US ACRES QUICKIE!

In the farm, we see Orson running over to Wade, Booker, and Sheldon.

Orson: Guess what everyone? It's Christmastime again!

Wade, Booker and Sheldon: Hooray!

Orson: First, we'd better get ready. We need decorations!

Orson, Booker, Sheldon, and Wade run over to grab decorations and put them on the floor.

Booker: Something seems to be missing, Orson.

Roy: Don't you bean brains know anything? You need a Christmas tree.

Orson: A what?

Roy: You know, a Christmas tree. It's really tall and this wide.

Roy shows them the length and width of a Christmas tree, which gives Orson and the others an idea.

Orson: Don't move, Roy! I've got an idea!

Orson, Booker, Sheldon, and Wade decorate Roy like a Christmas tree with the decorations.

Roy: Is this some kind of joke?

Orson: Hold still Roy, I have to plug you in first.

Orson plugs in the socket and the decorations on Roy start glowing.

Everyone, except Roy: Ooohhh.

Our story opens on a snowy day in the barn, where we see everyone on the farm preparing for Christmas in the barn.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly..." Orson sang. "Fa la la la, la, la, la..."

"I'm so excited for Christmas, Orson!" Booker jumped for joy.

"So am I!" Sheldon added. "It's our first Christmas and I can't wait to see what we're gonna get from Santa!"

"What do you think Santa's gonna bring us, Orson?" Booker asked Orson.

"Christmas isn't really about getting things, boys, it's about giving things." Orson explained to the chicks.

"Okay, what are you giving us, Orson?" asked the chicks.

Orson rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm going to give you boys a nice Christmas tree."

"That's really sweet of you, Orson." said Booker. "It had better be really nice and big."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure of that." Orson nodded as he left to retrieve a tree.

On the other side of the barn, Roy was hanging up his Christmas stocking, which was actually pretty big.

"There! That should do it." He said.

"Roy, I think you are missing the point of Christmas." said Wade. "It is a time to share with your friends and family. To give love and care to others, not get as many things as you want."

"What makes you think I'm being selfish?" Roy asked as he placed a large bucket underneath his stocking. "I can be generous."

"You? Generous? That would be a Christmas miracle!" Lanolin laughed.

Meanwhile, Orson was in the woods looking for the right Christmas tree.

"Gee, I'd love to find a Christmas tree for the kids, but all of these are too big." He thought as looked at the trees.

Just then, something fell from a tree and landed on Orson's head. It was a branch from one of the pine trees.

Orson picked up the branch. "This will have to do."

Back in the barn, everyone was still decorating the place. Bo noticed something hanging on the ceiling.

"Whoa sis, look at that thing!" Bo pointed to the thing from the ceiling. "Like, what do you think it is?"

"It's a mistletoe, Bo." Lanolin explained. "You have to kiss underneath it."

Bo then kissed the mistletoe, much to Lanolin's annoyance.

Just then, Orson came back with the Christmas branch.

"Okay everyone, I'm back with our tree!" Orson presented the branch to the gang.

Everybody looked at the branch with blank expressions on their faces.

"So, what do you think?" asked Orson.

"I'll tell you what I think!" Roy rudely said. "I think-"

Lanolin then closed Roy's beak before he could say anything else.

"I think it's wonderful." Lanolin smiled.

"One of the few things that does not scare me." Wade added.

"That tree is like, so awesome, man." Bo nodded.

"Thanks Orson!" Booker smiled. "It's amazing!"

"I know it isn't a big tree, but this small one was the best I could get." Orson explained.

"It's really all depending on your point of view, Orson." said Booker and Sheldon, who walked over to the branch.

"Now all we have to do is decorate the tree." Orson proclaimed.

"Here are some leftover decorations the farmer had stored in the silo." Lanolin arrived with a box of ornaments and lights.

The gang began decorating the tree with one ornament at a time. Pretty soon, the tree was all finished. Basically, it was just covered with a red cone with a glowing star on top.

"Ooohhh..." said the animals as they looked at the glowing star illuminating the barn.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Santa and hope he sees us!" said Booker.

That night, the animals all sat down next to the tree, waiting for Santa, but he never showed up.

"I guess Santa forgot us this year..." Orson yawned.

"Well that stinks." Bo sighed.

"I was afraid of that." Wade rolled his eyes.

"Guys! Look outside!" Booker pointed to the window. "I think I see Santa!"

Everybody quickly went to peek outside the window to see if Santa was right there, but again, they saw nothing.

"Nothing." Orson sighed.

"I should've known it was too good to be true." Roy agreed.

Little did our barnyard friends realize that right behind them, Santa Claus was using his Christmas magic to change the Christmas branch into a beautifully decorated tree and spread presents underneath it (one each for everyone).

The very next day, it was Christmas Day and everyone was opening up their gifts.

"Thanks sis!" Bo listened to his new radio.

"Thanks Sheldon!" Lanolin tried on her new red cloak.

"Thanks Booker!" Sheldon looked into his new mirror.

"Thanks Wade!" Booker played with his new paddle ball set.

"Thanks Orson!" Wade looked at his new scarf.

"Thanks Roy..." Orson deadpanned as he looked at the gift Roy gave him, which was a large picture of the rooster himself.

"I knew you'd love it!" Roy smirked. "In the same way, that I love this new trumpet sheet music you gave me."

"And I have a special gift for all us, man!" Bo exclaimed. "One we can all enjoy!"

"What is it, Bo?" asked Orson.

Bo grabbed everyone and hugged them in joy. "A Christmas hug for all of my friends!"

"Hey Bo! How about them?" Orson pointed somewhere. "Don't they deserve a hug, too?"

"Oh yeah!" Bo dropped everyone and ran to the readers. "Merry Christmas everyone!"

Author's Note:

There's nothing like a Christmas hug to make you feel all the joy and fuzziness of the holidays. Now let's see if Garfield has cheered up on the way to the family farm.