SL Fiction: Christmas In The Deathlands

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

It just wasn't his day.

Melvin Cooper poked at the trap. Empty. A few weeks ago, he was getting an occasional rabbit. Now it seems even rats and mice were getting scarce. Fried rat had been unpleasant enough when he first arrived on the Deathlands. Now it seems he was going to have to resort to eating cockroaches soon. And right on Christmas Day too. His smartphone was displaying December 25.

Looking around, snow was still covering patches of the desert ground still in the shade. The good thing about this time of year was it was no longer broiling hot at midday. The flip side was it got more bitterly cold than ever at night. Thankfully he was able to make some shelter from the wind, keeping himself somewhat warm in ragged leftovers of blankets. He recalled the dreams he had of that high-tech city in which for a time he was limited to a "capsule" to sleep in, a space not much bigger than he was. That was luxury compared to all this. Mile after mile of desert and dry grassland, with the occasional wreck, ghost town, and watering hole.

"Raaaaaarrrrr!"

Melvin spun around. A mutant! They varied wildly. Some were almost as smart and reasonable as humans and furs. Most were of limited intelligence and hostile. This one looked almost like a zombie, with skin peeling off part of it's face and several teeth fallen out. It sported a two-handed axe. Probably slow, but very bad news if it got the drop on him.

Where was his weapon? Melvin looked around. He thought he had it in a certain place, but it wasn't there. Dammit!

"Raaaaarrrrr!" The mutant raised it's ax, and rushed forward, faster than Melvin thought it could move. He stumbled out of the way. The mutant continued to charge in a straight line and the ex-burglar was already well out of it's path when it moved past. It wasn't until it had gone twenty feet further before it stopped and turned around, "Raaaaaarrrrrr!"

Melvin still hadn't found his weapon, he looked at a pile of old junk cars. He only had a short time to look before he saw the mutant charging again. Once again, Melvin ran out of the way. Unable to stop, the mutant charged and ran right into the pile. It hit hard enough for the top of the pile to fall on top of it. The mutant was buried.

The former bandit could hardly believe it. With no sign that the mutant was still moving, he decided to see what the toppling of junk had exposed. He noticed the wreckage of a delivery truck that had been in the middle of the pile. Going inside the crumpled cab, there were several smashed packages. But one caught his attention, "Freeze-Dried Meals." He opened the box, and could barely believe it. There were over a dozen foil-packets of dried turkey, ham, potatoes, corn, and cherry pie. Thankfully he saw a thermos, and looking inside, there was water.

Melvin was relieved. At least for now, his food worries were over. He was about to tear into one, then he noticed more movement. Looking over, he saw not a mutant, but ... a child? This looked like a young fox kit.

"Um, hello?" He greeted the boy, at least he thought it was a boy.

"Please," he heard the youngster say. Then there was the gurgle of hunger.

Melvin felt his heart ache. The Deathlands was hardly a place for a kid. Let alone one on his own. He motioned the youth over, followed the instructions on the packet, putting in a little water and shaking it, then handed it to the youth with a plastic spork. But instead he gulped it down from the container.

"Whoah! Take it easy! There's plenty more. What's your name, kiddo?"

"Ar, Arthur."

"Well, pleased to meet you Arthur. My name's Melvin." The ex-burglar fixed a packet of his own, and slowly ate the contents with another spork.

"How you, find?"

"I guess I was lucky. Where's your mom anddad?"

"Mom? Dad?"

"The grownups who take care of you?"

"Uncle Giz. Not know, where."

The two sat there for a while. Melvin tried to talk to the child, but he would say little. Eventually, he decided to start a fire. After he got it going, he thought he saw some movement ...

And then he got knocked backward

"Stay away from him!"

Melvin looked up, and saw himself looking at not the fox kit, but a full grown one, and angry.

"Don't you dare hurt my nephew!"

"Your nephew? Oh, wait! I wasn't trying to hurt him."

"Like hell. You know how many times I've tried to keep him from slavers! I should - "

"No! Uncle, stop!"

The fox looked down, and Arthur was tugging at his pants, looking up with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Arthur! Are you okay?"

"Melvin fed me. Best meal in long time."

"What?" The fox's expression softened.

"I came across some food, he happened to show up, so I shared it."

The fox looked remorseful, "My apologies stranger. Very seldom have I seem a helpful soul around here. Granted things are not as desperate as they were in the past, but this is still not a place known for mercy."

"Apologies accepted. Since you're taking care of him, well, maybe I should give you a share as well."

"You really mean it?'

"Yeah, I do. Merry Christmas."

"Christmas?"

"It's a holiday where I'm from, on this day."

"I know what it is, but what's so merry about it?"

"We usually celebrated with dinner, giving gifts."

"My Father would tell me tales of Santa Claus kidnapping children to work as slaves, making gas masks and other things."

"Huh?" Melvin blinked, then chuckled, "Nah, Santa doesn't kidnap kids, he brings them gifts. I did hear about some other guy, Krampus, who punishes naughty kids. But they're different."

"Krampus?"

"Yeah, Santa's evil counterpart. I guess there's been some kind of mixup over the years."

The fox looked intrigued, "I would like to hear more." Then his stomach rumbled.

Melvin chuckled, "I guess the gift-giving starts now." He got another packet and handed it to the fox, "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you, I, think."

"Welcome ... no, you don't eat the powder, you need to mix it with water. I'll show you .."

Before long, the three were sitting by the fire, eating more of the dehydrated food. Melvin thought to himself. This place still sucked. But at least he could take a moment to relax and end the day with a full belly, and he had made some new friends.

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview With Rudolph

 
By Penny Shuftan
 

A few days ago, I had a chance to interview Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.  My first question was if he is the head reindeer. "On foggy nights, yes. That's when I take the lead,"  Rudolph said.  I asked if that was often. "It's fairly common for there to be some haze," he replied, "But when it starts to get thick, I guess that's about ten percent of the time. Since there's nine of us, that makes it about even."

I asked Rudolph what his goals for this year are, and he replied, "Same as always, helping Santa deliver the toys. Before that, I appear with him sometimes at malls and stores when the kids want to sit on Santa's lap. So that sometimes means handing out candy canes to the kids. And of course there's the kids who like to play 'nose boops.' Heh."

I wanted to know if Rudolph is looking forward to Christmas.  He said, "Of course, I look forward to it every year. It can be busy sometimes, but I like imagining the smiles on the kids when they open the presents."

I was just wondering about Rudolph being a special reindeer, and his response was to smile, "We're all special. We can fly, and as you see a little reindeer magic allows us to stand on back legs and walk around like Santa and the elves when we want to. I do have to admit there was a time in the past things got to my head a bit."

I was curious to see what Rudolph would like the public to know about him. "Well, I suppose mainly that I'm no longer the little guy in the old movies. I've grown up. A little bigger and older, and hopefully a little wiser," he said with a smile.

I was rather interested to know if Rudolph have any hobby.  "Well, I guess I like traveling around," replied Rudolph, "The thing about going about on Christmas, you don't stay on one place for very long at all. Though unless it's the Christmas season, I need to wear a disguise when I'm not out in the middle of the country.  It is nice being able to go about at my own pace. Seeing the elves make all those toys, I took a try at it, but the results left something to be desired. Oh well, the nieces and nephews liked them."

Since I did notice musical notes coming from Rudolph's mouth whenever he talks, I was just so curious to see if he actually sings. "A little, but not very well. The elves thought my version of 'Oh Christmas Tree' could turn one brown overnight. Heh heh,"  Rudolph said with a laugh.

According to Rudolph, his favorite activity is seeing the smiles on the kids when with Santa Claus, helpers at the "pictures with Santa" events at the stores and malls. He said that it's a big deal because it's a once in a while kind of things.

My next question would be if he really live in North Pole on Second Life. "There's several places in Second Life that call themselves North Pole. There is one that's operated by some of the reindeer and elves. Which one it is, well, not saying," said Rudolph with a smile, "I'm sure the residents will like trying to figure out which one it is."

The last question I have is what Rudolph thinks of people staying up all night trying to catch Santa Claus as he arrives at their houses to deliver presents. "It's cute," said Rudolph, "but they very seldom catch him. 'ol Santa simply goes to the next house when he sees the kids waiting for him, and comes back when they're asleep."

After that, he was gone, but before he left, he gave me a warm hug.  Thank you, Rudolph, wherever you are for letting me have an interview with you.  In a way, just by having an interview with Rudolph, he had granted me one of my wishes to continue writing even when I'm in a lot of pain.  That is greatly appreciated.  As I save this article up with a smile, I know that on Christmas eve, Santa Claus, and Rudolph will be working very hard at granting so many people's wishes so when they wake up on Christmas morning, they'll definitely have a big smile on their faces.
 
Penny Shuftan 

The preceding was a fun article meant for entertainment.
 

Christmas at Devon Dream

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

I recently stopped by the sim of my friend Safra Nitely, Devon Dream. Every year, Safra decorates her sim for the holidays. And this year was no exception. "It's a work in progress," she told me when I met up with her, "I started it last night."

While she had only been building for less than a day, most of the work was already done. The place was snow covered and there were walkways going around much of the sim, often with short stone walls on either side and going through pine forest, the green needles with snow in the leaves. There were also streetlamps with wreaths every so often. One stretch of walkway had colorful lights on the brick walls and white lights on the boards underneath. With the sun set to midnight, it was quite a pretty view. One branch of the road led to what Safra called a crystal island, trees with colorful glowing leaves surrounding a crystal carousel. Once again, this was best viewed the sun set to Midnight, showing a rainbow of lit-up trees.  

Going further, there was a pond of skating penguins. Unlike what was hinted with the penguins Strawberry Linden looked at earlier, there was no sneakiness with them. As we walked, we passed three stores, which were currently empty. Safra told me they were free to whomever wanted them, "If there is demand, we will add more." We went by another icy pond with what looked like cups large enough for a person to sit in, "We have bumper snowball cars too." There was also a Santa's workshop in which the big guy checked over a list while in one corner elves made some toys and juggled candy canes. By the largest pond is a hangout area, with a sweets stand with lots of candy and cookies on display. One can sit by a table near a stove and nibble on a jam-flavored tart.

Around the area were various smaller displays. There were reindeer, there were elves, there were snowmen, there were polar bears, some playing music, and there were piles of presents. All added to the cheerful atmosphere.

"So this is unfinished," Safra told me, "Another one or two days I think, given I started yesterday on a blank sim. So it's all gone up in twenty-four hours. Most of the time was doing the path and the walls, the rest just filled in after." Originally, she was going to take a break this year, "Some people contacted me asking if I was going to do Christmas (decorating). When I said no, they were line 'What are we going to do then?' Apparently some rely on this place to be together Christmas D ay. This level is open to the public from Monday. It will not be pony-themed, it will be for generally everyone, welcome to come sit, have a coffee or chat, take photos, or just chill out." She commented her work should be all done the following day.

Safra planned a party at the area as well, "There will be a Christmas party here from 12PM SL time to 5PM, it will be taking all of (the) EU into Christmas, with 'NORAD Track Santa. Yes, we will be tracking Santa. We'll have a contest, and fun."

A couple friends of Safra joined us, and there was a few minutes of joking around, then Safra went back to work. Dropping by later, it was evening and there was a pretty aurora in the night sky. A well-done Christmas area.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Devon%20Dream/84/97/24

Bixyl Shuftan

Winter Holiday Village and Love Valley

 
By Gemma Cleanslate

I was a little concerned when I had not seen any notice of Winter Holiday Village which is always a favorite  to visit for years. Finally notice came for the opening last week. This is  a great place for ice skating . Though scaled back in size this year it still is a marvelous experience.

The Ice Ballroom is there with the carousel and chairs for dining. You cant miss it as you skate by. It was good to see the Penguins marching by their part of the village.

Nearby on a hill stands Mrs Claus Bakery and Santa’s Workshop.  Look for the Reindeer Farm too where all sorts of reindeer are for sale .  Another crystal building holds Santa’s chair with his elves in attendance. Santa will be live there soon taking requests and photos. . There are many places to just sit and relax  or snuggle and watch the skaters as they move along the lake and rivers.

The stage stands on the ice too. There are many shows both live  and concerts and dj’s  going on every day right up to the Christmas eve. Join the group for notices or check the board for information.

One great activity is taking a ride Santa’s Magic Snow Owl. It takes you over all the venues and you get a good look . Look for free skates and also some good choices for skates with AO on sale. I will be going back for some skating.

There is also a Club near by you might want to check out on the same region. Santa eats there and they have a nice bar.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pyrates%20Cove/83/223/22

What a busy site I found went over to check out Winter Christmas Love Valley.

This is a place to go skating and touring with your honey and your friends. The skating there is great! The place glitters with falling snow and coated trees, and glistening ice. When I was there it was filled with 18 skaters, walkers and people just relaxing by fires and in little cuddles places.

If you are missing a skate AO,  no worries there are free skates and skate balls to help you . There is a cute North Pole area to hang around .Enjoy the tiny train ride around the tree .

Horse riding is fun here too along the snowy lanes . Bring your own or use the available horse rezzer. There is a  teleport board near the entrance that will take you off to any of these choices.  If you are looking for a place to take stunning photos, this is it! Pick up a notecard about the 2020 photo and film contest at the entrance “.Winter Love Valley Photo & Film Contest 2020 Win 15,000L” Lots to enjoy here!  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Casca%20Cove/181/185/22

Today , Wednesday the 9th, Patch and a bevy of Moles visited the Relay for Life Christmas Expo. Patch did duty listening to whatever the visiting populace of second life asked for. I wonder how much he could promise. The Moles were arrayed around him and stood patiently. I took some pictures .

Patch Linden in Santa's chair.

 Grumpy Mole  looking grumpy as usual .

Alotta Mole looking angelic ... unusual .

Gemma Cleanslate

Christmas Places, Part Four

 
By Gemma Cleanslate

Bellisseria is ready for the season too. Not only are people decorating their own homes and yards, at the Fairgrounds there is an entrance to the enchanted gathering place. 

The softly falling snow has covered the ground, some of the animals we don’t see very often have populated the area. A dance area is set up and ready for all the parties that will take place.

If you don’t live on Bellisseria continent it does not matter . You can visit and enjoy the dancing and fun on this special ground. When you arrive at the fairgrounds walk over to the rock formation near by and touch the dark shadow entrance to get here. I am looking forward to getting to some of the parties .I made the opener.  Prudence (PrudenceAnton) and  Cian Wycliffe created this for everyone to enjoy . To get a peek at the venue take a look at this!

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfmMQ3l18UA&t=11s

and then go visit!!   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bellisseria%20Fairgrounds/160/217/24

Christmas at Tayren’s region is an experience not to be missed. Here you have a chance to get some  really nice outfits for those formal occasions that may come up during this seasons and some medieval clothing or fantasy for those role play  regions you might go to visit that ask for this clothing . I love her outfits . I discovered them at a Christmas expo about  years ago and have some that I use year after year.

But after you peruse her huge store get out and walk down that long hill to find some quaint shops and farther on a marvelous area to explore. 

Walk or ride into the Fairie Valley to see how they live. Their homes are built right into the tree stumps, or other natural places. I met a family having a great time exploring.

Back up at the top there is a carnival setting with carousel, some shops and I found Santa and sat down to tell him how things are going. I have a feeling most of us have the same wishes this year and he can only do so much.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wind%20Struck/141/216/29

I love going to the Creations Park Christmas fairs. This year it is called Grown with Love. Shopping in the Creations regions is a good gesture because much is donated to Team Fox for Parkinson disease research and help. You will find an Advent calendar there too. It is a little smaller than usual but well stocked with decorations and outfits.

Step into Swing Town part of Creations and check out the events planned at the Savoy for December . It is always swinging and there is great shopping in other areas of Creation Park so don’t miss it.  From the Savoy you can take a left and go into the regular shopping area with a myriad of shops.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Creations%20Park/15/157/28

I also stopped over at the opening of the look at the new Linden homes that will become a choice in the future for premium members. It is connected to the American Cancer society site. Many people who already have homes on the Bellisseria continent wait anxiously for new themes in case they might like to move . Right now many are waiting for the Stilts to be released.  

Drop by to take a look. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/126/238/24

Gemma Cleanslate

Frisky The Snowman

By Bixyl Shuftan

When Christmas comes to Second Life, many decorate their areas with snow and a Christmas tree, or other simple decorations such as wreaths and candy canes. And then there's Nydia Tungsten, the owner of the "Happy Vixen," the beach club of the Sunweaver/Angels community. While gift-giving is fun, the crass commercialism and stress can take the happiness out of the holiday. So she tries to have a little fun with her "Twisted Christmas" music set every season, filled with parody songs from mild to wild as an answer to "Fa-la-la-la" played 24/7 in every other shopping center.

But this year, she did a little more. She decorated the beach club with some off-kilter Christmas decorations that were definitely not for child avatars. There was "Santa and the drunken reindeer," which had the not so jolly old elf and his sleigh having wiped out, and the reindeer were all splat on the ground or on the fence, except one that was taking a piddle on Kris Kringle. There were a couple reindeer on the rooftop "romantically engaged." There was one outhouse labeled "Santa's Office: Knock First" where Santa was having to answer a call of nature, "Ho ho ho! Could I have a little privacy?" About the only thing that looked G-rated at first glance was one snowman on the side of the dance floor. But before long, you'd hear cheesy pick-up lines from him. This was "Frisky the Snowman."

"Frisky the Snowman" wasn't something she had a friend do, but had bought it from a store owner. Taking a look at the Marketplace page, "Frisky the Flirty Snowman" was sold by a Connor71, "For many, me included, holidays... particularly Christmas can be a bit depressing for us at times depending on our given situation. Frisky was my answer to add a few smiles, and I certainly had several ear to ear grins making him.  I really hope he can spread some cheer to everyone."

Connor had boasted Frisky had "Over 100 come ons." And he never seemed to run out as at events, he relentlessly spouted one after another, "Do you have a quarter? Mom asked me to call her if I ever fell in love." "Look at you, with all those curves, and me with no brakes." "Is God missing an angel? You look like you fell from Heaven." Some could be a little creepy, "If a fat man puts you in a bad tonight, don't worry. I told Santa I wanted you for Christmas." "You can take me home, or I can follow you home, your choice."

The reaction from the women was what one might expect in this day of news headlines of sexual harassment stories. A few laughed, some groaned, some growled, and a number made jokes about how to dispose of the perverted snowman. Frequent ideas were shoving him into the water or grabbing a flamethrower and blasting him. One girl posed in front of him with a couple lightsabers, red and green to match the Christmas season. They couldn't of course. Only the Happy Vixen staff had the power to do anything about him.

So what did I think? As a guy, he reminded me of the examples I had while growing up of how *not* to ask women out. But as the years went on, and I remained single, guys (in real life) kept telling me I needed to be more pushy, "You need to start reaching out and grabbing some ***s." I sometimes wonder if they were seeing if I'd had a mental lapse and actually do it. Then again, they had reproduced (or rather a number of them had), I hadn't. So maybe there was *something* to the strategy of one lame pickup line after another. And then there was the story I read years ago about a woman whom claimed the ghost of a guy was not only haunting her house, but going after her. The exorcist she called to get rid of him told her he was a lonely soul who never had luck with women and in death was continuing what he was trying in life.

Eventually came the night of Nydia's "Twisted Christmas" set, in which she played her parodies for two hours, from mild, to wild to, "Oh my God, what was he thinking?!" And Frisky was relentlessly giving out one pickup line after another so cheesy one could smell the parmesan. One girl commented they were more like limburger. As usual, they joked about how to melt him, but the snowman didn't notice, or didn't care, continuing his lame lines, "Hottie alert! I'm melting!" "I put your picture up at the post office, 'cause you're wanted by me." Like that *one guy* at certain parties, you weren't sure if he kept hoping some girl would finally answer his love calls, or he wasn't doing it to get entertainment, but that the cat-calls were entertainment in themselves.

The following day, the decorations Nydia had put up for "Twisted Christmas" were all gone. This included Frisky. A few girls acted happy that the snowman was gone. When I asked Nydia what happened to him, she answered, "I melted him, with a flamethrower." So what cheesy pickup line drove her over the edge? She wouldn't say.

The snowman is gone, but no doubt he'll be remembered.

Frisky the Snowman,
Was a perverted skirt-chasing soul,
With a candy-striped cane, and a stovepipe hat,
He cat-called with a leer made out of coal.

Oh how the women,
Hated each cheesy pick-up line.
They talked about how to melt him down.
To him, he was a load of slime.

As for yours truly,
I too felt he was a butt.
But you have to admit, he wouldn't quit,
For his passion, he never gave up.

Then one morning,
Frisky the Snowman had gone away.
The women cheered, but I was a little sad,
Deep down, I'd hoped he'd get one chance to play.

Bixyl Shuftan

Image Credit: Connor07

Santa is Missing: Part 2

By Mylie Foxclaw

Continued from Part One. 

After two intensive days of investigation, one thing was clear.  Everyone living in the North Pole HATED Santa Claus.  My list of suspects was endless.  Everyone had a grudge against him and they all seemed glad that he was gone.  I looked everywhere in the North Pole, putting myself in great danger when I confronted two polar bears who stated that they had to pay a monthly rent to Santa Claus so they could stay there.  To most inhabitants, Santa was an oppressor. 

I was not finding any clues other than that.  That’s when I realised that I would need to infiltrate if I wanted to resolve this case.  I talked to Roan the Elf and explained my problem to him.  I needed to go incognito!  Roan thought for a while and dashed away.  He came back with a box and said that he found the perfect disguise.  I opened the box and smiled.  His idea was brilliant!  I quickly changed into the costume and smiled.  I could pass as a reindeer easily with this thing on.

As I stepped out of Santa’s house, I noticed a commotion nearby.  I went to look and my jaw dropped.  It turned out that the elves had lost hope already.  They had started to audition for a replacement Santa and there were all kind of creatures, including the Grinch, who wanted the prestigious position.  I knew that Christmas would be a total disaster if I did not figure out what happened to Santa Claus.  

I went around, the costume keeping me warm.  I marched confidently, knowing that I would find some clue soon.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  It turned out that no one had any idea.  The inhabitants repeated whatever they told me yesterday.  To make it short, Santa was a total bastard.  I figured that I had to search elsewhere if I wanted to find Santa.  I decided to venture across the globe on my own in order not to draw attention.  I did not want Santa’s kidnappers to find out that I was investigating.  My search took me to places which I heard Santa would sometimes go during the year.  These included zoos, casinos, strip clubs (yeah I was speechless too when Mrs Claus mentioned this), and more awkward places.  But the thought of someone else taking Santa’s place kept me going.

Some days later, I decided to give up.  There was no trace or clue.  I felt terrible whenever I saw kids walking around excitedly as Christmas approached.  I knew that that Roan and Rudolph were waiting for good days; after all, I had promised them that I would solve this case.  I did not have the heart to tell them that they would indeed need a new Santa.

Before going back to the North Pole, I decided to visit a secluded beach to think about how I would break the news to them.  I found a quiet spot and starred at the waves while I listened to the birds chirping a tropical version of ‘Jingle Bells’.  Suddenly I heard a rough voice shouting in anger, “Rudolph, what the hell are you doing here?”

I looked up and blinked in confusion.  It could not be!  I rubbed my eyes while he continued to shout and yell. 

“Santa?  Is that you?” I asked, watching the old man in his Santa suit and boots and a pair of funky shades.

“What happened to your voice, you idiot?” he asked back.

“I’m not Rudolph!” I shouted, feeling irritated.  Santa looked at me closely and let out a sign of relief.  I explained how I ended up at the beach in my Reindeer costume.  When I finished, I said that he owed me an explanation. 

It turned out that Santa Claus needed a break because he felt overwhelmed and so he decided to take a vacation to a secluded tropical spot, away from the North Pole.  He also wanted to get his dose of Vitamin D from the sun before Christmas. 

“Those bastards are probably happy that I’m gone!” he grunted out as I enjoyed the sun’s warmth.  I nodded as he continued, “Ungrateful ….”

“Do you ever get any gifts for Christmas?” I interrupted as I stared at him.

“Gifts?  Me?”  Santa asked, scratching his head, “I never get gifts.”

“That’s because you are a jerk to your own neighbours!” I snapped, “Everyone hates you, so its obvious that you will never get gifts in your life!”

“But I’m Santa Claus!  Everyone knows that!” Santa argued.

“So what?” I countered, “Being Santa does not give you the right to ill-treat everyone!  And don’t tell me that you don’t.  I know what you tried to do to your snowman!”

Santa looked at his feet for a moment before letting out a sigh, “But North Pole is so boring.  There’s nothing, it’s just all about Christmas!”

“You can make it exciting if you paid attention to everyone.  They got great ideas but they can’t talk to you because you are mean.  In fact if all the children in the world knew how you behaved, they would stop celebrating Christmas,” I stated.

I spent the rest of the evening explaining to Santa how to be a better person and neighbour.  He seemed willing to make an effort.  I hoped he would not disappoint.  At least I had kept my promise to Roan the elf and Rudolph the reindeer.  My job was done.

As for Santa, he will be heading back home soon now that he got his dose of Vitamin D and a suntan.  No one needs to worry anymore.  Christmas is not cancelled.  Santa is fine, he just wanted a little summer vacation before the big day.   

Merry Christmas everyone!  Enjoy!

Mylie Foxclaw

Santa Claus Is Missing: Part One

By Mylie Foxclaw

I was busy planning a defence strategy with Glu-Glu the turkey (refer to the thanksgiving dinner story).  We decided that encouraging people to eat tofu instead of turkey might be a good tactic.  Besides it was a healthy option.  Suddenly the doorbell rang and I went to answer the door.  We were expecting our protest banners to be delivered, but I was surprised as I opened the door.  Standing in front of me were Rudolph the Reindeer, and Roan the Elf.  Glu-Glu, fearing that Santa Claus was hungry, went to hide in the closet while I invited them inside.

“Err… isn’t it too early for presents?” I asked, scratching my head in confusion.  Christmas is supposed to be on the 25^th December… maybe the date changed.

“Santa is missing!” Roan exclaimed while Rudolph sobbed, “We need your help!”

“What?  Santa is missing?!” I cried out in shock, “No way!  He can’t go missing!”

“He has disappeared!” Roan explained, “We can’t find him!  Someone must have kidnapped him!”

“Oh my god!” I muttered, totally shaken by the news, “We need to find Santa!  Else Christmas will be ruined!”

Rudolph nodded while Roan continued.  I could feel the desperation in his voice, “Please!  Help us.  Santa might be in great danger.  We need to save him before it’s too late!”

“Of course, I will help you!  Let me just call Fox News, my boss, he is a good investigator and…” I started.

“Noooooo!!!!!” Roan screamed while Rudolph ran outside in fear.  Glu-Glu started to protest from his hideout. 

“But why?” I asked, wondering why they reacted as such.

“He scares the penguins away with his teeth,” Roan whispered, “When he came to visit last year to interview Santa, they all ran away to South Pole…”

“Okay, fine!” I snapped, “Let’s get going then.  I have to investigate.”

Rudolph came back and off we flew to the North Pole.  It took us a few hours to reach there.  We soon pulled in front of Santa’s magnificent house.  I wrapped my arms around myself as I followed Roan.  We got inside the house and I was amazed.  Everything looked so tidy.  The letters were in neat piles and we could see other Elves working in a corner of the room.  

Roan took me to Santa’s bedroom and I started to investigate.  Everything looked normal; there was no sign of struggle.  I went to his bathroom and noticed that it was very clean and organised.  I was amused to notice a razor since Santa has such a long and bushy beard but Roan explained that Santa liked to shave his legs every Christmas Eve and likes smooth legs.

After an hour, we left the house and I told Roan that I needed to talk to everyone who stayed nearby so we could find a clue.  I started to interrogate the snowman who worked as a vigil. 

“When was the last time you have seen Santa?”  I asked.

“It must have been yesterday night,” the snowman replied, sounding very annoyed, “the bastard snatched my nose and bit into it.”  He pulled out his carrot nose and indeed, I could see that a part of it was missing.  It looked like someone really had a bite. 

“Are you sure it was Santa?” I pressed on, trying to find more clues.

“Ha!  Yes, it was that old fat jerk!  He got no respect for snowmen!” the snowman replied before adding, “He tried to melt me once with his blow-dryer!  I’m so glad he’s gone!”

I starred at the snowman suspiciously for a moment before deciding to interrogate a penguin.  The latter told me that he saw Santa early this morning.  Apparently, Santa threatened to sell all the fish so that he could buy himself a huge Jacuzzi.  The penguin became another suspect. 

By the end of the day, it turned out that almost everyone in Santa’s neighbourhood had a grudge against him.  My list of suspects grew extensively.  Santa’s wife, the elves, the other reindeers, the snowmen, the polar bears and other creatures were all suspects in Santa’s disappearance.

I was not going to give up.  No matter what I learned about that mean old guy, I knew that we had to find Santa, else there would be no Christmas!

What happened to Santa?  Has he been kidnapped?  By whom? Is he still alive?  Stay tuned for the next episode of this story.

Mylie Foxclaw

“What Is Christmas Really About?”

By Locke Esgal

    The holidays are here again, and I just wanted to say a little something about them.

See, a lot of people ask “What is Christmas really about?” Now, this might seem like a cheesy line that's been repeated throughout every Christmas movie ever...It's about spending time with your loved ones. I've seen people argue that it's about the gifts, both giving and receiving. I've even seen some who firmly believe things such as not being able to celebrate the holidays unless you are a die-hard religious person.

    See, I firmly believe that all of that is secondary to the true purpose of the season, Family and friends. Companionship and camaraderie. Grab yourselves a cup of nog, or even hot cocoa, throw on a sappy holiday movie and plot your group's collective fannies on the couch and enjoy the time you've got before school or work picks back up and you all end up busy again! Heck, if everyone's busy anyway, just send them some a bit of cheer. A text, a phone call, or even popping in for a cup of coffee. You never know, you might just make someone's holiday a little bit brighter.

    Celebrating on the Grid? Why not find a holiday sim to visit with friends! Or, grab an in world TV and snuggle up with your loved ones and watch some holiday movies. So long as you enjoy the season with those you care about, it doesn't matter where or how you celebrate it. Plus, you can find yourself some holiday themed avis, or just a really ugly mesh sweater!

    Not in the mood yourself? As a former professionally trained humbug, I can relate. It took me a while to learn this lesson, but I found the holiday stress practically melting away when I realized that the only things that truly matter this time of year is friends, family and maybe that cocoa. Just look for the bright spots and hold them as tight as you can. The bad stuff will pass eventually, just you wait.

    So, just remember, celebrate these holidays with your loved ones and make them as merry as you can. Don't let the bad stuff get you down and, from the bottom of my heart, have ...

Happy Holidays.

Locke Esgal

Have Yourself a Tiny Little Christmas

Remember the "Tiny Carollers" whom entertained the audience at the last show of the season of "the 1st Question" during technical difficulties? Well, their whole performance was too long for the article then. So here it is now.

~*~ O' Little Sim of Raglan Shire, Where Tinies come to Playyyy ~*~
~*~ To run and chitter endlessly and RiverDance all dayyyy ~*~
~*~ And in the Snow of Winterfest, Tinies are heard to Call.. ~*~
~*~ To Visitors of Biggie Height, Asked Why Are You So Tallllllll? ~*~

* ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ *

~*~ It's beginning to look alot like Wootmas! ~*~
~*~ All across the shire you go! ~*~
~*~ Take a look at the village chalet, ~*~
~*~ The snowmen and the sleigh, ~*~
~*~ With candy canes and tinsel all aglow! ~*~

~*~ Its beginning to look a lot like Wootmas! ~*~
~*~ Tinies in every store! ~*~
~*~ But the nommiest site to see ~*~
~*~ Is the waffles that will be ~*~
~*~ Inside your own front door. ~*~

~*~ A pair of bunny hop shoes and lazors that shoot ~*~
~*~ Is the wish of Copper and Reign! ~*~
~*~ Dolls that will talk and go for a walk ~*~
~*~ Is the hope of Jillan and Jane! ~*~
~*~ And Kayak and Toady can hardly wait ~*~
~*~ Till Raglan U opens agaaain! ~*~

~*~ Its beginning to look alot like Wootmas ~*~
~*~ All across the shire you go! ~*~
~*~ Theres a great tree name of Steve, ~*~
~*~ That all the tinies can see, ~*~
~*~ He's GINORMOUS, and doesnt mind the snow! ~*~

~*~ Its beginning to look alot like Wootmas! ~*~
~*~ Soon the bells will start! ~*~
~*~ And the thing that will make them ring, ~*~
~*~ When all the tinies sing, ~*~
~*~ Is right within your heart!!! ~*~


* ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ *

~*~ Hark the Tiny Critters Sing, Glory to the Waffle King! ~*~
~*~ Peace on the Grid & Syrup mild, Otters & Ferrets Reconciled! ~*~
~*~ Joyful with all your fur so slick, Raise up your Cookies on a stick! ~*~
~*~ And with upward paws proclaim, We shall RiverDance again! ~*~
~*~ Hark the Tiny Critters Sing, Glory to the Waffle Kinnnng ~*~

* ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ *

~*~ Jelly Beans, Hunks of Cheese, Sugar Frosted Ham. All Deep-fried, Toast on the Side with Wootberry Jam.. ~*~
~*~ Chocolate Cake all wrapped in Bacon, Nachos on a Stick! Come Along, Let's eat some Noms & Hope we don't get Sick... HEY!! ~*~
~*~ Nomming Treats & Sweets, from Our Raglan Shire Buffet, Fills our little tummies, with Food this Holiday! ~*~
~*~ Just singing 'bout it now, Make's our Hunger Rise! We can't wait to grab a Plate & Stack it real High.. Withhh.. ~*~
~*~ Jelly Beans, Hunks of Cheese, Sugar Frosted Ham. All Deep-fried, Toast on the Side with Wootberry Jam.. ~*~
~*~ Chocolate Cake all wrapped in Bacon, Nachos on a Stick! Come Along, Let's eat some Noms & Hope we don't get SICKKKKKKK! ~*~

~*~ Here we come A-waffling please feed us Breakfast Food! Here we come A-hungering so ~*~ Knives & Forks Come to Me, And a Warm Butter Patty, And please Serve us some Syrup & Chopped up Pecans Tooooo...~*~
~*~ And Please Sprinkle some Berries on them Toooo! Here we come A-waffling please Feed us Tasty Treats!~*~
~*~ Here we come A-chittering so give us something Sweet! Thanks to All for the Snax! Now we all can go Chillax!~*~
~*~And go about the things that we all Dooooo..... And Happy Holidays from All of Us to YOUUUUUUUUUU~*~

* ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ * ~*~ *

~*~ Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening? ~*~
~*~ In the shire, snow is glistening! ~*~
~*~ A wootiful sight, we're happy tonight, ~*~
~*~ Walking in a waffle wonderland! ~*~

~*~ Gone away is the blue bird ~*~
~*~ Here to stay is the new bird ~*~
~*~ He noms on chocolate ~*~
~*~ With bacon on a stick ~*~
~*~ Walking in a waffle wonderland! ~*~

~*~ In the shire we can build a snowman ~*~
~*~ Pretend that he's a chef from outta town ~*~
~*~ He'll say 'Want some waffle?' We'll say 'YEAH MAN!' ~*~
~*~ Then he'll pour the syrup while we chow! ~*~

~*~ Later on we'll conspire ~*~
~*~ As we riverdance in the shire ~*~
~*~ Tiny faces alight ~*~
~*~ With all the presents in sight ~*~
~*~ Walking in a waffle wonderland! ~*~

from the Tiny Crew of "the 1st Question"

Poetry - Christmas Notes to a Once Husband

Pale sun
lights the waning December afternoon,
presents bought, but still unwrapped...

The house is for sale,
by either the bank or the tax man...

Your oldest girl just turned 35...

I know you never liked the season,
in fact, you were Mr. Bah Humbug himself...
we suffered somewhat from that.

My children and I are all together this holiday season,
it has been a long time...

You will be missed by some,
others, not

My hope is, that wherever your soul is
You will at last enjoy this season
of good tidings and good will
and accept it for what it is

Rest in peace my once husband.

Shellie Sands

The Creative Christmas Hunt

If you’re a creator or builder, or have ever wanted to try your hand at it, you need to check out the Creative Christmas Hunt. The Hunt is going on now through December 22. This Hunt is unique because the prizes are Christmas-themed gifts you can use to create your own special items. Everything comes with full permissions, but you have to agree to not re-sell or give away the item directly. You must use the item to make something, which you are free to give away or sell.

The Hunt starts at Christmas Lane, located at Saint Pierre at (41, 104, 22). Follow the path to hunt for the small green tree that will contain the prize and a landmark for the next location. Nearly 100 stores are participating, which is amazing. Not only will you find a wide variety of items, but you’ll probably visit some locations that are new to you. I know I did.

I liked the textures best, but there are also wreaths, a toy train, trees, ornaments, holly, and many other items. The picture shows me with only a tiny sample of the goodies I have collected. Best of all, many of the participants wrote out directions so you can learn.

There have been a few glitches along the way: stores that were not quite ready or landmarks that didn’t get you to the correct spot. Mandi Blanco, the Hunt coordinator, has been quick to fix things, or at least send out notices to alert participants and offer advice. But the problems have been minor, especially when compared to the valuable prizes and information that has been donated.

Some of the shops have put their trees in easy and obvious spots. Others have been much harder to find. I skipped a few, but I was able to find almost all of the items. A few places give out hints, which is helpful. Usually I think the thrill of the hunt is the most fun, and the prize is secondary. But with the CCH, the prizes are the greatest. It’s a perfect way to learn how to make things without investing a lot of Lindens.

In fact, I think I’ll stop writing and start making things now.

Grey Lupindo