The little Goomba children all hudled around a large red armchair, which had it's back towards a firplace that held a toasty, crackling fire. The red glow shined on their young faces, warming their cold limbs from after being outside inside the snow (so...just their feet then). Seated in the large, cushiony armchair was an old Goomba by the name of Professor Frankly. He smoked a pipe, brushing the large, fluffy, white tastle from his santa hat out of his face.
"A Merry Christmas to you, dear children," said the old Goomba.
"Murry Chismas - Christmas christmas - Happy Christmas! - Merry - Christopher Columbus," said the Goomba children. Professor Frankly puffed on his pipe as he brought forth a large, green, dusty book and set it on his lap. He blew across the cover, sending a cloud of dust to fall of one of the children.
"Achoo!" sneezed Goombilly.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry young boy," said Professor Frankly.
"Be careful, Frankly, if you get them sick their mothers won't be happy!" said Goombella as she entered the room carrying a tray of fresh baked cookies.
"COOKIES!" cried the Goomba children as they got up and ran towards Goombella, tackling her until she set the tray down on a long wooden coffee table.
"Oh, shush now, Goombella. I offered to watch after these children while their mothers were out last-minute-shopping, and I know what I got myself in to!" said Professor Frankly as he set down his smoldering pipe to the night table beside him.
"If you say so," said Goombella. "What are you going to do with them, anyways?"
"I'm going to read them this story, here." said Professor Frankly, indicating his book.
"Do you think they'll be able to pay attention?" asked Goombella, seriously.
"Of course!" Sputtered Professor Frankly, "they had to have run off all their energy outside in that blustery snow, right? Besides, no one can fall asleep listening to this Christmas story. It was always my absolute FAvorite as a child!"
"Really?" said Goombella. "I guess I could listen too. It's a lot better than making those cookies........... by the way, don't go in the kitchen..... it's..... well- just don't."
The small Goombas sat down at the floor in front of Frankly's chair, Goombella awkwardly doing the same. They each held a cookie. Goombara had an angel-shaped cookie, Goombilly a snowman, Annagoom a bell, Goomfred a reindeer, Goomrick a santa, and Goombyle had a jack-o-lantern (Goombella had run out of cookie stensils).
Professor Frankly opened the old book, the pages slightly crackling. "I am going to read you children...and Goombella...the story of what Christmas is really about!"
"Oooooooh," came the children's reply. Thus Frankly began his story........
It was a cold, snowy night, the stars were covered by thick clouds in the sky, and the earth was blanketed in snow. A koopa walked alone through the snow, shivering and hugging himself tight to keep himself warm. His green shell trembled as he trudged through the thick, white snow. This koopa's name was Koopole, and for his whole life he had loved Christmas more than anything else in the whole world, until that very Christmas Eve.
It all started in a warm, cozy house far away. Koopole and his green-shelled family happily exchanged gifts every year, drinking in the rich egg nog, and laughing at merry stories told by relatives. They exchanged many gifts, wrapped in glossy paper, and tied together in curly bows. Koopole loved Christmas, for it was the one day in the year he could recieve all the things he really wanted, without having to pay for any of it! He loved to get gifts on Christmas Eve, and loved it even more to get up the next morning and see his gifts under the tree! But this year however, it was different.
"Merry Christmas Uncle Koopo!" Koopole said as he lazily handed his uncle a glosy red box that held many looping bows that went this way and that.
"Thank you, Koopole!" he said and he began to unwrap his present. "It couldn't be worse than that tie you got me last year, haha!" Koopo opened the box to find a bright mustard-yellow tie that had purple pokedots. "Oh...er...its - "
"What you've always wanted? Your welcome Uncle Koopo! What'd you get me?" asked Koopole excitedly.
"Er...here you are my boy, Merry Christmas." Uncle Koopo handed Koopole a neatly wrapped gift. Koopole quickl opened it, tearing the wrapping paper to shreds. When he finished opening it, he found nothing but a crummy old book!
"What...what is this?!" Koopole said in a disgusted tone.
"That's the diary I wrote in in the Mushroom Kingdom War of '89. Yes, there are a lot of memories in that book. Perhaps reading some of those entries will wisen you up a bit- ...Koopole?" asked Uncle Koopo, looking around to find that Koopole had disappeared, leaving his uncle's diary inside the box it was wrapped in at Koopo's feet. Uncle Koopo sighed as he left to give Auntie Kooplie her gift. Koopole had thought of his uncles' gift as a joke. No one would want such a dusty old thing! Koopole went from relative after relative, unwrapping there gifts, only to find himself very disappointed. Socks from Auntie Kooplie, a sweater from Koopa-Jane, an "expensive" pen from Koopordan, and some gloves from Koopsie.
He hated his presents, all the lot of them, quite frankly. So while the rest of his family continued laughing and exchanging gifts, Koopole slumped in the corner of the room, looking annoyed.
"Now to put the star atop the tree!" said Grandma Kooples from the bunch. Everyone applauded loudly as they looked towards the tree, with a bear spot at the top. "Who brought the star this year?" she asked with a smirk.
"It was old Uncle Koopack, it was his turn this year!" said Koopsie from the crowd. Koopack looked astonished, for he had forgot.
"My turn?!" he said, his face turning red. "But I was sure it was Koopole's, I knew so, in fact!"
The koopas began shaking their heads in distress. It simply wasn't a Christmas without a star at the top of their Christmas tree.
"Someone will have to just go out and bye a star from the dollar store," said Koopanne.
"No!" said the Koopas in unison.
"Every year we get a star from the Star Hut, we can't change our ways!"
"Yeah, are you crazy, that's always been a tradition!"
"But the Star Hut's located at the peak of Mt. Kooplore, and in this blizzard it would be suicide to go," said Koopanne, stating her point.
"There's no one tough enough to go there this night," said Uncle Koopo. "I would go myself, but I'm far too old... but what about Koopole? He's young, and in shape. Have him reach the peak! He could learn a good lesson!"
"ARe you absolutely crazy?" cried the mother of Kooplore, "My baby can't do it, it's far to dangerous!"
But as Koopole heard this a rage grew inside. A baby, was he? Needed a lesson to learn? He'd show this family of his once and for all that he could be just as tough as any one of them! After that maybe he would have respect, and get beter presents the year next...