One cold, December day, it seemed like a lot of kids were at play as they were on vacation from school for the winter holidays which was time to be with family and loved ones, and especially to those who had their very own pets, and where the pets were seen playing outside or at least the puppies were.

"Dot? Where'd you go?" Scruffy called out as he came to look for his sister.

Dot giggled as she blended in with the snow since she had white fur like their father.

"Dot?" Scruffy asked as he looked around for his sister before getting hit by a snowball.

Dot was soon heard giggling.

"Dot?!" Scruffy smirked to that as he came to look for his sister.

Dot giggled as she kept hiding. Scruffy smirked as he sniffed the ground on and started to follow his sister's scent. Dot kept hiding for a while and poked her head out. Scruffy seemed to be gone then.

"Scruffy? Scruffy..." Dot called out only to yelp and get pounced on by her brother.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Scruffy smirked.

"You shouldn't pounce on me!" Dot pouted. "I'm gonna tell Dad!"

"Hey, that's for the snowball!" Scruffy laughed.

"Okay, fair enough," Dot smiled. "I hope Santa Paws gets me that bow I saw at the pet store."

"Yeah..." Scruffy replied. "I'd really like a new ball to chew on myself. I'm sure Dad will put in a good word for us with the big man."

They soon heard someone laughing at them.

"Who's there?" Scruffy soon growled while Dot pouted from the laughing.

They soon saw that it was from a junkyard dog who was then smirking at them after laughing. "You two still believe in Santa Paws?"

"Well... Yeah...?" Dot replied. "Don't you?"

"Pfft!" The junkyard dog scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Santa Paws is just what Mommy and Daddy Doggies tell their pups to make 'em be good. He's not real or nuthin'."

"Y-Yes, he is." Dot frowned.

"Wow, you guys are babies!" The junkyard dog laughed. "Man, I thought you'd be cool, but you believe in Santa Paws."

"He is too real!" Scruffy glared. "Our dad even met him a couple of times!"

"Oh, man, that just makes your father a liar," The junkyard dog smirked. "Wow, and to think parents taught their pups to never lie."

"Dad would never lie!" Scruffy glared.

"What of it?" The junkyard dog laughed at him.

"Stop laughing at me and my sister!" Scruffy glared, rubbing his paw against the ground like a bull, ready to charge.

"Whatever, I'm done with you lame pups anyway." The junkyard dog smirked as he left them.

Scruffy growled before coming to Dot. "You okay?"

"That guy was mean!" Dot pouted.

"Yeah, but what if he's right?" Scruffy asked softly.

"You don't think Santa Paws isn't real, do you, Scruffy?" Dot frowned to what her brother said.

"Well..." Scruffy frowned.

"Maybe we should hear another story from Dad." Dot said.

"Oh, but they're just stories..." Scruffy stared at the ground. "It's not like we know if they're true or not."

"But they have to be..." Dot frowned.

"Come on, let's go inside, it's getting cold out here anyway." Scruffy said.

Dot frowned as she could tell that the junkyard dog really got to her brother as they went to come inside to see their parents by the fireplace.

"So then I said 'That's no way to treat a poodle'!" Patch told Collette a joke before laughing with her as they sat by the fireplace.

Patch and Collette soon noticed their pups coming in.

"Hi, kids," Patch smiled. "You enjoying the snow."

"Yeah..." Scruffy said softly.

Patch frowned as he sensed that wasn't a pleasant tone of voice. "Okay, what's wrong?" He then asked.

"Nothing..." Scruffy said as he lay on the floor, staring into the fire.

"That's not true." Dot said.

"Dot!" Scruffy whined.

"This junkyard dog laughed us for believing in Santa Paws." Dot told their parents.

"That junkyard dog must just have not been a believer." Collette said.

"How do we even know that Santa Paws is even real?" Scruffy sulked. "They're just stories you and Dad tell us to make us behave."

"Oh, but you should know Santa Paws is real," Patch replied. "You know that he's one of my old friends."

"Yeah, but you haven't told us how you two met." Dot said.

"Oh, come now, you remember that story." Patch replied.

Scruffy and Dot just glanced over.

"Oh... I haven't told you about that?" Patch asked. "Huh... I could've sworn I did."

"Nope, you haven't." Collette said.

"I was sure I did, but... All right," Patch said. "You kids get comfortable, and I'll tell you all about it."

Dot smiled and went to get her favorite pillow while Scruffy sulked as the bully really got to him.

"Now you should know that this was also at the time when I almost thought Santa Paws wasn't real." Patch said.

"Really?" Scruffy asked.

"Oh, yes," Patch replied. "I thought it was an old dog's tale for a while myself. Everyone goes through that phase eventually."

"I remember when your Aunt Annette did, but Christmas is my mother's favorite holiday." Collette smiled.

"Because that's when she got adopted." Dot muffled with a smile, carrying her favorite pillow in her mouth, as she loved her grandparents' love story.

"So when did it start?" Scruffy asked his father, referring to the story.

"A long time ago..." Patch replied. "Long before you two were born... I was a young puppy, and it was close to the holiday season."

The story starts many years ago after Thanksgiving dinner which meant that it was time for the Christmas season for everyone.

"I love this time of year." Emily smiled.

"I do too..." Patrick smiled back to his wife. "I feel so full right now though... I think I overdid it with the stuffing."

"Well, Thanksgiving dinner is over, and that means it's time to get ready for Christmas!" Emily beamed.

"This is going to be a magical Christmas, I can just tell." Darla smiled.

"I hope you've all been good this year for Santa Claus." Emily smiled back.

"Sure, Mom." Jessica replied with a small smile.

They soon saw Patch sitting by the window with a sigh.

Atticus held his stomach as he came over to his dog. "Mm... Turkey..." he then smiled.

Patch looked over before looking back out.

"Okay, Patch, what's up?" Atticus asked his dog.

"It's nothing..." Patch frowned.

"You can tell me," Atticus frowned back to his dog. "We're family."

"I just feel like Santa Paws isn't real," Patch frowned. "I mean, he wasn't at the North Pole when we first met Santa Claus and the others."

"Oh, Patch..." Atticus replied. "I'm sure he is..."

"Maybe there's no such thing as Santa Paws..." Patch said to him.

Cherry soon came over, greeting the Fudo family, giving them some candy that her mother sent her over for along with some presents since Thanksgiving dinner was over and it was time for holiday cheer.

"Patch, we don't know that for sure." Atticus said.

"We don't know what for sure?" Cherry asked.

"Cherry," Patch said as he turned to her. "You believe in Santa Paws, right?"

"...Is that a dog thing?" Cherry glanced at him.

"He's the dog version of Santa Claus." Atticus said to her.

"Oh... Cool." Cherry replied.

"You don't believe in him, do you, Cherry?" Patch sulked then.

"Why would I?" Cherry shrugged, not seeming to notice that she hurt Patch. "I'm not a dog."

"So then he isn't..." Patch sighed.

"Wait... I didn't say that... Oh... Man..." Cherry winced a bit.

Patch frowned as he didn't believe in Santa Paws anymore.

"Thanks, Cherry." Atticus glared.

"I didn't do anything!" Cherry huffed.

Patch's dog tag began to glow.

"Uh, Spot?" Cherry called. "Your dog tag is glowing... Is that a Pound Poochie thing?"

"I think it's the Equestrian magic from it." Patch said.

"Well, I'm gonna go then, because I'm clearly not needed." Cherry said, stepping aside. Much to her own luck, the magic didn't take her along with the ride.

"Going somewhere special for the holidays?" Atticus asked.

"Mom and Dad wanna visit New York this year," Cherry replied. "Mom got a special prize from work, so that's why I'm giving you guys your presents now because I won't be home this year."

"Aw, thanks." Atticus smiled.

"Yeah, we're gonna go later on, I'll see you for New Year's, okay?" Cherry replied.

"All right, Merry Christmas, Cherry." Atticus smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Atticus." Cherry waved to him before going out the house.

"I wonder where Patch was teleported to?" Atticus soon wondered.