DIG THE HALLS!
INSPIRED BY "THE CHRISTMAS COFFEEPOT" BY HELEN FARRALL

It was Christmastime on the Island of Sodor, and everyone seemed to be happy.

"Good morning, Gordon! Merry Christmas!" Thomas called as the big blue engine rocketed through Kellsthorpe Road with the express. He whistled back.

"Merry Christmas, little Thomas!" Thomas smiled, but heard another whistle and saw James pulling into the platform. As James rolled under the footbridge, Thomas could see some snow sliding off the roof.

"James, look out!" James looked up and gasped.

"Huh?" Snow rained down on James, covering him. He rolled into the platform covered in white snow. Thomas winced.

"Uh oh! He's sure to be upset about his paintwork!" To Thomas' surprise, James scoffed.

"It's only snow, Thomas! Besides, it's Christmas, I'm not going to complain all the time!" Thomas, James, Annie, and Clarabel laughed.

However, there was one engine who loved Christmas more than any other…

"Bill! Ben! It's almost CHRISTMAS!" Marion the Steam Shovel cheered as she burst out of her shed one morning. Bill opened a sleepy eye.

"It's too early…" He muttered. Marion, however, continued to gush as she rolled out into the clay pits.

"I love Christmas, don't you? Spending time with your loved ones, putting up the tree, opening the presents! Yes, there's no better time of year! How does that song go again? Oh yes! It's the most wonderful time of the year…" As Marion carolled into the morning sky, Ben gave his twin a glance.

"Seems like Marion's been taken over by the Christmas spirit again." He quipped. Bill chuckled.

"Same as every year; she just can't get enough!" Marion, who had ventured a bit out into the clay pits by then, looked back at the twins.

"Did you two say something?" However, she was interrupted.

"Marion! I have an important job for you!" She looked over and saw the Fat Controller walking over, bundled up in a scarf. Marion was excited.

"An important job, sir? What is it?" The Fat Controller chuckled.

"Settle down, Marion. I need you to help clear snow from the tracks with your shovel; it's been heavy this winter and Donald and Douglas can't do it all on their own. Do you think you can manage?" Marion grinned happily.

"Certainly, sir! I'd be happy to!"

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!" Marion sang as she made her way up the branch line, shoveling snow aside. The snow was deep, but Marion didn't mind; more digging was always fun for her! Eventually, she approached a signal and gasped in delight when she saw who was on the road nearby.

"Trevor! Hi, Trevor! Merry Christmas!" Trevor the Traction Engine was startled, but smiled nonetheless as Marion steamed up to the signal.

"Hello, Marion! What are you doing today?" He asked. Marion beamed.

"I'm shoveling snow to help spread the Christmas spirit!" She cheered, throwing snow into the air. Some of it landed on Trevor, but Marion didn't notice. Trevor rolled his eyes but still smiled as the snow slid off his boiler.

"Well, if there's anyone who'd be good at that, it's you, Marion; I don't think I've ever met someone who embodies the Christmas spirit more." Marion's signal dropped, and she looked back at the traction engine.

"Thank you, Trevor! Sorry that I can't stay, but I have work that needs to get done! The snow won't shovel itself, nor will the Christmas spirit spread! We wish you a merry Christmas…" As Marion shovelled into the distance, Trevor watched her before wryly chuckling to himself.

Marion's journey of snow-shoveling eventually brought her outside the Steamworks. She couldn't see Victor and Kevin, but could see that something was happening inside as she shovelled snow outside.

"They must be busy...but not busy enough for Christmas!" Marion laughed and rolled onto the transfer table. As she rolled into the Steamworks, she failed to notice Victor gasping and frantically trying to roll in front of what they were working on. Kevin drove around in circles, panicking.

"Hi, Victor! Hi, Kevin! I just wanted to stop by and say 'merry Christmas', 'happy holidays', and-huh?" Marion was surprised to see Victor and Kevin right in front of her, each with a huge, nervous grin on their faces.

"Hello, my friend! How are you on this fine day?" Victor said, sounding rather forced. Marion didn't notice.

"I'm doing great, Victor! I just wanted to come into the Steamworks and spread some Christmas spirit!" The little engine winced.

"Well, the Steamworks are very busy right now! Far too busy for Christmas spirit; isn't that right, Kevin?" Victor looked to Kevin. The crane looked as if he were about to burst. He caved in instantly.

"You found us out! We're working on a surprise for the Fat Controller!" He zoomed out of the way, allowing Marion to see Sir Robert Norramby, the Earl of Sodor, standing next to a little engine on the turntable she had never seen before. Victor shot Kevin an annoyed glare.

"Very helpful, Kevin." Kevin chuckled nervously. Marion rolled cautiously forward to inspect the little engine. He was red, had four wheels and a vertical boiler. He had a number "1" painted on his side and a nameplate above it showing that his name was "Glynn". Glynn looked rather uncomfortable, as Marion was getting rather close to him while looking him over.

"Could you, um, back up a bit, please?" Marion realized what she was doing and cleared her throat, embarrassed.

"Oh yes, sorry...Glynn, was it?" The old engine smiled.

"That's me!" The Earl walked towards Glynn and put a hand on his buffer.

"Marion, meet Glynn; the original number 1 of the North Western Railway. Sir Topham designed and built him himself, you know! He was living in a museum on the Mainland, but I purchased him to restore him to working order for a new project of mine...of course, seeing as it is Christmas, bringing Glynn here is a surprise for Sir Topham as well!" The Earl chuckled as Glynn smiled. Marion beamed with excitement.

"Wow! He's sure to enjoy seeing you again, Glynn! I can't wait to t-"

"No, Marion; you can't tell him! It'll spoil the surprise!" The Earl interrupted. Marion blushed.

"Oh, of course. Lips are sealed, sir." Victor approached the Earl and cleared his throat.

"Sir, if we want to keep Glynn a surprise, we're going to have to hide him better. It's fine that Marion knows, but so many engines come in and out of the Steamworks that it's going to be hard to keep him a secret." Marion saw Glynn look down at his buffers, looking rather uneasy. Suddenly, an idea flew into her funnel.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked the Earl. He turned around.

"Yes, Marion?"

"Well, it is Christmas, sir, and people tend to be more chipper at Christmas...maybe even feeling better, sir?" The Earl raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Well, if I can get everyone on the island in a 'Christmas-y' mood, then maybe they won't come here to be fixed because they'll feel so festive and, well, good! That way we can keep Glynn a surprise!" The Earl rubbed his chin curiously.

"That just might work, Marion. It would make keeping him here much safer; alright, I'll allow it!" Marion grinned from buffer to buffer.

"Thank you! I promise I won't let you down, sir! Or you, Glynn!" As Marion began to reverse away from the Steamworks, Glynn looked rather amused.

"She's funny!" He remarked to Victor, who chuckled.

As Marion returned to Crovan's Gate station, she began to grow more and more excited about the idea of spreading the Christmas spirit.

"Oh, this is thrilling! Everyone loves Christmas, so this'll be easy! All I have to do is take an extra little festive 'holiday step' wherever I go, and going to the Steamworks won't cross anyone's mind!" She rolled into the station, and saw Skarloey and Rusty waiting for passengers on the narrow gauge platform. People milled about the station, boarding trains and talking with one another. Marion scanned the area, and noticed a pile of snow beside the line. She grinned giddily and scooped up some in her shovel. She cleared her throat.

"Merry Christmas, Skarloey! Merry Christmas, Rusty! Merry Christmas, everyone!" Marion threw snow from her shovel high into the air and puffed away. However, instead of coming down in flakes, the snow all came down in one lump...and covered Skarloey, Rusty, and their passengers!

"Ouch!" Rusty groaned as a sheet of snow slammed into his cab. The passengers sought shelter as the snow began to get all their clothes wet. Skarloey, however, got the worst of it, and was covered in snow from funnel to cab. Some had gotten on his nose, and he looked rather irritated until he sneezed, causing it to shake off. Once he had his bearings, he glared in the direction Marion had gone.

"What do you think you're playing at?" He called angrily; Marion didn't hear.

As Marion continued shovelling snow across the island, no one was safe from her reign of yuletide terror.

"Mavis! Merry Christmas!" She called as she sped into the quarry, seeing Mavis on a siding. The diesel was surprised to see her.

"Oh, hello, Marion. Merry Christmas to you too." Marion looked around the quarry and frowned.

"You don't have any decorations around here, do you?" Mavis raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no; it's a quarry, Marion." The steam shovel wasn't listening to Mavis, and remained in thought. Suddenly, she gasped with delight.

"I know just the thing! Just stay right there, Mavis!" Marion darted away, leaving a concerned Mavis to watch as she did her work. When she was done, she grinned proudly.

"Ta-da! Your very own Christmas tree! No need to thank me, just spreading the Christmas spirit! On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…" As Marion backed out of the quarry, Mavis tried to get her attention but couldn't get a word in.

"Marion! You can't put rocks on my line; I can't get out now!" Marion was too far away to hear, and Mavis was trapped on a siding behind a pile of rocks that Marion had fashioned into a makeshift Christmas tree. The diesel sighed, defeated.

At a crossing, Marion saw Bertie the Bus waiting and grinned.

"Bertie! Merry Christmas! Did you ever notice that you're red, just like Santa Claus?" Bertie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I suppose s-"

"I have something that will make you even more like Santa Claus!" Before Bertie could even respond, Marion slammed a shovel-full of snow in his face. As the bus stood, stunned, with a "Santa beard" made of snow, Marion grinned.

"Merry Christmas, Bertie! You look perfect!" She blasted her whistle and puffed out of sight. Bertie glared as the snow fell off his face, revealing a red nose from being hit with the shovel. He groaned in pain.

"Ow...that hurt."

As Marion made her way across the island, the other engines began to hear of her reign of Christmas terror, and tried to avoid her. She saw Thomas waiting with Annie and Clarabel at a signal and tooted her whistle.

"Thomas! Thomas! Merry Christmas!" Clarabel gasped as Marion got closer.

"Thomas! It's Marion! Hurry up!" Thomas looked up at the red signal and grit his teeth nervously.

"Come on! Come on!" He whispered. Just as Marion rolled alongside, the signal turned green and Thomas let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi, Thomas! M-"

"Sorry, Marion! Can't stop to talk; tons to do!" Thomas rocketed away with Annie and Clarabel in tow, leaving Marion rather confused.

"Oh...I guess I'll talk to you later? Thomas?" The tank engine didn't respond.

Marion very quickly began to notice that none of the engines were very happy at all. She soon passed Gordon, pulling the express.

"Hi, Gordon!" The big engine glared.

"Go away, Marion! I don't want any part in your 'Christmas cheer'!" He sped up, leaving Marion behind him. Marion heard James' whistle and saw him passing with a goods train.

"Happy holidays, J-"

"Buzz off, you Christmas kook! Bah humbug…" As James disappeared into the distance, Marion braked to a halt, frowning.

' "Oh dear...no one seems to like me spreading the Christmas spirit anymore. I thought everyone liked Christmas…" She sadly rolled away, feeling rather dejected.

Marion soon stopped at a signal, still feeling rather sorry for herself. As she moped, she suddenly heard someone clearing their throat.

"Is something wrong, Marion?" Marion looked to see Trevor, stopped on the road beside the line, looking rather concerned. She sighed.

"Oh hi, Trevor. I've been trying to get everyone in the Christmas spirit, since Christmas is so wonderful and all, but...I think I'm doing it all wrong. Instead of making everyone happy, they just seem to be upset at me." Trevor could see his friend was miserable, and thought for a moment.

"Well, Marion, from what I've heard you've been building Christmas trees and giving Santa beards and-"

"Is that not what Christmas is?" Marion asked, perplexed. Trevor smiled.

"Yes, but that isn't all of it; Christmas is a time for making others happy, and being kind and generous. I think that's what the Christmas spirit is; doing something kind for everyone you meet." The steam shovel seemed confused at first, but gradually started to get it and was smiling once more.

"You're right! If I'm kind to everybody, then they'll get in the Christmas spirit! Thank you, Trevor!" Marion's signal dropped and she began to puff away.

"Merry Christmas, and thank you so much!" Trevor chuckled as his friend disappeared into the distance.

"You're welcome, Marion."

As Marion kept shovelling the snow off the line, she made an effort to be kind to everyone she met.

"Thank you, Marion!"

"Merry Christmas!" Skarloey and Rusty smiled as Marion cleared the last pile of snow from their shed. The shovel beamed and blew her whistle.

"Thanks for coming back to help, Marion. Merry Christmas!" Mavis said graciously as Marion cleared the rocks from her line.

"You're a lifesaver, Marion! Merry Christmas!" Bertie called as Marion moved the last of the snow in a drift off the road, allowing the bus to continue along his route. Marion had an enormous, uncontainable grin on her face the whole time.

As night fell, Marion returned to the Steamworks to check on Glynn and the Earl. On her way, she saw Thomas struggling to plough a snowdrift while his snowplough. She braked alongside.

"Would you like some help, Thomas?" The exhausted tank engine smiled.

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Marion." As Marion shoveled the snow off of Thomas' line, she could see the Steamworks in the distance. Annie cleared her throat.

"Thomas, didn't we have to go check on your squeaky wheel?" Marion gulped. However, to her surprise, Thomas chuckled.

"No, Annie, I'm feeling much better now. Merry Christmas and thank you, Marion!" Thomas blew his whistle and headed on his way, leaving the Steamworks behind. The steam shovel grinned.

"Merry Christmas, Thomas! Anytime!" As soon as Thomas was out of sight, Marion darted towards the Steamworks.

Marion rolled into the Steamworks, where she could see Glynn waiting on the turntable. Steam flowed from his funnel, and the old "Coffee Pot" looked thrilled.

"Hello, Marion! You kept everyone so distracted that they were able to finish me today; it feels so good to have steam in my boiler again, thank you so much!" Marion grinned.

"You're welcome, Glynn!" However, the Earl walked out from behind Glynn, looking rather nervous.

"Thank you for your help today, Marion, but I think I failed to account for getting Glynn to the castle! There's no way we can take him there without anyone seeing him; the surprise will be ruined!" However, Marion had scooped up an idea in her shovel, and grinned at the Earl.

"Well, sir, I may have an idea…"

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful! And since we've no place to go...let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" As Marion carolled to the engines inside each shed along the route, Sir Robert quietly drove Glynn through the sidings to head along the main line unnoticed; not that anyone was looking with Marion's holiday singing!

"I really can't stay...baby, it's cold outside!" She kept everyone so well distracted that no one noticed the "Coffee Pot" puffing along the whole way to the castle.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Marion held her final loud note long enough for Glynn to slip onto the junction up to Ulfstead undetected. As she finished, the engines at Wellsworth Sheds cheered for her singing, causing Marion to grin and give a knowing glance to the "Coffee Pot" disappearing into the distance.

Finally, it was time for the Earl's Christmas party. Marion bustled into the castle excitedly, where she saw engines of all shapes and sizes chatting. She parked herself between Stephen and Millie on one side and Trevor on the other.

"Merry Christmas, Marion! Welcome to the party!" Millie greeted.

"The Earl's about to make a speech; apparently he has a surprise of some kind!" Stephen mused. Marion grinned and gave a wink to Trevor, who simply looked confused. Suddenly, the Earl went onto his podium and turned on the microphone. The crowd turned to listen, and the Fat Controller put down the turkey leg he was eating. He heard a clearing throat nearby, and sheepishly wiped his face with a napkin as Dowager Hatt gave him a disapproving look. The Earl began his speech.

"Welcome, one and all, to my Christmas party! I would like to thank you all for being here, and especially thank Sir Topham Hatt! Seeing as his railway has provided me with so much help in maintaining my estate and building my new projects, I only saw it fit to give him a special Christmas surprise for the unveiling of my new one!" The Fat Controller looked rather confused, but was stunned when he heard a whistle he hadn't heard in years.

"It can't be…"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you all to...Glynn, the Coffee Pot engine!" The Fat Controller was practically in tears when he saw his first engine roll out of the sheds, covered in Christmas lights and with an enormous grin on his face.

"Hello again, Mr. Hatt!"

"Glynn! You're back!" He approached the Earl and shook his hand furiously before pulling him into a hug, which the Earl happily returned.

"Thank you, Sir Robert! This is one of the most wonderful Christmas surprises I've ever received! How on earth did you manage to hide this from me?" Glynn grinned at Marion.

"You can thank Marion for that, sir; she kept everyone so in the Christmas spirit that no one bothered looking around the Steamworks!" The Fat Controller laughed as the steam shovel blushed.

"Well, thank you, Marion! Three cheers for Glynn, and three cheers for Marion!"

"Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!" The crowd cheered...except Stephen.

"He's just a 'Coffee Pot'..." He muttered, but no one noticed. Everyone was happy about the Christmas surprise, especially Marion, who was the happiest of all.

"Rockin' around the Christmas tree

Have a happy holiday

Everyone dancin' merrily

In the new old-fashioned way!" She sang, beginning to lead everyone in her favorite Christmas carols.

THE END

And this is how Glynn ended up at Ulfstead in my series. I've always found the original Christmas Coffeepot to be a tad scattered, even though it's working with some very good ideas; the one I decided to run with is the involvement of Marion, and I'm very happy I went with this choice. The pacing is snappier than my writing normally is, and this is because I was going for a real Season 20 feel with this episode; up to you all on whether or not I succeeded! I also wanted to involve staple characters of the cast who didn't speak in Season 20, and this is where the scenes with Skarloey, Rusty, Mavis, and Bertie came from (as none of them spoke in the original Season 20 and now they do). I wanted to give Glynn's return more emotional weight, and thus I made it specifically a surprise for the Fat Controller as well as being a part of the Earl's railway museum, which would've been revealed in the following episode, Over the Hill, since this takes The Christmas Coffeepot's place in my canon. Thank you all so much for reading The Rails to Redemption, leave a review if you enjoyed! See you all again soon in Season 21 Redux's premiere: A Most Singular Engine.