You might remember the Nut family from a previous post back in the fall. They were climbing a mountain then–they love to hike. But I don’t think I properly introduced them: On the top, to the left, is Tom Nut next to his wife, Beth Nut. On the bottom, to your left is their daughter, Ariel Nut and her brother Benjamin Nut.
Of course, everyone in the community knows them as Nuts and, in fact, their family tree is full of Nuts. But they are very close and aren’t the type of nuts to stay in their shells–they love to go on roadtrips.
So they set out one day in their old Chevy to find a Christmas tree.
They took some friends along. The Nut family doesn’t just hang out with nuts–they have a very diverse group of friends.
Now Ariel Nut loves to take pictures and sometimes gets so distracted, she doesn’t notice what’s going on around her. So her mama Beth Nut was always cautioning her: You need to be more aware and careful. There are squirrels and other animals out there always on the prowl for Nuts, so you must be alert! But Ariel Nut would just roll her googly eyes. (You know how teenage Nuts are!) Now, the Nuts had nothing against rodents–some of their best friends were rodents, but they were aware that the world was full of Rodents of Unusual Size, who didn’t have their best interests at heart.
So when they got to the Christmas tree farm, Ariel Nut wandered off as usual, snapping away with her camera. The rest of the Nut family set out with their friends to find a Christmas tree. Suddenly, they heard a scream. It was Ariel Nut! They all ran in the direction of the scream. Mama Beth Nut got there first. She gasped in horror when she saw what had happened–Ariel Nut had been snatched by an evil squirrel!
Beth Nut immediately began to throw herself at the squirrel, jumping on his feet, trying to get him to let go of Ariel Nut. She just could not understand why the squirrel had snatched little Ariel Nut when he already had a giant acorn of his own. Wasn’t that enough? Why was he picking on little Nuts? The squirrel was very irritated, but there wasn’t much he could do. His hands were full. But pretty soon, the rest of the Nuts and their friends arrived and all began to charge the squirrel, barking and squealing.
The squirrel finally had enough of the Nuts and their friends. He dropped Ariel Nut on her head and scampered off. Everyone rushed over to see if she was hurt. But Ariel was a tough Nut to crack–she was fine. What a relief! They all started back to find a Christmas tree. But soon they heard a rustling in the leaves behind them. It was the squirrel!
Quickly, they all piled into the Chevy and Tom Nut careened down the road, driving like…well…a Nut. The squirrel was in hot pursuit, gaining on them by the second.
Then Beth Nut had a brilliant idea. She told Tom Nut, and he swerved into the parking lot of the local grocery. Their canine friends diverted the squirrel’s attention by nipping at his heels long enough for Beth Nut to run in the store. She emerged with a jar, opened it, and ran up to the squirrel. His little pointed rodent nose quivered at the delicious aroma, and he screeched greedily. He snatched it from her hands and scampered away happily. At last, he had what he really wanted–Jif, the Holy Grail of Nutdom. Of course, Ariel Nut managed to snap a picture.
So the Nut family left the grocery, waving goodbye to the squirrel and shouting, “Merry Christmas!” They drove back to the Christmas tree farm, found the perfect tree, then headed home with their faithful friends, the tree on the top of the Chevy.
So Ariel Nut learned a valuable lesson–that she should listen to Mama Nut, who was always right. And the whole Nut family learned the value of true friends— the ones who stick by you when you’ve gotten yourself in trouble. And they all learned that sometimes peace can come without violence.
So from all the Nuts and their friends–may you have a peaceful Christmas of goodwill and love. And a Happy New Year!
