Batman and Robin dodged the incoming cannon fire from the weaponized observatory. Batman turned his attention to Robin, "Robin! Try and get inside the observatory! I'll draw its fire!" Robin couldn't help himself but nod in agreement with his plan.

The two split in different directions. As Batman became the decoy, he rolled forward avoiding another blast hitting the radar antenna.

On the Joker's tv, there was some static however there was still a picture on the screen. "Whoops," Joker made the uh-oh face then thumbed toward the tv, "Looks like we're experiencing technical difficulty. But don't worry folks," He moved towards the camera, pointing with his right hand, "we're still on the air."

"Oh no! Our cannon seems to be out of control. Gotham City could be in serious danger." The Joker wasn't exaggerating about it. The weaponized observatory was spinning and firing in random directions! One of the shots destroyed a tree, which Batman avoided it.

Another one of the shots destroyed one of the bridges within Gotham City! Citizens of Gotham City witnessed the weaponized observatory firing out of control. They ran and cried out in fear.

Robin made his way inside the observatory. Robin stopped in surprise at what he saw. Inside there were Joker statues with machine gun hands. Each of their heads was moving up and down repeatedly. All of them had laughter loop recordings in each of the—three on the left side of the wall and the other three on the right.

Shots fired! Robin barrel-rolled away from the first four Joker statues and shot themselves. The fifth one on his left, he knocked it down with a sweep kick. The last one kept firing at him so he immediately took cover with one of the metal storage containers. Robin pulled out an intercom headset from his utility belt, connected it to the belt, put the earbud in the ear, and the speaker close to his mouth. "Batman! Robin here," Robin was making contact with the Dark Knight.

Outside the observatory, Batman took cover behind one of the trees. Batman activated the communications line within his cowl, "Robin! You know what to do! Operation: Cause & Effect!"

"Gotcha," he responded before focusing back on his mission. Robin notices some kind of power box close to the cannon. Using a sling, Robin launched an explosive at it!

KABOOM!

The entire cannon exploded!

Outside the formerly weaponized observatory, Batman leaned against the exterior walls catching his breath. Robin exited the building to reunite with him, "Batman?" "I'm ok, Robin," Batman reassured him, "But we're not anywhere closer to finding Jingles." "So, what's our next move?" Robin asked, hoping Batman would have a solution. Batman gave him the answer, "Honestly, I don't know."

The Dynamic Duo returned to the Batmobile and drove into the streets of Gotham City.

Robin revealed a watch from his left wrist by pulling the glove off it. Checking the time and told his partner, "Batman! It's almost midnight! We have to do something!" "It's up to the Joker now," Batman replied in seriousness, "Only a miracle can save the hostages." Batman, activated the monitor to see what the Joker has planned next.

The Joker right now appeared to be upside down. His chin had angry eyes painted on his chin and a suit covering the top half of his face to his mouth. "Grrrrr. Where's that Bat-fella'? And that Robin-fellow'? Oooh! They're gonna spoil my Christmas. What's the matter? Can't they figure it out? Time's Up! I'm robbin' everybody out at midnight," then the Joker's face start's to correct itself to right-side up, "But wait! We have another present to open!"

A tada sound effect was in the background. Joker removed the suit and angry eye mask. "Let's not keep Mommy Lawful waiting," Joker said. A box wrapped in magenta wrapping with a pink ribbon was next to him on his left. One of the Joker's men was carrying Summer to the mysterious box.

"Too bad Batman is such a party pooper," Joker continued with both hands at his face, "Maybe he doesn't know how to get here? All dressed up nowhere to go."

With both of his arms behind his back and facing the camera, "We'll, I wonder what Mommy Lawful is getting for Christmas?" His attention was now turned toward Summer with both arms free and unwrapping the gift. "Ooo-hoo-ooh! The suspense is killing me," Joker said with glee. She removed the lid of the box, taking out the content inside revealing it to be some kind of Betty-Boop-themed doll. "Is it? *Gasp!* Can it be?" Christmas theme music played in the background. Joker crouched next to the box and snatched the doll from her.

"Oh Yes! It's a Betty Blooper doll!" Joker revealed the identity of the doll. He took the toy with him to the model of Gotham City, "And what do Betty Blooper Dolls do?" He rotated the doll around and started cranking up the key/lever on its back, "Why, you just wind them up." Joker placed the doll on the model city and let it loose knocking down cardboard buildings, "And they wreak havoc on Gotham City! HAA HA HA HA HAAH!"

Robin was surprised by the appearance of the Betty Blooper doll, "I haven't seen one of those dolls in years."

Batman pressed a few buttons on the dashboard by the monitor, "Computer, search: Betty Blooper Doll." The information immediately brought up that they don't assemble dolls like those anymore. Their founders were from the Laffco Toy Factory.

He continued, "Computer. Search: Laffco Toy Factory." The info about the Laffco Toy Factory brought to them said that it went out of business 14 years ago. And its location was 3rd and Main, Downtown in Gotham City. "An abandoned Toy Factory. Just his style," Batman realized. He hit the gas!

Racing against time, the Batmobile was getting closer and closer to the Laffco Toy Factory. They arrived at the building as the Batmobile rammed right through the factory's shipping garage entrance as a battering ram!

The Batmobile immediately parked inside the building, and the roof slid open, revealing both Batman and Robin. Both unbuckled their seatbelts and jumped out of the car.

They ran into one of the mechanical rooms ready and looking for the Joker. Batman turned to Robin, "Stay sharp Robin."

Little did they know, the Joker was more than ready for them. Above them on a balcony, the Joker anticipated their arrival. He giggled and retreated to the doorway behind him and into a small office. Inside the office had a record player with a record already inserted on the slipmat. Turned the power on and placed the tonearm on top of the disk as it starts playing "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky.

The music also played from the speakers of the factory walls above. The music surprised both of them. Robin asked, "Where's that music coming from?" "Don't know," Batman answered "…so much for the element of surprise," Batman said with sarcasm.

"Ha ha," Joker laughed as he went to a control panel and pulled down a pair of levers simultaneously.

Enormous several giant toy nutcracker soldiers suddenly came to life! They grabbed their wooden muskets and marched toward Batman and Robin. "Watch out!" Batman warned Robin. One of them stabbed the ground with the blade attached to the wooden musket! Fortunately, both of them dodged it.

Batman leaped towards the head with a couple of steps running up from the musket. Batman brought a Batarang attached to a cable and threw it at the giant wooden soldier in front of him. The cable wrapped around its neck, and Batman yanked it down hard decapitating its head! One down, two to go.

Robin retrieved a Batarang attached to a cable, from his belt and launched it into a steel pipe above. He swung like Tarzan and knocked the one down and kicked the other's head off. After that, he landed softly on the floor.

The next music in the background started playing "The Russian Dance".

Toy planes started flying outside a giant clown statue's mouth. These weren't any toy planes, the planes were green, the wings and tails were purple, and each of their pilot's faces was the Joker wearing a W.W.I. Pilot's helmet. All of them were coming in hot and were about to perform a kamikaze attack on the Dynamic Duo!

Batman found a bat behind him in a bin and grabbed it immediately. "Stand clear Robin," Batman ordered. Robin saw Batman wielding a baseball bat and ready to smash the toy planes so he didn't need to ask as he moved to the left where he found a barrel. "Here batter-batter swing-batter," Batman taunted the planes as half of them came towards him. Batman smashed them all with a bat. Robin caught all of his with the barrel.

"They don't call you Batman for nothing," Robin joked as he leaned against the barrel.

Batman was about to say something sarcastically to Robin's joke, but the clicking load of an automatic machine gun interrupted him. His attention came to the balcony, immediately saw Joker's goons "Donner" and "Blitzen", armed and ready to kill.

Batman grabbed Robin and dodged the incoming bullets, "HIT THE FLOOR!" He threw a flashbang grenade at them.

BANG!

The goons were blinded for a moment…their sight has recovered and they were gone! They went downstairs to search for them and found nothing." Donner," asked/demanded, "Where'd they go?!"

Suddenly the shadow underneath them got larger and looked up. Both yelped however, it was too late! A human-sized teddy bear landed on both of them! "I love you very much," the teddy bear said.

Batman and Robin came from behind the pile of bears and leaped down from the balcony and landed on the ground. "Nice one Robin but keep your eyes open for the Jingles," Batman reminded him.

A giant green curtain opened revealing the Joker shouting, "I'll save you the trouble, Batman!" His hostages are dangling over a vat of molten plastic!

Holding in his left hand were scissors and the in his right a box wrapped in blue with the batman logo on there tied with a red ribbon. Joker bright the gift forward to him, "Come and get your Christmas present…or the kiddies get it!" Joker threatens to drop them in if Batman doesn't come and get his Christmas present.

Batman remembered from the Old Man that inside there would be a spring-loaded pie. He took a few steps forward and told the Joker, asked/taunted the Joker,

"Let them go, clown! I'm the one you want," Batman got serious this time. "Merry Christmas Batman," Joker tossed the tampered gift to Batman.

The Dark Knight catches the gift and Joker persuaded, "Well go on, open it." The hostages looked down upon him fearing it could be some kind of death trap ready for him. "Don't do it, Batman," Robin warned him. Batman turned to Robin then back to Joker.

"You giving me this because Santa gave you too much coal in your cell," Batman taunted the Joker. Robin saw this, he was taunting the enemy and was going on.

Batman tore the ribbon and gift wrapping off. It was a green box. He opened the lid and moved his head to the left while opening the box simultaneously. The spring-loaded pie inside launched itself and missed. Batman turned his head to where the pie landed and smirked. He turned his attention back to the Joker and replied sarcastically, "A spring-loaded pie in a box. I give it 6/10 for effort."

Joker gritted his teeth, he was mad! He cuts the rope holding the hostages. Batman used his retractable wings and rocket boots to fly to catch them and land safely on the ground. Robin arrives next to him and Batman orders him, "Robin! Take care of them!"

Batman catches Joker from behind holding onto his wrists. However, the Clown Prince of Crime escapes his grasp as both sweater and gloves come off to reveal another pair underneath. Joker manages to evade him for a while, "Uahaha." Batman chased Joker up the stairs to another balcony, "Run run as fast as you can! You're not catch me I'm the Joker-man!" Joker manages to evade him for a while but trips on a roller skate and almost falls into the vat. Batman saves him and with a smirk bids him a Merry Christmas, "Merry Christmas Jingles." Joker simply says, "Bah humbug!"

Later at Terry & Dick's apartment. They finished watching a recording of It's a Wonderful Life with Rocky, Kathy, and their late arrival Sonia Alcana. Rocky turned to Sonia, "It was nice of your boss Commissioner Gordon to loan us that recording." "And It is a Wonderful Life," Dick added to that remark.

Terry couldn't help himself "For a classic. I'll admit, it has its moments."

Meanwhile, Joker was sent back to Arkham Asylum. Where he spends his Christmas alone in his cell but seems to be in good spirits, singing and laughing. "Don we now our gay apparel, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la! HA HA HA HO HO HOO!...Merry Christmas."

For Kevin Conroy

(November 30, 1935 - November 10, 2022)