it was early december at abbott elementary, and the halls were buzzing with excitement as christmas approached. the students were abuzz about the special christmas dinner scheduled for the following day in the gym hall, where they would be treated to a feast worthy of the season. all the teachers were relying on one person to pull off a crucial part of the event: ava.
"hey, ava," janine said as she walked into the staff room, "have you called santa yet about the christmas dinner tomorrow?"
ava looked up from her laptop, where she was browsing shein for some new festive outfits. "oh, you mean the guy in the red suit? yeah, sure, i'll get right on that," she replied with her signature sass, rolling her eyes.
"just remember, he's a busy guy this time of year," barbara chimed in, her voice warm but slightly concerned. "the kids are really looking forward to him."
"i know, i know. stop reminding me! i've got it covered," ava said, waving her hand dismissively. as soon as the teachers left the room, she went back to her online shopping.
later that day, melissa peeked into the office, a stack of papers in hand. "hey, ava, did you remember to invite santa for tomorrow?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"yes, melissa, i'm on it! you're not my mom," ava retorted, feigning annoyance. as soon as she left, ava couldn't help but chuckle at her own cleverness.
just before lunch, jacob swung by with a giant roll of wrapping paper. "ava, did you call santa yet? you know how forgetful you can be!" he teased, giving her a playful nudge.
"i'm literally shopping for his outfit right now! what more do you want from me?" she shot back, her fingers scrolling through shein.
when it was time for the afternoon staff meeting, gregory couldn't help but join in. "ava, if you forget to call santa, you'll be the reason the kids are disappointed on christmas!" he warned, crossing his arms.
"i get it! i won't forget, i swear," she replied, suppressing a smirk. "maybe you should start focusing on your own holiday plans instead of babysitting me."
the teachers exchanged worried glances but shrugged it off. they all knew how scatterbrained she could be, especially when she was preoccupied with online shopping.
the next day arrived, and the gym hall was decked out in twinkling lights, streamers, and a giant inflatable santa. the excitement was palpable, but as ava walked into the hall, a nagging feeling tugged at her mind. was she forgetting something?
"ava! come sit with us!" janine called from the staff table, waving her over. the food was already laid out, and she couldn't resist the delicious aroma of holiday treats.
ava slid into her seat, grabbing a plate and piling on the mashed potatoes and gravy. just as she took her first bite, she noticed the teachers were staring at her with a mixture of concern and disbelief.
"what?" she said, pausing mid-chew. then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "oh...santa"
"you forgot, didn't you?" melissa raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to suppress her laughter.
"it slipped my mind. my bad, y'all," ava admitted, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"one job, ava, one job," gregory sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"oh, come on! try being the principal and remembering all the stuff i have to do! do i gotta do everything around here?" ava shot back, her confidence returning.
"you don't do anything! that's the problem!" janine chimed in, her arms crossed.
"and i said the same thing about your sense of style, but here we are," ava retorted, earning a round of laughter from the staff table.
"what are we gonna do? the kids were so looking forward to it!" barbara exclaimed, glancing around the room in panic.
as the gravity of the situation sunk in, ava's eyes lit up with a mischievous idea. "wait! why don't one of you dress up as santa? it could be fun!"
the teachers turned to jacob, whose eyes widened in horror. "oh no, no, no... not me," he laughed nervously. "there's no way!"
"come on! where's your holiday spirit? you really gonna be the grinch during the season of christmas and disappointment for all these kids? that's real low jacob" ava pushed, her grin wide.
"actually, technically, you're the one who forgo—" janine began.
"stop talking, janine!" ava cut her off, raising a finger for emphasis.
after some reluctant discussion and a few more jokes at jacob's expense, he finally agreed. "fine! but i'm not doing it enthusiastically!"
"that's the holiday spirit!" ava cheered, slapping him on the back as he got up from the table and made his way to the back room to change.
when jacob returned, the staff couldn't hold back their laughter. he walked in wearing a ridiculously oversized santa suit that looked more like a marshmallow than a festive figure. the red fabric was stretched tight, and his beard was lopsided, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"ho ho ho..." jacob said flatly, rolling his eyes as the teachers burst into laughter.
"you look amazing, santa!" ava teased, pulling out her phone to capture the moment for social media. "this is going to get so many likes!"
"you're a horrible friend," jacob mumbled, trying to adjust the hat that was slipping down over his eyes.
as jacob made his way into the gym hall to greet the kids, he couldn't help but feel a bit of the holiday spirit himself. the students erupted in cheers, their faces lighting up at the sight of "santa."
"hey, kids! who's ready for some christmas cheer?" jacob boomed, trying to channel his best santa impression, though his lack of enthusiasm was evident.
"santa, can we have presents?" one kid shouted, jumping up and down.
"uh, sure! but first, let's eat some delicious food," jacob replied, smiling despite himself.
ava watched from the sidelines, phone in hand, recording every hilarious moment. "this is going to be legendary," she murmured, laughing at jacob's antics.
as the special christmas dinner unfolded, the staff couldn't help but appreciate the joy in the gym hall. the kids sang carols, shared their wishes, and filled the space with laughter. despite the rocky start and the forgetfulness, the holiday spirit was alive and well.
as the event wrapped up, jacob, still in his santa suit, slumped down at the staff table, panting. "next year, you're handling santa yourself, ava," he said, tossing off the hat.
"oh, come on! you were great! and the kids loved it," she replied, grinning from ear to ear. "plus, this is the best content ever!"
"and you didn't even buy me a real present," jacob grumbled jokingly. "just my dignity."
"that's not something you can buy, jacob," janine said with a smirk. "and you're definitely not getting it back after this."
with the laughter and joy echoing around them, it was clear that despite the chaos, abbott elementary was filled with holiday cheer. and as they all gathered for one last group photo, even jacob couldn't help but smile, knowing they had pulled off a memorable christmas dinner—thanks to ava's antics, of course.
