After a YEAR of jotting down ideas and finding the time to write amidst my rewrites and other stories, here is the start of our Christmas One-Shot, An EXTREMELY Goofy Christmas!

I would like to dedicate this story to my dad, who has always been "a little goofy", but who's always been MY Goofy. Thank you for pouring into my life constantly and showing me how to use my creativity to honor God. I pray that I can pass on a portion of those teachings through my writings. All those books you read to me as a kid in your different voices has paid off! 😁

Christmas Eve, 2002

Roxanne loved her small town at Christmas! The town square erected a towering tinsel-covered tree that always had a choir of carolers serenading last minute Christmas shoppers. With the snow falling down, it was perf- OOF!

As Roxanne rounded the blind spot around the massive tree, she didn't see the person who had packages piled high within their arms. The parcels went flying as the bodies collided.

"Gah!" Roxanne cried. As much as she loved the snow, she didn't love it seeping into her jeans.

"Oh, gawrsh! I am so sorry!" A familiar voice apologized. "I've just got so much stuff-"

"Mr. Goofy?"

The man trying to collect his packages looked up, startled. "Roxanne?"

She laughed. "Yes! It's good to see you, Mr. G!"

Goofy, a popular figure within the toon community and her ex-boyfriend's dad, helped her up from her spot in the slushy snow. He found her bag which had been thrown in the confusion and handed it back to her.

"Doesn't look like anythin's broken. You home fer Christmas, kid?" He asked as he gave her a quick side hug.

"Yep." The redhead brushed off the lingering snow from her pants. "I just got in. Had some last minute midterms that couldn't be scheduled earlier. And, of course, right as I pull up, Mom realized that she was out of almost all the ingredients she needs for the French Toast casserole she makes every Christmas morning." She held up her shopping bag. "Figured I'd run out to get it for her while seeing the town. I've always loved the square at Christmas."

"Isn't it great?" Goofy inhaled the scent of a nearby hot chocolate stand.

Roxanne helped Goofy retrieve the last of his packages. "Hey, how's Max? With midterms, we haven't had much time to email lately."

The joy on Goofy's face could rival the glow of any strand of Christmas lights.

"He's actually on his way home now!" The glow dimmed a bit as embarrassment crept in. "Maxie said he told me a while back about bringing a girl home fer Christmas but…"

"You forgot." Roxanne understood. She remembered Goofy's eccentricities when she and Max had been dating.

"Now I gotta hurry and get these supplies home before their train gets here! I even had ta buy new sheets for the guest room after Bobby stayed last time and ate two cans of spray cheese in bed." Goofy rolled his eyes. "No matter what they tell ya, it's impossible ta get artificial cheese stains outta stuff!"

Roxanne laughed. There were a couple boxes that wouldn't fit in Goofy's arms, so she hefted it herself. "Well then, let's get you to your car, Mr. G!"

"No. Roxanne!" Goofy started to shake his head. "You don't hafta…"

"I want to. Mom's not expecting me back for a bit. Besides…" The girl placed a free hand on the older man's arm. "I miss talking to you, Mr. G." She turned towards the parking deck before she could see Goofy's soft smile.

The pair chatted about the weather and more about Roxanne's midterms before Goofy drifted off into silence. A glance in his direction revealed to Roxanne the man's 'thinking face'.

"Everything okay, Mr. G?"

His mouth twisted. "Maxie wants to make a good impression fer this girl… and he wants me ta be cool…" Goofy gave her a concerned look. "Roxanne… I don't know if I can be cool - not in the way he expects…"

Roxanne patted Goofy's arm. "Believe it or not, Mr. G, but I know there's a lot of people who think that you're cool; including me! I'm sure Max isn't asking you to pretend to be something you're not… he just wants you to show this girl the best version of you."

"'The best version of me', hmn?" Goofy mused.

It wasn't too much longer when the pair reached the car. They managed to stuff all of Goofy's packages into every nook and cranny; Goofy was barely able to close the hatchback!

Roxanne gave Goofy a hug once all was secure. "I hope to see you and Max around while I'm home!"

"Absolutely, kiddo! Tell yer mom I'll trade some of 'er French Toast Casserole fer some of my famous 'Snowman Bark'!"

"I'll her," Roxanne giggled. "Merry Christmas, Mr. G!"

Goofy climbed in the car. "Merry Christmas, Roxanne!" He cranked the car and the base of the Christmas music rattled windows. He drove off with another wave at the girl.

Roxanne smiled to herself as she resumed her journey home.

Running into Goofy made her think about Max. It had been quite some time since they'd seen each other in person.

The pair, having dated all through highschool, decided on a mutual break up the summer before college. They were each going to different universities and while they could have put in the effort to make long distance work, Max and Roxanne wanted to discover more of who they were without the other person.

That had been three years ago. Even as juniors, they kept up with each other via the new email craze that was becoming popular. But with midterms and bigger projects as upperclassmen, it was harder to stay in touch.

Looking back on her college career thus far, Roxanne realized that she hadn't seriously dated anyone since starting college. Sure, she'd been on a few dates here and there, but there hadn't been anything that seemed to click that she wanted to pursue.

She missed Max.

The thought hit her all at once. He was a great boyfriend, but he had also been a great friend. Max was always down for a night out or a night in to just talk. He never disregarded her thoughts or feelings and even opened up about how he often felt conflicted between the love and embarrassment he felt towards his dad. And that was part of what made the two of them so fun - his relationship with his dad.

What other father would drive across the country to help his son get on TV to impress a girl even after he'd been lied to?

Despite being a busy single father and a little… well… goofy… at the end of the day, Goofy made sure that everyone who entered his house knew that they would be loved and cared for.

A brisk wind pushed its way through Roxanne's jacket and she shivered.

Anyway… based on Goofy's excitement about Max bringing a girl home for Christmas sealed away any chance of the two of them getting back together. Depending on how long Max had been seeing this girl and him wanting his dad to make a good impression… they were at a stage of life now where taking big steps was not uncommon.

As long as he's happy… Roxanne thought to herself. …Right?

If you're reading this as it's coming out, new chapters will be posted each Sunday afternoon in December leading up to Christmas, Christmas Eve, and then the final chapter being posted Christmas day!

This will be a shorter story overall than I've written in a while, but quality over quantity, right? 😅

Hope y'all enjoy it and MERRY CHRISTMAS! ❤️