Dan walked slowly down the path through the preserve. He didn't see the drifting snow, nor did he notice how it frosted the trees and gilded the edges of the path. His gaze was turned inward, remembering past Christmases.

He had been eight-years-old the last Christmas his father had been alive. The Mangan family hadn't been rich, living on the salary of a New York City police officer, but they'd had a lot of love. Their apartment was small, but it was big enough for the three of them. Mom, with her blazing red hair and emerald green eyes, would hang Christmas decorations all over, Santas, reindeer and elves dancing across the walls.

Mom had always baked cookies, pies and cakes. She'd made candy for everyone in the building. Her pale, freckled cheeks would be rosy from the oven for the entire month of December it seemed. The warm smells of gingerbread and cinnamon had made his mouth water.

A week after Thanksgiving, Dan and his father would go on the hunt for the perfect tree. They would go on a Saturday, starting out right after breakfast. They would never visit less than three tree lots, and normally stopped for lunch at a neighborhood diner. Finally, they would find a tree that was just the right size and the right fullness and they would take it home to Mom. The rest of the day would be spent sorting through the old decorations, including the ones Dan had made in school, and putting them on the tree. Mom's eyes would flash and sparkle as Dad would tease her, his dark eyes watching her adoringly.

After Dad had been killed in the line of duty, Mom had tried to keep the Christmas traditions. It was hard, though, as the money became tighter. Shopping for a tree with Mom just hadn't been the same. Then Mom had gotten sick, and just didn't have the strength anymore. Dan had done as much decorating and baking as he could by himself, but it just wasn't the same.

Last year, Dan had spent Christmas homeless and alone. He'd walked the streets, avoiding even the other members of his gang.

This year, Dan wasn't sure what to expect. Nine months ago, his Uncle Bill, Mom's brother and Dan's only living relative, had brought Dan to live in the small town of Sleepyside-on-Hudson. As the groom for a wealthy family, Uncle Bill lived over the stables and didn't have a lot of room in his quarters, so he had arranged for Dan to stay with Mr. Maypenny, the gamekeeper. Dan had left behind the gang, and the whole punk attitude when he made new friends and realized that he didn't have to hide behind that facade anymore. It had been rough, at first. Now, he lived with Mr. Maypenny, in his cabin in the middle of the preserve. He worked with Mr. Maypenny, and went to school with his new friends. He spent the weekends getting to know Uncle Bill and hanging out with the Bob-Whites of the Glen.

The Bob-Whites, or BWGs as they were called, were his new friends. They were a group of teenagers that lived too far from town to take part in after school activities and had formed a club of their own. The members were Brian, Mart and Trixie Belden, Honey Wheeler and her adopted brother Jim Frayne and Diana Lynch. The group had accepted Dan as one of their own, and he now wore his new red BWG jacket with even more pride than he had worn his black leather jacket from the city.

It had been a week since Thanksgiving. Dan, Uncle Bill, and Mr. Maypenny had eaten a wonderful dinner of roast venison, potatoes, biscuits, and green beans together. They had talked, laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Then they had gone to the annual Open House at the Belden's where Dan had met up with the other BWGs. It had been a good day.

Today was the day that Dan would've gone tree shopping with his father, if he'd still been alive. He wasn't alive though, and Dan walked through the preserve to spend his Saturday with Uncle Bill in the stables. But he couldn't help but think ahead to the next few weeks, and wonder what the holidays would bring.

"Morning, Danny Boy!" Uncle Bill called cheerfully as Dan entered the stables.

Dan grinned. "Morning, Uncle Bill. You're in an awfully good mood this morning."

Uncle Bill gestured out the window. "It's a wonderful day! I've always enjoyed the first snowfall after Thanksgiving - seems full of promise, you know?"

Dan nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can see that." His almost-black eyes seemed to grow even darker for a moment, and he muttered to himself, "But a promise of what?"

Shaking off the negative feelings, Dan smiled at his uncle. "I'm thinking of taking a new job, a second job," he told the older man.

Surprise was evident in Uncle Bill's green eyes. "Really? Where? And why?"

"You sound like Trixie," Dan laughed. "Yes, really. At Crimper's Department Store. As for why - well, I need to save all the money I possibly can if I'm going to go to college. I figure now is a good time to start." He really wanted to make some extra money, to be able to buy gifts for his friends and for Uncle Bill, but he didn't want to say that.

"I don't like you to work so much, Dan," Uncle Bill said, concern shadowing his face. "You're still a kid, and you already have enough responsibilities. I appreciate that you're willing to do this, but I'd rather you didn't - you need to have time for fun!" Uncle Bill shook his head. "I fully intend to help you out with college, as much as I can."

"I know, Uncle Bill," Dan said. "And I really appreciate that. But I want to do what I can, too." He smiled. "Besides, it's only temporary - Crimper's only wants people for the Christmas rush. The job ends by New Years."

Uncle Bill stay silent, thinking. Finally, he shook his head. "Alright, Danny, if that's really what you want to do."

The stable was quiet for a few minutes as Uncle Bill finished wiping down the saddle he'd been working on and returned it to the tack room. When he returned, he stopped for a moment, watching his teenage nephew.

I'm glad he's here, he thought to himself, a little surprised at the strength of the thought. I'm glad everything has worked out. When Dan had first come to Sleepyside, Bill Regan had been far from sure it would work. Now, watching the dark haired young man, he couldn't help but smile. Dan, who a year ago had never been near a horse, was rubbing Strawberry's nose and feeding him a carrot, talking to him in a low murmur.

Dan looked up then, to see Uncle Bill watching him. "What?" he asked.

Bill shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing, really. I'm just glad you're here."

Dan smiled back. "I'm glad I'm here too."

Dan paused, then drew a deep breath. "Uncle Bill, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Danny," Bill assured him, walking to his side in front of Strawberry's stall.

"Do you ..." he paused again, then plunged ahead. "Do you celebrate Christmas?"

Startled by the question, Bill looked at Dan incredulously. "Of course!" he finally managed to say. "I may not follow a lot of the Catholic faith of my parents, but I do still recognize and celebrate Christmas."

Bill's expression softened as he realized a part of what must have prompted the question. "Christmas with Colleen must've been quite an experience, I imagine. She always loved the holidays. I wasn't very old when our parents died, but I remember that Colleen loved to help our mother with decorating, and baking."

Dan nodded. "Mom did love Christmas. So did Dad."

Bill put a hand on Dan's shoulder, gently turning him to look into his face. "You know you can talk to me, don't you, Dan? Any time. I'm here, and ready to listen."

Dan nodded. "I know, Uncle Bill."

"Good." Bill grinned. "I think it's time we talked about Christmas, and how we're going to celebrate it. I think it's time that you and I started our own traditions."

"What about Mr. Maypenny?"

"Mr. Maypenny too!" Bill laughed. "Tell you what - the horses are settled for the moment. Why don't we go back to the cabin and talk to him about it now?"

The snow continued to fall in big, lazy flakes as Dan and his uncle walked through the trees. They didn't talk, but an easy camaraderie existed between them. Dan eyed the growing piles of snow beneath the trees. A mischievous smile flitted across his face, and he slowed to lag behind Uncle Bill slightly. A slightly wicked glint came into his eye as he bent to scoop up a handful of snow. He straightened, packing the handful into a neat snowball. He eyed Uncle Bill's broad back, and let it fly.

"Hey!" Uncle Bill turned to frown severely at Dan, but the twinkle in his eyes stole the power from the glare.

Dan grinned, and scooped up another handful of snow. Before he could throw it, Uncle Bill ducked behind a tree, scooping his own handful as he went. The preserve rang with shouts and laughter for several minutes as snowballs flew back and forth.

Suddenly, Uncle Bill stopped throwing snowballs. His laughter stilled to silence. Cautiously, Dan peeked around the tree behind which he'd taken refuge. His uncle's bright red hair was no where to be seen. Dan stepped out a bit further, looking up and down the path. "Uncle Bill?" he called.

A rustle, and a creek of snow behind him, alerted Dan too late. He tried to turn, but was caught by strong arms. One freckled hand held the collar of Dan's jacket as the other dumped a large scoop of snow down his back. A deep chuckle reverberated in Dan's ear.

"That'll teach you, Danny-Boy!" Uncle Bill crowed as Dan yelped. "Never start a snowball fight unless you're willing to get cold and wet yourself!"

Dan spluttered as Uncle Bill released him. A wicked gleam came into Dan's eyes and he lunged toward the other man. Uncle Bill dodged, then took off running down the path, his laughter a challenge to the teen.

Just moments later, Dan chased Uncle Bill onto the porch in front of Mr. Maypenny's cabin. Both were red faced and a bit disheveled, and both were laughing heartily. Mr. Maypenny heard the ruckus, and opened the door to see what was happening. Watching the two young men - the uncle was only a few years older than the nephew and both were quite a bit younger than Mr. Maypenny - he couldn't help but grin.

"What are you two hooligans up to?" Mr. Maypenny growled. Neither paid any attention to his growl, however, having seen the grin and knowing that Mr. Maypenny's bark was definitely much worse than his bite.

Uncle Bill gestured towards Dan, struggling to catch his breath between laughs. "He started it!" he finally managed.

This juvenile response served to send Dan into fresh paroxysms of laughter.

Mr. Maypenny fought to keep his face straight as he questioned gruffly, "Started what?"

Dan managed to get his laughter under control to answer. "Snowball fight!" Taking a deep breath, Dan realized that it had been a long time since he'd laughed that hard. It felt good.

Finally, a semblance of order was restored and Mr. Maypenny invited the younger men into the cabin for cocoa. Once they'd removed their coats and boots, Dan and Uncle Bill happily joined Mr. Maypenny in front of the fireplace, where the older man set out mugs of cocoa and a tray of cookies, including a package of Fig Newtons.

Mr. Maypenny eyed the large wet spot on the back of Dan's shirt with a raised eyebrow. "Did you boys have fun?"

Uncle Bill and Dan exchanged big grins. "Yes!" they chorused.

Uncle Bill turned to Mr. Maypenny. "Actually, George, we were walking over here because we wanted to discuss the Rituals of the Season with you."

"Ah," Mr. Maypenny nodded. "Okay. Did either of you have any ideas?"

Dan and Uncle Bill exchanged looks.

"Uh, we really hadn't gotten down to discussing particulars," Dan finally offered. "Just that it's time for us to start some new traditions."

Again the nod. "I see." Mr. Maypenny paused a moment. "Well, I haven't done much for years. I usually try to find myself a new holiday recipe to cook for dinner, but that's been it."

Uncle Bill looked uncomfortable. "I joined the staff at the Manor House for dinner, and a small gift exchange last year. Before that ... well, I'd raise a glass of eggnog in remembrance of my parents, and my sister, when I could. But I didn't have a place of my own, so I didn't do any decorating or have a tree or anything."

Both adults looked at Dan, who shrugged. "Last year, I did my best to ignore the holiday. The year before that, Mom was so sick - I tried to put up what decorations we had left, but I couldn't get a tree and there wasn't much cheer." Dan allowed himself to wander in memories for a moment as the older men waited in a respectful silence.

"Let me tell you what we used to do when Dad was alive," he said, "then maybe we can come up with some ideas of our own."

Later that afternoon, Uncle Bill and Dan shouldered a pair of axes and headed off into the preserve, in search of the perfect tree. While they were gone, Mr. Maypenny went on a search of his own.

The next two weeks were busy ones as Dan continued to help Mr. Maypenny in the preserve while studying hard in school and working at Crimper's. He was busy working on a project at Mr. Maypenny's cabin every spare minute he could find. The other BWGs wondered what was going on with him.

Dan reassured them all, and invited them to a special party at the cabin, to be held the Saturday before Christmas, to celebrate the beginning of their school holiday.

Saturday morning finally arrived. Dan nervously waited for his friends to arrive. He idly watched a small newt that had found its way into the cabin as it made its way along the wall. He heard the sleepy hoot of their new neighbor, a snowy owl that had moved into a large tree next to the cabin. And he paced the floor, waiting for time for his friends to arrive.

"Daniel," Mr. Maypenny said from the kitchen. "Relax! You're wearing a hole in my floor."

Dan grinned sheepishly. "It's just that this is the first time we've hosted a party here. I mean, everybody else has had parties at their places and I ..."

"You just want everything to be perfect. I understand, boy." Mr. Maypenny walked over to Dan, and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry. These are your friends. I'm sure they'll think everything is just grand."

Dan nodded as he looked out the window once more, in time to see his friends walking down the path. He quickly grabbed his jacket and went out to greet them.

As the BWGs approached the cabin, Jim commented on a new construction off to the side, half hidden in the trees. "That looks like a new barn," he said, "but it's kinda small. I wonder if that's what Dan's been so hard working on."

Dan came bounding out of the cabin in time to hear Jim. "It is part of what I've been working on," he told the group. "Go on over and take a look!"

Dan followed behind as the others walked to the small barn, almost afraid to hear their comments. He needn't have worried.

"Oh, how beautiful!" cried Honey.

"It's gorgeous!" agreed Trixie.

"How on earth did you manage to do such a fantastic job with everything else that's been going on?" asked Jim incredulously.

Mart clapped Dan on the back, with a hearty, "Nobly executed, confrere!"

Brian just nodded silently in agreement with everyone else, while letting his eyes devour the scene in front of him.

The small barn was enclosed on three sides, with the front side open to the viewers. Inside, each stall was occupied by a small animal crafted from various vines and tree branches - a sheep, a donkey, a horse and an ox could be easily recognized. Each animal was poking its head out of its stall to gaze upon a small manger, filled with hay. A newborn baby doll, wrapped tightly in blankets and with a halo formed from a branch with golden blossoms, lay on the hay. Grouped around the baby where figures of people, also crafted from vines and branches, and covered by robes and blankets - the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the Three Wise Men.

"What an adorable newborn Christ Child!" sighed Diana.

Trixie turned from the scene to hug Dan. "It's simply wonderful, Dan. You must've been working non-stop when you weren't in school."

Dan felt himself growing warm from the blood rushing to his face. He shrugged nonchalantly, even though he was very pleased with his friend's reactions.

"Mr. Maypenny and Uncle Bill helped a lot," he said. "I'm glad you like it." He took just another moment to bask in their praise, then turned to the cabin. "Come on inside. Mr. Maypenny's been cooking!" he invited them.

Happily, they all trooped in the cabin door. Leaving their boots and coats just inside the kitchen door, they all joyfully greeted Mr. Maypenny, sniffing deeply of the savory smell of Hunter's Stew. Mr. Maypenny grinned at them all.

"Go on into the living room," he told them. "Lunch isn't quite ready yet."

"It smells yummy!" Diana told him and the others agreed.

Going into the living room, the BWGs were surprised once again. In the far corner, between the front window and the fireplace, stood a large pine tree, beautifully decorated with strands of popcorn and cranberries. Small lights glowed deep within the branches. A golden angel sat on the highest bough, her blessings flowing in golden light down the tree. Gaily wrapped packages were piled underneath.

Around the room, touches of holly graced the mantle and windows. Everywhere, the smell of pine, the glow of golden light and the touches of red and green filled the cabin with a homey sense of Christmas.

Honey turned to Dan with a tear in her eye. "Oh, Dan, it's all so beautiful! Did you do all of this?"

Dan shook his head. "No, Uncle Bill and Mr. Maypenny did a lot too." He walked around the room a couple of steps, looking at the decorations. "We were talking, and we decided that we needed to start some new Christmas traditions." He gestured around the room. "We decided that some natural greenery and holly would be best for us, so we all worked to gather it in the forest. Uncle Bill and I chose the tree and cut it down." He turned to face his friends. "And we wanted to share it all with you."

Trixie, Honey and Diana stepped up to Dan to engulf him in hugs, which he returned gladly.

"You know that we're glad you're here, right?" Trixie said.

Dan grinned. "I know. I'm glad I'm here too. I'm glad to have you guys for friends."

Mart looked around the room, obviously searching for something. "So, has your esteemed uncle rendered himself invisible? I do not espy his presence."

Dan's grin turned mischievous. "That's the piece de resistance!" He laughed. "Everybody, have a seat." As the BWGs moved toward the sofa and chairs, Dan turned toward the door into the back of the cabin and called, "It's time! Come on out!"

Several long seconds passed. Then footstep could be heard, and the door opened. Out stepped Santa Claus, complete with a long white beard, and a bright red suit - and bright red hair peeking out from under the white fur trim of his hat.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Santa chortled.

Brian couldn't believe his eyes. "Regan? Is that you?"

"Why, Santa, you look ... mahvelous, dahling!" Mart chortled.

Honey, Diana and Trixie were overcome by a fit of giggles.

Jim, his face turning almost as red as his hair from trying not to laugh, turned to Dan, whose eyes were twinkling with a malicious delight. "Dan, this is perfect. I ..." he stopped, shaking his head, unable to say anything more and held his hand out to Dan. Both teens chortled as they shook hands.

Santa, meanwhile, stood in the middle of the room, glaring at one and all. "All right, all right!" he said. "Are you all finished laughing at Santa? Don't you know that if you laugh at Santa he won't give you your gifts?"

Diana minced toward Santa. "Oh, Santa, darling, we didn't mean to laugh at you," she simpered, barely contained laughter making her voice shake.

Honey mimicked Di's mincing step as she walked over to link arms with her. "Oh, no Santa, baby, we love you," she said, copying Di's simpering tones.

Not to be left out, Trixie followed along, duplicating the step and the tones as she linked arms with Honey. "Oh, yes, Santa, baby, we'd love for you to give us some gifts."

Exchanging looks, and giggles, the three girls broke into song.

Once things quieted down a little, Santa cleared his throat to try to get everyone's attention.

"Ah hum. If everyone would please sit down."

Santa sat in a chair near the fireplace, his bag at his side. Before Santa began, however, Dan said, "I know we agreed that we would exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, but I found some little things that I wanted to give each of you. They're in honor of your roles in helping me to be where I am today, to show you how grateful I am."

The others shifted slightly. Honey spoke for all of them. "Dan, you are responsible for being where you are. We're just glad you are our friend."

Reaching into his bag, Santa pulled out a small package and read the name on the tag. "Brian, this one is for you." He tossed the package to Brian, who was sitting on the sofa between Honey and Trixie.

Brian deftly caught the package. "Thank you, Santa," he said.

"Go ahead and open it," Dan said as Brian turned the package over in his hand.

Grinning at Dan, Brian found a corner of the wrapping paper and began to tear it. A doll-sized doctor's bag was soon uncovered. Brian grinned at Dan. "Thanks, man. I'm sure this will come in handy!"

One by one, Santa brought gifts out of his bag and tossed them to each of the others.

Jim's package contained a carved and painted wooden apple, with the words 'For the Teacher' inscribed on it.

"For the future teacher and administrator of the Frayne Academy," Dan told him with a smile.

Jim grinned back. "Thanks!"

Honey's gift yielded a glazed ceramic honey pot.

"For the girl who is as sweet as her name," was Dan's comment.

Diana's gift contained a small china vase with beautifully crafted ceramic violets.

"Flowers almost as beautiful as your eyes," Dan told her.

Mart's package opened to reveal a miniature watering can and a package of seeds.

"Our future farmer!" Dan explained.

Trixie's gift proved to be a ceramic Siamese cat, sitting tall and proud with his tail curled around his toes, blue eyes peering curiously about.

"In memory of the 'kitty' that got away - and this one looks as curious as our Schoolgirl Shamus!"

"It's perfect, Dan!" Trixie exclaimed.

"They're all perfectly perfect!" Honey agreed.

Last of all, Santa pulled one more gift out of his bag and tossed it to Dan. Dan caught it by reflex, his surprise evident on his face. "Where did this come from?" he asked.

Santa smirked. "It's a surprise from Santa," was his response.

Dan gazed at Santa incredulously for a moment, then gleefully tore the wrapping from his present. Inside was a toy policeman's kit, complete with badge and handcuffs.

Dan solemnly pinned the badge to his shirt, then looked up with a huge grin. "Thank you, Uncle Bill!"

The friends broke into laughter and chatter. In the ensuing babble, Santa disappeared and Uncle Bill joined the party. Mr. Maypenny came in from the kitchen to announce that lunch was ready.

Once everyone had gotten their bowls of hearty stew and thick slices of freshly baked bread spread with butter, Dan found himself sitting next to Jim. For several minutes, conversation stilled as everyone focused on eating. Dan noticed that Jim wasn't eating much, it appeared as though he was lost in thought.

"So, how many pennies are your thoughts worth?" Dan nudged his friend.

Jim flashed a startled glance at him, then smiled as Dan's question registered with him. "Not even one, I'm afraid."

"Care to share?"

Jim shrugged. "I was just thinking that this is my first Christmas in Sleepyside, too."

Dan was surprised. "But, I thought the Wheelers adopted you over a year ago!"

"They did," Jim agreed. "But last Christmas I was in Arizona, with Honey and the other Bob Whites." He paused, but Dan's friendly expression encouraged him to go on. "We did a little gift exchange the morning after we got back, but Mother and Dad left on a business trip that afternoon, so there really wasn't any kind of a Christmas here."

"So, what are you doing this year?" Dan asked curiously. "If you don't mind me asking."

Jim shook his head. "No, of course I don't mind." He paused. "Dad is determined to have a real holiday - he wants to start new traditions, too," he looked hopeful as he continued. "He's promised that he won't go out of town for the next two weeks, and he'll only go into the office two or three days each week - and he'll be home for dinner on those days." Jim glanced at Trixie, who was deep in conversation with Honey and Di, and whispered to Dan. "Actually there's a little bit of a mystery going on."

Dan groaned.

"Dad has something planned for Christmas day, but he won't tell us what it is," Jim laughed. "It isn't something that requires looking into by Schoolgirl Shamuses, Inc."

"Thank goodness!" Dan laughed with him. Then he sobered, and put a hand on Jim's shoulder. "I'm sure your new Christmas traditions will be fine." Dan looked over at his Uncle Bill, and added in a low voice, "Just like mine."

The afternoon passed in pleasant friendship, warmth and fun. Later that day, Dan stood on the front porch with Uncle Bill, watching his friends as they waved farewell and called back enthusiastic thanks.

Uncle Bill put an arm around Dan's shoulder. "I think our new traditions are a hit."

Dan looked up at his Uncle with a smile, then engulfed him in a hug. "Thank you, Uncle Bill. I think I've finally come home."

Uncle Bill returned his hug, silently, gratefully, agreeing with him.

First off, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to my fearless editors: Malficent, CarrieLynn & Trish! Big, big hugs to you and thank you so much for fixing my (many) errors and contributing so much with your comments.

Wow! This is my initiation story as an official Jixemitri Author!! I can't believe I've actually written enough to qualify! When I first found Jixemitri, I was enjoying reading everyone else's fan fiction, and never intended to write any of my own at all. That very quickly changed when I found myself listening to ideas being presented by none other than that bad-boy-gone-good Dan Mangan. He had some stories he wanted told, and wouldn't let me rest until I'd written them down. Now, I'm wondering just what everyone else has to say - they've been waiting patiently (sort of) for Dan to be finished with me (for now). Anyway, thank you to Cathy for giving us this forum, and thank you to everyone at Jixemitri - you're all my newest best friends, even though we've never met in person! I hope you approve of my latest endeavor!

"Santa Baby," written by Joan Javits, Philip Springer, and Tony Springer. Originally recorded in 1953 by Eartha Kitt.

This story was a Circle Writing Project story - CWP 2.1. The elements are as follows:

• Any Holiday between November 1 and February 1 - Christmas
• A New Outfit - Dan's new BWG jacket
• A New Job - Dan's job at Crimper's
• Fig Newton - Mr. Maypenny serves with cocoa and cookies
• A holiday themed mystery book title. The title can be used as a quote, dialogue, mention of this particular book, or your own title. Author's choice. - "Rituals of the Season" by Margaret Maron
• New Recipe or A Food New To a Character - Mr. Maypenny's holiday dinner last year
• New Construction - nativity scene in small, open-face barn in front of the cabin
• A New Neighbor - snowy owl in tree nearby
• A Newt - crawling around the cabin
• A Newborn - the baby Jesus

I know the books state (somewhere) that Regan lived above the garage. But, considering how much he hates cars, and the fact that I always thought it made more sense for the groom to be nearer the horses, I've put his apartment above the stables.

As always, none of these characters belong to me - they are all copyright of Random House. I have tried not to harm them in anyway, and make no profit from this use.

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