Before Thaddeus returned to Petsburgh, he and Lucia had asked Ollie to accompany them on his banjo at the wedding reception, which he gladly accepted. Uncle Burt and Aunt Maria arrived in Petropolis quickly, sharing in Pat's opinion that country music was too lowbrow for a wedding. With Thad video-chatting on Jacinta's tablet, the five musicians rehearsed for three hours every late afternoon. Maria Von Trap Snaptrap was a bit more open-minded than Verminious' other relatives, and she soon began tapping her foot in time to the others' songs.


Snaptrap was starting to become more anxious. Matt had not been in contact, and half of the relatives that did RSVP said they were only coming because they did not believe Snaptrap could actually woo anyone. No one had sent any gifts, either. And then there was the continued absence of Finny and his dad. Pat also pointed out that Mina had not chosen a dress, and her mother Britney would be coming to pick one out for her.

There was also the matter of living space; Mina and Snaptrap were counting on living at the Tudor, at least temporarily. Josie, Lucia, Francesca, and Jacinta were all still living there. On one hand, Snaptrap was used to having roommates/housemates. On the other hand, it might seem a bit strange to the other girls to have him there when they had settled in the house first. Josie said she did not care who lived where, Francesca and Francisco were planning to get their own place, and the other girls insisted having Snaptrap in the same house was no trouble. It still might be weird, thought the rat, especially if other people start to gossip.


The Rodentius twins had upheld a tradition to spend holidays and birthdays with their mother when possible. If they could not make the trip to Petsburgh, they would send a card and call her on the actual day. Another tradition, as a consequence, was to celebrate the holiday a few days early or late with Las Banditas. After acquiring jobs, the girls had been working as much as possible to cover the weddings and other expenses. This year they agreed to meet on December 21st, the winter solstice, for their Christmas celebration. Josie hated holidays and only stuck around long enough to get free food and presents. The others would reminisce on childhood memories, exchange gifts, and take turns singing carols. This year, feeling like an adult for the first time, Salena sang a song called "Grown-up Christmas List". Lucia took the opportunity to practice what she had been asked to perform at Sal and Dudley's wedding, "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Juanita encouraged everyone to join her with "Feliz Navidad", which they all never grew bored of.

Jacinta, instead of singing, surprised them all with her gift; "I found your familia, Bose, and they will video-chat to see wedding on 28th." The whole group started to rush forward to hug the hedgehog gratefully, then stopped and shook her hands instead.


The next day Mina was surprised to see her mother, Thad and Pat all waiting for her outside of the store she was working at when her shift ended. "Ma! What are you doing here?" she greeted nervously.

"Pat tells me you haven't found a dress yet, so I'm going to help you pick one. Excellent greeting, by the way. No 'why hello, mother, how are you, how was your trip?'" the old rat finished sarcastically. Mina tried not to groan out loud as the small group led her to the most expensive dress shop in town. "Now, we are not leaving here without a gown, which I am paying for by the way, so it better be fabulous."

Thad shook his head sympathetically as he and his sister broke away from the other two. "I've got no clue about clothes, I'd just wear T-shirts and jeans alla time if I could," he muttered.

Mina smiled appreciatively, then gasped as something caught her eye. Before taking it off the rack, however, she looked at the price tag. "It's too much," she gasped again, but her little brother reminded her that their mother was paying for it.

Mina modeled the dress for her family. Pat and Thad both lit up on seeing her in it. Britney Rodentius, however, glanced up and down her daughter critically before commanding her to try on the others' choices. None of the other gowns seemed to do the bride any justice, and the three younger rats begged Mrs. Rodentius to accept Mina's choice. To their great relief, she acquiesced.


It was his last night at his mom's house. Snaptrap was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, when he noticed an envelope and piece of paper in the wastebasket. Pulling it out, he realized it was his mom's credit card bill, and one of the purchases was from a jewelry store. She must have bought the ring, he thought, but why? She was not the only one to be oddly nice to him as his wedding day approached. Pat had admitted she had planned on charging the bride and groom for her services, but changed her mind at the last minute. Larry and Sissy had found and hired a minister to perform the service (well, it was not surprising that Sissy was being nice). Francisco and Ollie had pitched in for decorations. BirdBrain, Chameleon, and Las Banditas had given the couple their combination Christmas-wedding gifts early. And at the last minute, Matt had arrived in his fanciest boat, bringing the other relatives and promising to take the newly weds anywhere they wanted for their honeymoon! It was more kindness than he could have expected. Maybe everything would be okay and he had been worrying for a month for nothing.