Willow the squirrel yawned and opened her eyes. Then she remembered--it was the day before Christmas Eve- the day the squirrel family always started decorating for Christmas. They had already put the Christmas tree up and decorated it, but that was the only decoration in the whole house! Willow was super excited for today. She jumped out of bed and ran to Mom and Dad's room.

    "Mom, Mom!" she cried excitedly. "Can we start decorating for Christmas right now?" Mom yawned and sat up.

    "Well, it's really early in the morning. It's not the usual time you're supposed to get out of bed... But because it's decorating day, I'll let 

you stay up. Though we can't start decorating until the Acorn Alarm beeps."

    "But Mom!" said Willow. "I really want to start decorating. Please?"

    "Not yet, Willow," said Dad, finally awake. "But you can go out to get an acorn for breakfast. And we can glaze it with honey and fill it with crunched up peanuts!"

    Willow rushed outside with Dad on her heels. She carefully picked out an acorn. Looking back at Dad, she asked, "Can I pick two?" 

"Not today," said Dad. "Not yet. Everybody else isn't going to be able to do what you're doing. It's because the early squirrel gets the acorn! 

    "Does that also mean that I have to be quiet? Because

it's special me day?"

    "Yes," said Dad, a twinkle in his eyes.

    "YAY!" shouted Willow, a little too loudly. Half

her brothers and sisters awoke. "Oops. I'm really sorry, Dad..."       Dad gave a weak grin.

    "It's alright," he said.

    Willow grinned as her brothers and sisters piled downstairs, asking for acorns, too. She expected Dad to say it was a special Willow thing, but he didn't. Instead, he let them all go outside picking acorns. He gave a sorry look to Willow.

    "I'm sorry," he said. "But there would be a pretty huge argument and lots of crying if I didn't say yes. I'm sorry, Willow." Willow said that it was OK. She had her delicious breakfast and headed upstairs to her room to start making a Christmas decoration for herself. But then she thought about Dad.

    Willow sighed. She wanted to get Dad a present for Christmas but she wanted it to be perfect. She wanted Dad to stop having to work so much. "I wish I could give Dad a present that would make it so he didn't have to work all the time," she said. 

    “I can help you, if you help me,” said a tiny voice.

    “Who’s that?” asked Willow.

    “Me!” waved a tiny penguin. “I’m Santa’s Small Elf Penguin. I help him when he wants to go somewhere tight! Like through your door, or in through the window,” the elf explained. “My name is Smalls. Funny, right? I’m the Small Elf Penguin, too!” Willow laughed. Smalls was cheery and fun.

    “So what can I help with?” she asked. Smalls sighed and frowned, tapping his tiny foot on the bed.

Someone has been stealing Christmas presents! We need you to hide and jump out to catch the thief. Can you please help us? If you don't, Christmas will be ruined!