The scene opens to "Potato Man's Ball cards & Comics" a small comic shop in the heart of the city. Inside we a small older man, with a patch of white hair watching reruns of "The Wonder Years" on a tiny black and white TV. Donatello, dressed with long trench coat and hat, is thumbing through the many isles of old comics, looking for a particular one. The old man, "Potato Man" himself looks up from his chair, and away from the TV.
"Shop closes at 6."
"Okay sorry..."
Donatello gazes at the clock, seeing its only 5:30, but he knows the owner wants to go home soon. As well Don has been there for hours it seems scanning through the isles for a special comic. And well, it WAS Christmas Eve. Maybe he should forget about it, he thought to himself.
"Can I help you find something son? You've been starring at the racks for hours."
"You don't happen to have Pre-Teen Dirty Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos #1 do you?"
"How can you read that crap?"
"Its for my Brother Mikey, he's the BIGGEST fan. Besides it'd make a great X-Mas gift for him."
"Hmm, lets see...."
The old man thumbs through a shelf for a minute and out of nowhere seems to pull the comic out.
"Here it is. What happened to the good old comics like Action Man and the detective comics like Sam McCormick. Ah those were the days....Now everything is some kinda mutant, or a ninja. Who thinks this stuff up?"
"Umm..."
"I mean thats just stuff that could never really happen."
"Yea, your right. Thats entirely TOO close to home...I mean not close to home. Never in a million years."
"$13.50...."
Dontello looks up puzzled.
"Its $13.50...the comic, for your brother."
"Oh man, all I could scrape together was 6 bucks. I was hoping it wouldn't be that much."
"I'd let ya have it for that kid, but it'd be robbery. Sorry, but since its Christmas Eve and all, I'll stay open til 7 if you can rush home and scrape up some more money."
Dontello gets a smile on his face.
"Thank you sir, and Merry Christmas."
"Yea yea...hurry up and get that cash, I'll hold it for you."
With that Donatello rushed out the door and into the streets. Across town, Leonardo and Michlangelo are walking through some of the darker alleys looking for something.
"Gotta be a old tree around here somewhere dude."
"I doubt it Mikey....why would ANYONE throw out their tree before Christmas. That doesn't make sense."
"Yea but there is always someone who buys one in the middle of Novemeber and it dies before the middle of December. Keep the faith dude."
"If you say so."
Mikey jumps ahead of Leo and grabs something up in grandstand fashion.
"I GOT IT!"
"Thats not a tree its a LIMB!"
Mike turns around to reveal a very small piece of a tree, mounted to a few boards.
"Good enough for Charlie Brown good enough for ME!"
"Oh come on, lets go ask Splinter if he'll spare us some extra spending money so we can have a tree."
"I like this tree dude."
Finally the scene opens to Splinter who is walking around the turtles lair with a hot glass of tea. He notices Raphael, sitting alone, looking very angry.
"Tis the season to be jolly, Raphael. Shouldn't you be out with your brothers?"
"Why should we be jolly? I nearly got you killed, Shredder is out there somewhere right now, and the Foot Clan kicked our butts!"
"But its Christmas my son."
"Christmas? BAH HUMBUG!"
"Oh Raphael you have missed the joys of Christmas even though they are right in front of you."
"What? The six feet of snow?"
Just then Donatello bursts through the door, like a whirlwind he makes it up to Splinter with wide eyes.
"Master Splinter, is there ANY way we can use some of our savings to buy something?"
"Why yes my son. We are buying a turkey dinner with the last of our moneys. I was just about to send Raphael out...."
"But Master Splinter, I ment on something else..."
"You know we have nearly no money son....but perhaps we can spare a few dollars, what is it for?"
"A comic book for Mikey!"
"My son Christmas is not about comic books."
Raphael butts into the conversation.
"Yea its so we can all be sappy and cold and miserable. Bah Humbug!"
About that time, Leonardo, Michangelo and their tiny tree enter the room.
"Hey Sensei can we borrow $20 for a Christmas Tree?"
"It appears as if your brother already has a fine Christmas tree."
"Thats a twig!" Shouts Raph.
"Thats a Tree man!" Echos Mikey.
"My sons, I fear you all do not know what the true "MEANING" of Christmas is. Perhaps their is a lesson to be learned here. Raphael, I want you to go out in that cold snow you hate so much, take the last of our money and buy us a dinner for tommorrow. Find the meaning of Christmas while you are out."
"But Master Splinter the tree...."
"Leonardo, I want you to go searching for some decorations for this Christmas Tree, and find the meaning of Christmas to you while you are out."
"What about the gift?" Donatello pushes on, seeing its nearly 7.
"Donatello, my brightest son. You intentions are good, but your faults are many. Go find a gift with the money you have, and find the meaning of Christmas to you, while you are out."
Michelangelo steps forward.
"Master Splinter can I go find Christmas too?"
"Haha...yes my son."
A few moments later.
"There isn't a decoration in sight. This was a pointless excercise. Master Splinter might be wise, but he knows nothing about Christmas. Christmas is about Trees, not Twigs."
Leonardo walks by himself, when he notices a footsoldier. Leonardo drops his hat, and sneaks behind the soldier. He watches closely as the foot ninja prepares to enter a house.
"He's going to break into this house I bet..."
Leonardo continues to follow the Foot Soldier, as Leo does, he takes a peek into the window. Inside he sees a little old lady pulling a turkey from the oven. He also sees two kids, and a family gathered. The Foot Solider too, is peaking into the window.
"How low can someone be. A Footsoldier is preparing to rob this poor family, on Christmas Eve. I will stop him."
Just as Leonardo draws his katana blades and prepares to pounce, the Foot Soldier snatches off his mask and the front door of the house swings open. The little old lady now has a huge smile on her face.
"FRANKIE! FRANKIE YOU'VE COME HOME! OH WE WERE SO WORRIED WE'D SPEND CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU! OH FRANKIE!"
"Yea...I'm home Grandma.....home for Christmas...."
Leonardo slinks behind a garbage can....and begins to think about what he just saw. Sworn enemy escaped, because even the blackest heart, has room for his family. Across the city, Raphael is exiting a grocery store with plenty of food for a king sized Turtle feast. When he notices a familiar face, huddled around a dumpster like a bum.
"Is that? That wacko in the hockey mask?"
Raphael gets a closer look.
"Don't I know you?"
"What PUNK?!?!"
"Your....Casey...."
"Casey Jones, what of it puke!"
"Why are you here? Don't you have a house?"
"This IS my house."
Casey points to the barrel of fire and random artices of clothes strung out around the area.
"Look kid, I'm flat broke. Landlord threw me out a few days ago, and I'm laid off. My job will start back up and few weeks, and I'll get my apartment back then. Til then, I got a few nights on the streets. Nothing new to Casey."
"I just ment, you know. Its Christmas."
"So what, you gonna brag cause you got a big bag of turkey and stuffings? Go ahead, make my day."
The often irrational and brash Raphael looks at this wacky hockey mask-less vigilante in front of him. Normally Raphael would be angry, but somehow, this time it was different.
"Actually, I was gonna invite you to my place for Christmas dinner."
"YOU?!"
Casey looks, then gets a closer look and realizes its the green man who fought with him in the park.
"Oh what the hell...."
As the two newfound friends walk to the turtles lair, we see a older man locking the doors to his comic shop. Its 7:15, as he closes the door and checks it twice. Just then he is nearly knocked to the ground as 2 Foot Soldiers storm up to the old man.
"Alright gramps, open the door to the store and give us all the cash inside."
"You know who your messing with right?"
"A old fucker who's gonna die on Christmas Eve if he doesn't give me the keys to the cash register."
"I am Superman in congnito, you do know that right kid?"
Unknown of the real danger facing him, the comic store owner tries to walk past the Foot.
"Lets just kill him and take the money. Master Shredder will be most pleased with all the robberies we made on Christmas Eve...."
Just then Donatello spots the two Foot. He hurls his bo staff into the head of one, knocking him out cold. Donatello rushes up and jumpkicks the other.
"GET BACK!"
As Don yells at the store owner to stay back, he and the Foot Soldier battle for a few moments, in the process Donatello loses his coat and hat, revealing himself to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle. The old store owner is SHOCKED.
"You win this time freak, but we'll be back!"
The Foot Soldier, realizing he won't beat Donatello one on one, grabs his groggy partner as they take off into the night.
"Your late kid."
"Sorry, I don't have the money..."
"Here, Take the comic. I don't need to read it anyway, clearly I've read too many of them in my day. I coulda sworn you were a giant ninjitsu practicing mutant, and I don't wanna know that."
Donatello smiles big, helps the owner out and leaves with his comic. Taking us to the farthest part of town, where we find Mike, walking around singing to himself.
"Jingle Bells,
Shredder Smells,
I kicked him in the Leg,
I wish I could date April O' Neil,
That would make my day! HEY!"
As he walks he hears a faint "meow" and looks down into the snow.
"Aww a kitty cat. Poor little thing, you get lost out here in this snow-storm?"
Mikey picks him up and puts him in his coat.
"Come on, you'll be nice and warm in here. Now lets go home."
When the four turtles and Casey Jones arrive home, they find Splinter gathered around quite a sight. A surprise for the four very merry turtles, a large green Christmas tree. No one asked how, or why, but they all smiled and knew for today was a very special day. Splinter stood up and pronounced to everyone.
"I hope you have all found Christmas in your hearts. Together with Family and friends and the hope for World Peace. May we have a Merry Christmas.
Michelangelo stood up and in his best Tiny Tim....
"And God Bless us everyone!"
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
