The Yellow Duck meets Santa

Even though Christmas was only a week away, the Yellow Duck was bummed. While he had loved picking out a Christmas tree and had thoroughly enjoyed his Christmas party on Sunday, he was starting to realize not everyone liked Christmas as much as he did.

Sally the Salamander had gotten very angry with him when he didn't give her a "nicer" present, and had thrown his homemade cookies in the trash. Larry the Lizard had yelled at his mom in class for not buying him the video game system he wanted, and Priscilla the Poodle had announced that she was going to have a Christmas party for people who would buy her spa treatments. She wanted her nails painted, her coat fluffed and ribbons threaded through her curls.

"But that's not Christmas is about!" the Yellow Duck protested, holding up his homemade cookies and fudge.

"Really?" Larry the Lizard had sneered. "So what is it about? Stupid trees? Oversized socks?"

"No," the Yellow Duck said, his feelings hurt. "Christmas is about generosity. It's about being kind to one another, being happy about what you have. It doesn't have anything to do with presents or getting new toys. "

"What universe are you living in?" Priscilla the Poodle said snottily. "I bet you never get new presents. Otherwise, you'd know how great they are. So you can keep your oversized socks and your stupid cookies!" Priscilla threw her cookies away, and the class laughed. His head hung low, the Yellow Duck slowly waddled home.

After his mom had given him a hug and his favorite snack, he headed over to the pond. When he got there, Toad and Ms. Fish were each hunched over, working busily.

"Go away!" Ms. Fish snapped. "We're making you something."

"It's going to be really great," Toad promised. "You'll love it."

"Guys, I appreciate it, I really do," the Yellow Duck said sadly. "But I had a bad day today. I would rather talk to you than get a present."

"Just let us finish real quick!" Ms. Fish begged, covering the project with her wide fins. "Please? We want to make you happy!"

"Real happy!" Toad said, eating a bug. At Ms. Fish's stare, he sighed. "Sorry. No more bugs."

The Yellow Duck strode away unhappily and sighed. While his friends were being kind, he just wanted to talk to someone. He felt like no one understood his feelings. Why did Christmas have to be about presents? Why did it have to be so selfish and cruel? Maybe Christmas wasn't the best holiday after all.

Suddenly, a pair of black boots stood behind him. The Yellow Duck looked up to see a large red suit and big white beard. When he saw a pair of twinkling eyes stare down at him, he gasped.

"Santa!" he cried. "But I turned in my letter! Is it not Christmas yet?"

"Ho Ho Ho!" Santa cheered, his belly shaking. "Don't worry Yellow Duck. You've been a good boy this year, so you have nothing to worry about. I just wanted to come and talk to you about Christmas. You seemed sad about it."

"Well, I just feel like no one understands," the Yellow Duck said sadly. "Everyone is obsessed with presents and buying things. They threw away my homemade cookies I spent hours on and laughed. It just makes me almost feel like Christmas isn't worth it. That everyone makes it out to be something it isn't. "

"Yellow Duck," Santa began. "Christmas is what you make of it. The people who are rude and snotty about it have horrible Christmases. Not only do I not see them, but they barely see each other. They don't like their families, and they don't really like themselves. So they bury themselves in presents, because then they can pretend they're happy."

"You love Christmas," Santa continued. "And you bring a lot of joy to people. You're doing nothing wrong! So keep living Christmas the way you see fit. Bake cookies, spread cheer and most of all, be merry. Maybe a few people will learn from you!"

"Wow!" the Yellow Duck said. "Thanks Santa. That's some good advice!"

"I'll see you on Christmas Eve!" Santa winked. Suddenly, he was whisked away by a curtain of snowflakes, with only a "Ho Ho Ho!" echoing in the distance.

The Yellow Duck ran as fast as he could to the Pond. Ms. Fish and Toad had finished working and were now impatiently waiting for him to return.

"You guys!" the Yellow Duck yelled. "Guess what! Guess what! I saw Santa!"

Their jaws dropped. "Seriously?" Ms. Fish asked. "Was he fat?" Toad asked.

"He was great!" the Yellow Duck said. He told them what Santa had said.

"Wow," Toad said. "I never thought of it that way."

"This is what we made you," Ms. Fish said. She handed him a homemade platter covered in seaweed and seashells. "It's for you to put your cookies on when you hand them out. We wanted you to see what you did was important."

The Yellow Duck smiled. "All I need for Christmas is you guys!" he said, giving them both a hug. "Thank you!"

"Merry Christmas!" Toad cried.

"Merry Christmas!" Ms. Fish said.

"And a happy New Year!" the Yellow Duck cried.