather finished.
Snoopy walked ahead of Lucy, Violet and Patty, and the three girls followed. They didn't know that Heather was impersonating the Ghost's voice.
"He he! This is fun!" Heather giggled, breaking the fourth wall.
Snoopy had brought Lucy, Violet and Patty to a trio of tombstones. The first one read:
LUCY VAN PELT
UNLOVED BY EVERYONE
"Unloved by Evelyn?! AAUGH!" screamed Lucy.
Snoopy walked up to the tombstone and tapped the word "Everyone"
"Unloved by everyone?! AAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"
Lucy spun out, and fainted in the snow.
The next tombstone read:
VIOLET GRAY
ORIGINAL MEAN GIRL
"Original Mean Girl?! AAUGH! No! This really is the worst Christmas ever!" screamed Violet.
The last one read:
PATTY SWANSON
PIG-PEN'S EX-GIRLFRIEND
"Pig-Pen's Ex-Girlfriend?! No! Help me! Help us!" screamed Patty Swanson.
"Remember!" Heather said spookily. "If you start to be nice to people, learn not to pull the football away from people, and not put them down for mishaps and not blame them for wrongdoings they didn't do, this won't happen to you!"
Both Violet and Patty huddled each other in fright, and knelt in the snow, very fearful indeed.
The next morning, Lucy, Violet and Patty slept in fright. They had nightmares about the three ghosts they'd visited the night before.
Meanwhile, at the Van Pelt place, Linus was having his breakfast with Rerun.
"Er, Linus? Have you noticed something strange?" asked Rerun.
"What sort of something, Rerun?" asked Linus.
"Lucy didn't come home last night."
"Didn't I tell you, Rerun?"
Linus told his little brother everything.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Rerun.
"Well, we'd best get her home."
Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Sally were having breakfast.
"Where's our dog, Big Brother?" asked Sally.
"You'll never believe this, Sally," said Charlie Brown. "but Linus played a trick on her by being a ghost! Same with Violet and Patty."
"Oh, my boyfriend has the wildest imagination yet!" laughed Sally.
As Sally said this, the phone rang.
"I'll get it!" called Sally.
Sally picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"I am NOT your boyfriend!" shouted Linus.
Linus hung up angrily, and Sally just swooned.
"Isn't he the cutest thing?" Sally swooned.
"Good grief!" sighed Charlie Brown.
Later, Linus walked to the graveyard where Lucy, Violet and Patty were sleeping fearfully. Linus wrapped his security blanket around Lucy. Lucy woke up and looked up at Linus.
"Linus? Your security blanket? For me?" asked Lucy.
"Lucy." Said Linus. "You may not be the nicest person out there, but you're still my big sister. Always have been, always will be."
"And you're wrapping me in your blanket?" asked Lucy.
"I thought you hated my blanket!" said Linus.
"Linus. I learned a valuable lesson last night. Don't bully others, and they won't bully you back. I will never complain about your blanket again. After all, it is keeping me warm. Thank you, little brother!" said Lucy.
Lucy got up and hugged Linus, who hugged back.
"Er, Linus. Is today Christmas Day?" asked Lucy.
"No. It's December 14."
"Wonderful! Eleven days until Christmas!"
"That leaves you plenty of time to make amends, Lucy!"
"And I know just the amends I will make!" smiled Lucy.
Lucy removed Linus' blanket, and went out to make some amends. Meanwhile, Violet and Patty woke up, and noticed Lucy had gone.
"Huh?!" puzzled Violet.
"Where did Lucy go?" asked Patty Swanson.
"Making amends." Answered Linus.
"In that case, I'd better make amends too!" said Violet. "Come on, Patty!"
"Right behind you, Violet." Patty Swanson answered.
Lucy walked to the Emmons place, and knocked on the door. Who should open it but Janice.
"Oh. It's you, Lucy." Said Janice.
"Janice!" exclaimed Lucy. "I just came to say that I am ever so sorry for saying you deserved to get cancer. And I am sorry for thinking the disease is contagious."
"Aw, that's alright, Lucy. I guess that ghost taught you a valuable lesson, huh?"
"And to make it up to you, I will be there!" said Lucy.
"Be where?" asked Janice.
"At your Christmas party."
"Wow! That's wonderful, Lucy! Thanks! See you there, Lucy!" called Janice.
Lucy ran out excitedly. Janice looked back and winked.
Lucy's next stop was the Brown place. She knocked on the door, and Charlie Brown answered it.
"Hello, Charlie Brown! Wanna do the football thing?" asked Lucy.
"Oh no, Lucy!" said Charlie Brown sternly. "No you don't!"
"Trust me, Charlie Brown!" said Lucy. "If I do pull it away, you'll have a safe landing!"
"Well, alright, Lucy. I trust you this time".
Later, Lucy got a football, and held it.
"I'm ready, Charlie Brown!" smiled Lucy.
"Alright! I have to trust her this time!" said Charlie Brown.
As Charlie Brown backed up, Marcie and Peppermint Patty walked by.
"Look, Sir!" cried Marcie. "Lucy's doing the football thing with Charles!"
"Really?" pondered Peppermint Patty. "Why do I have the feeling Chuck will flunk it like he always does?"
"I'm ready!" said Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown ran as fast as he could towards the football.
"I'm gonna kick it to the moon! I am!"
As Charlie Brown reached the ball, he slipped, and landed in the snow.
"Good grief!" sighed Charlie Brown.
"But….. I didn't even pull it away!" cried Lucy.
"It's the snow. It's the ice." Exclaimed Charlie Brown.
"Try again, Charlie Brown."
"Alright!"
Charlie Brown backed up, and ran towards the football again. Instead of pulling the football away, Lucy took her hand off the ball, and Charlie Brown managed to kick it.
"Wow! I did it!" exclaimed Charlie Brown.
"Wow!" said Lucy. "That felt good! That felt so good! I….. let Charlie Brown kick the football!"
"Did you see that, Sir? Lucy didn't pull it away this time!" said Marcie.
"I'm just as surprised as you, Marcie." Said Peppermint Patty. "Chuck did it! Lucille didn't pull it away! That's very unusual!"
"Thanks for letting me kick the ball, Lucy." Said Charlie Brown. "But why didn't you pull it away this time?"
"Charlie Brown," Lucy began. "let me just say some ghosts visited me and told me that if I want to be loved, I have to sacrifice the habits that make me unloved.
Charlie Brown looked away from Lucy and gave a sly wink. Of course we know it was Linus, Janice and Heather who made Lucy, Violet and Patty change their ways, don't we. But don't tell these three girls.