It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve, and the townspeople gathered at the chapel. The children were excited already, for tonight, Santa Claus would visit their little town. There was a tradition in the town of Little Oak, every Christmas Eve, the town calls Santa Claus by ringing the many bells in the chapel’s bell tower.

“Good people of Little Oak,” the mayor of the town announced, “It gives me great pleasure to give the honor of ringing our ceremonial bells to a special guest this afternoon!” The townspeople looked to one another curiously, wondering who it could be. Ringing the bells was a special honor in the town.

The mayor turned to him, motioning for him to step up onto the platform before the steps of the chapel. The rope dangled by the podium, connected to many bells in the bell tower. “It’s alright, don’t be afraid.”, he said to the guest.

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“Get him! Get him!”, the coyotes called. The trio chased after a strong grey stag through a snowy forest, his legs carried him swiftly through the snow. He was confident, he knew the coyotes were getting tired, but he could run for another few miles before his muscles would become overwhelmed. As he ran, a sudden snowstorm flurried through the trees. The stag braced his eyes, though he kept running, keeping his mind set on where the path was. The coyotes slowed their pace, howling at one another. The storm subsided within a few moments, and as they looked to the distance, the deer was gone.

“Where did he go?”, the coyotes barked.

"Mother? Mother where are you!", the cries of a fawn called out, disrupting the quiet of the Forest. He wandered around in the snow, searching tirelessly, constantly calling out again and again. There were a few deer around, but they seemed to sleep through his cries. None of them heard him call.

The fawn kept running, past the Playground, checking the Pond, peeking inside the Old Oak. He stopped by the old Ruins, looking around, calling out again. No answer. He let out a sigh, his eyes tearing. Losing his mother was one of his greatest fears, and no deer would help him look for her. Nearby, a sleeping stag dreamed he was a child again, playing with his mother in the snow. She joined him in romping around, the two watching their hoofprints mold the snow. Redd loved the feeling between his hooves, and turning to his mother, he opened his mouth to tell her that he loved her deeply.

Instead, when he opened his mouth, a different set of words came out. "Mother, where are you?!"

Redd's eyes opened. He was drowsy, but he looked over to the fawn who cried by the Ruins. The stag stood up and walked over to the little boy, noticing that his body was emitting a strange blue glow. Still, he had to do something. "Hello there, are you lost?", Redd asked. The fawn was startled to see him there and jumped up. "No, no...I can't find my mother...", the fawn replied, his voice sounded oddly raspy.

"Oh, well maybe I can find her. Do you know her name?", Redd asked. The fawn shook his head, "I can't remember...", he replied.

“What happened? Where am I?”, LaRuna stood up suddenly. Around him was an open plain, snow covered. There were buildings around him, though sparsely spaced among themselves. The night sky was clear, above him was a full moon that made the snow around him luster. The stars were so bright here, he was surprised how many were in the sky, even with the moon out.

He was alone out here, the air was crisp and chilly, he found his body was much colder than normal. He realized that he was wearing a cloak that hardly kept him warm. His fur was strangely light, and he began to shiver in the snow. He saw a large tower nearby, it loomed above the small buildings in the place. It was a small settlement with a strangely large castle that seemed to be the highest point in the area. “What an odd place to live.”, LaRuna said to himself. As he started to walk toward the castle, he noticed someone approach him. The stag squinted as the figure got closer. “Silun?”, LaRuna asked.

LaRuna recognized the stag, but he seemed very interesting. Upon his head was a crown that fit perfectly between his antlers. He wore a heavy cloak that covered most of his body, and his neck, ankles, and antlers were adorned with jewelry. The noble stag stopped before LaRuna, not seeming to recognize him in the moonlight. “Hello there, my friend. What are you doing out here in the cold?”, Silun asked.

“Silun? It’s me, LaRuna. Don’t you recognize me?”, LaRuna asked. The king tilted his head, “Ah, I’m sorry, page, I am very bad with names. But I may have seen you from time to time.

I asked Quad about something. "What is the meaning of Christmas Spirit?"

Quad smiled and replied, "Well, what do you think it means?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, since everyone buys presents, I guess it's about receiving gifts from people."

The blackbuck shook his head.

"No? Then it's about giving gifts?"

The blackbuck shook his head again.

"Is it even about the gifts?"

The blackbuck shook his head a third time.

"Then what is it about? What is the meaning of Christmas Spirit?"

Quad walked over to me, and spoke one word into my ear. "Family."

And with that, he walked away. The word sunk into my mind. It made sense. It wasn't just about presents and decorations, holiday music and seasonal food. The meaning of Christmas Spirit is family.

And with those words, I present 12 stories to you, the Endless Forest community.

Because you're not just friends, you're family too.