EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the ninth chapter in a 12-chapter fictional tale that will run through Christmas Day. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children.

“You want us to do what now?” Dad asked as a tall, lanky man dressed in red pants and a green Grinch sweater explained the Christmas relay race.

They were standing on top of a snow-covered hill just outside the forest where a row of spruce trees were planted, along with three other teams of four people.

Each team wore matching Christmas sweaters. The Murphy’s were blue, featuring a cat wrapped in strings of twinkle lights that actually lit up, and the front said “May your day be meowy and bright.”

The Grinch-sweater man, named Glen, picked up an axe from a pile on the ground at his feet.

“You’ll grab an axe, run to a tree and begin chopping it down. Then tie it onto your sled and race down the hill to Main Street. Head to the Town Square gazebo and secure your tree in one of the four tree stands. Then quickly run to Tinsel This, the decoration store, and hand off the race to your wife.”

Glen turned and smiled at Gabby’s mom. “You will have a photo of a Christmas tree, and you’ll need to hurry into the store to find decorations to make your tree an exact replica of your photo! Once you’ve put it together, you’ll hurry to the Candy Cane Cafe and hand off the race to Noah. Noah, you will then begin to eat your plate of fruit cake as quickly as possible and finish your whole cup of hot cocoa –”

“Eating cake is my task?” Noah interrupted. “This is awesome!”

Glen continued. “Yes, well, you’ll have to eat fast, but also pace yourself so you don’t get sick! When you’re done, you will go find your sister who will be waiting at the fountain in Holly Park. Gabby, you will then run to your team’s Christmas tree and plug in the lights. Whichever team is first wins! But, if your tree isn’t considered to be a replica of the picture, you’ll take a penalty of three minutes, in which another team may very well arrive and take the lead.”

Gabby glanced over at the team on the far end. A girl about her age was tightening her sturdy snow boots. Her family had on black sweaters featuring cows wearing Santa hats with Got Eggnog? stitched across. Despite the ridiculousness of what was happening, Gabby couldn’t help grinning

“I’m ready!” Noah yelled. “We got this!”

“Might as well humiliate ourselves while we’re here,” Gabby added.

Glen clapped his hands together. “Excellent! The whole town is out to cheer you all on. Good luck!”

As soon as Glen blew the horn, Dad was off. He grabbed his axe and started chopping away at the nearest tree. He smiled, thinking he was in good shape, but when he saw the dad from Team Cow Sweater run past him with his tree and sled, he began to worry.

He realized that even though his tree was closest to the waiting sleds, it was also the one with the thickest trunk. He continued to chop as quickly as possible. It was just him and one other man now, and the pressure was on.

Meanwhile, Gabby, Noah and Mom were getting settled in their spots. Gabby was the farthest, all the way at the end of Main Street. After watching her mom and Noah get into position, she headed down to Holly Park at the corner of town square.

Just as she was approaching the park, she heard an odd noise to her left and stopped dead in her tracks.

Across the street their car was still parked in the same spot, encased in ice, the same doves and squirrels still perched on top. But now there were also a few deer picking at the grass just behind the back door, and standing on the trunk was one of the cutest things that she had ever seen: two baby goats. Baby goats wearing pajamas. Christmas pajamas with jingle bells on them.

They were eating from bowls of pink and green ice cream that someone had obviously put there for them.

“What will be next?” Gabby said, turning into the park. “Polar bears singing carols?”

“Meeeh!” the goats bleated in unison, and Gabby laughed out loud, wondering how Merrywood Falls could continue to surprise her.

Read chapter 10 in Monday’s newspaper.