The Gifting with the Gal Pals – Part Three

(Story Summary: The big moment has come, at last for both Lincoln and his loved ones; Christmas Morning. But somehow, Lincoln doesn't feel that excited; after everything that's happened. What will everyone find under the tree, will everyone like whatever gifts Lincoln bought for them and how will the Gal Pals react to their gifts, when they come to the Loud House to visit?

The answers to all these questions and more will be answered in this, the final part of the Winter Arc Premiere. Be ready for laughs, some tears and plenty of warm holiday feels; as the Loud Family Christmas goes underway)

Days came and went after the incident down at the mall and all seemed deathly quiet in the Loud House. Because Lincoln lost his post as the greeter elf, he no longer had any reason to wake up at the crack of dawn and walk on his tippy toes, so as not to disturb his ten sisters. Granted, after everything that happened during the aforementioned incident; Lincoln felt far too distressed to do much of anything (except get dressed, eat and sleep.)

He seldom left his room (except whenever "nature called,") he didn't read his comics, he didn't play any of his video games...he barely even made a sound whenever Luan made a corny "Christmas themed" joke. Naturally, Rita and Lynn Sr. were quite concerned about this behavior. Meanwhile, the Loud Sisters started to feel rather suspicious about this and were determined to learn why their only brother turned into a downer so suddenly.

"Maybe one of us should go talk to him, dudes" Luna suggested, "a good chat might help lift his spirits." While the idea was good, some took it as a signal to try and "make him talk" (as they said in the old detective/crime movies.) "None of you are going to lay even a finger on your brother; is that understood, girls" Rita said firmly, "Lincoln's not feeling quite himself lately; he doesn't need any of you doing Dutch Oven's, Wet Willies or...whatever other kind of things you do to get him to confess something."

After taking their mother's words to heart, all ten Loud Sisters assured her that those days were "all behind them now." "I didn't plan on doing any of that to him, Mom" Lynn Jr. stated, "I was just thinking of maybe...tickling it out of him." The others sounded off in agreement, including Lily; who wiggled her tiny fingers with a laugh.

"While Tickle Torture seems...more humane than some of your other ideas, girls; it won't do you any good" Lynn Sr. stated, "Lincoln's been through a lot, this week and he's long overdue for some rest." Whether by their own collective curiosities or out of impatience, the Loud Sisters (more specifically Lori, Lola, Lynn and Lisa) demanded to know what's happened to their brother. "Seriously, dudes; I haven't seen Lincoln this bummed from a shopping trip since that whole Zombie Bran thing" Luna stated, "but somehow...this feels so much worse."

More than anything, Rita and/or Lynn wanted to tell their daughters everything; from beginning to end. But they held their tongues on the matter, despite the puppy dog looks Lola and Lily were giving them. Then, at that moment; Lori, Leni and Luna's phones suddenly chimed.

This caused the rest of the girls to groan softly, thinking it was a possible mushy holiday text from their significant others. But Luna quickly reminded everyone that while she and Sam were on more...peaceful terms lately, after the trial; they were currently taking a break from doing anything "romantic" together. "That does not matter, at the moment" Lisa interjected softly, "what sort of messages have your colleagues sent you three?"

After volunteering to go first, Lori looked down at her phone and scrolled through the message. When she got to the end, Lori saw something that made her drop the phone from her hand. "Hey, careful with the phone there" Lola exclaimed while quickly catching it, "if it hit the ground; it'd too late to ask either Santa, Mom or Dad for a new..."

Just before she could finish her statement, the former pageant princess glanced down slightly at the phone screen. Then, when she saw what Lori did; Lola's jaw fell and she soon dropped the phone as well. Thankfully, Walt flew in and caught it in his talons; just before the phone reached the floor.

Afterwards, he gently carried it over to Lori and dropped it in her hands. "What's the 411, Sis" Luna asked, "what did ya see that freaked you out?" Without hesitation, Lori suggested that she and Leni take a look at their phones; believing they were given the same e-mail. Though confused at first, both girls followed suite on the request and glanced at their phones.

When the former saw what Chaz sent her, Leni almost fainted onto the couch. Meanwhile, Luna was spamming back text messages asking the simple phrase "are you messing with me" to Sam in disbelief. "I know this seems weird, girls and I know you must have a lot of questions" Rita stated, "but we should wait until your brother is in better spirits to answer them."

Upon saying this; all eyes, human and animal, glanced up the stairway and silently hoped that Lincoln would be okay.

(Line Break)

The sun had yet fully risen up on the horizon, one morning and Lincoln was still fast asleep in his closet bedroom. His face had a sorrowful look upon it, his eyes were red from crying, his cheeks were coated with the streaks of tear stains and his covers were about ready to fall off due to him tossing about so often at night. All these things were signs that led to one conclusion, that Lincoln had a terrible night's sleep.

"Crud...maybe I should just lay here all day" he murmured into his pillow dejectedly, "might as well, I don't really have a reason to get out anyway." With that thought in mind, he was moments away from going back to sleep; when suddenly, he felt his nose being squeezed tight. This caused him to snort loudly in shock and shoot up out of his bed. When he managed to calm down enough, Lincoln looked down and saw Lily sitting with him on the bed.

She giggled softly with delight, waved her hand slightly and greeted him with a sweet "Merry Christmas, Lincoln" in her baby language. "Oh...It's just you, Lily" Lincoln sighed with relief, "thanks for waking me up...but I'm not in much of a Christmas mood today." In response to this, Lily shook her head and gestured for him to go right out the door.

No sooner had she done this, Lana and Lola came rushing in; all while bouncing eagerly like two elves on a sugar rush. "C'mon, Lincoln; get your butt downstairs" Lola urged eagerly, "it's Christmas Morning and Mom said there's a big surprise waiting for us!" Not long after this, Lana also excitedly beckoned for Lincoln to get moving...but he wouldn't listen.

"I'm not really in the mood right now, girls" he mumbled sadly, "come back a little later...like right after New Year's." With that, Lincoln buried his head beneath his pillow like an ostrich, which mildly irritated Lola. Though she swore not to do so, after all her summer sessions in Anger Management and Sensitivity Training, Lola had no other choice...she had to "tattle" on Lincoln (so to speak.)

"MOOOOM! LINCOLN WON'T GET OUTTA BED" she shrieked loudly, "NOT EVEN AFTER LANA AND I ASKED HIM NICELY!" Not long after saying this, Lincoln could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs; which made him feel slightly worried. In that moment, he thought he was going to receive a scolding; which was something nobody wants on Christmas Morning.

But instead, Lincoln suddenly felt himself being pulled out from under his pillow. Then, he found himself being warmly hugged by his mom, who smiled down at him in the sweetest way possible. "Aw, honey; I know you're upset and it's perfectly understandable" she whispered soothingly while caressing his back, "but it's Christmas Morning and I don't like it when my babies are sad on Christmas."

While he didn't wish to disagree with her, Lincoln sadly questioned what the point was in him getting up. "The moment I get downstairs, I'm going to have to come clean" he whispered, "and I can't bear to have them hate me...not again." Upon hearing this talk from him, Rita ceased rubbing Lincoln's back and gave him a firm look straight in the eye; as if she were looking into his very soul.

"Now you listen here, Lincoln Albert Loud...I'm going to tell you the same thing I did back at the trial" she murmured sternly, "yes, you've made some mistakes...but so have the rest of us and we still love each other, regardless!" While this was all true, Lincoln expressed his fear in coming downstairs without much gifts for the family. "Just...please, come downstairs with me" Rita pleaded, "there's something there that I think you'll find surprising."

For a moment or two, Lincoln hesitated; still fearing about what might happen when he faced his sisters. But in the end, he realized that doing all this was against the Christmas spirit and decided to answer his mom's request. With that settled, the two left the bedroom and walked downstairs towards the living room; hand-in-hand.

Upon entering the living room, all ten of Lincoln's sisters cheered loudly with joy at his arrival. "I am pleased you have decided to join us, Big Brother" Lisa said while approaching him, "accept this gesture as my first token of Christmas goodwill unto you." Upon saying this, she handed Lincoln what looked like a candy cane gift; complete with a Christmas bow gently tied around the handle.

But upon looking it over intently, Lincoln saw that the candy showed off a multitude of different colors. "Hey, it's like a rainbow candy cane" he said with a light chuckle, "but...aren't these things usually pretty common in the store?" Lisa nodded in reply to Lincoln's deduction and explained that the one she gave was a homemade candy cane.

"With Father's culinary expertise and my scientific knowledge, we have made enough rainbow canes for everyone in our family" she decreed proudly, "and this includes any extended family we might have." With this simple statement, Lincoln knew whom she was referring to; which signaled for Rita to start revealing her surprises.

Firstly, she brought Lincoln over to the tree; which had scores of gifts piled underneath it. This sight almost made Lincoln's eyes pop, he was so surprised. "What the...wow, Santa really did come" he thought to himself, "guess the people of Royal Woods aren't the only forgiving ones out there."

Before he could think any further on the matter, Lincoln suddenly found himself being scooped up off the floor and squeezed like a teddy bear. After summoning enough strength to do so, he glanced to the side and saw that it was Leni who was hugging him. "Good morning, Linky" she greeted sweetly, "and Merry Christmas!"

After she let him go, Lincoln found himself being hugged by the rest of his sisters; including Lucy (who seldom ever hugged anyone.) "Well...c'mon down here, Lil' Bro" Luna urged with a chuckle, "it's time to open some presents." While still feeling a little down in the mouth, Lincoln didn't want to alarm his family by refusing the request.

After taking his seat between Lynn and Lucy, both Loud Parents began handing out gifts to each of the kids; one by one. It was here that Lincoln saw something that made him chuckle a little. Upon being given one of her gifts, Lori tore it apart like a wild predator mauling its prey.

Bits of tape, ribbon and wrapping paper flew every which way; which made the rest of the family feel a little weirded out. In time, Lori had finally taken off the wrapping paper and was panting loudly with exhaustion. After placing the ribbon upon her hair with a pleasured giggle, she looked at her family's shocked faces and smiled nervously.

"Uh-oh...I did it again, didn't I" she asked with a groan, "this happens to me every year!" Indeed, her words were quite true; every year since she was little, Lori always seemed to have a weird urge to wildly unwrap gifts (even if they weren't addressed to her.) From the smell of the tape, the sound of the paper tearing up right down to the moment one places the bow on their hair; Lori loved it all.

But at the same time; it acted as both a weird sight to see and a major inconvenience towards the family, in years past. But this year, Lori seemed to have the habit...slightly under control (much to everyone's surprise.) After taking a moment to calm her nerves, she looked down at the gift and squealed with joy.

It was a designer Christmas coat made by Fabian Le'Tool and judging from the look on Lori's face, she seemed to really love it. "You're totes welcome" Leni said with a smile, "I managed to snag one of the few we had left at Reininger's just before the last-minute shoppers came in and took the rest." Upon hearing his sister explain how crazy the shoppers were that day, Lincoln thanked his lucky stars he didn't shop there.

The next to open her gift was Lily, who got a new Blarney plushy; one that was slightly bigger than her. Upon seeing the gift, Lincoln thought that whoever managed to find it must've been luckier than either he or Liam was days ago. One by one, each of Lincoln's sisters and his parents exchanged their gifts with one another.

Before long, the time came for Lincoln to open some of his gifts and his sisters openly hoped he would like them. "Go on, Son" Lynn Sr. urged eagerly, "pick out any one of them you want to open first, I've got the camera ready!" With that said, Lincoln let out a heavy sigh and reached out for one of the gifts in his pile.

(Line Break)

In time, Lincoln had opened half of his gifts and he received quite a haul. He got a "Legends of the Hidden Temple" inspired Orange Iguanas jacket, an illusionist magic kit from Luan, a pair of snow gloves from Leni that had the Ace's famous logo on the center, a SMOOCH t-shirt from Luna, a Muscle Fish model kit from Lynn, a sketchbook from Lucy (for whenever he'd indulge in drawing or making comics,) an ARRGH jacket from both Lana and Lola, a handmade picture from Lily featuring them in Christmas outfits and a small coupon book from Lisa. Upon inspection, Lincoln saw that it wasn't a book filled with cards for a store or a restaurant; it was one filled with cards that said things like "one free tutoring session" or "free emergency usage of the bunker."

"Permit me to explain" the wee genius stated, "as you very well know, my genius gets called upon often from people inside and outside our home." Lincoln nodded slightly in understanding, recalling the many local doctors or college professors that called their home to seek information or assistance from Lisa. "The book I have just given you, Lincoln grants you 'gift cards' or 'coupons' to offer me in exchange for...almost anything" she stated, "just make certain I'm not otherwise occupied with something else, if you wish to use one of the Tutoring Session coupons."

Lisa then revealed that she made similar books for the rest of the family, much to everyone else's surprise. The reason being came twofold, so that no one would feel excluded...and for the fact that virtually everyone in the house had moments where they needed her "egghead know-how" (as Lynn Jr. often put it.) In the end, these gifts were all very wonderful and Lincoln was left feeling understandably awestruck.

"Well, sport; what do ya think" Lynn Sr. said eagerly while readying his camera, "do you like your presents?" For a moment or two, Lincoln didn't answer; which almost led the family to believe he was either ignoring them or something might've been wrong. Then, everyone saw Lincoln's eyes beginning to well-up with tears; which (to Rita) may have been him becoming overwhelmed with joy.

But then, as Lincoln took hold of one of his new ARRGH jacket; he held it close to face...and burst into tears. Naturally, this sight not only alarmed the parents but all ten of Lincoln's sisters as well; who proceeded to surround him slightly. "Linky, what's the matter" Lola asked sympathetically, "why are you crying?"

Before Lincoln had the chance to answer, Leni started to believe that he hated all their gifts and was moments away from feeling guilty...until Rita quickly stopped her. "I don't think that's the reason he's crying, honey" she stated, "it's probably something more than that." After crying for another minute or two, Lincoln sniffled softly and dried his tears away with his arm.

"You okay now, dude" questioned Luna, "feeling better after you had a good cry?" Lincoln gave a deep sniffle and slowly nodded his head in reply before apologizing for his outburst. "I'm sorry you all had to see that" he murmured shamefully, "it's just...I don't deserve any of this." Everyone gasped loudly in alarm at these words and asked why he would think of such things.

But before he had the chance to answer, the doorbell suddenly rang; which immediately led to Charles barking at the door. "Ooh! You think that's Santa out there" Leni said eagerly, "no, wait...he only comes on Christmas Eve and that was last night." Despite however naïve the young teen's inquiry sounded, everyone felt just as curious to who was outside.

After everyone helped dispose of all the torn wrapping paper; Lynn walked over, moved Charles back slightly and opened the door. When he saw who it was outside, he couldn't help but smile. "Oh, Son; could you come here for a moment" he called out in a sing-song voice, "I've got one last surprise for you."

After wiping away some of his tears, he made his way over to the door and turned his gaze upward. The next thing he knew, a pair of arms suddenly scooped him up and squeezed him tight in a loving embrace. "There he is, there's my special little man" a familiar female voice cried out, "didn't expect to see us drop by so soon today, did you?"

Once he was able to move his head, Lincoln looked up and saw the smiling face of his teen friend/legal guardian; Carol Pingrey. Then, he looked behind her and saw that the other Gal Pals (young and old) were standing along with her. Lincoln also spotted Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos; who were all still dressed up in their police uniforms.

"Hiya, Lincoln" Cici said from within the crowd, "heard you've been having a pretty bad week...so, we all thought we'd come over and surprise you for Christmas." Though touched that so many of his friends took time out of each of their mornings just to see him, Lincoln felt they didn't need to do it. "No dice, little man" Whitney said with a coy grin, "Christmas is about bein' with family...and as far as I'm concerned, we're all family."

Campos chuckled heartily at her statement, proclaiming she couldn't have said it better herself. As the Gals all carefully entered the house, Lily looked up at Whitney and suddenly squealed with delight. "BUNNY HEAD, BUNNY HEAD" she said adorably, "wanna touch da bunny head!"

At first; no one among the Louds, not even the parents, understood Lily's "bunny head" comment. But then, Whitney giggled softly and scooped the babe up into her arms and tickled her belly slightly. "She's talking about me, everyone" she chuckled slightly, "this lil' lady thinks my poofy hair looks like a bunny's cottontail...hence her nickname for me, 'Bunny Head.'"

Lily nodded adorably in response and proceeded to rub her tiny hands against Whitney's poof. At first, Rita thought her daughter was invading the teen's personal space. But then, she was pleased to see that Lily made no attempts to pull or tear away at Whitney's hair.

This all seemed like a most adorable scene; one that both Lynn Sr., Leni and Phoebe couldn't resist getting a snapshot of. Then, in an instant; everyone's joy suddenly faded slightly when they saw the tears on Lincoln's face. "Oh...did weeee...did we like...come at a bad time, Mr. and Mrs. L" questioned Phoebe, "if Linc's not in the mood, we'll leave."

Without hesitation, Lincoln quickly assured everyone he was fine...more or less. "It's just...it's like Carol said a moment ago" he murmured, "I've had the absolute worse week in my life yet." Upon making this statement, Lincoln took in a deep breath and...he told everyone everything.

He told them of disastrous shopping trip two weeks ago, about how he was offered to serve as the greeter elf at the Santa pavilion and how he accepted it straightaway. Lincoln then told them of all the indignities he had to endure while on the job. "I've had so many lattes poured atop my head, I think my hair still smells like Dark Roast Java-Mocha" Lincoln grumbled, "and it was hot too...my face and eyes still feel the burns!"

He then mentioned about all the people from the line that harassed him, each time they assaulted him in some way, kicked his legs and/or rubbed their sticky fingers on his clothes. But the worse of it all, Lincoln confessed, was a tie between enduring Flip's eggnog infused burps that polluted the air and the manager refusing to step in whenever the patrons almost got him hurt. "By Friday afternoon, last week...I just...I couldn't stand it anymore" Lincoln murmured in a frazzled tone, "as much as I wanted my loved ones to have a good Christmas, it wasn't worth all those indignities!"

By the end, he declared that all of that was so bad; it made him wish he could go back to wearing the dumb Squirrels mascot suit again. This exclamation surprised practically everyone, considering all the bad memories that were attached to the aforementioned suit. "If you really think that, sugar...it must've been bad" Higgins murmured, "then again, it ain't the first time we've heard complaints from people about that job."

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln stared up at her in both confusion and mild intrigue. As if sensing his confusion, Officer Higgins explained that the station's been receiving similar complaints from former elf greeters who worked at the pavilion since it opened during Thanksgiving Break. "The man who 'watches over things' at the pavilion...he hires inexperienced teens and minors for the elf job" Simmons explained, "claims that hirin' professionals would cost him and the mall big money."

The final nail in the coffin came when Campos added how the man managed to get away with this behavior for so long. "You see, chamaco...he's related to Ms. Carmichael; your sister, Leni's boss" she explained, "she only gave him the job because she hoped it would teach him the value of hard work." When asked the reason behind all this; the police trio said that according to Ms. Carmichael, the man had a history of being a slacker and cutting corners in nearly every job he had.

"He sounds almost as shady as Flip often does" Lincoln muttered, "then again, even he has his selfless moments." Everyone nodded in agreement with the statement and urged the officers to continue. "Right...well, what happened with Lincoln at the mall; it's happened several times before" Simmons stated, "last December; two greeter elf actors quit in the span of one week!"

From here, she said the first one quit for the same reasons Lincoln did; mistreatment from mall patrons, poor work hours and the lousy pay. "That last part is especially true" Rita interjected, "when I first started helping drive Lincoln to the mall, he told me how he was only getting $3 dollars an hour...barely enough to earn back his shopping budget!" As for the reason why the second greeter quit, Campos answered with only answered with two words; skimpy costume.

"The fool thought he could attract more customers to the pavilion, if he hired someone no older than Lori to work there" she said with a groan, "the costume was so small; every time she bent down, they could see her chonies." Upon hearing this term, Lori and Lincoln suddenly blushed heavily; which didn't go unnoticed by the family. "In case you guys are wondering, 'chonies' is the Spanish term for 'underwear'" Lincoln said in a monotone voice, "as for how we know it...Lori and I heard some members of Bobby's family say it, sometimes."

Upon hearing this explanation, the whole family blushed a deep shade of red. As if sensing this, the police trio decided to conclude on their story about the manager. "The point we're trying to make here is...we've been familiar with these kinds of happenings at the mall for a while during this time of year" Higgins stated, "but now, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

With that, she took out her phone and revealed a news report that was playing on the screen. It featured the manager (or former manager) of the Santa Pavilion being taken out of the mall by Officers Schoffner and Higgins. The subtitle on the teleprompter read "Greedy Grinch is given Police Sentence as a Christmas Gift."

"Nobody will have to worry about him for some time" Higgins chuckled, "and Ms. Carmichael vows to help pay back all the people her brother hired as compensation for everything they went through...including you, baby." While he was happy that the creep would receive proper justice for his actions, Lincoln still felt a little unhappy. Upon sensing his sullen demeanor; Rita, Lori and Carol enveloped him in a three-sided group hug; urging him not to weep.

"I'm...I'm really sorry, everybody" Lincoln sniffled, "I'm really thankful for all your love and help; truly, I am...but it feels wasted on me." Before anyone could speak up, Lincoln requested if he could retrieve something from his bedroom real quick. "I...suppose so, honey" Rita murmured hesitantly, "but don't dawdle, we've all got plans for today."

After giving his mother an affirmative nod, Lincoln hurried up the stairs as quickly as he could; not caring about how many times his sisters said "no running on the stairs." When he returned, almost fifteen seconds later; everyone could see Lincoln holding a large gift bag in his hands. "Oooh! Is that a gift bag, Linky" Lola asked eagerly, "do you have something in there for any of us?"

After nervously gulping down a lump in his throat, Lincoln gave a slight nod and began fishing his hands around inside the bag. "You guys asked me earlier why I was crying, right" he asked, earning a light nod from everyone; "well, it's because I felt ashamed; you all got me such amazing gifts and all I have to offer is...this stuff." With that said, Lincoln drew his hands out of the bag; revealing two small square gifts and an equally small Ziploc bag.

Upon inspection; everyone saw that the small square gift was addressed to Luna, while the rectangular one was for Luan. As for the Ziploc bag, it was addressed to the Gal Pals and seemed to contain a collection of different colored flash drives; each one labeled with either a small sticker or the initial of their first names. At first, everyone felt confused that Lincoln had so little to offer.

But after remembering everything he went through, they realized he may have had little time to shop. Still, Luna and Luan felt curious about their brother's gifts and asked to open those first. "I'm aware that they may not seem like much, girls" Lincoln mumbled sadly while handing the items over, "but...I hope you'll still like them."

From the tone in their brother's voice alone, both Loud Sisters could tell he was being truly sincere with his words and smiled. Then, after they tore apart the wrapping on their gifts; they gasped loudly in shock. Due to his current state of mind, this led Lincoln to believe that they must've hated them.

But then, much to his surprise; not only did he suddenly hear Luna whooping with glee. But before he could even react, she suddenly scooped him up into a near bone-crushing hug. "Dude, you got me a Classic Mick CD; I love this album" she exclaimed, "after I lost my old one, I didn't think the stores would have anymore of these!"

When he managed to get the air back in his lungs again, Lincoln questioned Luna on why she seemed so happy about his gift. "I mean...basically, you have almost everything Mick ever recorded" he said matter-of-factly, "the only thing that seemed new was an ad for a Collab album featuring Mick and SMOOCH playing together." Lincoln explained how he originally intended to get that album for her, when he was shopping.

But the price for it was far beyond his allowed shopping budget. Thus, he had to search the bargain bin for something reasonable; which was where he found Classic Mick. "I really appreciate that you wanted to snag that for me, Bro" Luna said kindly, "but while I did already have a copy of Classic Mick...that was years ago."

From here; she explained how years worth of repeated playing, rewind and sharing the CD with friends had led to her original copy wearing out. "By the time I was in 7th Grade, the disc became too gnarly to play anymore" Luna murmured sullenly, "so...I had to chuck it." After hearing the whole story, Lincoln's earlier worries slowly started to fade; leading him to realize...he might've made a good call after all on the gift.

Next came Luan; who, upon opening her gift, looked upon the joke book with a little bit of confusion at first. When the rest of the family looked at the cover and read that it was full of "Anti-Jokes," they felt just as confused. "Oh, yeah; I think I heard of this kind of material" Lynn Sr. said suddenly, "these jokes are based upon what is known as 'Anti-Humor.'"

Upon hearing the term, Lisa did a quick search on her computer and discovered that "Anti-Humor" was a form of comedy where the comedian makes a joke delivery that supposedly "not funny." But somehow, in an ironic sense; the audience/listener ends up finding the hidden humor in the joke and laughter ensues. "Maybe, a little demonstration would help it make more sense" Jordan suggested, "Luan, why not pick out a joke and test it on us?"

Now, even though she was being outright asked to do so; Luan found herself hesitating a little in telling a joke. She still remembered Miss Simmons' house rule of one pun/joke per day, back in the summer. So, she wondered if the rule still remained.

"Go ahead, hon" the officer urged kindly, "pick out a real side-splitter for us." After that and after taking in a deep breath, Luan skimmed through the book and came upon one she hoped everyone would like. "Okay, guys...I've got a question for ya" she asked timidly, "what's black and white and eats like a horse?"

Almost immediately, Leni started waving her hand in the air; begging for her sister to call on her. "Ooh! Ooh, I know the answer" she exclaimed, "is it...Lynn Jr. at the Jean Juan's wearing a referee's shirt?" This little guess caused everyone to let out a few soft yet honest chuckles, even Lynn herself couldn't help doing so.

"Sorry, Sis; that's the wrong answer" Luan said firmly, "it's actually a Zebra." For a moment or two, there was nothing but silence; which led the young comedienne to believe she said a terrible joke. But then, after giving the "punchline" some thought; Leni finally got it and burst into a light giggle fit. After that, Lily followed with some giggles of her own; which warmed Luan's heart quite a bit.

After that, she came to another joke and decided to tell it to everyone. "How about this one...why do cows wear bells around their necks" she asked, "because their horns don't work." This time, a good number of both crowds started to laugh pretty heartily. This sight made both Luan and Lincoln feel quite happy.

"Okay, last one" Luan decreed while skimming through the book, "one time, my dad and Luna helped me write a song about tortillas...actually, it was more of a wrap." That did it; with that joke, everyone doubled over into a fit of laughter. "Ay, chica; that was a good one" Campos gasped between laughs, "your brother picked out a good book for you."

After looking at the item in her hands for a moment and seeing how everyone reacted to the material she used, a broad grin suddenly appeared on Luan's face. "Yeah...I guess he did" she murmured happily, "thanks so much for the great gift, Lincoln." After that, she happily enveloped him into a loving embrace; which made Lincoln feel much happier than he was this morning.

"That's pretty cool for them" Lana murmured, "but what do the rest of us get?" At first, everyone was ready to scold the toddler for her unintentionally greedy-sounding inquiry...but Lincoln quickly stopped them. In that moment realized that now was as good a time as any to come clean.

"Guys...I'm sorry to tell you this, I really am" he murmured shamefully, "but...I don't really have anything else to offer you." From here, he explained that he lost much of the shopping budget he had to either high item prices or strange circumstances that happened to him. "Strange circumstances you say, huh" Kat muttered knowingly, "would one of them happen to involve a pretzel vendor that worked there, by chance?"

Though the question felt too specific, Lincoln still did the respectful thing and nodded in reply. "How did you know about that" he asked suspiciously, "were you shopping at the mall the same day I was or something?" Kat shook her head slightly and told him that Chandler told her about it.

"See...the pretzel vendor that works at the mall is his cousin" she explained, "the other day, he went to the cart to get a few pretzels for him and his buddies and Chandler asked how things were going at work." The story wasn't even halfway through and yet, Lincoln couldn't help but feel worried about what his friend would say next. "A-And...what did the vendor say" he asked in a quivering voice, "did he happen to m-m-mention anything about spilt salt?"

Without hesitation; Kat not only clarified this, she also mentioned how Lincoln took money out of his own pocket to help Chandler's cousin refill the shaker. "Linky, that was so nice of you" Dana said adorably, "but...couldn't the vendor buy the replacement salt instead?" Lincoln gave light nod and said that would've been the case...but there was a catch.

"See...I took shelter behind his cart, when I saw a massive crowd of shoppers charging towards me" he explained, "while they were running, the crowd's stampeding footsteps caused some vibrations...which then resulted in the salt shaker slipping off the cart and fall on my head." Upon saying this, Lincoln ran his hand through his hair to check and see if any salt flakes still remained. When he saw that he was all clean, Lincoln sighed with relief and continued his story.

"According to the vendor, that wasn't the first time the salt spilled over" he said with a light head shake, "this led him to fear that he would have to pay for refills out of his Christmas bonus, if his boss found out it happened again." By the end of his story, Lincoln revealed that he gave forty of his hundred dollar shopping budget to the vendor to help purchase more salt; which left him with very little left over to use. "I tried looking for something cheap yet nice to buy for you guys with the little bit I had left, I really did" he said tearfully, "but...anything I had in mind was either sold out or too expensive."

When Lincoln told them about how he gave his last twenty to a bell-ringer for charity, everyone cooed softly with pride. "So, hold on a minute" Stella interjected suddenly, "how does this all involve you ending up in that elf costume...and assaulting the Santa pavilion manager?" Once again, Lincoln was shocked by the specific nature of his friends' questions and responded with one of his own.

"How did you know about that" he asked, "the only people I told about what I was doing were my parents." Upon hearing this reveal, the Loud Sisters now understood why their folks were so hesitant to tell them anything; if they did, it would mean breaking their promise to Lincoln. Meanwhile, Lori brought out her phone and showed an image on the screen; one showing him throwing his elf costume in the manager's face.

It was sent via a text message from someone named Margie and right above the picture, there was something that read "#HolidayRageQuit" in big bold letters. While Lincoln didn't have a clue as to who this "Margie" was, one thing was certain; for the most part, posting this photo exposed his secret to virtually everyone on the web (friends and family alike.) "You see, Lincoln; Margie is one of my bunkmates down at Fairway" Lori explained, "but during the holidays, she works part-time at the mall to help pay for her Christmas Shopping and her tuition."

Upon hearing that this "Margie" girl was a both mall worker and a fellow student at Fairway University like his sister, Lincoln felt nervous...yet curious. "I know this may sound weird" he murmured, "but...could I see Margie's picture, I have a feeling I've met her before." While the request was an odd one, Lori quickly brought up Margie's profile and showed it to Lincoln.

When he got a look at the screen, his eyes almost popped from his head. "That face...she's the same woman who manned the register at the mall bookstore" Lincoln exclaimed mentally, "I'm surprised she didn't immediately say anything to Lori when I was there at the beginning." Suddenly, Lincoln was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Becky tap on his shoulder.

"I guess this means you're the nice elf that helped out my little cousins out a few days back" she said with a warm smile, "thanks a bunch for that, Linc; you rock!" Though he welcomed her praises, Lincoln was still quite confused as to what she was talking about and asked for an explanation. "Wait...Hang on, I've got the answer on my phone" Becky stated, "my aunt sent it to me after her mall trip that day."

After searching through her phone's e-mails for a few seconds, she found what she needed and showed the picture to Lincoln. "Hey, I know those kids" he exclaimed, "the little boy and his sister were really scared of Santa...until I gave them some advice." Feeling incredibly curious, everyone asked what it was that he told the kids in line.

"I just told them the same thing my mom told my sisters and I when we first met Santa over the years" Lincoln stated, "instead of seeing his face...imagine that you're talking to someone who makes you happy." As example; he said that this "someone" could be a friend, family member, neighbor or anyone else. "Well, it looks like your advice worked" Becky chuckled, "my cousins, according to what my aunt told me, slept right next to the milk and cookies they had set out for Santa last night; hoping they'd spot him."

Soon after this reveal, Whitney added that Lincoln's actions towards the pavilion manager had been trending on social media for several days. "You've become a viral inspiration to all holiday workers who felt just as downtrodden as you were, lil' man" she giggled, "and because it went viral, our Babes in Blue here arrived at the scene and...well, you know the rest." The officers in question humbly shrugged at the comment with light smiles, stating that they were only doing her job.

"But...I suppose it was a little personal as well as business; at least, for me" Campos murmured with a light blush, "you're like family to the three of us, chamaco...and nobody messes with mi familia!" After hearing this story, Lincoln's heart suddenly swelled a little; feeling happy that he made...a sliver of a difference in other people's lives after everything that happened. Yet, in spite of all this; he still felt guilty that he had so little to give to his family.

"I know we've had a lot of...issues towards each other, this year; to put it mildly" Lincoln muttered, "but I didn't want our family's Christmas to be ruined because of it; so...I took the elf job to try and earn my shopping budget back and to try and get something for all of you." All was silent for a few moments, after all this was said; which made things feel dreadfully awkward for Lincoln. But then; Luna approached him, got down on her knees and kissed him on his forehead lightly.

"Don't sweat on it, dude...really" Luna kindly insisted, "the fact that you chose to put yourself through all that stuff just to make all of us happy means so much." Not long after this, several more of the Loud Sisters sounded off in agreement. "It really means a lot to us too, sport" Lynn Sr. said with a joyful tear in his eye, "now...I guess you understand what your mom and I go through when we go Christmas shopping."

At first, Officer Higgins almost confused his comment for a mean one...until Lincoln assured her that it was his own kind of "holiday joke." Then, he looked up at the Gal Pals and expressed and frowned shamefully. "I'm sorry I didn't get you all anything for Christmas either, ladies" he murmured, "nothing...except for those."

Upon taking a glance at the drives again, the Gal Pals insisted that it was still a thoughtful gift; each of them claiming they were in need of a new one anyway. "It's not the drives themselves, it's what's on them that matters" Lincoln retorted, "you see, I...wait, it's probably better if I showed you." Upon saying this, he asked for one of his sisters to loan him their laptop.

Without delay, Luna went upstairs and collected hers from her bedroom. Afterwards; Lincoln placed the laptop on the dining room table, opened it up, plugged in the purple flash drive (with Carol's initial on it) and accessed the file it contained. In an instant, a screen appeared and a slideshow began to play; one containing a collection of photos featuring Lincoln and Carol together.

In the background, everyone could hear a Boyz Will Be Boyz song playing; which Carol proclaimed was her favorite. "Look at this...it's all here" she gasped in awe, "our Spring Break hangouts, our summer adventures...even the Halloween Party we had with the Grimwood Ghouls!" The rest of the Gals all thought it was adorable and quickly realized that the other drives must've contained similar slideshows.

Then, all of a sudden; Phoebe gasped in shock and gave Lincoln a rather suspicious glance. "Wait...so, that 'special photo project' you asked me to help you with during Thanksgiving Break...was this" inquired the young shutterbug, "I...I thought you were simply backing up photos from your computer?" Lincoln smiled sheepishly and admitted that what he told her was...half true.

"But I mostly told you that to throw you off" he stated, "I didn't want to spoil the surprise until the big day came." Once the last of Carol's photos went away for her slideshow, Lincoln offered to show the next one to everybody; which they warmly agreed.

(Some Time Later)

Almost an hour later, the last slideshow played on the last drive and Lincoln placed it into the open hands of Haiku; who, like the rest of the Gals, were at a loss for words. "So...what do you all think" he asked shyly, "I mean, I know it's not much but..." Before he had the chance to finish, Lincoln suddenly found himself being clutched in a ten-sided group hug.

At the same time, his ears rang loudly from the sounds of the Gals' combined joyful sobs. This went on for a few seconds, until Miss Simmons politely urged all eleven of them to give him some room to breathe. "Right...We're so sorry, Lincoln" Jordan sniffled while releasing her friend, "it's just...that's the greatest gift anyone's ever given me!"

The rest of the Gal Pals sounded off heartily in agreement, all while fruitlessly trying to dry away their tears. "You seriously put yourself through all this work...just to make us and your family happy" Carol asked tearfully, "that is the sweetest thing ever, Lincoln...thank you." Just as the ladies were about to go in for another group hug, Haiku gave a light whistle and pointed upward.

Upon looking up, everyone could see the famous sprig of mistletoe hanging...and that Lincoln was standing right smack beneath it. It was in that moment that all eleven gals got the perfect idea on how to thank him for his heartfelt gift. At the same time, the boy in question found himself backing away slightly...but was immediately stopped by his giggling father.

"Not a chance, Son; you know the tradition" he said with a light chuckle, "once you're under the mistletoe, you get kissed." With that said, he gave the Gal Pals the "a-okay" hand sign; which caused them to approach him while murmuring "come here, cutie." Before long, Lincoln found himself having a moment of déjà vu.

Just like what happened at the Tranquil Springs Spa, last Spring; all the Gals proceeded to assault him with a barrage of hugs, kisses and affectionate nuzzles. The only one who didn't follow their lead was Haiku, who chose to hang back for a brief moment. When the other Gals finally finished their job, Lincoln looked like a silly lovestruck fool with hearts in his eyes and his cheeks blazing like Christmas lights.

"Time for me to finish the job" Haiku murmured with a light grin, "thank you, Lincoln for the wonderful gift and your friendship...Merry Christmas." After that, she gave him a light yet heartfelt peck on the cheek; which finally pushed Lincoln over the breaking point. With a high-pitched squeal, he stumbled about the room slightly until he fell back safely onto the sofa.

This display not only caused the Gals to burst out in laughter but the Louds and the officers as well. "HA-HA! This lil' man is just too much, I tell ya" Officer Simmons giggled, "but...hold up; who are these other flash drives in here for?" Seeing as how her son was...currently out of commission (so to speak,) Rita decided to offer up an explanation.

"One is for Ronnie Anne and her family down in Great Lakes City that Lincoln plans on sending" she stated, "as for the others, they're for yours and your partners' families." This news came as a great surprise to Simmons, who proclaimed getting so many photos together for so many drives must've taken a lot of work from Lincoln and those involved. "It's just as I said earlier" Phoebe stated, "during Break, last month; Linc and his buddies asked for me to help put all this together for him."

Upon hearing this, once again; the officers thanked Phoebe for her handiwork and smiled down at the dazed Loud boy. "Hope he doesn't plan on sleeping for too long" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "we've got plans for today." The Gal Pals squealed with excitement (while making sure not to do so too loudly) and asked how they could help out.

"Well, the first thing is to make sure we get my little brother to the...meeting spot" Lori whispered, "you think you could help with that, Carol?" In response, she gave a thumbs up and hugged her bestie to seal the deal. "As for the rest of you, you're with me" Lynn Sr. instructed, "this Christmas is going to be big!"

(Line Break)

When he managed to reawaken, sometime later, Lincoln saw that he was sitting in the front seat of a van. At first, he got a little nervous, thinking he got kidnapped. But then; he looked to the side, saw that Carol was at the wheel and sighed with relief.

"Well...good morning again, sleepyhead" the teen giggled, "did you have a nice nap?" After giving a prodigious yawn in response, Lincoln rubbed his eyes and asked where they were. "It's a surprise, pal" Carol said with a light giggle, "and I think you're gonna like it." Perhaps it was due to the fact that his brain still felt sluggish.

But something about Carol's words felt rather suspicious to him. Still, Lincoln knew his friend/guardian would never play a trick on him...that was more Luan's job. "Okay, what's the surprise" he asked with a knowing look, "I'm not getting in another silly outfit again, am I?"

Carol shook her head in response to this and assured him that all his questions would be answered once they got inside. Upon leaving the van, Lincoln was greeted by the familiar sight of Lynn's Table. "WHOA! I haven't been here in a while" he exclaimed, "but...don't we usually hang at Gus'?"

Carol giggled lightly in response and reminded him that the gang already made plans for Gus' Games n' Grub for New Year's Eve. "But we best hurry" she ordered, "you didn't hear it from me...but I think there's something waiting for you inside." With stars of excitement in his eyes, Lincoln was prepared to make a beeline for the door...until Carol suddenly pulled him back.

Before he could make a protest, she suddenly wrapped a blindfold around his eyes and helped lead him inside. "Okay, Carol...seriously" Lincoln muttered, "if you or any of the Gals plan on pranking me, I'm gonna be upset." The teen offered no reply, she simply kept walking forward with his hand in hers until they reached the door.

Upon hearing the sound of a bell jingle, Lincoln sensed that he had entered the restaurant and swiftly removed his blindfold. The moment he did, he was greeted by a surprising sight. All around him; friends, family, classmates and even some neighbors greeted Lincoln with a loud outcry of "SURPRISE!"

"What the...What's all this" Lincoln said with mixed tone of shock and delight, "did my parents invite the whole town over for a Christmas party?" After he said this; Clyde's dad, Harold approached him and placed a Santa hat atop his head while stating that he was...half-right in his guess. "It's like Whitney told you earlier, Linky" Carol giggled from behind, "what you did at the mall really garnered a lot of attention...and everyone here wanted to throw this party for you, to say thanks for putting up with their craziness these past few weeks."

With that said, she gave a quick wave of her hand and a group of little kids came up to Lincoln. Afterwards, they gave him a large "thank you" card that said "Merry Christmas, Lil' Elf Friend." Then, Becky's aunt approached him with her children in hand and expressed her sincerest thanks to Lincoln. "Had it not been for your help, this would be the fourth year in a row my daughter came home from the mall crying" the woman explained, "but you helped give her the courage she needed to see Santa in a whole new way...thank you, young man."

Soon after this, several other parents expressed similar feelings of gratitude to Lincoln for his help; which left him feeling...mildly overwhelmed. "I really appreciate it, everybody" he muttered, 'but what I did was no big deal." No sooner had he said this, Lincoln suddenly felt someone pat him swiftly on the back; startling him.

He turned with a start and spotted Chandler, Lance and Trent standing behind him; which made him a little nervous. "Oh, uh...hey, guys" Lincoln murmured shyly, "um...so, I guess you know that I was the elf everyone picked on...right?" Chandler nodded silently in reply and exchanged a high-five with him, expressing his regret over what happened.

"Seriously, dude...when we found out what's been going on; it blew our minds" Trent muttered, "so, thanks for not holding a grudge on us for accidentally razzing you...and for helping out Chandler's cousin." Whether by coincidence or by random chance, the moment this was said; the aforementioned pretzel vendor called out from inside the kitchen and waved at Lincoln happily. "HEY, LIL' DUDE" he cried, "glad you could join the party!"

Wishing to say hello, Lincoln walked over and joined him in the kitchen. There, he saw that the vendor and Kotaro were working together in making some soft pretzel rods for the party attendees. "You really saved my bacon, lil' dude" the vendor stated, "that's better than any Christmas gift I'd get from my folks."

Lincoln blushed sheepishly at the compliment and said that he just "happened to be at the right place at the right time." "Well, after seeing you stick it to that sleazeball, I decided to quit my job at that cart" he said proudly, "your Pop was nice enough to give me a place here makin' pastries for his restaurant, after I told him what happened." Lincoln was left dumbfounded by this story; it seemed that Whitney was right, his actions did inspire some people.

Then, after he got back to the dining area; several of Lincoln's friends called him over to one of the booth seats. Not needing to be told twice, he collected some food at the buffet and headed over. "Hey, dude; Merry Christmas" Rusty greeted warmly, "guess all that hard work you did really paid off, huh?"

Lincoln nodded silently in response, after getting a load at all the smiling faces that surrounded him. Then, Zach proceeded to ask whatever happened to the "old dude that hung around Lincoln at the mall." "Yeah, you told us he was the one who talked you into getting that elf greeter job" Clyde stated, "did you ever see him again, after you quit?"

Lincoln nodded slightly in reply and explained that the old man (or Nicky as he knew him) helped give him a ride back home. "After that, I don't know what happened" he stated, "maybe he quit his job like Chandler's cousin did." Upon being reminded of Nicky, Lincoln gave a long sigh; wishing he had the chance to thank him again for all his help.

Just then, his mother soon approached him; holding what looked like an olde timey scroll in her hand. "I forgot to tell you; I found this was in your stocking, while we were opening gifts" she explained while handing Lincoln the scroll, "I would've given it to you at the house...but you passed out from the mistletoe kisses you were given." After Lincoln chuckled lightly at the not-so long ago memory, he gently unrolled the scroll; wondering what it was and who sent it to him.

The text looked like a sort of...medieval/renaissance handwriting but thankfully, Lincoln was able to read all of it.

Dear Lincoln,

Thanks for all your help and dedication at the mall this past week and thank you for your kind donation. You've truly been a real good boy this year; so, I think you've more than earned some well-deserved fun-time and relaxation with your loved ones...I know I certainly have. Never lose your kind heart, no matter what happens in the days ahead.

Warmest regards,

Nicky

P.S. Next year; if you happen to see me working at the mall again...could you tell me the recipe for those Oatmeal and Butterscotch cookies you and your friend, Clyde came up with? They're amazing!

After reading the final word, the scroll suddenly vanished in a burst of what looked like pixie dust. But before anyone (mostly Lisa) could declare otherwise, Lana and Lola were outside of the restaurant; gazing up at the sky in awe. "Guys! Guys! Come out here, quick" they called out in unison, "IT'S SANTA CLAUS!"

At first, many of the parents were prepared to lightly dismiss the claim as delightfully childish whimsy. But then, the sound of jingle bells rang out loudly from above; which startled everyone. This prompted all those inside of Lynn's Table to hurry out the door to see what was happening.

The moment every man, woman and child cast their eyes skyward; all their jaws suddenly dropped. Flying overhead was the familiar sight of a miniature red sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. At the reins of this sleigh was the equally familiar sight of a certain jolly bearded fellow in red. Naturally, many dismissed the sight as merely an illusion.

But even Lisa fully admitted that it looked, sounded and even smelled quite real; to her. "HA! We told you he was real, Sis" Lana boasted proudly, "so, you owe me and Lola all the Christmas cookies we can stomach!" Meanwhile, several teens were snapping pictures of the sleigh on their cellphones, thinking that it was a worthy photo op.

"Dudes...nobody at school's gonna believe this" Phoebe said with a smile, "I'm right here and even I don't believe it!" All around, people were chattering and murmuring with excitement at their first up-close glimpse of the real Santa Claus' sleigh. Meanwhile, Lincoln simply looked up at it in silence with a broad smile across his face.

"Thanks, Nicky" he thought to himself gratefully, "thank you so much for all your help and...everything else." Up above, Nicky glanced down below over his shoulder and smiled back at Lincoln; despite the fact that he was now a small dot from his altitude. "Merry Christmas, Lincoln; Merry Christmas Royal Woods" he called out, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

(First AN: What better way to end a Christmas themed oneshot with an iconic line from one of history's most famous poems. Looks like everything turned out okay for Lincoln and his loved ones, this Christmas. Let his experience be a lesson to us all; no matter how much the world may screw you over, never lose sight of your holiday spirit.

On that note, see you for the next installment and Merry Christmas in July)

(Second AN: I know some people may think Lincoln should've gotten gifts for all ten of his sisters. But when you think about it; even with the budget he had before, how would that be possible? Follow up question, would his sisters want him to suffer all those indignities for their sake...I think not.

At least, that's how they feel these days. In any case, knowing that Lincoln chose to put himself through the wringer just to make them happy has far greater value than any kind of cheap item at the mall ever could; am I right or am I wrong)

(Third AN: To anyone who guessed Nicky's identity before this part came up, congrats. To anyone who felt that it was too weird to add him into the Loud House universe; let's not forget that Linc and everybody met real monsters, in the Halloween three-parter. Speaking of which, someone requested that I had Lincoln or somebody meet Santa in person.

Consider that request granted)

(Fourth AN: I hope I did a good enough job connecting all the people Linc met at the mall with certain members of his friends and/or family. I forget who it was *memory is bad sometimes* but someone asked me to make this so; particularly with Chandler and the pretzel vendor. As I said, I hope I did a good job)

(Fifth AN: Some also requested that the Santa pavilion manager also face justice for what he did to Lincoln. At the same time, someone asked me how Biff got out of his sentence from the incident he caused on Halloween. I won't give away much, want to save the character for a later oneshot.

But let's just say that he's got more than "good looks and skills")

(Final AN: The cookie recipe Nicky asked for is a reference from the episode Tough Cookies, where Lincoln and Clyde originally made Oatmeal and Butterscotch Cookies the first time. Figured Nicky would like something different than just the usual chocolate chip people set out for him.

But...I actually wonder if such a combination actually tastes good)