Here's to '08!

The room was alive with bright decorations. Confetti flew from different poppers, buzzers buzzed and janglers jangled. The party was kicking off to a good start.

"Here's to another good year, tubby," Easter said to Santa. Santa laughed and socked him playfully on the arm.

"Gonna give up on the eggs and bring the kids something they want this year?"

Easter laughed and wiggled his long ears. He took a drink from his wine glass of carrot juice and clicked at Santa.

"Come on, let's not start this again," Groundhog said from behind them.

Santa smirked at him and flicked some sparkling dust at him. Suddenly, Groundhog's shadow swelled up twice the size it was and snarled at Groundhog. He let out a squeek and hid underneath the refreshments table.

Santa and Easter roared with laughter. "Looks like more winter," Easter laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. V-very funny, guys," they heard Groundhog squeek from under the table.

"Ladies and gentleman, holidays government and religious, please, put your hands together for the man of the hour. It's 2007!!!"

Santa and Easter turned to the big double doors and a skinny old man with a long white beard hobbled into the room. He was ancient and gnarled, and he helped himself along with a knotty old sticking, using it as a cane. Around his neck, a gold chaine with a little medallion that said "07."

Easter and Santa went forward and helped the old man down the stairs. He hadn't been around as long as them, but Years always retired early. It was just the way things were.

"How you doin', ol' timer?" Easter asked.

07 patted the rabbit's paw and smiled. "Doin' good. How're you, long ears?"

Easter chuckled.

They all winced from a whistling that dug into their skulls and nested there. Easter started waggling his ears, trying to get it out. Then, smoke started to swirl around and encircle the three. Lightning flashed and Easter and Santa felt 07 begin to tremble. Wind began to blow like a hurricane, and they felt like they were standing in a tornado.

Suddenly, a loud voice bellowed a sinister laugh from nowhere and everywhere at once."Mwahahahahahaha!"

Horrible, clawed, drooling beasts, beasts that oozed and cracked, began to pop out of the smoke, screaming and licking them, gnashing their teeth and drooling, rolling their eyes wildly at them and staring at them hungrily.

"What's going on?" 07 exlcaimed.

Suddenly, they felt the wind cut off, like someone had instantly built a wall in its path. They heard the sounds of struggle and a cry of pain in the smoke. When it cleared, they saw a mountain of a man that reminded Santa of the humans' stories of Paul Bunyun. He was wearing an expensive looking tuxedo, and fierce black shades hid his eyes. He stared at the man in his arms--it looked like someone dressed up as Dracula.

"Halloween, you know the rules. No using your powers on someone else's holiday."

"Aaah, Santa did."

Easter raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see anything."

The man in the suit nodded and walked off, carrying a wimpering Halloween by his shirt collar as he left.

"Who was that," 07 asked.

Santa laughed, "You haven't met him yet, have you?"

07 shook his head.

"That's the new year, 2008," Santa said as he patted the old man's arm.

The old man laughed and shook his head as they lead him off.

"It's going to be a big year," he said.