Wreck the Halls

The Holidays were a time that the Gangreen Gang looked forward to every year, especially when it meant mischief at the annual Christmas Festival on Christmas Eve!

"I can't wait for this year!" said Arturo as he sat down on the couch in their hide out. Snake sat back on the same couch while Billy and Grubber were in chairs.

"Yesss," agreed Snake slyly. "We're gonna have fun tonight!"

"Duh, where's Ace?" asked Billy.

Grubber raspberried.

"On the phone with Jessie?" repeated Billy. "Again?"

Suddenly, Ace bounced in and flopped on the couch, smiling.

"Well, if it isssn't Mr. Sssoft," teased Snake.

"On the phone with your GIRLFRIEND, eh?" snarled Arturo sarcastically.

"Hey, I am NOT soft," said Ace, trying to sound tough. "I…uh…we…just were talking…and…"

"Chill, Ace," laughed Arturo. "We're just messing with ya."

Grubber raspberried.

Ace looked annoyed. "Hey, I don't have to hear this!" He stood up. "I have a lot to do now anyway. I'm…taking Jessie to the Christmas Festival tonight."

"Christmas Festival?!" yelled Arturo.

"But…weren't we gonna do OUR pranks there?" asked Snake.

"Billy wanted the gingerbread cookies," whined Billy.

Grubber raspberried.

Ace looked at his friends. He forgot that THEY were going to go also!

"Well," Ace started. "I can ask Jessie if you all can come with us, I guess."

Snake, Arturo, Billy, and Grubber looked at each other. They nodded in agreement, talking over each other.

Ace took out his phone. "Guys…" he started, turning to his friends. "This is important to me. Can you try to cool it with the pranks tonight?"

They looked at each other and smiled coyly.

"Sssuuure we can," said Snake sneakily. He, Arturo, Billy, and Grubber grinned in innocence while Ace was looking their way.

After Ace went outside, the gang looked at each other mischievously.

Later at the Christmas Festival, there were booths everywhere filled with Christmas gifts to buy, games to play, and, of course, a line to see Santa Claus.

Snake, Arturo, Billy, and Grubber rushed through the crowded area with Ace and Jessie slightly behind them.

Jessie looked around the area. "Man, look at all this!" she said, smiling.

"I know," agreed Ace. "There's even more stuff than there was last year." They stopped and looked at each other.

"I'm glad we're here tonight," said Ace.

"Me, too," gushed Jessie.

They were about to kiss when, suddenly, something caught Ace's attention. He saw his gang spray painting red paint on a tall pillar off in the distance!

"Uh…you know…uh…wh…what we need?" stammered Ace quickly. "Some h…hot chocolate. I'll get us some." He quickly rushed off.

"Um…" started Jessie surprised. "Okay."

Ace ran over to his gang, who were now running away, laughing.

"Guys!" shouted Ace as he approached them. "What did you do?!

"Oh, heeey Accce," said Snake. "Jussst having sssome fun."

"I told you TO BE COOL tonight!" yelled Ace angrily.

"Relax, Ace," said Arturo. "We threw a tarp we found over it. No one will see it…yet." The gang laughed as they walked off.

Ace looked at the covered-up pillar and then looked back at his gang annoyed. He followed them.

A little while later, as the Gangreen Gang and Jessie sipped on their hot chocolate, they made their way over to one of the most popular events of the festival: the real-life gingerbread house! It had ten-foot-tall gingerbread walls, frosting for window frames, and gum drops all around the inside and outside of the walls for decoration.

"This is so cool!" said Jessie as she and the gang made their way through the living room. "I've never been in a life-sized gingerbread house before."

"Yeah," said Ace. "Me neither."

They made their way through the hallways and room after room. After a while, they were leaving the house. They were just about out the door, when Ace noticed his gang was nowhere to be seen!

"Uh…" started Ace as he tried to think of a reason to go back inside. "…Oh great! Did they get lost with all those sweets. Hold on, Jess. I'll bring them out."

Jessie looked with confusion as Ace quickly ran back inside.

He ran down the hallway and stopped suddenly when…he saw his gang eating the gumdrops off the walls!

"Wha-" he exclaimed. "What are you guys doing?!"

Grubber rasberried.

"I know!" answered Ace. "I can see that!" He slapped his hand on his head. "I warned you guys…"

"Chill, Accce," said Snake as he grinned and tried to calm Ace down. "Jessie's not gonna know."

He, Arturo, Grubber, and Billy started to leave.

"Billy like the spicy and sour gumdrop the best," commented Billy.

Snake and Arturo laughed while Grubber raspberried.

Ace watched as they made their way towards the exit. He groaned and followed them.

Later on, the Gangreen Gang and Jessie were approaching a real-life display of Santa's Workshop with elf and reindeer statues everywhere. Without wasting any time, Snake, Arturo, Billy, and Grubber ran to the backside of the workshop.

Just as Jessie and Ace finally had some alone time and started to have a romantic talk, Ace began worrying and wondered what the gang was up to.

"Hey," started Ace. "I'm just gonna see if we missed anything on the other side."

Before Jessie could say anything, he was already half way to the back of the workshop.

Suddenly, he stopped fast as he gasped at what he saw! Snake, Arturo, Billy, and Grubber were pelting the workshop with snowballs!

"Wha…Wh…Uh!" he shouted.

"Hey, Ace!" laughed Snake. "We've sssaved the last sssnowball for you!"

"Guys…" started Ace angrily. Snake shoved the snowball in Ace's hands. "There is no way I'm gonna…" Ace looked at the snowball. Then, he suddenly remembered the fun they used to have at the Christmas Festival, getting into mischief every year. It got harder and harder to resist. He looked at the snowball. "Well, what could throwing ONE snowball hurt?"

The gang cheered him on as he threw the snowball. Suddenly, they heard a rumbling coming from the workshop and Ace turned away.

"Ace?" asked Jessie.

He looked up. "Jessie!" he shouted surprised. "It's…It's… not what it looks like!"

"So…" began Jessie. "Santa didn't just come out of the roof?"

"Huh?" he asked. He turned back to look at the workshop and there, on top of the roof, was a mechanical Santa Claus.

"We did it, guys! We won!" cheered Arturo and Billy, while Grubber raspberried. They all high fived.

Ace and Jessie looked at them confused.

"Won what?" asked Ace adamantly.

"The night'ss contessts!" said Snake. "Remember how we 'graffitied' that pillar?"

Ace looked at him and then looked back at the covered-up pillar. The cover was pulled off and a giant red and white candy cane was revealed!

"Whoever could make the candy cane with the besst desssign would win," added Snake.

"And you know how we ate the gumdrops off of the gingerbread house?" said Arturo. "I think Billy mentioned the spicy and sour gumdrop…"

"Find the one spicy and sour gumdrop in the whole house to win!" said Billy cheerfully.

Grubber raspberried.

"And the one who throws a snowball in the right spot at Santa's workshop, causing the mechanical Santa to appear will win?" repeated Jessie.

"We won all three!" said Snake. "And the prize…" He held up a flyer. "…A year supply of gumdrops!"

Ace had a blank expression. Then, he started to laugh. "Man, guys. You got me good! I thought you were actually…" He laughed some more.

"I wasn't expecting that," laughed Jessie.

"You ssshould've ssseen your face," said Snake, laughing.

Arturo, Grubber, and Billy then joined in.

Later, the gang and Jessie were walking as Billy was carrying their bags of gumdrops.

"I should've known you were being cool all along," said Ace.

"Come on," said Snake. "You know we wouldn't messs sssomething up that'sss real important to you."

Ace looked at Jessie and smiled. Then, she smiled at him.

"Heads up!" shouted Arturo as his snowball hit Ace and Jessie.

"Hey!" cried Jessie.

"Your goin' down!" challenged Ace. He quickly pelted them all with snowballs.

Arturo, Grubber, and Billy were facing them with more snowballs to throw.

"…at leassst…not messs it up too much," taunted Snake, tossing a snowball up and down.

Ace and Jessie gathered more snow. The six laughed and had a full-on snowball fight as the festival continued into the night.