As their years together progressed, Akko and Diana created their own traditions.
Firstly, (and while it never started out as a tradition) on the night before Yule, they would drive around their neighborhood and look at all the houses decorated in lights, twinkling of red, green, and gold. When they got to a really lit up house, Diana would pull over and they would stop and sit and stare at the lights, commenting and pointing out all the interesting details they noticed. Cheesy holiday music would be playing low on the car radio and the heater would be turned up as high as possible.
Another tradition was passing out candy canes to their neighbors. While it wasn't in Diana's nature to converse and give things to strangers, Akko's outgoing attitude and general extroversion slowly rubbed off on her. She began to warm up to the activity and, eventually, enjoy it as much as Akko did. In the following years, Akko would take things a step further and insist they wear matching "Naughty" and "Nice" sweaters as they did so. Deciding who wore what was easy. The neighbors always found their gimmick humorous and some would even invite them inside for tea.
Their annual holiday party was known for being a hit, and most of the time, all their old friends from Luna Nova would visit. Diana always baked the best desserts and Akko always found the most thoughtful gifts for her friends. The usual holiday comedy movies would be playing absently on the television as the group exchanged presents with one another by the large, crackling fireplace. They would laugh and chatter into the late hours of the night, not missing a second to catch up on how their lives were going.
Diana would go out one morning and buy just about hundreds of toys. She and Akko would spend the rest of the afternoon wrapping them in all sorts of colorful papers before driving out into town to the local children's hospital. It made Diana's heart swell to see the children there crack a smile when they were suddenly surprised with bright, shiny new presents. They would stick around to entertain and read stories to the really young kids, and the nurses would thank them with a handmade gift basket. Diana always seemed to relax a bit more the rest of the month, her own inner tension satiated.
Lastly, Diana and Akko always made sure to visit their professors at Luna Nova, making sure to spend extra time with their favorites. Chariot and Croix had long since mended their wounds, and seeing them so happy together again would reassure Diana and Akko that their relationship, too, would forever be solid. They would wander the halls of campus, reminiscing in the areas where their first memories of one another formed: first meetings, first arguments, first kisses. They always held hands as they walked together, just as they did all those years ago.
This year was a little different. While they stood at the balcony of the flight tower, the place where Akko had first tried to stop Diana from leaving and, eventually, the place where they first confessed their feelings to one another, Akko took Diana's hands in her own and asked her to marry her.
Diana, of course, said yes.