It was a chilly December evening, but that did not stop Amy from dragging everyone she could to the Christmas Light show in Station Square. The entire city had been carefully decorated from top to bottom in extravagant lights, so that every building glowed red, green and white. The event had been in planning since September, and Amy had been a key factor in its execution. Even if no one else cared who ensured the city was lit correctly, Amy was determined to have her friends there for opening night to see the fruits of her labor.

The ones she finally managed to convince to come were Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Cream. The echidna had not wanted to come, but Cream and Cheese were the ones sent with the message, and he had not wanted to disappoint the young rabbit. Sonic and Tails came of their own free will. Bundled in scarves and jackets, the group set out with Amy as their tour guide. "Alright, now the City Council and I have worked our tails off to make this as amazing as possible, so I would appreciate it if you take that into consideration when observing the lights."

"Wow, Ames, major formality overdrive!" laughed Sonic. "How many dictionaries did you need to memorize before you could say that?"

"Shut up. I mean don't touch anything."

"Why would we? Light bulbs get hot," stated Knuckles.

Amy rolled her eyes and entered the city, passing under the brightly lit arch and making sure the others followed. Knuckles was mildly amused, but refused to show any emotion. Really, he would much rather be on Angel Island. The floating shrine to the Master Emerald was already coated in a fresh layer of snow and ice, and he preferred to stay there. How Cream had talked him into this, he would never know.

Tails had taken Cream's hand, and the two skipped off with Cheese in tow. Cream would point out cute little toy soldiers and chao ballerinas, while Tails would laugh at the models of Santa's Workshop, criticizing the functionality of the elves' tools. Sonic and Amy had lagged behind, watching the young friends enjoy their evening together. They themselves discussed the work behind the Light Show. "So, how long did it take to set everything up?" Sonic asked.

"At least twelve hours. They shut down the entire city yesterday while we worked on it. Wiring was a nightmare, but only because Tails was 'too busy' to help us. We got it done, though. Thank goodness."

"It's nice, Ames. Sorry I couldn't be here yesterday."

"Where were you, anyway?"

"Eh, G.U.N. had some leftover mess of an investigation they needed me to sort out. Something about me and illegal cooperation with Eggman. It took hours, and I think they still need me to clear some things up," sighed Sonic. "It's all good, I guess. I just hope they get this fixed soon."

"Me too."

They remained silent for a while, completely ignorant of the fact that Tails and Cream were now out of sight. Knuckles had caught up with them, and was now talking to Amy about the possibility of some sort of Master Emerald light the following year. Sonic chuckled to himself and walked ahead, deciding to catch up to the two young ones. Tails was nowhere to be seen, but Cream was gazing at the last set of lights in awe and mild confusion. Cheese was fast asleep in her arms, murmuring incoherently in his own language. Sonic walked up behind her to see what she was gazing at.

It was a simple nativity, donated by the local church for the show. There was nothing spectacular about it. The small stable housed a manger, Mary and Joseph. To the left stood the three Wise Men, clothed in elegant robes that glowed purple and gold. On their right was a shepherd, holding a newborn lamb while he observed the scene along with Cream. A star was stuck somewhat crookedly atop the stable, with angels balanced precariously on either side of it. Sonic had to admit, it was nothing special. He saw things like it every day around Christmas time, but he had no clue why Cream would be so enthralled with it.

"Where's Tails?" he finally asked.

Cream jumped, and briefly glanced over her shoulder at Sonic before returning her gaze to the nativity. "Oh, he's talking to some guy about the faulty wiring near the Santa's Workshop display."

"Ah. What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure this out."

"What do you mean? Haven't you seen a nativity scene before?" inquired Sonic, somewhat surprised.

"Oh, of course, but this one's different," replied Cream.

"How so?"

"See this building on the other side?" she inquired, pointing to the unlit Bethlehem behind the nativity.

"Yeah. Cream, that's just some leftover lights. I don't think they're supposed to be on."

"They are on! Look!"

Sonic glanced at Cream oddly, but obeyed. She was right: the houses were dimly lit, as if the imaginary people inside were sleeping. "Huh. What about it?"

"What are they doing?"

"Who?"

"The people inside the buildings. What are they supposed to be doing? Weren't all the inns full?"

"I think so. I don't know, Cream. I guess they're sleeping or something."

"Why on earth would they be doing that?!" exclaimed Cream, shocked.

"Because it's late at night? I'll be doing the same thing in an hour or so."

"But that's not right!"

"What? Is sleeping against the law, now?"

"No! Look at that star. It's so bright, I know I couldn't sleep. Even if they could sleep with the star there, don't they know that Jesus is born? Why do only the Wise Men, shepherds and angels care?"

Sonic paused, contemplating the young rabbit's words. She was right: according to everything he'd heard, Jesus was God's Son, and was born alone in the stable, while everyone around him slept peacefully through the night. While they slumbered, the star that announced their Savior's arrival shone brightly, enough so that Wise Men on the other side of the country could see it. He had to imagine some of them woke when its light filtered into their rooms. Did they not notice the difference in the atmosphere when they awoke? How could they not know the one they'd waited for for so long had finally come? Eventually, he managed to reply. "I don't know, Cream."

"You said you were going to sleep after this, right?" inquired the rabbit.

Sonic appeared confused at the random change of subject. "Uh, yeah. It'll be almost midnight by the time I get home."

"What if we slept through it, too?"

"Through what? It's not Christmas Eve, Cream. You won't miss Santa or anything."

"No, no, not Santa! What if Jesus came back? Would we notice?" she asked.

Sonic was thrown off once again by the child's simple question. What if the sky shone just as brightly tonight as it did when Jesus came the first time? Would they all sleep through it, or could he force himself to believe that this generation would be different? Really, it was impossible. Once again, only the shepherds and Wise Men of this modern world would care that Jesus had come, and they would be whisked away in silence to the Heaven they spoke of. What about the ones still sleeping? Would they be clueless, abandoned, and once again surprised that they had slept through the greatest event in history, or worse, not even know they had missed it? Sonic's mind and thoughts were a muddled mess, but he was saved by the arrival of the remainder of the group. Amy grinned as she caught up.

"There you two are! Ready to head back home, Cream? I told your mom I'd have you back by eleven thirty," stated Amy.

"I guess so," sighed the rabbit. She grabbed Sonic's hand, however, as they all walked towards her house. The hedgehog was surprised, but he did not protest. After all, it did not really bother him. They arrived a half-hour later, and Sonic released his grip on her hand. As she walked inside, she glanced over her shoulder and called back to Sonic: "Mr. Sonic? What'll happen while we're sleeping?"

The hedgehog shook his head solemnly. "I don't know, Cream. Let's just hope we wake up when we need to." He gained a quizzical look from Amy, but he simply motioned for her to wait until they were gone. After leaving the house and after Tails and Knuckles had begun their respective trips home, Amy finally asked what Cream had meant. Sonic's reply was solemn and thoughtful: "Bethlehem missed out on the greatest event of all time while they were sleeping. She only wanted to make sure she didn't do the same thing."