After going over the episode lists and what I recalled of them, and re-watching the first two episodes, I think now "The Christmas Aliens" episode was likely "not" a recounting of the first Christmas the turtles and Splinter first spent together with their friends from the "topside." After discovering this, I wondered why their first such Christmas would not be commemorated in a like episode. While there may be many production and show-business related reasons for this, in trying to think up a story-world reason I began to think of how there was a rainstorm in "The Shredder Strikes Back" and in "Tales of Leo" they drove over snowy roads to Casey's grandma's old house and the snow was still there in "Monster Hunter." So, I thought it possible the turtles first Christmas with April and Casey might have been during that dire time they were hiding for their lives with Leo recovering on the couch, which should make for a good story in and of itself. Then I got to thinking about where and when they'd be celebrating the Thanksgiving before that Christmas. Their celebrating it at April's place, while they stayed there, became a seemingly plausible and story-potential-rich possibility.

The turtles weren't sure how to feel. On the one hand, April's apartment was nice, but it was not as roomy as their new home. It wasn't even roomier than their "old" home. Donnie had tried to sort out the calculations in his head and on a calculator and believed, altogether, leaving out what furniture, counter, and appliances covered, there had been more transvers-able floor space in their old home than in April's apartment. Even though he said this while she was a floor below them in a stage-whisper, he'd still hastened to remind them "five" people had lived together in their old home and only April had lived here alone before they'd shown up.

"Man, I'd like to plant a foot on some Foot about right now." Raph twirled his Sai. They'd all figured he'd snap first about the cramped conditions since he … well … snapped first at just about everything.

The others silently stared at him a moment thinking much the same thing. With bands of black-clad ninja haunting the tunnels surrounding their home they and their sensei dared not return to it now. Mikey's chin fell forward into his hand, "Man, I miss my entertainment center."

April had a TV, radio, and computer, (the latter of which Donnie designated a "professional-level model"), but even Donnie's shoulders slumped as he said with a sigh, "Me too."

A low, angry hum came from the doorway of April's bedroom. The four turtles' heads spun to meet black eyes narrowed at them. Their rat-sensei, leaning on his cane growled, "April allowing us such free access to the rooms of her home 'does not' mean you should sit upon her bed and the chairs of her bedroom without asking, my sons, nor be in it without her here too."

The turtles glanced around. They would have blushed if they could through their scales. Mikey, however, had to reply for some reason, "It's not like we were trying to go through her drawers or anything sensei. We just wanted a little privacy."

The rat raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, from who?"

Mikey and the others just stared back at the rat with expressions between blank and terrified. At the sight of the rat's brows and corners of his mouth rising slightly in amusement and understanding, the turtle in red must have figured there was no going back anyway. "Mikey, I'm going to kill you."

The turtle in blue's head snapped to the side to glare at his eldest, younger brother. "Not in April's apartment."

Mikey's orange-clad head spun to glare at his eldest brother. "Hey!"

The purple-clad turtle rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "He just means you can't be messing around in here like you guys do at home, Mikey." His gaze fell on his youngest brother. "No one is allowed to kill you anywhere."

"Well we ought to be," Raph growled.

Their sensei tapped his cane on the wooden floor of April's apartment. "Enough!"

They all looked to him again. The rat continued with a weariness in his voice and no smile on his face. "I am disappointed in all of you, my sons. April has graciously allowed us to stay here in her apartment when we showed up unannounced at her door. And yet, here you are comparing our living conditions in our home, now surrounded by enemies we would be hard pressed with even our skills to pass by unnoticed, to her home we now occupy."

"But Senseeeeeeei …" Mikey whined sliding off the bedspread he'd been kneeling on to land, still on his bent knees, atop a mat on the floor. His green hands clasped each other before himself. His whine continued. "I miss my entertainment station, and my room, and my comics, and …"

Their sensei held up a paw to stop his son's flood of words. To tell the truth even though they rolled their eyes at his dramatics, Raph was thinking of how he missed his punching bag. Donnie was thinking of how he missed his lab. Leo was imagining himself doing katas in the dojo right then. Their father's voice cut through their thoughts again. "I am also disappointed in all of you complaining about anything behind my back considering the holiday coming up in only three days."

Mikey blinked up at his father. "What?"

"Oooooh yeah …" Mikey looked over his shoulder at Donnie who was now rubbing his chin. The purple-clad turtle continued. "I forgot about that …"

"What? What?"

Mikey looked back and forth between his father and genius brother before Leo's voice cut in with the answer, his brow-ridges rising. "Thanksgiving! I forgot with the trip underground and everything it was coming up!"

Leo's hand came to rest on his scalp, but Raph slapped his own into the same position. "Holy cow, you're right!"

Donnie cut in, "I wonder if April will want us to help cook?"

Their rat sensei cut in, "Perhaps, considering the size of her kitchen, my sons, we should be careful about that."

Well, what do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes