Merry Christmas guys! I hope you guys are having an awesome holiday so far. Sorry I haven't been on this site in a while, but I came down with a touch of writer's block, and this is my first real piece in a while. Hopefully, I'll get over it soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this as a present from yours truly!
Log Date 12-24-2: The Steven Universe Christmas Special
Christmas was coming. The weather grew colder, the snow started falling, and the barn started getting busier as the Crystal Gems, the Crystal Temps, and Greg had begun to decorate it for the upcoming holiday season. Even Steven's uncle Andy had come back for the celebrations. As this was both Peridot and Lapis's first Christmas on Earth, both of them were curious as to how the whole thing worked.
"Oh Lapis, Peridot," Steven chuckled, "Christmas is a day for spending time with the ones you hold dear in your heart. There's a reason it's called 'the most wonderful time of the year'."
"Oh . . . really?" Lapis blushed, looking at Peridot. She didn't want to say it, but she had some feelings for Peridot ever since they started spending more time together.
"You don't say," Peridot said curiously. She curiously eyed the big tree that stood in the center of the barn. "Is that a weapon?"
Connie chuckled. "No, Peridot. That's a Christmas tree. It's basically a large tree decorated by all sorts of ornaments."
"Noted," Peridot replied, focusing her eyes on the Christmas goose. "What about that? Is that a weapon?"
Now it was Steven's turn to chuckle. "No, Peridot. Nothing here is a weapon. In fact, you're not supposed to do any fighting on Christmas."
"Well," Peridot asked, "what do you do Christmas?"
Connie chuckled. "On Christmas, people usually exchange gifts with one another as a sign of goodwill and tranquility. Not to mention we usually have a big meal afterwards."
"Soooo…. Which of these presents are ours?" Lapis asked, looking at the big pile of presents underneath the tree.
All of a sudden, Steven's eyes widened in realization. It had hit him; he had forgotten to buy presents for Peridot and Lapis! Frantically, he searched his pockets for some money, but only found a few dollars and coins. This was bad; this was Peridot and Lapis's first Christmas and he didn't want to ruin it for either of them!
"Steven?" Lapis asked. "You okay?"
"Uh . . . yes," Steven lied, grinning nervously. Sweat trickled down his forehead; what was he going to do?
"Uh, um, excuse me, but I have to go . . . somewhere!" he started suddenly, then began running frantically toward the warp pad.
"On Christmas Eve?" Connie asked curiously. "But all the stores are closed!"
Steven didn't hear her. With whatever energy he had, he jumped on to the warp pad and teleported away.
Beach City was decorated for the holiday season. Strings of lights decorated the entire boardwalk. Steven walked through the city frantically, trying to find something to give to Peridot and Lapis.
He passed people who were buying decorations and presents, and gulped as he imagined the looks of dread and disappointment on the Gems' faces.
"Hey Steven!" a voice called out to him. Steven looked up to see that Sadie was waving enthusiastically from the entrance of the Big Donut. "How's everything?"
"Hey Sadie!" Steven waved back at her as he walked up to her. "Everything's just great! What about you?"
"Well, I'm still trying to find out what to get Lars," Sadie admitted, "but I'm sure to find something sooner or later."
"You're lucky," Steven said. "I'm still trying to find out what I should get Peridot and Lapis."
"Peri-who?" Sadie stared back at him, confused.
"Oh, right," Steven chuckled. "I don't think I told you." And so he explained to her all about how he had befriended two new Gems during his adventures with the Crystal Gems. After he had wrapped up, Sadie started, "Well, Steven, you can always try buying them something that really means a lot to them."
"Do you have any suggestions?" Steven asked hopefully.
Sadie pondered this question. "Not at the moment."
"Oh," Steve said, kind of defeated. "Maybe Jenny, Kiki, Sour Cream, or Buck can help me."
"Well," Sadie admitted, "last time I checked, Jenny and Kiki were getting ready for Kwanzaa. So they might not be available to help you. As for the boys, Sour Cream is going out of state for the holidays, and Buck is at a Hanukkah party right now. "
"Ah," Steven admitted, a bit disappointed. Now he was officially out of ideas as to how he could get a gift for Peridot and Lapis.
"But," Sadie pointed out, "I did hear that the Everything-You-Need store nearby where you could find anything you wanted."
"Really?" Steven's ears perked up and his eyes shone with excitement.
"Well, sure," Sadie replied. "It's open even on Christmas Eve, so it's perfect for that last-second shopping that you need to do."
Steven felt as though the weight of his problems had been relieved. "Thank you, Sadie! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" He gave her a tight squeeze, then ran off to the Everything-You-Need store.
He searched the aisles, looking for something that would make suitable gifts. At last, he found something, and then picked it up.
"Where is that boy?" Pearl asked, a bit impatient. "It's almost time to unwrap the gifts and he still isn't here. Did he tell you where he was going, Connie?"
"I wish I knew," Connie answered. "But he didn't say."
"Well, he better hurry up," Amethyst replied, more impatient than Pearl and eyeing the Christmas goose. "This feast isn't going to eat itself!"
The other gems murmured in agreement.
At last, the warp pad activated, and a dark figure ran toward the barn, cold and covered in snow. At last, Steven arrived, panting heavily. He was carrying two wrapped boxes underneath his arms. The other Gems looked at him, surprised.
"Where have you been?" Pearl shrieked hysterically. "We've been worried sick!"
"Needed . . . to buy . . . gifts," Steven panted, then dropped to the ground in exhaustion, next to the gift pile under the tree.
Garnet picked up one of the packages and looked at the label. "This one's for you, Peridot," she said, then handed it to Peridot. Peridot ripped of the paper, then looked at her gift. "A new tape recorder?" she asked, obviously touched.
"To replace . . . the one . . . Lapis broke," Steven smiled. "I hope . . . you appreciate it."
"Thank you so much," Peridot responded.
"Well, then," Garnet added, a little smile forming on her lips, "I suggest you try it out, see if it suits you."
Peridot stared at the recorder, wondering what to do. Shrugging, she put in a cassette, pressed the record button, then began speaking into it.
"Log Date 12-24-2. Today is the first time that I'm celebrating this Earth holiday called . . . Christmas. The festivities here are okay, but the company here is . . . amazing." She turned to her friends, giving a heartfelt smile. "If this is what people on Earth do, observe a holiday that celebrates friendship, togetherness, and family, then I'm looking forward to it."
The Gems smiled. It was so long ago that Peridot was their enemy, and for the first time, she was getting to share in on the holiday fun with them.
"And to Lapis . . ." Garnet ripped off the paper covering Lapis's gift. "A boxed DVD set for the first four seasons of Camp Pining Hearts."
Lapis smiled at Steven. "Thank you so much, Steven!"
Steven gave her a weak thumbs-up in response.
"Oh look," Amethyst smirked at the pair. "Both of you are standing under the mistletoe. And you know what that means."
Lapis and Peridot looked up to see that they were standing under a plant with three leaves that was suspended from the entrance by a wire and adorned by three berries.
"Uh . . . What are we supposed to do?" Lapis asked, confused. Connie went up to her ear and whispered in her ear, and her eyes widened in surprise. "I have to WHAT?!"
"It's the rules," Connie pointed out. "You have to do it."
Peridot and Lapis looked at each other nervously. Neither of them was sure that they wanted to do this. But the others were watching them, eagerly, expectantly. At last, the two former Homeworld Gems connected mouths.
"Man," Amethyst giggled, filming the whole thing, "I am so keeping this!"
Garnet chuckled slightly. She too knew that this Christmas would not be forgotten anytime soon. Even Steven and Pearl smiled.
"Hey," Greg called from, "me and Andy just finished the Christmas feast! Who's hungry?"
"I AM!" Amethyst declared. "Let's eat!"
All in all, it was a truly wonderful Christmas that Steven and the Crystal Gems had that year, one that none of them were likely to forget anytime soon.
Welp, I know it wasn't a masterpiece, but considering my block, it was the best I could do in a while. Hopefully, I'll get over it soon.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you enjoy, and hopefully I will see all of you next year!