Story 420: Romping in a Winter Wonderland

 (In a house, three children are having lunch in the kitchen)

Parent: (Bursts in, waving tickets) Well kids, it took me five years but we’re finally making it to the North Pole’s Magic Land of Fun and Wonder, hooray!

Kid 1: (Applauds with a mouth full of sandwich) Hooray!

Kid 2: Hate to be the downer here, but isn’t that place for, you know….

Kid 3: Kids?

Parent: Yes!  And you’re it!  Them.

Kid 2: True, but five years is a long time in this stage of our existence.

Kid 3: Yeah – I started shaving last month.

Kid 1: Wait, this isn’t the roller coaster park that just does the Santa bit this time of year?

Kid 2: Nope: this is full-on North Pole.

Kid 1: Oh.  (To Parent) I have to retract my “Hooray” – isn’t that place for kids?

Parent: WE ARE GOING.

            (At the North Pole’s Magic Land of Fun and Wonder)

Parent: (Shoving Kids into the park) Go on, my lovelies, pick a place where you’d like to start!

Kid 2: (Looks around at the festive buildings) Um… can we get something to eat in Mrs. Claus’s Candy and Cookie Kitchen?

Parent: You just ate breakfast an hour ago!

Kid 2: Tell that to my growing body.  (Holds stomach as it growls in agreement)

Parent: OK, we’ll get some snacks there, then it’s off to Santa’s Workshop, yippee!

Kid 3: Ooh, you think they’ll let me play with the power tools if I ask nicely?

Parent: ABSOLUTELY NOT!

(On the extremely long line to see Santa)

Kid 3: Are they gonna make us sit on his lap?

Parent: What do you mean, “make us”?  Don’t you want the full experience of a benevolent father figure granting your heart’s desire?

Kid 3: It’s just that, I think I’m bigger than he is.

Parent: (Waves dismissively) Fine-fine, stand next to him or whatever then.

Kid 2: Can I do that, too?

Kid 1: Me three?

Parent: You two aren’t bigger than he is.

Kid 2: It feels creepy to sit on a stranger’s lap at my age.

Kid 1: Even if he is a right jolly old elf.

Santa Claus: (Waves to the family) Ho-ho-ho, NEXT!  (None of the Kids move)

Parent: You wimps, I’ll do it!  (Runs up to the platform and hops onto Santa’s lap)

Santa Claus: Oof!  You’re quite a big child there, ho-ho-hm.

Parent: Hi Santa, all I want this year is three grateful children, please.

Santa Claus: You and me both – (Holds out a candy cane) take this and scram, you’re cutting off the circulation to my legs.

Parent: (Takes the candy cane and leaps off of Santa Claus) Thank you!  (To Kid 1) Get up there!

Kid 1: (Approaches Santa Claus, remains standing) Hi Santa, could I have a quote-unquote “normal” parent this year?

Santa Claus: Mild embarrassment aside, you don’t know how lucky you have it.  (Tosses a candy cane at Kid 1) Now get outta here and let through the ones who actually want to see me.  (Kid 2 and Kid 3 walk off the line, following Kid 1)

Parent: If those two are gonna skip, can I take their places?

Santa Claus: Don’t be greedy, now beat it!

(The family arrives at a ride featuring flying reindeer)

Parent: Yes!  Let’s go on this one, it’ll be perfect to ride those just as it’s starting to snow!

Kid 1: That sounds more magical than I think it’ll turn out to be.

(They wait on line for an hour, then climb aboard the reindeer that fly in a circle and up-and-down)

Parent: (Waving arms forward) On Dasher, on Dancer, wheee!

Kid 1: (Looking out at the parking lot) Hey, I can see the car from here!

Kid 2: (Looking up) I can see the sun from here!  This is super high, oh-my-gosh!

Kid 3: (Stuck at the bottom of the vertical arc) I think mine’s broken.

(In the car on the way home)

Parent: Well kids, I know this was five years too late for you to fully appreciate it, but I hope you had at least some fun today in this excursion of merriment.

Kid 1: Yeah, the one ride was pretty fun in the blizzard and all.

Kid 2: My favorite was the Elf Chip Cookies.  And the giant hot cocoa with the giant marshmallows.  And the Yule Log Hot Dogs.  And the Peppermint Hamburger Patties.  And the –

Kid 3: I enjoyed seeing the wonder and magic shared by everyone there, and that special feeling only this season brings.  And the Yule Log Hot Dogs were pretty sweet, too.

Parent: That’s the spirit!  And because you all were so good today, I’m going to give you an extra special gift!

Kids 1-3: (Eagerly) What?

Parent: Next year, I’m going without you!

Kid 2: Probably for the best – we’d only slow you down.

Story 224: I Forgot to Wear Red Today

            “Don’t forget to wear red tomorrow.”

            “What’s tomorrow again?”

            “It’s Heart Health Month or something, so Corporate wants us all to wear red and they’ll take a group photo.  There’ll be cookies there, too, so more people show up.”

            “Sure, OK – I should have something red-ish lying around somewhere.”

THE NEXT DAY

            “Where’s your red?”

            “Shoot, I completely forgot!  When I picked out my clothes this morning it was so cold all I wanted was this really comfy sweater.”

            “Oh well, there’s always next year.”

            “Yes, but what about the photo?”

            “There’s almost 200 people working here; I doubt anyone’ll notice you’re not there.”

            “Yeah, but… you know….”

            “You want a cookie, don’t you.”

            “Yes!  And they won’t let you take an extra one for me, I just know it!”

            “Now that’s the spirit of this whole exercise.”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            “Psst.”

            “Huh?!  Oh, hey, why are you hanging out on top of my cubicle?”

            “You got an extra red shirt I could borrow?”

            “Heh-heh, you forgot?”

            “Clearly.”

            “Well then, I clearly wouldn’t randomly have an extra red shirt on me today, but I do have this red pen I never use that you can wear as flair.”

            “Forget it.”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            “Hi – you got a red scarf, or tie, or hat, or some other kind of accessory that I can borrow for the photo later?”

            “Really?  How could you have forgotten about that – we got all those memos and your manager even reminded you again yesterday!”

            “I don’t know, how could you have forgotten about your New Year’s resolution of spending more time with your kids?!”

            “Wow.  That was unnecessary.”

            “I am not myself today.”

            “It’s the cookie, isn’t it.”

            “…Maybe.”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            “Hey, would you miss those red suspenders if I appropriated them for about 10 minutes?”

            “My pants would, yes.”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            “Oh hi, you made it!  What are you wearing?”

            “It quite obviously is a maroon blazer.”

            “Made of taped-together construction paper?”

            “I don’t need to answer to you!”

            “Actually, you technically do.”

            FLASH!

            “Boy, that was great, I feel so part of a worthy cause, lives have been saved today because of me, now where’s the cookie set-up?”

            “Didn’t you get the e-mail earlier?  Corporate thought it would be a bit counter-message to serve sugary snacks when we’re supposed to be promoting healthy hearts, so they scrapped that whole deal last-minute.”

            “Oh.”

            “However, they did have these car magnets all made up – ”

            “Mine!”