"Witchmas has a lot of fires, doesn't it?" Akko said as the students of Luna Nova gathered around a big fire on the school grounds.

"You're paying attention," Sucy said.

"This is an important fire indeed!" Lotte said. "Today, in honor of Cthugha the Star Heart, we burn up things that represent our guilt or failings, reflect on what we've learned in order to and then have a big feast of slow-cooked food to celebrate what we look forward to in the new year!"

"I hear food," Akko said.

"Awright, next!" Prof. Nelson said, waving off a few witches who threw in their burnables. Constanze's running crew took their turn.

"I'll go first," Amanda said. "As the school's coolest American, I'd just like to apologize on behalf of America this year." She threw a paper lantern painted up like a crying Americaball into the mighty flames. "I'm totally flawless, of course, so I thought I'd shoulder that particular burden."

"Today I think back on all the fad exercises I tried to get into and frown knowingly," Jasminka said, throwing in a book on Catflexing, the official guide on losing weight by moving cats around. "It turns out catflexing does not apply to possums."

Constanze flicked a paper doll of Akko into the flames.

"A'ight, take a moment to reflect on shit..." Nelson said, checking her watch. "Nine, ten. Awright, next! Get outta here you frickin' weirdos."

Akko's crewe took their place. "Hi, fire!" Akko said.

"Let's get this over with," Sucy said, throwing in a stick figure with an upside-down crown hanging over its face.

Lotte fed the flames a pile of abandoned or neglected fanfiction she'd printed out in town, because the library refused to have scanners or computers just in case. "I swear I will finish at least half of you next year."

Akko folded a picture of herself with a dunce cap and angry eyes into a paper plane and flung it in. The airplane caught an updraft, caught aflame as it swooped around, and hit Prof. Finnelan's hat, catching it on fire. "Oh, son of a-" Finnelan shouted, throwing her hat down and stomping it out.

"Sorry!" Akko said.

"Nice," Nelson said, sliding Akko a five-pound note.