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for the sled he had propped next to him.
    Dawna knelt down to strap on her snowshoes, giggling as Cocoa licked her face.
    And Charles skied back to find his poles.
    It was time for Rudolph’s Revenge to prepare for the big race.
     
    Charles was tired that night after practice, but he had made a promise to his little brother. After dinner, Charles helped the Bean write his letterto Santa. Then he wrote a quick note of his own. Dear Santa, it said. There are a few things I’d like for Christmas, but more about those later. The most important thing I want is for Cocoa to find the perfect forever home. And I think I may know just where that might be….

It snowed again on Friday night, just enough to freshen everything with a new layer of white. Saturday morning was sunny and bright. Charles bounded down the stairs with Cocoa and Buddy flying behind him. “It’s a perfect day for WinterFest!” he said, as he sat down at the breakfast table.
    “And a perfect day for blueberry pancakes,” said Dad, smiling as he handed Charles a heaping plateful. “Eat up. You’ll need all your energy for your big race today.”
    Charles looked down at Cocoa. Was it a perfect day for her to go back to her owners? He wondered again what would happen when JudgeThayer saw his dog for the first time. Would the judge and his wife want to take Cocoa home today?
    “Deck the halls with bells of jolly,” sang the Bean, prancing around the kitchen in his antlers. “Fa la la la la, la la la la!”
    Charles laughed, pushing away his worried thoughts.
    Dad sighed and shook his head. “I used to like that song,” he said. But he was still smiling. “Hey, look what I found at the dollar store last night.” He handed Charles a big shopping bag.
    Charles peeked inside. “Antlers!” he said.
    Dad beamed. “Enough for all your fans,” he said. “Rudolph’s Revenge will have a whole herd of reindeer cheering them on.”
     
    The school grounds were already packed by the time Charles and his family arrived at WinterFest. Charles looked around. He did not see JudgeThayer, but there were Harry and Dawna, their antlers bobbing above the crowd. He waved to them, then turned to pull his skis out of the van. He had to laugh when he looked at his family: Mom, Dad, the Bean, and Lizzie, all wearing antlers. Plus, Dad still had a whole bunch more to hand out to anyone who wanted to support Rudolph’s Revenge.
    The relay race was one of the last events of the day, so Charles set his skis aside and took Cocoa for a walk around the playground. He had put a head harness on her, so she walked nicely next to him without pulling as they explored the winter carnival that had sprung up overnight. There were snow sculptures: dragons and giant Viking boats and castles with fluttering banners, and, in the middle of the baseball field, a huge pile of wood all ready to be lit for the evening bonfire. A network of paths, carefully shoveled and sanded, connected everything.
    “Hey, look, Cocoa,” said Charles. “The snowmenare already done.” A row of blank-faced snowmen stretched along one edge of the field. They were part of the relay race this year. Harry had explained it all during their practice.
    The way the race worked was this: When each sledder got to the bottom of the steep hill, he or she would run to one of the snowmen and put a scarf around its neck. As soon as the scarf was on, the snowshoer would run around the track, then use a handful of pebbles to add a mouth and two eyes to the snowman’s face. As soon as that was done, the snowshoer would run up to the skier, waiting at the top of another, less steep hill. The skier would ski down to add the final touch to the snowman: a carrot nose. The first team to complete their snowman won the race.
    Charles patted his pocket, looking for the carrot he’d brought from home, and looked up toward the long, gentle hill he would be skiing down. He felt his heart skip a beat. He was still a littlenervous about