Christmas In Japan

By Birch Griesse

It was Saturday night, three weeks before Christmas, at the Finster's house. Chuckie and Kimi had been put to bed long before, and Chas and Kira sat at the table, peacefully eating their desserts when... ring! ring!

"Who could be calling at this hour?" Kira wondered. She picked up the phone.

"Hello," she said into the telephone, "Oh, Hi! Yes. Uh huh. Why, I'll ask him."

She put her hand over the receiver, and turned to her husband.

"That was my parents, dear," she told him, "They'd like to know if we're interested in spending Christmas with them up in Japan. What do you think?"

"I'd love to!" Chas replied.

"That would be wonderful," Kira said, talking to her parents again, "No, I'm sorry, Kimi can't speak to you now, she's asleep. Yes, I'll tell her you love her. All right. Bye!"

The next day Chas and Kira told their friends the news. They were surprised when Stu, Didi, Betty, Howard, Charlotte, and Drew all decided to go, too, but none the less agreed. They babies were all very excited. Angelica, however, was not.

"What if they don't make good cookies?" Angelica worried, "And what if they don't give me enough?"

This did not change her parents' thoughts in the least.

The day soon arrived when the babies and their parents were to fly to Japan to see Kimi's grandparents. On the plane, the babies talked excitedly.

"It's gonna be real fun in Jabam!" Chuckie said, happily.

"I can't wait 'til we get there!" Tommy cried.

"I'm gonna getta see my Grammy and Grampa!" Kimi exclaimed. She was more excited than any of the others.

"It's not fair, Cynthia," Angelica whispered to her doll, "If I can't have fun, than neither can those dumb babies! But how can I make them not have fun?" A sly smile suddenly spread across Angelica's face. She'd just come up with a terribly wonderful (or wonderfully terrible) scheme.

"I wouldn't be so 'cited if I was you, babies," Angelica warned, smirking.

"Why, not?" Phil and Lil asked at the same time.

"Well, if we're in Jabam, then how's Santa gonna find us? If he goes to your house an' no one's there, he'll just give your presents to someone else, an' you won't get none." The babies gasped.

"That's not true, Angelica!" Tommy said, "Is it?"

"'Corse it is," Angelica said.

"I don't wanna go to Jabam if we're not gonna get presents," Lil said.

"Me neither," Tommy agreed. The babies spent the rest of the plane ride trying to figure out a way to get back to America. They thought of nothing.

When the plane arrived in Japan, it was 11:00pm in America, but only 8:00am in Japan. Kira's parents were waiting for them at the airport. They drove everyone to their house. Once there, the babies began to think again. Tommy soon came up with a plan. He turned to his friends and said,

"I gotsa idea! We can't get home, but maybe we could call Santa and tell him where we are, so he can bring the presents to here."

"Great idea!" cried Lil. The babies crawled over to the telephone, picked it up, and were about to punch in some numbers, when Koki, Kira's mother, stopped them.

"No, no, dear children," she said, "the telephone is not for you to play with. Play with this nice, soft bear instead."

She handed them a teddy bear. Dil, who was sitting near by, grabbed the teddy bear and through it across the room.

"Tomby, tebby," he cooed. This forced the babies into a game of 'catch', where the act of Dil throwing the bear across the room, while the rest of the babies retrieved it, was repeated until Dil got tired of it. This often took quite awhile, but, in the end, Dil usually nodded of to sleep. That was how this particular game ended, as well. Just as the babies were sitting down to think again,Kyoto, Kira's father, came in saying,

"All right children, it is time to have a snack!" He lifted the babies and placed them (all except Chuckie, who he put in a regular chair) in their highchairs. He gave them each a cookie, some crackers, and a bottle of juice (Chuckie got a sippy cup). He forgot, however, to put on their bibs. The babies ate quikly, so they could get back to thinking. But, in their haste, they spilled everything all over them. Kyoto noticed the mess, and took the babies into the bathroom. He undressed them and ran the water. Then he scrubed them clean. The babies were very dissappointed for two reasons. 1. They hated, hated, hated taking baths. 2. They wanted more time to think of a plan to either get home, or tell Santa where they were. Their bath finally ended. Kyoto dressed them and set them in the playpen. They now had time to think. Kimi came up with another plan.

"Since we can't get back home, and we can't call Santa, maybe we can send him a letter." she suggested.

"Great idea, Kimi!" Phil said. The babies grabbed a peice of paper, a crayon, and an envolope. They began writing several incomprehensible lines and squiggles that were supposed to say:

Dear Santa, This is Kimi and I wanna tell you that me, Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Dil are in Pokyo so you can bring our presents here. If you get the letter send one back. Kimi

Angelica had been watching the whole time. She now watched as the babies slipped the letter out the window, which had been opened a crack. Then they sat and waited. After about five minutes, Angelica walked up to them and said, "If Santa woulda gotten your letter, he woulda already sent one back by now. Too bad."

"Now what?" Chuckie wondered.

"Well, a guess we gotsta think of another plan," Tommy sighed. They sat down, and had only been thinking for a few minutes when Didi walked in and said,

"Time for lunch, kids!" she took them to the kitchen. This time the banies ate slowly and carefully, so they wouldn't have to take another bath.

After lunch the babies wanted to get back to thinking, but it was time for their nap. The adults put them to bed immediately.

After a bit, they were awakened by Koki saying, "It is time wake up. Dinner will be ready soon." She set the babies in the playpen. Chuckie already had a plan. He'd thought of it right before he'd fallen asleep.

"Maybe," he suggested, "one of us could hide, and the growed-ups will think they left us back home, and then we'll leave!"

"Great idea, Chuckie!" Phil and Lil both said.

"Yeah," said Tommy, "and since it was Chuckie's idea, I think he should get to hide."

"Me?" Chuckie asked weakly. None of the other babies paid him a bit of attention. Tommy opened the playpen with his screwdriver, and the babies began searching for a suitable hiding spot. Before to long, they found the perrfect place, where they were sure no one would look-- Charlotte's breifcase.

The babie's pushed aside papers and other things, and found a spot where Chuckie could just squeeze in.

To Be Continued