On a snowy, icy shore lived a chubby little seal named Soli.
Soli was round like a snowball and shiny like a pebble. He loved to slide on his tummy.
“Shhh-wooosh!” went Soli across the ice.
He giggled. “I’m the fastest tummy-slider in the whole cold world!”
It was almost Christmas.
At Soli’s home, Christmas was cold and quiet.
The wind sang, “Shhh… shhh…”
The stars twinkled like tiny bells.
Soli looked up at the sky and wondered,
“Christmas is always cold here… What is Christmas like… somewhere warm?”
Just then, a gentle wave went, “Splish… splish…”
Soli waddled closer to the edge.
“Only one tiny peek,” he said.
He put one flipper forward.
Puf!
A small piece of ice cracked under him.
Not a big crack. Just a little one.
But the ocean is sneaky.
The little ice piece-an ice floe-began to move.
“Wait… wait… WAIT!” Soli squeaked.
The ice floe floated away from the shore.
Soli’s eyes went big.
His whiskers shook.
“Uh-oh…” he whispered.
He took a deep breath like a brave seal.
“In… and out…” Soli told himself.
“I’m okay. I’m on my ice. My ice is my boat.”
The ocean carried him softly.
“Whoooosh…”
“Splash…”
“Swish…”
Soli sat very still so he wouldn’t slip.
Night came. The sky turned dark blue.
Soli saw one bright star blinking at him.
Blink. Blink.
Soli pointed a flipper.
“Hello, Star,” he said. “Please stay with me.”
The star blinked again, like it was saying, Okay.
In the morning, Soli woke up and blinked his eyes.
Something felt… different.
The air was not so cold.
And something else happened.
A warm breeze tickled his nose.
“Achoo!” Soli sneezed.
He sniffed.
“Is that… warm air?” he asked.
The ice floe was smaller now, with little wet puddles.
Soli paddled gently with his flippers.
“Swim-float, swim-float,” he whispered.
Soon he saw something golden ahead.
Not ice.
Not snow.
Sand.
Soli’s mouth fell open.
“Sand?” he said. “Like… warm snow?”
The ice floe bumped the beach with a soft…
“Bop!”
Soli slid off and landed on the sand.
“Boing!”
He bounced a little because he was chubby.
The sand felt warm and scratchy and silly.
“It’s… tickly!” Soli giggled.
A tiny crab popped out from a rock.
“Click-click!” went the crab’s claws.
“Hello!” said the crab. “I’m Crim. Who are you?”
“I’m Soli,” said Soli. “I’m from the cold place. I… um… accidentally sailed here.”
Crim blinked. “Sailed on ice? That is a very cold boat.”
A gentle voice came from nearby.
“Welcome, little traveler,” said a sea turtle.
She was big and slow and kind.
Her name was Tula.
And then splash! a dolphin leaped out of the water.
“Wheee!” said the dolphin. “I’m Dippy! This is the best day!”
Soli looked at them.
Then he looked at the warm beach.
Then he looked at his tiny ice floe… melting behind him.
His smile got wobbly.
“I think I’m lost,” Soli whispered. “And… Christmas is coming. But there’s no snow. No ice. No cold Christmas.”
Tula the turtle came closer.
“Little Soli,” she said softly, “Christmas is not made of snow. Christmas is made of kindness.”
Crim nodded. “And snacks,” he added.
Dippy giggled. “And friends!”
Soli’s eyes sparkled a little.
“But how do you do Christmas… in the warm place?” he asked.
Tula smiled.
“We will show you.”
They walked along the beach.
First, Crim found a strong stick.
“Tree!” he announced.
Dippy brought shiny shells.
“Ornaments!” he sang.
Tula found a long green palm leaf.
“Garland,” she said.
They placed the stick in the sand like a tiny Christmas tree.
They hung shells on it.
They wrapped the palm leaf around it.
Soli watched, amazed.
“It’s a… beach Christmas tree,” he whispered.
Then Dippy swam off and came back with something floating.
A little round coconut.
“A Christmas ball!” Dippy cheered.
Crim found a star-shaped shell and placed it on top.
“A star for the top,” said Tula.
Soli’s heart felt warm.
He looked down and found something near his flipper-
a small shell that had stuck to him on the ice floe.
Soli held it carefully.
“This is from my home,” he said.
He placed it on the tree, very gently.
“My home-shell,” he whispered.
The sun began to set.
The sky turned pink and orange.
And then tiny lights appeared in the bushes.
Little glow bugs.
Blink-blink-blink.
Soli gasped. “Lights!”
Tula chuckled. “Nature’s Christmas lights.”
They sat together by the beach tree.
Crim gave Soli a tiny warm pebble.
“A pocket-heater,” Crim said proudly.
Dippy splashed little gentle splashes like music.
“Splash-splash… splash-splash…”
Tula hummed a slow, sleepy tune.
Soli looked at the warm Christmas tree.
He looked at his new friends.
And he finally understood.
Christmas wasn’t cold.
Christmas wasn’t snow.
Christmas was…
being safe, being loved, and not being alone.
Soli smiled the biggest seal smile.
“Thank you,” he said. “This is my first warm Christmas.”
Above them, the first star appeared again.
Blink. Blink.
Soli waved.
“Hi, Star,” he said. “I’m okay.”
And that night, the chubby little seal fell asleep on soft sand,
with warm air on his whiskers,
and Christmas in his heart.
The end.
