AN: Since it is now December, I decided to make my new chapter of Adventures of the Smiling Critters a Christmas related chapter! This will be slightly different from my usual chapter since this one will have a main plot with a smaller side plot of the story going on in the background. Anyway, I hope you would enjoy this new chapter of the story!
Chapter 5
Saving Christmas
Snowflakes fell from the sky as it was Christmas Day. With Christmas being celebrated throughout the village, the Smiling Critters were excited to spend another Christmas together. They all decided to spend Christmas at DogDay's house, so they got up early to arrive in time for Christmas cheer.
CatNap was one of the first Smiling Critters to arrive as he was helping DogDay set up some last minute Christmas themed decorations. The house was decorated with all kinds of red and green ribbons and a banner that read, "Merry Christmas." There was also a tree in the corner of the living room with ornaments hanging from it and presents for DogDay's friends right under the tree. Before long, DogDay had just about all the decorations set up as he just needed to hang the stockings on the wall.
"This year is going to be another wonderful Christmas, CatNap!" DogDay smiled, carrying the various stockings. "Our friends are going to be here any minute, so we'd better make these Christmas decorations the best they can be." DogDay said, to which CatNap nodded in agreement.
As he approached the wall, DogDay noticed that there was nothing to hang the stockings with. In all the confusion of setting up the decorations, DogDay forgot where he put the nails at. He looked around before noticing the hammer and nails on a nearby table.
"Oh, here they are!"
With that, DogDay quickly grabbed the hammer and nails and turned around, unknowingly knocking over a nearby candle. This caused the candle to fall and roll across the floor towards the Christmas tree. Upon noticing what was going on, CatNap's pupils shrunk in horror when he saw the flame of the candle touch the tree as it slowly caught on fire.
In a panic, CatNap rushed over to DogDay, who was casually humming Christmas songs as he was hanging the stockings. As DogDay had his back turned, CatNap repeatedly tapped him on the shoulder, desperate to get his attention.
"Yes, I know, CatNap! The decorations are amazing to look at!" DogDay said, unaware of what was going on behind him.
Unable to get DogDay's attention, CatNap grabbed DogDay and swiftly turned him around to show him the disaster that was happening behind him. Once he noticed the tree and presents covered in flames, DogDay let out a scream.
"Aaaah! Fire! CatNap, quick! Get me the fire extinguisher!" DogDay yelled before CatNap accidentally threw the fire extinguisher at him a little too hard, knocking him down.
After recovering, DogDay turned on the fire extinguisher, dousing out all of the flames. Before long, all of the flames were put out. Unfortunately the damage was already done since not only was the tree burned down beyond recognition, but the presents DogDay bought for his friends as well. All DogDay could do was stare in silence at what used to be a wonderful celebration of Christmas.
"What have I done?" DogDay placed his paws over his face in shame. "How could I have been so stupid?! Oh, CatNap! Our friends are going to hate me for what happened to their presents!"
In response, CatNap kneeled down and placed a paw on DogDay's shoulder in an effort to comfort him. Suddenly, DogDay and CatNap were startled by the ringing of the doorbell.
"Oh no! They're here! We can't let them see this! CatNap, quick! Cover up the mess and I'll keep them distracted!"
At that moment, DogDay walked over to the door while CatNap covered the damage of the Christmas tree with a large sheet. Slowly, DogDay crept the door open to see all of his friends on the other side. With a gulp, he opened the door slightly to speak with everyone.
"Um, hey guys! It's good to see you! I uh-"
Before DogDay could finish his sentence, Bobby swung the door open and tackled him with a tight hug.
"Merry Christmas, DogDay!" Bobby cheerfully greeted as the rest of the Smiling Critters entered the house.
They were all taken aback by how wonderful the Christmas decorations were to the point where it was enough to distract them from the mysterious sheet in the corner.
"Wow! DogDay did a wonderful job with decorating the house this year! The decorations are so beautiful!" Crafty gazed at the decorations in awe.
Despite that, Kickin couldn't help but cough from the aftermath of the fire. "They're great, but what's with the burning smell?"
"Did you and CatNap tried to make Christmas snacks, but failed badly?" Hoppy guessed.
With a nervous chuckle, DogDay played along. "You got us, Hoppy! Baking isn't so easy! It's amazing how easily flammable certain things are." DogDay gave a nervous grin before casually kicking a charred Christmas toy under the sheet so his friends won't get suspicious.
"I have to say, that was very reckless of you two. You should at least open a window to let out all the smoke." Bubba lectured before opening the windows and taking out a fan to blow the smoke away.
"If you are having trouble with baking, I would be more than happy to help!" Picky offered.
"Thanks for the offer, Picky! Why don't you get started while CatNap and I step out to do a few errands." DogDay replied as he and CatNap dragged the sheet covering the tree and presents across the floor.
Hoppy stared at her two friends in confusion. "Since when do you do errands on Christmas Day? And what's under that sheet, anyway?"
"Sorry, can't hear you! Too busy spreading Christmas cheer!" DogDay pretended not to hear Hoppy as he left the house.
After leaving the house, DogDay and CatNap carried the enormous sheet together before throwing it in a nearby trash can. The tree, combined with the presents barely fit at all as this left a sheet in the shape of a giant tree sticking out of the trash can. DogDay gazed at what remained of the tree and presents in sorrow. If he had just noticed the fire earlier, none of this would have happened.
"I really messed up this time, CatNap." DogDay sighed. "I can't let this ruin our friends' Christmas! Looks like we'll have to find another tree and presents for each of our friends! Are you with me, CatNap?" DogDay asked CatNap, who stared blankly at him with his usual wide smile. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes! Let's go!"
While DogDay and CatNap were searching for new Christmas gifts, their friends continued to have their Christmas party in DogDay's house. While Picky was baking Christmas snacks for everyone, the rest of the Smiling Critters sat on the couch, drinking hot cocoa.
As fun as they were having today, they couldn't help but wonder what was taking DogDay and CatNap so long. After all the time DogDay spent decorating his house, they would have assumed that he would at least want to relax and spent time with them.
"So, has anyone else noticed that DogDay and CatNap are taking awhile to get back here?" Bubba asked.
"I know what you mean. I'm kind of surprised those two are taking so long to get here. Who knows? Maybe the burning smell from earlier was a result of DogDay accidentally burning our presents!" Bobby joked before Hoppy suddenly spit out her hot cocoa in surprise. "It's okay, Hoppy! It was just a joke!"
"It's not that! It seems that someone handed me hot cocoa that was actually cold!" Hoppy explained before glaring at Kickin in suspicion.
Unable to deny it, Kickin burst into laughter. "It's amazing what a few ice cubes can do! I'd kind of like to consider it payback for your prank on me last Christmas!"
With a growl, Hoppy hopped off the couch before chasing Kickin in frustration. "Kickin, I swear, I'm going to knock you out so hard, you'll be hearing jingle bells all day!"
Her threat didn't faze him as he simply ran away, laughing.
"Come on, you two! Seriously? It's Christmas, for crying out loud!" Bubba yelled, fed up with Kickin and Hoppy being so immature.
In the midst of the chaos, Crafty couldn't help but think to herself. She knew her friends well, and there was no way they would miss out on Christmas without a good reason.
"I think you might have a point, Bobby. I hope they aren't in any kind of trouble." Crafty hoped.
"Don't worry, Crafty! I'm sure DogDay and CatNap are fine!" Bobby assured.
It was at that moment when Picky entered the living room, ignoring all the chaos being caused by Kickin and Hoppy. She then approached the couch to speak to her friends.
"Sorry, everyone. I was having a bit of a setback with the Christmas snacks." Picky explained. "Crafty, do you think you can help me out with something?"
Surprised that Picky needed her help, Crafty replied, "M-Me? Um, okay, I guess."
After getting up from the couch, Crafty followed Picky into the kitchen, silently wondering what Picky could possibly need her help with. It was at that moment when Picky led Crafty to a plate of gingerbread cookies.
"So, I really need your artistic opinion on this! I'm trying to find the perfect colors of gumdrops for the buttons on the gingerbread cookies, but I can't decided to make them red, blue, or green." Picky stared at the gumdrops, trying to decided what color to use. "What do you think?"
"Hmm, why don't you use all three?" Crafty picked up the gumdrops and placed one of each color on the chest of the gingerbread cookie. "That way they would all look beautiful and delicious to eat at the same time!"
As Picky took a moment to gaze at the gumdrops, she liked how pretty they made the gingerbread cookies look. She couldn't say she was surprised. After all, Crafty is one of the most creative critters she knew.
"Crafty, you're a genius!" Picky exclaimed.
With a slight shy smile, Crafty nervously looked away. "Oh, thanks, Picky!"
"Say, I could really use some more of your creative passion! Do you think you can help me with the rest of the snacks?" Picky asked.
Crafty nodded. "Sure, Picky! I'll do my best!"
Meanwhile, DogDay and CatNap traveled through the village in search of a new tree. To find the tree they were looking for, they made their way towards a tree shop. As DogDay walked towards the shop, he silently hoped that there would be at least one tree he could find. He only wished that CatNap took this as seriously as he did though. He took one look behind him to see CatNap curled up in a ball as he was taking a nap on a pile of snow.
"CatNap, focus! We need to find a tree as soon as we can!" DogDay explained. "Let's hope there is still someone here."
At that moment, DogDay took a look around before noticing a beaver worker. With a smile, DogDay approached the worker in hopes to get a new tree.
"Hey, Bernie!" DogDay called out.
Soon the beaver named, Bernie noticed DogDay and gave him a wave. "Hey, DogDay! This is a surprise! Not that it isn't good to see you, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be spending Christmas with your friends?"
"Yes, but I kind of had a bit of a mishap with the tree you gave me. You wouldn't happen to have another, would you? I know that you have had a few extra trees in there the last time we spoke. You told me they were so popular, you were even willing to sell them on Christmas."
In response, Bernie awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ooh. Sorry about that. I sold those extra trees just recently. I was just ready to lock up. What's wrong with the tree I gave you?"
DogDay darted his eyes to the side as he replied. "I kind of accidentally set the tree on fire, along with my friends' presents."
"Yikes! I'm sorry, DogDay. I really do wish there was a way for me to help. Listen, don't give up. I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out." Bernie assured before leaving.
As DogDay and CatNap were left alone, DogDay started to panic. If he didn't do something to fix this, it would end up being the worst Christmas ever.
Back at DogDay's house, Picky and Crafty continued to make Christmas snacks together. They made countless cookies that were covered in various colored sprinkles, thanks to some help from Crafty. With so many meals created, Picky and Crafty gazed at their hard work in satisfaction.
"I'm sure our friends would be really happy with all the snacks we prepared for them!" Picky smiled. "Thanks for the help, Crafty!"
"It was my pleasure, Picky! So, now what?"
"Now, we have to add some faces to the gingerbread cookies." Picky explained before taking a pastry bag of icing. "This actually isn't too different from painting! When you add the smiling faces to the cookies, it's kind of like art in a way."
"Wow, I never thought of it that way, Picky! It's almost like I can imagine the bag as a paintbrush! Can I give it a try?" Crafty asked.
"That depends, have you been remembering to take breaks?" Picky asked, not wanting a repeat of the last time Crafty stressed herself out over her art.
Crafty nodded. "Yes, I have been taking breaks from my paintings. I promise I'll be fine!"
Taking Crafty's word for it, Picky handed Crafty the pastry bag of icing. Crafty then used the icing to create smiling faces on the gingerbread cookies. The more she drew faces on the cookies, the more she started to get creative with the expressions. She tried making one of them have a winking expression and another have a goofy expression, much to the amusement of Picky.
By the time she was finished, Crafty created all kinds of expressions for the gingerbread cookies. This made Picky happy to have Crafty as her baking partner. Throughout the day, Crafty has made creative additions to the meals that Picky never would have thought of.
"They're all looking great! You really know how to make these meals look beautiful!" Picky complimented.
Crafty giggled. "Thanks! Now to put the last batch in the oven!"
At that moment, Crafty picked up the last tray and placed it in the oven before starting it. Once the oven started, Picky suddenly let out a gasp as she realized something.
"Crafty, wait! You set the temperature too high!"
"What?!" Crafty immediately took the tray out to see that all of the cookies have been burnt to crisps. "Oh no. I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, don't worry about it! Making mistakes is all part of baking!" Picky assured. "Besides, I think we have more than enough cookies for our friends!"
"If you say so. Still, I wish I was more careful with DogDay's oven. He would never be this careless." Crafty sighed.
Meanwhile, DogDay started to panic over the fact that he ruined Christmas for everyone.
"Agh! How could I have been so careless?!" DogDay scolded himself. "Thanks to me, we don't have a Christmas tree."
CatNap silently watched as DogDay paced around in the snow. He had never seen DogDay so stressed out before. All he could think about was how happy DogDay was to celebrate Christmas earlier today. Now, DogDay can't even think about enjoying this wonderful holiday until he fixes everything.
"Okay, let's just calm down! I might not be able to get a tree, but I can still save Christmas by getting presents! Let's go to the toy store and find some toys for each of our friends!" DogDay said.
It was at that moment when DogDay led CatNap through the village in search of a toy store. A few minutes of searching went by before DogDay took notice of a nearby toy store. Feeling a spark of hope, DogDay ran towards the store, only to find out that the door was locked. With a look of dread, DogDay continued to struggle with opening the door before noticing a sign that crushed his spirits.
"What? The store is closed? Come on! Who closes a toy store on Christmas?!" DogDay yelled, to which CatNap rolled his eyes, as if the answer was obvious.
Just when DogDay was about ready to give up, CatNap took notice of a nearby flier. Seeing this gave CatNap an idea, so he walked over to DogDay to give him the flier.
"Huh? What's this?" DogDay grabbed the flier before he began to read it. "Come and participate in the Christmas marathon run. Winner gets 8 brand new stuffed toys." Once he was done reading it, DogDay said, "CatNap, this is it! 8 brand new stuffed toys means one present for each of us! I'm not going to mess up this time! I promise to give my friends the best Christmas ever!"
With that declaration, DogDay signed up for the marathon. A couple of hours went by before DogDay found himself side by side with a bunch of other runners. On both sides of the road stood countless critters, cheering the runners on. As for CatNap, he stood on the side in silence while holding up a sign that read, "Go, DogDay!"
Everyone lined up at the starting line as DogDay took a deep breath. This was his last chance to fix his mistake and he was not going to mess up this time. Once the starting whistle blew, everyone ran down the road as fast as they could.
Confetti fell from the sky as DogDay did his best to keep up with everyone. It wasn't easy as DogDay didn't train for this nearly as much as the other racers. Despite that, he was not going to give up so easily. He pushed himself to run faster, determined to save Christmas for his friends.
Before long, DogDay was able to run passed everyone as he was now at the front. Feeling more determined than ever, he ran even faster, knowing that he had a chance to win. The finish line got closer and closer, so DogDay ran at a full sprint. However, he ran so fast, he ended up slipping on some ice. This allowed the other runners to catch up as they all crossed the finish line, leaving DogDay in last place. He couldn't believe what just happened. This was his last chance and he ruined everything.
Defeated, DogDay sat up before giving a depressed sigh. It was at that moment when CatNap showed up to make sure his friend was okay.
"I blew it, CatNap. Now, my friends are going to hate me. What am I going to do?" DogDay placed his paws over his face.
To help cheer DogDay up, CatNap took out a picture and showed it to DogDay. It was a picture of all of the Smiling Critters from their Christmas last year. They all had smiles on their faces from the fun time they had together. Upon seeing the picture, DogDay couldn't help but give a smile as well. Thinking back to last year, his friends didn't seem to care about the tree, or even the presents. All they cared about was spending time together.
With a chuckle, DogDay stood back up before he said, "Okay, I understand what you are trying to tell me, CatNap! You're right! Christmas is about the time we spend together, and it's time we head back home to spend Christmas with our friends! Still, I wish I could have gotten them something this year." DogDay looked down to see multiple colored pieces of confetti on the ground before he thought of something. "And I think I just might have the perfect idea!"
Meanwhile, Picky and Crafty just finished baking the Christmas snacks for their friends. They both left the kitchen, carrying plates of cookies.
"Do you think our friends would enjoy the snacks we made for them?" Crafty asked.
"I know they will! And I have to say, your idea to sprinkle some scarves for the gingerbread cookies was a nice touch!" Picky complimented.
Once Picky and Crafty entered the living room, their friends gazed at the snacks in awe.
"Wow! Those snacks look so delicious!" Bobby complimented.
"Well, I can't tell all the credit! Crafty really helped me out!" Picky explained, to which Crafty gave a shy smile.
Hoppy soon grabbed a cookie and took a bite out of it. "Mmm! You two really outdid yourselves! This is delicious!"
"Thanks, Hoppy!" Crafty replied before taking a look around the room. "Hey, where are DogDay and CatNap?"
"They still didn't come back from their errands." Bubba explained. "It's not like them to be this late."
"Come to think of it, those two are taking a taking awhile. I wonder when they would be back." Kickin wondered.
"Hopefully, soon. It's just not Christmas without DogDay and CatNap here too." Bobby sighed.
It was at that moment when the front door suddenly opened and DogDay and CatNap entered the house. Happy to see their friends again, the Smiling Critters rushed to the door to greet them.
"There you are! We were starting to worry." said Bubba.
"Where have you been? You were about to miss out on a fun party." Hoppy explained.
With a nervous grin, DogDay said, "Sorry about that. It has just been a long day. Listen, everyone. I have a confession to make, and you're not going to like it."
Seeing that DogDay had something important to tell them, the Smiling Critters sat down, patiently waiting for what he had to say.
"Earlier this morning, there was a bit of a mishap and I accidentally burned down the Christmas tree and my Christmas gifts for all of you."
"Wait, you set the entire tree on fire? That explains the burning smell from earlier." Bubba realized what was going on.
"But, I don't understand. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Bobby asked.
"I guess I was just afraid that you would all be mad at me for being so careless with your presents. I'm sorry." DogDay looked down in shame.
Feeling bad for her friend, Crafty held his paw and said, "Don't feel bad, DogDay. They were just presents."
"Crafty is right, you know." Bubba stepped in. "While it would have been nice to get gifts this year, We are all glad that you weren't hurt."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they were just happy that DogDay didn't get hurt in the fire. Happy to have such wonderful friends, DogDay embraced them all in a group hug.
"Thanks, everyone! Also, I felt that you should all get something for Christmas this year." DogDay then reached into a bag and pulled out small toys resembling the Smiling Critters. They were all made of the confetti from the marathon and sticks and twigs DogDay found on the ground. "They're not much, but I hope you like them."
Surprised, the Smiling Critters took their new gifts in their hands. They gazed at their gifts in awe before Bobby was the first to speak.
"Oh my gosh! My toy is so adorable!" Bobby squealed in joy.
"And my toy is looking pretty rad too!" Kickin exclaimed.
"Thanks, DogDay! You really made our Christmas!" Picky thanked. "So, what do you say to joining the rest of us for the party?"
DogDay nodded. "Of course! Hope I didn't miss too much!"
"Oh, no. You didn't miss anything! Although, Picky and I had a pretty interesting day! She actually encouraged me to try new things with helping her bake!" Crafty turned to Picky with a smile.
"Well, Crafty helped me out as much as I helped her. She really taught me how to bake in creative ways! Why don't you and CatNap have a seat and we'll tell you all about it!" said Picky.
As DogDay and CatNap joined their friends, they both sat down, eating the Christmas treats that Picky and Crafty made together. Even though today didn't start off so great for DogDay, he was happy that things worked out in the end. There were no presents to unwrap, or a Christmas tree to set up, but that was okay because the Smiling Critters were just happy to spend another Christmas together. After all that had happened today, this would be a Christmas that DogDay would never forget.