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Donna Pinciotii sat in her room at her small desk. She felt like she had been living behind a desk for the past two and half weeks as she studied for her college finals but now that was all over with and the reason she was seated behind her desk this time was for a merrier reason. This was her first day of vacation and first full day back in Point Place so what better day to work on one of the infamous holiday traditions.
Suddenly she was interrupted when her bedroom door burst open and a short brunette walked into the room. She didn’t give much of a greeting and instead walked further into the room as if she were on a mission. The behavior made Donna frown.
“Jackie?” she asked, though it was clear that it was the former Point Place cheerleader, “I didn’t hear you get here.”
“Oh please Donna, like any of us use a doorbell.” Scoffed Jackie as she took a turn to the right and found herself in front of her best friend’s closet, “Let alone knock.”
Seeing Jackie pull open the doors to her closet and look inside had Donna’s scowl deepening, “Jackie, Fez isn’t here.”
“I’m not looking for Fez. I’m looking for something to wear.” She explained, pushing the clothes on hangers from one side of the closet to the next.
However, the explanation that Jackie gave didn’t appear to have straightened out any of Donna’s concerns or questions, in fact it looked like it only made her even more confused.
“Jackie, you don’t live here in anymore. And when you moved out you took all of your stuff with you.” the redhead reminded and then asked the question that wouldn’t leave her mind, “Why are you looking in my closet for something to wear?”
As she spun around on her heel, Jackie looked at her friend who was still seated at writing table, “Because I need something to wear to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.”
“So you came to check my closet?” questioned Donna in a very angry tone of voice.
“It was either yours or your dad’s and I didn’t wanna insult your dad.”
While Donna was glad that Jackie was considerate enough to not want to hurt her father’s feelings she couldn’t help but feel that her own feelings had been hurt by Jackie coming to snoop through her closet for an ugly Christmas sweater. Before she could make any kind of remark though, Jackie turned around to face Donna, holding in her hand the hook of a wire hanger that hung a itchy looking dark green sweater with weird shaped magenta colored things scattered over it.
“What about this one?” she asked giving the sweater a once over.
Donna scowled, it wasn’t her favorite sweater but it wasn’t and ugly enough to be labeled as an Ugly Christmas Sweater, “No.”
“You’re right.” Jackie agreed with a nod, “It’s not Christmas enough.”
Ignoring the frown that seemed to only wrinkle Donna’s face more and more, Jackie turned back towards the closet and put the green sweater back. She searched through the rack of clothes for several seconds but she was having a harder time than she thought she would. Some of the clothes in Donna’s closet were actually pretty nice, maybe he had finally started to pick up some of Jackie’s good influences!
The thought caused a grin to spring onto Jackie’s face and she turned back around to voice the comment but when she saw that her friend was no longer paying attention to her and instead was hunched over her desk, busy writing something, she immediately frowned.
“Donna, what’re you doing?” she questioned curiously as she stepped closer to her friend and farther from the closet.
“I’m writing one of those Christmas card letter things.” The older girl explained, taking a break from the few lines she had written on the yellow legal pad to glance up at her friend as she explained her reasons, “Eric and me thought it would be nice to tell everyone about all the things that’ve happened to us this year. Mrs. Forman sends one out every year.”
“Yeah, Donna cuz she’s old. It’s an old people thing.” pointed out before making another point, “Beside who are you gonna send yours out to, you see everyone everyday anyways and we all know what’s happened over the year.”
Though Jackie’s points were pretty good, Donna was ready to fight back, “I have other friends outside the six of us, Jackie.” She argued, “And I wanted to send one to my mom and…other you know relatives…it’s Christmas writing Christmas letters is something you do!”
Giving a shrug of her shoulders Jackie spoke again, “Fine. Let me see what you have so far.”
Without waiting for a ‘yes’ or any other kind or response from Donna, she swiped the notepad out from under Donna and found the few lines that had been written, She wasted no time in reading them out loud.
“Dear Friends and Family. First off Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We thought we would update you a little on what has been going on with us over the past year. Some things have changed and some have remained the same. Donna finished her up another great year at the University of Wisconsin, it was tough be but she made it through by keeping in mind that her future journalism career is just in her grasp…Ugh! Donna, this is letter is a snooze fest!” Jackie proclaimed, dropping the pad into her lap with a sharp slap.
Donna scowled, “Jackie, it’s just a rough draft…”
“You need to spruce it up a lot.” the other girl explained before reaching over to the desk and grabbing a pen, “But don’t worry I’ll help.”
“I thought you were looking for an ugly sweater for your party. Did you look in the back of my closet, I bet you can find a bunch there.” Donna tried to get her friend away from the Christmas card writing.
Jackie shook her head, “No, I’m not going anymore. I can’t find an ugly enough sweater, you had some good choices but no matter how ugly the sweater is with me wearing it, it’ll be prettied up. I’ll just stay here and help you!”
“Jackie…”
“Now let’s see…”Jackie began to think, ignoring her friend’s call completely, “Oh I know!” she set the pen to the paper and began to write, “Dear family and friends, Can you believe it’s Christmas already? It feels as though the year has flown by but that’s probably because of all the exciting things that have happened to use this year. We’ll fill you in on some. We are all so proud of Donna for completing another year at UW and keeping her place on the Dean’s list for the fourth semester in a row….”
“Jackie, I haven’t gotten my grades yet. You have no idea if that’s true or not.” Donna commented, already she was regretting telling Jackie about the letter.
“So what? Donna, you’re smart. You’ll make the list again, I know it.” Jackie said in a sincere tone that actually made Donna smile and feel bad about her previous thoughts, “And if not, no one’s gonna check.”
The smile of Donna’s face dropped and she now began to wish that she had just said yes about the sweater being ugly enough for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.
“When Donna’s not studying she’s spending her time with her best friend in the world Jackie Burkhart.” Jackie continued to narrate the lines that she wrote. “Jackie has recently found a very successful career in the fashion industry.”
“You work at a dress boutique.” Donna dryly reminded.
Jackie frowned back, “Freedom of the press means you can exaggerate all you want, Donna!”
There was suddenly a soft knock on the closed bedroom door but before an answer could be given it was pushed open and Hyde walked into the room.
“Jackie,” he called until his eyes caught sight of a person he hadn’t been expecting to see up here since Jackie told him she was going to get one of Donna’s sweaters while Donna was gone, “Oh hey, Donna.” He greeted shortly and then turned his attention back to his fiancé. “Jackie, your dumb ugly sweater party starts in two hours and it takes you three to get ready. I’m all for the idea of us being late or not going but…”
“We’re not going anymore.” Jackie interrupted, eyes never looking up from her, well Donna’s, note pad.
Hyde smirked, after all who was he to argue against her decision especially when it’s so close to Christmas, “Cool.” He then noticed what the two girls were up to, “What’re you doing?”
“I’m helping Donna write her Christmas letter.” Jackie explained with a smile.
Donna didn’t look as happy, “Yeah, if you wanna call it helping.”
“Steven, what do you want me to write about you in the letter?” Jackie asked the smirking young man.
“Nothing.”
Jackie eyed Hyde for several seconds just staring at him as he stared at her—it looked like some sort of Zen-off—until finally she nodded her head in agreement.
“Okay.” She replied.
However despite her word of understanding, Jackie bowed her head back down and began writing on the piece of paper once again. She scribbled and scribbled and these actions did not go unnoticed by Hyde.
“Jackie, what’re you writing?” he wanted to know; his smirk was now long gone.
“Nothing, Steven. I’m writing nothing, just like you told me to.” she replied but her pen holding hand never stopped moving, “I wrote, Steven is up to nothing.”
Hyde of course wasn’t convinced and reached over, being swift enough to pull the notepad right out from under Jackie in a similar fashion that Jackie had used to take the paper away from Donna. Once he had the pad in his hands he pulled it up to his face to read and keep out of Jackie’s grasp as she tried to get it back from him.
“Steven’s record store is booming with business and success, he is making lots of money. More money than he has in years.” Hyde read aloud, there were more lines but that one was enough to get him upset, “Jackie, a Christmas letter isn’t the place to brag about how much money a person makes.”
She snatched the notebook back and scowled, “Then where is the place?”
Soon Jackie and Hyde had broken out into an argument over when and where Jackie could brag about how much money they had, about how they really had or didn’t have all that much money, and about the overall message Jackie had written in the letter about them. Donna watched on and saw this as a good opportunity to take back the notepad and her Christmas letter, but before she could take action her bedroom door reopened only this time two occupants walked into the room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked standing up and walking towards the startled pair of morons.
Kelso was the first to speak though had trouble doing so, “Um…uh…we’re not looking for our presents if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Yes, yes.” Fez nodded beside his partner in crime, “We are looking for…panties.”
“That’s good.” Kelso whispered too loudly.
Fez smiled, “Thank you.”
Donna however didn’t seem to think it was a very good cover up, “Get out of my room.”
“But we wanna look of presents.” Whined Kelso before realizing what he’d done, “I mean panties!”
“Why are Jackie and Hyde fighting?” Fez asked curiously as he watched the couple who’s argument had actually died down a bit.
The tall woman just shook her head, “They’re fighting over this stupid Christmas card.”
“Oo! I want to be in the Christmas card!” the foreigner exclaimed before hurrying over to the bed.
Kelso wasn’t far behind, “Me too!”
Hearing the exclamations of wanting to be put into the card, Jackie smiled at her two ex-boyfriends and then nodded, “Okay, Michael, Fez, you can both be in the Christmas card. You can take Steven’s place since he’s being a Scrooge and doesn’t want any part in it.”
“Bah Humbug.” came Hyde’s reply but he didn’t leave the room.
“Okay Fez, we’ll start with you.” Jackie said, getting her pen and paper ready for notes, “What exciting things did you do this year that I can put in the letter?”
It took a few seconds for Fez to think of a response, “Well…I ate many different candies…oh and I learned how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop and that you should never mix M&Ms in the same bowl as Skittles. It is a dangerous game.”
“And?” Jackie waited for more.
“And…” Fez stammered nervously then broke out into a smile, “Merry Christmas!”
Jackie realized that that was all she was going to get from him, but she didn’t want to make him feel bad so she patted his head, “It’s okay, Fez, we’ll just jazz up your stuff too.”
“You’re not gonna have to jazz up any of my news, Jackie since you know I’m already living the dream of working at the Playboy Club.” Kelso reminded with a proud and content grin until he got hit with an new idea, “Oo! Could you make me a spaceman too?”
Though Jackie wasn’t sure what her first boyfriend had with Christmas and Spacemen, she nodded her head and tried to figure out a way to add it into the Christmas letter.
Meanwhile Donna was standing several feet away from her bed where the scene in front of her was occurring. She had no idea how she’d lost control of her Christmas letter or when her bedroom had become the new Forman basement. She was so consumed by the sight of her friends working on what was supposed to be her and Eric’s Christmas card that she didn’t even hear him enter her room until he said her name.
“Hey Donna, I…” he stopped mid sentence when he saw the gang too, “What’s everyone doing here?”
She sighed, “I don’t even know anymore.”
“Oh, well did you start on our Christmas card, cuz I was talking to my mom and she gave me some pretty good tips about writing one.”
“I started to work on it but then Jackie took it over.” Donna explained as she dropped back into her stool behind her desk, “She’s stretching little truths into big, outrageous lies! She has me as a full time honor student, her as part of the fashion industry, and Hyde’s the new Mr. Howell!”
“Huh.” Eric said with a small frown that didn’t appear to be caused by anger but rather thought “I’ll be right back.”
When she saw him start to walk towards their group of friends, Donna frowned and her frown did look like an angry one. “Eric, what’re you doing?”
“I’m gonna see if I can convince Jackie to put that my new best friend is Harrison Ford.” He explained to her, “Hey, I saw The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark five times each this year!”
0o0o0o
Dear Friends and Family,
Is it Christmas already? It feels as if the year has just flown by with all of the exciting events that have happened in our lives this past year.
We are all so proud of Donna, who completed another school year with high marks that have put her on the University of Wisconsin’s Honor Roll once again and has brought her closer to achieving her dream job of bringing news of joy to everyone. In her spare time Donna makes sure to visit her best friend Jackie Burkhart. Jackie has had a very successful year and has done so much for her community including helping those who are less fortunate by helping provide them with the right clothing. Jackie does these good deeds all the while looking just as beautiful as ever and balancing her career in the fashion world and her fairytale romance with Steven Hyde.
Steven’s big job in the music industry has kept him busy but he enjoys it. On a daily basis he is seeing the faces of some of today’s greatest musical talents. Eric has also become quite familiar with hobnobbing with the rich and famous. He has made many visits this year to catch up with his good friend, the great Harrison Ford.
Michael is living his dream of working as a security guard over at the Playboy Club during the day, a ninja at night, and an astronaut every other weekend. And Fez has been making new amazing scientific discoveries that are sure to be of great help to the people of the future.
So as you can see we have all had quite a year but it does not feel complete without sending some holiday cheer to you.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Jackie, Steven, Kelso, Fez, Eric, and Donna.
Kitty Forman finished reading the newly received Christmas card to her husband and gave a nervous laugh, “Well…that was…” She searched for the right word and laughed again, “Interesting!”
From his seat beside her at their kitchen table, Red scowled, “Those kids are on dope.”