Hey there! This is going to be a Christmas fanfiction with around six short chapters that will probably stretch into January, so I'm sorry that it will stretch past Christmas. I didn't get the motivation to write it until a few days ago, and I'm out of practice in writing. But I will try to upload fast! So I learned about Japan's version of Thanksgiving and mentioned a yummy cookie recipe I found on Pinterest. Yum! I hope you all like this chapter and I hope you can bear with me as I finish the others and get back into the flow of writing. Hopefully my writing will become more smooth as I do! Please review, guys!

December 1st

Yuma Tsukumo walked home from school with Astral by his side. The air was chilly, on cue with the first day of December. This had been his first day of school after the fall break for Kinro Kansha no Hi, Labor Thanksgiving Day. During the break, Astral had admired the harvest decorations through of autumn leaves, pumpkins, cornucopias, and candy corn that most households had set out around their homes. Now, hovering beside Yuma on the walk home from school, he gazed at the shops in wonder as he saw the decorative trees, holly leaves, Christmas houses, and numerous other ordinary Christmas decorations lining the store display windows, frosted with artificial snow flurries.

As customers went in and out the store doors, music could often be heard drifting from the store. Astral didn't recognize any of the songs, and he had never seen decorations like these before. He turned to Yuma as he floated along for an explanation.

"Do these decorations represent a holiday or season like the fall ones did, Yuma?"

Yuma smiled, glancing at them happily as he hummed another song unknown to Astral. "Yeah. December is the month of Christmas, Astral."

"Christmas—I have heard this term before. What is Christmas?" the spirit asked promptly.

Yuma looked at the sky, as if someone was there. "Religiously, it's a day to celebrate the birth of Christ."

"Christ?"

"He's a man that most religions are based around. He atoned for the sins of all mankind thousands of years ago, the only man who was perfect without sin but suffered for everyone else's sins so they could have an afterlife."

Astral blinked. "What?"

Yuma covered his face with his palm, sighing softly. It seemed a hard concept for Astral to grasp, just as it was for a lot of humans. "It's okay, Astral. It's complicated. I'll read to you about it later, okay?" Astral nodded, prompting Yuma to continue.

"Otherwise," Yuma continued, "Christmas is a day to give gifts to your loved ones. To share time with family. To celebrate the winter season. It's just a time to show the people you love that you care about them."

Astral looked to be committing this to memory. "It sounds like a nice holiday," he stated. He almost smiled while saying it. "I look forward to experiencing it."

Yuma smiled at his friend. Astral was right—Christmas always was a good holiday. It brought out the best in people and spread a strong love that was often hard to feel from the world.

They had arrived at Yuma's home. The boy pushed the door open and stepped inside, Astral following. "I'm home!" he called, slipping his bookbag off his shoulders and setting it down by the door with his shoes. He was greeted by the smell of chocolate and sound of Christmas music. Peeking inside the kitchen, he saw Akari at the mixer, scraping cookie dough off the side of the bowl with a spatula. She turned toward Yuma and smiled brightly. "Hey!" she replied. Her hair was tied back as always, and she was wearing a festive red apron with green-and-white striped pockets over a green sweater. "I'm just getting in the Christmas spirit! Will you eat some of my cookies when I'm done with them?"

"Absolutely!" Yuma laughed. "What kind are they?"

"Turtle thumbprint cookies!" Akari chirped. "It's a new recipe I'm trying out. It's a chocolate cookie rolled in crushed pecans and filled with caramel in the indent, then with a chocolate drizzle over the top." She motioned with a nod toward the stovetop, where two pots were slowly being heated, and Yuma could smell both caramel and chocolate coming from them. Yuma nearly drooled.

"That sounds sooo good," Yuma confessed. "Be sure to call me when it's done!"

He dashed out of the kitchen and ran upstairs to his bedroom. Astral quickly followed.

As he slid into his bedroom, Yuma realized that Akari had her stereo on in her bedroom, which was pouring out cheerful Christmas music relentlessly. He ignored it and entered his room, only to turn around and notice that Astral wasn't behind him.

Yuma poked his head out the door and saw his friend hesitating at the top of the stairs, gazing toward Akari's room. After a moment, Astral floated off to doorway at the end of the hall. He just hovered there, listening to the music, his right side facing Yuma. Just seconds later, a small smile graced his cheeks. Yuma just watched him.

He really seems to like this Christmas music, Yuma observed. The current song playing was Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Yuma listened to the lyrics along with Astral. It was a good song for Astral to hear. It explained the holiday well. When the song was done, Yuma approached Astral quietly with a small smile.

"It's unlike any music I've heard," Astral remarked, now listening to Deck the Halls. "It's so…cheerful."

"There are other Christmas songs that sound darker," Yuma noted. "You know, ones with minor tunes instead of major tunes. Like Mary, Did You Know or Carol of the Bells. You'll hear it on the radio soon enough. But they are just as beautiful and Christmas-y as the rest."

Astral nodded. "Thank you, Yuma."

Yuma loved seeing Astral so interested in something. Hopefully the holiday season could be fun for the spirit, too.

The boy smiled at him. "No problem. Do you want to go watch tv with me? There'll be Christmas music on for the next twenty-four days."

"Alright." Astral hesitated, letting the song finish playing through the speakers, and then turned and followed Yuma to his bedroom.