DAY 31: SUNDAY (CREEPER’S EVE)

Well, huh. That didn’t go NEARLY as badly as I thought it would.

I spent all day yesterday working on making gifts for my family. I stayed in my room, and no one bugged me—maybe because they were working on Creeper’s Eve stuff too.

When I told Mom I had to use the kitchen for a secret project, that made her really happy. She stayed out of my way—I mean, except for when I set off the smoke alarm. Then she came running back in, but she promised not to look at what came out of the oven as long as I took it out RIGHT AWAY.

When the sun came up, Dad hollered, “Bedtime! Creepers need their sleepers!” He just LOVES sneaking around and hiding gifts.

I tried to stay awake. I sat in bed, listening to my family’s footsteps as they tiptoed around hiding gifts. But I guess making presents is exhausting stuff, because I ended up falling asleep. When I woke up, it was still daytime, thank goodness. So I got up and quickly hid my presents too.

I didn’t put a lot of thought into hiding places. I just picked out my five oldest socks—the ones that didn’t have holes in them. And I hung them by the fireplace. Then I stuck the presents inside.

Tonight, when we all got up, Mom let us eat our fried eggs and roasted potatoes in the living room. And then we opened presents.

Well, my family was sure surprised by those socks I gave them (or STOCKINGS, as Ziggy would say).

Mom really liked the potion of fire resistance I put inside hers.

It was the bottle Willow gave me, but I figured it would help Mom deal with all of Cammy’s explosions. I wrote a note telling her she was a good mom and deserved a little help, and I think she got kind of weepy-eyed when she read that.

I wrote a rap song and put that inside Dad’s stocking. I promised to perform it for him after dinner, and he thought that was pretty cool.

I gave Cate the white Santa beard from Sam, because he said I could keep it. (I didn’t tell her about the slime snot that had gotten all over it during his emotional breakdown on Christmas.) At first, she didn’t know why I was giving her a beard. Then I showed her how she could turn it upside down like a wig. So now she has a white wig like the one she cut up to make into my Santa suit!

I gave Cammy the little feather Christmas tree that Zoe tried to glue to her picture. It was so pretty, with all those sprinkles. And Cammy really liked it. I could tell, because she ALMOST exploded.

Well, I saved Chloe for last, because she was the HARDEST one. I hadn’t really wanted to give her anything, but then I’d gotten an idea. A pretty creative idea.

Her present was too big to put in a stocking, so I put some clues in her stocking instead. The clues led her through the house and out to the garage. And THERE was my green sled with a big red bow on it. Sam helped me clean it up so it looked brand new.

I sure was gonna miss that sled. But I figured if I gave it to Chloe, she couldn’t tell Mom and Dad that I’d blown my emeralds on it. Genius, right?

Except my twin had a surprise for me too. She said I should open my present from her and Dad right away, which was hiding under my bed.

I don’t know HOW they got it under there while I was sleeping. But it doesn’t really matter. Because you want to know what the present was?

A SLED. Just as shiny and green as the one I’d given Chloe.

I didn’t know if my twin was trying to trick me or what. Did she think I’d start to sweat when I saw that sled? Did she think I’d blow sky high?

I stared at her, trying to figure it out. But she just smiled sweetly and said, “Merry Creeper’s Eve.” Maybe my gift to her had softened her up. Maybe she was happy now that SHE had a sled too. Anyway, I’m not going to question her niceness—at least not until the new year.

After we opened all the presents, I served up my last surprise: an apple-carrot cake. I didn’t used to be big on carrots, but now they kind of remind me of Zoe and her plate of treats for Santa. And while we snacked on the cake, I told my family all about Christmas.

Mom said it didn’t sound all that different from Creeper’s Eve—that most holidays were about giving things up (like rotten flesh and stinky old socks) and doing nice things for family and friends.

She might be right about that.

But I reminded her that holidays are ALSO about miracles. Because right in the middle of performing my rap for Dad, I looked up and saw something falling outside the window.

Something white. Something wet. Something wonderful.

It was SNOWING again.

Just in time.