Deck the Halls

Lemur Habitat, Meleven o'clock in the morning

"Oh, Maurice! Where are you?" Julien called. Maurice sighed and opened his eyes. It had been a nice nap.

"Coming, your Majesty," he groaned, climbing out of the hammock and climbed up the ladders to the top of the lion column, where Julien stood with a string of lights in hand. Maurice sighed. Hadn't they done enough Christmas decorating?

"Oh, there you are. Come, help me hang these lights! My arms are getting tired, but my kingdom must be the most splendid for Christmas Steve's arrival!"

Mort scurried out from behind the throne. "Creeeeepyyyyy."

"King Julien, can't we take a break from all the lights and the tinsel? I mean, you've got plenty of holiday spirit!" Maurice spread out his hands, looking around. There was silver and gold tinsel all over the bouncy; there were a dozen snowmen spread out over the habitat; lights were tangled around every tree.

"No, silly, we need the most lights ever, or Christmas Steve will not come!" Julien reached a little higher, but couldn't get the lights as high as he wanted. "Now get over and help me, or you will be only getting the icky black rocks this Christmasy time!"

Maurice rolled his eyes. "I thought whether you got presents depended on if you were bad or good, not how many decorations you had."

"Well, that is true. But it is good to decorate, and it is bad to be disobeying the king!" Julien dropped the lights and handed them to Maurice. "Now, climb up onto the throne to get these on the tippy tops. And do not be dirtying up the king's kingly king sitting-place while you are doing it!" Maurice grudgingly complied. Bossy Julien was bad, but angry Julien was worse. "Perfect!" Julien raised his arms high in the air. "Now only mineteen more strings to go!"

"Jolly," Maurice muttered. As they continued to decorate the lemur habitat, Julien began to sing.

"Deck the kingdom with strings of bright lights, fa la la la la, la la la la. 'Tis the king who's always right, fa la la la la, la la la la."

"That is NOT how the song goes!" Maurice protested.

"But the king is always right, which is what the song says."

"But the song is wrong, so that makes you NOT always right."

"But I cannot not be right because the song says-"

"Nevermind…" Maurice wrapped gold tinsel around the umbrella.

"Okay. Back to singing!" Mort joined in, slightly off-key.

Don we now our decorations, fa la la, fa la la, la la la! Julien is the ruler of nations, fa la la la la, la la la la!

"Those aren't the right words either!"

"But Julien is always right!" Mort piped up. When Maurice turned his head he saw Mort had glitter spilled all over him and an ornament hooked over his ear.

"Yes Mort, thank you," Julien said, jumping down off the lion column and landing next to them. "Alrighty then, Maurice, how does the song go, then? Sing it."

Maurice sighed. "See the blazing Yule before us, fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus, fa la la la la, la la la la." He smiled, starting to get into the spirit. He jumped on top of the smoothie bar with his gold tinsel, draping it on. "Follow me in merry measure, fa la la la, la la la, la la la. While I tell of Yule tide treasure, fa la la la la, la la la la."

"But that does not make any sense, Maurice. What the hecks is a Yule?"

"I like Yules!"

"Mort, we've been over this. You cannot like when you do not know what the hecks something is." Julien turned back to Maurice. "And I do not have a harp, and I do not want to measure anything, and- wait, did you say something about treasure?" Julien's eyes lit up.

"Not THAT kind of treasure."

"Oh. That is being lame. Well, I like my way better."

Maurice jumped down off the smoothie bar and dropped the tinsel. "Alright, alright. Sing it how you want to." He surveyed the kingdom. "I think it looks pretty cheery in here, doesn't it? Time for a break?"

"How can you be saying such a thing? No breaks! This is a time for hard works! This is not a day spa! Well actually, it sort of is. But that is not being the point! This is your worst nightmare! THIS! IS! CHRISTMAS!" Julien got in Maurice's face and switched on a glare. "Now YOU will keep on decorating, and be singing the whole entire time!"

Maurice groaned. "Fa la la…" He picked the tinsel up again.

Deck the kingdom with strings of bright lights, fa la la la la, la la la la! 'Tis the king who's always right, fa la la la la, la la la la!

By the end of the day, Maurice had that song ingrained into his head, but Julien at last seemed satisfied with the level of excessive holiday flair in the habitat. With a long, tired sigh he climbed into the hammock.

"Eh, Maurice? I am thinking the lights are too rainbow-y. Maybe we should take them down and replace them with white lights. You know, for the purity of the season?"

Maurice's eyes widened.