“Gliding through the snow, on a pair of rocket skis, blasting through the mountains, crashing into trees! The snow is turning red, I think I might be dead, I wake up in the hospital with thirty stitches in my hea—”

“Del!” My best friend, Katy Christine, looks up from gazing at the gifts neatly piled under the Christmas tree. “Sing something a little less violent and more Christmas-y, will you?”

I laugh, careful not to jostle my mug of cocoa. “It’s my favorite Christmas song. At least it’s better than the lame one about Rudolph’s bloody nose.”

“It’s his red nose.”

“How about we sing songs about the real Reason for the season?” I can hear the mother-like tone in Cécile’s voice before she even steps in the room.

“You don’t want to hear my violent parody to ‘Away in a Manger’.” Not that I believe in it, of course. I grin, but Cécile glares at me. Changing the subject to avoid further scoldings, I jerk my head toward the hat in her hands. “Whatcha got there?”

“It’s a hat full of names,” Cécile explains. “Well, it was full of names. There are only two names left to draw, and you guys are the only ones who haven’t drawn yet.”

I glance down at the hat and back up at Cécile. “Is this Secret Santa?”

“You guessed it.”

K.C. lets her empty mug fall to the ground as she darts up to be the first to stick her hand into the hat. “Too slow,” she smirks at me, withdrawing her hand after grabbing a paper.

“First is the worst,” I remind her with an even-more smirky smirk and dig my hand in. I make an elaborate show of fishing around in there, even though there’s only one paper left. Drawing it out, I grin again. “Saved the best for last, I see.”

Cécile shakes her head at me. “You have until Christmas Eve to get your present for the person whose name you drew. On Christmas Day, we’ll open them. Oh, and don’t tell anyone who was on your paper.”

I raise both my eyebrows up and down with a grin. “My present will blow everyone else’s out of the water.”

With a roll of her eyes, Cécile plops the empty top hat right on my head. “You’re adorable.”

Sputtering, I rip the hat off my head and slam it on hers. “Did you just call me adorable? That’s something you’re gonna regret!”

Cécile just laughs and walks off before I can finish my challenging her to an epic roast-off.

I turn to Katy, and she smiles. “This is going to be fun,” she says. “I wonder who drew my name.”

I glance down at the paper in her hand and hold up mine. “If you tell me the name on your paper, I’ll tell you the name on mine.”

“Del!” Katy scolds. “That’s against the rules.”

“I break the rules because I can.”

“Sure, you can break them. And also get eliminated from the entire gift exchange if you do so.” I make a pouty face before Katy sighs and continues. “But we can read ours at the same time. Ready?”

“Are you?”

“One, two, three.”

K.C. and I step away from each other to read our papers privately.

No. My eyes widen. This isn’t happening.

“Son of a garbage man!” I shout for the entire house to hear.

Katy jumps, startled. “Oh my gosh, Del. Whose name did you get? Oh, wait, no, don’t tell me!”

“Darn, darn, darn, darny-darn-darn!” I wail, glaring at my paper.

“What is wrong with you?” Katy asks.

“The stupid name I drew!”

I lean against the wall by the fireplace and slump to the floor. “Jerk. You should’ve let me draw first.”

“Aw, Del, I’m sorry…” Katy shifts her weight from foot to foot and stays for a while. “You’re too epic to be defeated by whatever name you drew. Just remember that.”

“I’m thinking!” I snap. “Leave me alone.”

Katy leaves, and I sit here and steam. I need a plan of action. Only losers sit and feel sorry for themselves. And I don’t play games to lose. Only epicness reigns here. Only—

I jump in surprise as a series of tickling sensations spread over my ankle. My eyes flash open to see a spider crawling over my leg. “Dude!” I shout at him. How dare he disturb my thinking?

But I look down at the name in my hand. Jasmine—snobby, bratty, annoying Jasmine whom I have to get a Christmas present for.

Then I glance at the spider scurrying across the floor. Madison said to kill any big spiders in the house I saw, because there might be some poisonous ones she doesn’t want us getting bit by.

But whoever said I had to get Jasmine something nice for Christmas?

I should kill the spider. Instead, I lunge across the floor and cup my hand around it, laughing a little as his flailing legs tickle my palm.

This little guy needs a home until I can find a proper gift box to put it in. I reach behind me and secure Katy’s mug she dropped earlier.

I quickly put the cup upside down to keep my little spider friend from crawling out. Laughing to myself, I imagine Jasmine’s face when she opens the box to find this creepy crawler jumping out onto her.

“Delaney?”

I look up and flinch in surprise to see Jasmine herself walk in the room. “Dude! Don’t startle me like that!” I place my hand on the cup, feeling the spider trying to escape and pressing it down so he can’t. I lick my lips and try to stay casual. “‘Sup?

Jasmine glances toward the cocoa mugs. “Are any of those cups clean? I really want some hot chocolate.”

“No. They’re all full of cocoa.”

Jasmine furrows her eyebrows and points to the upside-down one, and I take my hand off of it so as not to look suspicious. Jasmine cocks her head. “That one’s obviously not full of hot cocoa. It’s upside down.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just really not important right now,” I say, grabbing her arm and pushing it away from the mug. “Go ask Cécile or someone else where any other clean cups are.”

“But that one looks pretty clean to me!”

“I assure you, it’s not.”

Jasmine fights against my arms. “You’re just saying that because you want all the cocoa to yourself!”

“Yes. You’re right. I’m a selfish brat, though not as bad as you. Get out.”

Jasmine pushes against me again, but I’m very much stronger than her. She pushes her bottom lip out and pouts before storming away.

I stare after her, my beating heart slowing down. That was a close one.

Something on my arm tickles, and I look down and gasp.

“You’re not supposed to escape!” I bark at my little captive.

He responds by bending his little head down and digging his fangs into my arm.

“Augh! Ow!” I shout, slapping him off of my arm with the back of my hand as I wince. I glare death at the spider as it scurries off in escape.

I glance down at my arm, biting my lip and blinking away the sting of tears filling my eyes. I’ve gotten spider bites before. Why does this one hurt so bad?

I look over at the presents under the tree and groan. Now what do I get Jasmine for Christmas? Am I going to have to get her something nice after all?

My spider bite keeps throbbing, and I force myself not to shed tears. I look down again and feel my eyes involuntarily widen.

An inflamed, red ring has formed around the bite. The blood drains from my face as cold fear settles in the pit of my stomach.

The spider was venomous.

To be continued… in The Secret Santa Disaster – Part 2!

Of which I already have the photos taken for. >:)

If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, don’t. I HAVE A PLAN, AND IT’S A GENIUS PLAN. JUST TRUST MY INSANE I-WROTE-ALL-OF-THIS-AT-1:30-IN-THE-MORNING SKILLS.

… actually, that’s a really bad idea. Never do that please.

Don’t miss out on another CCC craft this Friday! K.C. (I’m such a sensitive softie, I literally teared up when Del called her a jerk XD) is modeling these super cute gold chocolate coins I’ll show you how to make as the third installment of the Christmas Craft Collab with Light4theLord.

What do you think is going to happen with Del and Jasmine?

As you can see, Del is a stubborn little thing and refuses to acknowledge the real Reason of the season. *sighs* We’re working on her… hey, so can you!

Any ideas to help her believe? The best idea will have a photostory made out of it.

See you on Friday!

HEHE LOOK AT DAT CUTE WITTLE SNOWFLAKE. Ooh, and what do you think about the winter header? I made a red-and-green Christmas one but was like nahhh because it didn’t match with the blue color scheme everywhere else. XD

ALSO HAVE YOU LOOKED AT ALL THE AG ADS. Every other time I refresh the page, I see an ad from American Girl either below the menu, somewhere on the sidebar, or at the veeeery bottom. Have you spotted any?