Christma Isle - The North Pole for 2016

Discussion in 'Writers' Corner' started by Coorisnar, Dec 30, 2016.

  1. It all started with a surprise call from Santa...asking if I minded him being my neighbor. It led to ... well ... a story. But, being as it's Santa's story, I'll let him tell it himself...
  2. It all started during the wind up celebration after last Christmas. We were into about the fifth week of the celebration with a few weeks left to go before party goers started to drift off for vacation.

    Oli and Polly had been giving each other moon eyes for a few days in between food and drink. They’d been flirting with each other for about 15 years, the better part of their ‘teen’ years.

    Oli himself was wrecked. He could hardly see straight tottering on his work stool the way he was, and the boys were riling him something fierce about Polly. Suddenly he jumped up on the work bench, scattering pitchers and sugar cookies, and bellowed, “By Santa’s beard…This time I’m gonna do it!!!”

    Conversation stopped everywhere, and slowly the good natured snickering started. Oli had done this before, vowing to marry his girl, and everyone was wondering if this time he was serious.
    If any of us had been sober enough to pay attention, we would have noticed him and Bran disappeared for a few days, but we were too far gone.

    Those still conscious in the room looked on curiously when Oli and Bran returned, both bearing ear to ear grins. In a hushed awe as they watched Oli go over to where Polly was sprawled on her back on her work bench, gently pull back her hair, and start rubbing the tips of her ears. Rousing slowly, she grinned…then her eyes went wide as full moons when Oli presented her with a stack of diamond ore.
    Polly sobered up quickly, belying her inebriated state by gracefully jumping up into Oli’s arms and showering his head in kisses, shouting “YES! YES! YES!” in between.

    Most of the rest of us were conscious by this time and the silent awe quickly changed to raucous cheers and applause, and of course, more drinking.

    Polly and Fran immediately vacated to the workshop with the diamond ore to create Polly’s wedding jewels – that’s been the Elf custom for centuries…but no one know why it started.

    Over the next few weeks, plans for the first Elf wedding in decades started to come together. The venue would be Antarctica, an exciting location, but the first time we’d ever had an Elf wedding there. The penguins were informed, and joyous at the news. If I’d been a few centuries younger, I might have wondered about their mention of wedding rocks…
  3. Over the next few weeks, plans for the first Elf wedding in decades started to come together. The venue would be Antarctica, an exciting location that we'd all been to for vacation a few times in the past, but the first time we’d ever had an Elf wedding there. The penguins were informed, and joyous at the news. If I’d been a few centuries younger, I might have wondered about their mention of wedding rocks…

    In late June, we starting ferrying everyone down to Antarctica with the sleigh and reindeer – this has become increasingly difficult due to the number of ‘eyes in the sky’ around EMC, and the suspicious nature of unidentified aircraft on radar. Finally everyone was assembled, and the festivities began…along with the realization we had a problem.

    Penguins, being penguins, and friends, have always presented each member of our visiting party with a rock on each of our previous visits for vacation. We’d taken into account the few weeks it would take for them to decide which rocks collected were worthy of being bestowed on us as a gift. And we were used to somewhat boisterous quarrels that went along with the decisions.

    We were not however prepared for Wedding Rocks being presented. This entailed whittling down the selection of rocks to just 2…one for the bride and one for the groom. It took weeks, and weeks. There were arguments and fights, there were gangs of rival penguins jostling each other so viciously that the lot of them ended up in the ocean… and there was bloodletting.


    Bran tried to step in between one of the first bloody encounters and ended up on a stretcher for a week – elves and penguins are of the same height…but penguins are much, much heavier. Thankfully, in the end, there were no serious injuries.

    Finally, two stones were selected, and the finders of the chosen rocks spent two days pushing them down the aisle to present them to the very thankful bride and groom. The next few days of the ceremony went smoothly, and flowed easily and gently into the reception afterwards.
  4. During the weeks of the reception, again, I would have done better if I’d been a younger fella – but a few things slipped my mind. The worst of them was the turning of Winter in EMC, and what it brings. Being well inebriated, I was enjoying myself like I haven’t in decades…since the last wedding. I remained blissfully unaware of the pending doom.

    The celebration wound down, and we said our goodbyes to the penguins. We sat with maps of EMC spread over dozens of tables choosing the site for building this years ‘North Pole’ – we build a new one each year to ensure anonymity during the crucial final months of the year. The perfect site chosen, we began ferrying everyone back North. I was in the air most of the time, not able to communicate with those in the North or the South, and was shocked when I landed with the last ferry load.
    There was chaos everywhere, the cabin was built, but the workshop was only half done. Elves were running terrified or hiding in corners….and half of them were missing already!

    Blizzz Ards!!! We’d forgotten about the Blizzz Ards!! The turn of Winter in EMC brings the Blizzz Ards. Elves are told stories from a young age of Blizzz Ards hiding in winter caves, and snowy forests to snatch up unaware, errant young elves. Truthfully, no elf has ever, ever, ever been attacked by a Blizzz Ard, but it was a useful way for keeping young elves in line. So, irrationally, all elves are terrified of Blizzz Ards.
    We’d always been in place, settled, and safely cozied in our Christmas home before the turn of Winter in EMC, so Blizzz Ards had remained in stories.
    This year, starting with the first load of returning wedding guests, Blizzz Ards had been seen by elves, eyes wide with terror. Our construction process, and workshop setup was thrown to the wind. And we learned something real about Blizzz Ards…they seem to love the smell of sugar cookies, and were drawn in droves to our site.

  5. By the time I got a handle on the situation, and started implementing a plan, half our elves had run away, despite the 500% increase in rum ‘n eggnog and sugar cookies promised if they stayed.

    When the plan was finally finished, we were down to just 8 members of the green squad out of an original 16. All of the red and blue squads were gone, with two pairs of exceptions

    – Oli and Polly - they felt responsible for the entire situation, and stayed behind to help re-engineer the workshop and delivery system. They separated it into 4 sections – one for each material, beginning to end. And they got it all to work with only 12 elves…instead of 48.

    – Bran and Fran, being best elf and elf of honor in the wedding party, they felt partly responsible, but agreed to work only around the cabin, and loading/unloading the sleigh. They were far too terrified to go anywhere near the workshop.
    allygirl5 likes this.
  6. Finally, we’d captured and rendered all of the Blizzz Ards relatively harmless, and created a functioning workshop to get our real work done. We buckled down to 20 hour days fueled by rum ‘n eggnog and sugar cookies.

    Each elf was promised a 2 hour break for every 4 hours worked, and we setup a beautiful skating rink for their off time relaxation.


    Frosty was always there with hot chocolate and soothing words for those too terrified or stressed to go on.

    And…WE DID IT!! Christmas went off without a (another) hitch. All the gifts got made and delivered – on time. The exterminators have been by and told us it would take a few days to clean up the pest infestation, but they wouldn’t start until Jan 2.

    So, the brave hearted members of the green squad that remained are now winding things down in the workshop.


    Bran and Fran have unloaded the last of the extras from the sleigh,


    and Oli and Polly have taken to holding hands and skating together.


    And me…I’m off on a joyride with Rudolf and the gang!


    You’re welcome to come around and say hi. I’ve socked away the rest of the sugar cookies, but there’s still plenty of rum ‘n eggnog, and Christmas Ham and Christmas turkey on the table in the cabin.


    Feel free to join the growing crowd on the rink.


    If you’re a brave soul, you can go down and ogle the Blizzz Ards down below,


    or watch the green squad wrap things up in the workshop…with the Blizzz Ards in the background eyeing their every move


    (look under the porch for the access to the workshop viewing room.)

    To everyone taking the time to read this story of mine, I thank you and wish you a Happy New Year!
    And let’s all of us hope that the next elf wedding is decades away!!!


    ....And thanks again to Coors for all the help this year!
  7. For interested sightseers - the location will be posted after the inspectors have deemed the environment safe for players again :confused:
  8. The BlizzzArd Infestation has been dealt with. Inspectors have deemed the area safe for all players.

    To visit Christmas Isle go to x: -295 z: 14623. Easiest access is off /wild south spawn and take the southern public rail. You'll need a boat for the last leg of the journey.

    Come and see the sights, enjoy some hot chocolate with Frosty. Please leave the environment pristine, so that other players may enjoy the tranquil view.

    EDIT: My bad...this is on SMP5 (thanks to takenID for pointing it out)
  9. good job! 1st! Also, what SMP?