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Sometimes sixteen year old Stan Marsh really hated Christmas. Especially now that he was a teenager because buying a gift for his girlfriend was really, really hard. He had no idea what Wendy would like and because she was so smart, he couldn’t ask because she would realize what he was doing at once. It was so hard to surprise Wendy sometimes and it seemed like this was going to be one if those occasions as well.
Well, until she came up to him. ”What do you want for Christmas, Stan?” she curiously asked on that day.
Stan, as usual, couldn’t take his eyes off of her beautiful face. ”I… I dunno, Wendy.”
Wendy had laughed, her dark hair swaying from side to side. ”Well, let’s just surprise each other then, Stan.”
”Sure thing, babe”, Stan had just agreed.
Later he realized he probably should’ve just asked for what to get because buying a gift for the girl of his dreams turned out to be an experience made in Hell. But he was going to do his best. There was a place where he can get a proper gift, even in this stupid little town, right? He was sure he would find it eventually, but as time passed and Christmas got closer, he still had no gift in his posession and he was starting to panic – why was it so damn difficult!?
”I think your problem isn’t even that bad”, Kyle told him when Stan told him about it.
”Why do I feel like you’ve said that to me before, too?”
”Yes, when you had your little problem with Glotzers and many times after that.”
”I’m making this a too big of an issue”, Stan realized and sighed.
Kyle just looked at him in silence which meant he agreed.
”Okay… so –”
”If you can’t find anything to buy, why don’t you make something yourself?” Kyle interrupted.
”Make something myself?”
”If it was meant to surprise her, you should do that.”
Stan tried really hard to find something to say against that idea but couldn’t find any.
”I’m just glad you didn’t talk to Cartman about this like that one time”, Kyle told Stan who immediately felt shivers go through him. He didn’t need that memory where Stan had almost forgotten Wendy’s birthday and in an act of desperation had ended up asking Eric Cartman for help and his idea of a fast food date had almost caused Stan to lose Wendy forever. She did return to him eventually but only after she had heard Cartman brag about humiliating the couple by using Stan’s desperation for his amusement in the school corridors. Wendy had then slapped him for that and then she ran to Stan and kissed him.
”That was an epic fiasco for sure”, Stan mumbled. ”I learned my lesson the hard way.”
Kyle chuckled. ”I think we all did”, he agreed.
Never, ever ask for advice in anything from Eric Cartman. That was the lesson.
*
Wendy Testaburger sighed. She had been trying to find something nice to surprise Stan with, and had even asked her friends to spy on him but it seemed to her that in typical yet infamous Libra fashion his indeciveness and perfectionism were definitely getting the best of him again. It, in turn, lead to Wendy’s difficulties as well because she wanted her gift to him be just as good as his gift to her would be.
”What can I do?” Wendy sighed in her best friend’s, Bebe’s, room. She had gone to visit her to figure out the gift problem with her even though she wasn’t completely sure Bebe could be much help even though she had been spying on him for Wendy.
”I dunno, Wendy”, Bebe said. ”Maybe you should ask his friends?”
”But wouldn’t that be stupid?”
”How?”
”I dunno. It feels stupid.”
”Are you just worried he might get a bit jelly over you if you talk to his friends?” Bebe asked.
Wendy remembered few moments when Stan had been that way but didn’t want to think about it. He was working on it after they had had a talk about it. She just didn’t want to ask his friends for help because she wasn’t sure if they’d tell him or not. She was sure that Eric would be absolutely no help. In fact, he would just mock them both because he was an ass. Kyle might be helpful. Kenny probably wouldn’t even care.
No, I must do this by myself, Wendy decided. I don’t need his friends to help me to get a gift for my boyfriend! she added and rubbed her chin. The gift should be something meaningful. Something Wendyish but not too girlish for Stan to approve.
”Cookies!” she said aloud, remembering Stan absolutely loved everything sweet. So much that sometimes Wendy wondered if sugar was his actual true love instead of her.
”What?” Bebe, who laid on her bed scrolling through her phone, absentmindedly asked.
”I’ll bake cookies for him. I love them, he loves them. It’s perfect!” Wendy said excitedly.
”That’s sickeningly sweet, Wendy.”
”Don’t mock me, Bebe. This is the best idea I’ve had!”
”I wasn’t mocking you, Wendy”, Bebe giggled. ”But you have to admit that you and Stan are so adorable sometimes that it makes everyone feel sick”, she added.
”Shut it, Bebe”, Wendy protested and blushed. She wasn’t wrong though. Sometimes Stan was over the top sweet and romantic and it always amazed Wendy so much she was caught off guard. He had done a lot of stupid things and they had called it quits more than she could count but she had to admit that Stan might still be the man of her dreams.
”What cookies are you gonna make for him?” Bebe asked.
”Chocolate Chip Cookies, of course. They’re my favorite and also his favorite”, Wendy said at once. ”He doesn’t even care if they’re vegan or not so it’s perfect.”
”Alright. Want me to help you? My parents aren’t home so we could make them together here. I might even have nice gift boxes left somewhere”, Bebe said and grinned. ”I’m bored, bestie, let’s do it”, she added and got out of her bed.
”Sure, let’s go and make some cookies together”, Wendy agreed and the girls exited the room to go downstairs.
*
When Christmas finally came, Stan and Wendy had decided to exchange their gifts when they met to do some holiday themed movie binging at Wendy’s house. Stan wasn’t allowed to spend the night there, of course, and he had agreed to go home once the movie night was over. He was nervous because of the gift he had for Wendy. His attempt at making something for his girlfriend had been such a challenge but he was glad that he now had something in his hands to give her. The gift box was definitely nice and festive. He was glad that Cartman hadn’t seen the box because he would’ve laughed and called Stan gay as usual. He was such an ass.
”Are you nervous, Stan?” Wendy asked and giggled. ”Come here with me”, she added and patted the bed. She looked beautiful with her long black hair on a loose braid over her left shoulder. She was wearing a red shirt and black jeans. They weren’t going anywhere special so neither of them had cared to dress up. Besides, to Stan, Wendy was always beautiful.
”I did something for you that I haven’t done before and I’m not sure if it was a disaster or not yet”, Stan said before he could stop himself as he walked over to Wendy’s bed and he climbed in right next to her.
”We’ll find out soon, won’t we?” Wendy asked curious spark in her beautiful eyes.
”Yes, we will”, Stan agreed. ”Will we exchange these boxes now or later?”
”Now because I’m curious to see what’s in the box.”
Stan grinned. ”I’m curious to see what’s in the box you got there, too”, he said and looked at the red and green box that Wendy had on her lap. It had Stan’s name written on the surface.
”I made something for you”, Wendy said. ”I wanted it to be personal”, she added.
”I made something for you, too”, Stan said and he offered his white and gold colored box to Wendy who took it, looking even more curious than before. Stan took the other box from Wendy’s hands and then he smiled to his girlfriend. ”Shall we open these together?” he asked.
”Yes!” Wendy said excitedly.
”You’re so adorable”, Stan chuckled. ”I hope you like the gift.”
”Hey, even if it wasn’t as great as you wish it was, I’d still appreciate it because you made it”, Wendy said and smiled as she opened the box Stan had given her while he proceeded to open his box she had given him. He wasn’t expecting to see delicious looking chocolate chip cookies laying there wrapped up into a layer of silk paper. He loved the gift.
He looked at Wendy who had just picked one of his cookies in her hand. The cookies Stan had made had burnt a little bit on the edges – he was no kitchen wizard – but he the cookies weren’t uneatable and also totally vegan for Wendy. He had tasted one after he had made them and they had tasted okay. He was brought back to reality when he heard Wendy take a bite of his cookie.
”This isn’t bad, Stan”, Wendy said and smiled. She then kissed him on the cheek. ”I love this gift.”
”I love my gift, too”, Stan said and grinned. ”Shall we binge some stuff on Netflix now?”
”Let’s watch Christmas movies and eat these cookies, honey.”
”Sounds like a plan, babe.”