Grandma Tortoises' Big Family Christmas

    One day in the Shady Forest, Grandma Tortoise was talking to Newtonious J. Fluffynoggin & her best friend Bucktooth Charlie. They were talking about the Fluffynoggins family reunion. Grandma Tortoise mentioned that she has not had a family reunion for almost 20 years. 

    Newton asked, “Why has it been so long?” Grandma explained how tortoises could live for two or three hundred years.  She has not seen her brothers & sisters for many, many, many years. Bucktooth Charlie saw a small tear gather in the corner of her eye as Grandma remembered her family. 
    On their way home, they talked about how sad it was that Grandma Tortoise had not seen her family for so… long. Newton declared, “Maybe we could help get Grandma Tortoise’s family here to visit.” “Yeah!”-yelled Bucktooth Charlie excitedly, “Maybe our moms could call some of Grandma’s relatives. 

    They ran home to talk to their families. Bucktooth Charlie told her mother how Grandma Tortoise got a tear in her eye when she talked about her family, and how much she missed them. Bucktooth Charlie’s mom, Mrs. Socket the sapsucker & Mrs. Fluffynoggin, talked about how to help get Grandma’s family to visit. 

    It was decided that Babe the blue bird, Mr. Socket of the sapsuckers & Mr. Mohawk of the bat family would all fly around to invite Grandma Tortoises relatives to a BIG family reunion. 

    The family sent back word that they could not make it until Christmas. “I’m sorry Charlie!” pleads Charlie’s mom, “They can’t make it any sooner.” “That’s perfect!” said Bucktooth Charlie, “Grandma told us that she misses the big family Christmas’s more that anything. A BIG Family Christmas would be just what the doctor ordered. That would really surprise Grandma!”

    All the ones who could fly were organizing invitations & directions. All of our furry friends, the Chipmunks, the Raccoons, Fluffynoggins the weasels, Straighternoggins the possum family & Bucktooth Charlie’s family of skunks, were taking care of somewhere to stay & decorations. While Cyndi the Centipede, Payton the Butterfly, Jonathan the Bullfrog & Sticky the Red eyed Tree frog all take care of the small details.

    Finally the big day came. Everyone was to arrive at the same time to surprise Old Grandma Tortoise. They knocked on the door and shouted “SURPRISE!!!” 

    Grandma Tortoise was so happy that she began to cry. She hugged her brother Timothy & his wife Barb. Then her brother Victor & his wife Loretta showed up. But what surprised everyone the most was when her mother Evelyn meandered through the crowd. “Excuse me please,” as she struggled through the gathering, “I’ve walked a long way to get here.” Grandma Tortoise recognized that voice in the crowd, “MOM?” 

    “Of course, you don’t think that I would miss this,” said her mom, “But I will probably have to stay until spring. It is a lot warmer at my house this time of year.”
Grandma’s mom lives in the Galapagos Islands, while her brothers live in Arizona. All of Grandmas children came too as well as all the nieces & nephews with some aunts & uncles thrown in as well. 
    All four of Grandma's children came up from Florida, & brought all nine of her grandchildren with them. Grandma was so very happy.
    They stuck to the old family tradition of opening one present at a time. It took them all night to open all their gifts. 

After the kids fell asleep, the adults played games, talked & laughed all night. They all had a wonderful family Christmas, “Just like the old days”, said Grandma Tortoise, “Except this one was even better, because there were even more in her family now, than long, long ago!”