CASSIA'S GUIDE TO EARTH HOLIDAYS Chapter 2: Christmas, Hanukkah,& Kwanzaa, a super robot monkey team fanfic

CASSIA'S GUIDE TO EARTH HOLIDAYS

(Part two)

Winter Holidays… Twelve days of Christmas, Eight Days of Hanukkah, and Seven Days of Kwanzaa

Shuggazoom City was almost repaired, though at this point only the civilian homes and a few small businesses like Gackslapper's hover-burger stand, Mr. Paulie's costume shop, and the fruit and veggie cart pushed by that weirdo dressed like an asparagus was back to normal again. The arcade was completely shut down, the sweet shop where they sold holographic ice cream cones was out of business until farther notice (which was just fine by Cassia when she was told about the concept, as ice cream that shocks you when it melts… while a clever attempt to make the treat "mess free"… sounds both dangerous and impractical anyway), and all the taller sky scrapers were still undergoing construction and had lost several cranes and lifts in the war. Even with the Super Robot and Jinmay in "Ultra-Super Mode" to match the Super Robot's size helping with the repairs, it will be months before the city has a decent amount of electricity to provide lights, radio, and climate control… which was going to be a problem because the fires of war caused unusual shifts in climate even with the fabled ice demon Morlath back in his Northern Ice prison and Skeleton King no longer around to use that monster's power: even though it wasn't snowing, frost had come back to the city.

At least after two years of hardship in their struggle against the undead, even the civilians are prepared for this in more ways than mere leasure, at least for the first few weeks. While they now knew how to make their own fire and gather their own food… while they can survive in harsh environments whether the Hyperforce was around to help them or not… it was clear that sledding and snowball fights can no longer amuse the people of Shuggazoom City like it did the first time it snowed just before it was revealed to them how cruel winter can really be. Even the team themselves, patrolling the city for abnormalities to make sure there isn't any supernatural forces in the snow like before (there wasn't, fortunately) were getting cabin fever.

"It's just a hole in the ozone layer," said Cassia, making hot cocoa for everyone on the team once Gibson shown her the data, "historically, in the twenty first century especially, these climate problems happened on Earth all the time… usually in the all-ice region of Antarctica causing global warming in that area… but it results in a chain effect that either floods other parts of the planet or relocates the ice forming a miniature 'Ice Age' reaction that normally lasts a few weeks to a few months."

"Can't we do something about it?" complained Nova, who was more sick of this weather then the rest of the team combined.

"It's atmospheric," said Cassia, "a result of air pollution… the best we could do is survive through the worst of it and do our best to clean up the outskirts of the city as soon as the snow melts. In the meantime, our main priority should be keeping everyone else's spirit's up so they can keep surviving."

"I am not sure there is much more we can do for them," stated Gibson, "at least on a technical standpoint."

"Gibson's right," said Chiro, "I gave them several motivational speaches, and the team helped me with providing the citizens with food and shelter to get them through this climate, and we are still going on patrol with those who volunteered to keep watch over the city with Jinmay during our absence from the city during that intergalactic search for those Dark One Gems—"

"And it still ain't enough, is it kid?" asked Sparx.

"Maybe they're just running out of entertainment," said Otto, "with the TV's and radios out, they do seem kind of fussy… must be a human thing. No offense! Anyway, I got this!" the green monkey started juggling and tripped on a loose floor tile inside the Super Robot (he was supposed to be making repairs after all) and fell into the hole where he had just rewired the circuitry, "Ow! I'm okay!"

Everyone laughed at the sight of that.

"Nice hustle, Otto," said Jinmay, "I'd give it a six."

"Otto, I believe you may be onto something," said Antauri, pulling his friend out of the hole, "but it isn't just a lack of entertainment. After all they had been through in the war, they have no sense of pleasure. I'm sorry, but this is beyond even us."

"Shame on you, Sterling," Vex scolded, "you and I were brought back from the dead, Goldie was pulled out of wormhole, our boy… almost a man… rewrote a prophecy and defeated the enemy you've been fighting for ages, and you're giving up because a few hundred humans don't know how to be happy in a simpler life until the city is repaired? The team should know better, you most of all."

"Auntie Vex is right," said Cassia, "believe it or not, a lot of joyous events back home had humble origins in times of hardship… though not many bother to remember that."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Gibson, giving a certain look that challenged her to go on.

Cassia was wringing her tail in her hands… she wasn't sure she was ready to make a lecture of any sort revolving around any of Earth's holidays in front of a crowd of any sort, even if it is just her friends, but the blue monkey, seeing she was getting nervous, took her by the hand and whispered "Remember what we rehearsed?" before she took a deep breath and told what she knew:

"Chiro may be the Chosen One of this generation, but he wasn't the first to carry the title as far as Earthlings knew—" she started.

"Say what?!" said Chiro.

"Relax, the previous guy to hold your position was born thousands of years ago," Cassia stated, "in fact, it was the story of such an origin that the holiday of Christmas got its foundation from… you were the Chosen One on account of the Power Primate, and your place was to defeat the Skeleton King and other evils before their distruction completely upset the balance of the entire cosmos; the previous Savior, a man called 'Jesus', was more of a storyteller then a warrior…"

"He was chosen to guide Earth from their sins… most claim that, like your friend Antauri, he sacrificed himself and was resurrected, but that turn of events inspired a different holiday altogether—Easter, in fact—and that story is reserved for spring as a festival of renewal… plus, it's foolhardy to get ahead or ourselves. The first Christmas should be celebrated first, and most people like to prepare for it with what is called the 'Advent'… a calendar system that states what days to prepare for the religious event and in what order, and it varies from one church religional approach to another. Most of them go up to the number twenty five, as Christmas is on December 25th, but there are some joke Advent calendars based on the Christmas carol—or type of song made for this holiday—'The Twelve Days of Christmas' which is really an annoying round based on a lover who gave gifts during ten of the preparatory days, then Christmas Eve, then the actual holiday of Christmas Day itself…"

Cassia looked embarrassed and cleared her throat, "I used to sing that tune many times as a youth, but most humans chased me off year after year because they cannot speak monkey," she admitted, "Madam Esimia claimed I had a great singing voice, but I don't want to relive that part of my past right now, so… lets go on and explain the origin of this holiday and get back to it later shall we."

"Oh, but of course." Gibson said, but the others groaned in annoyance.

"Your girl admitted she used to like singing," said Sparx, "and you're blowing it off for the sake of a historical lecture? Are you serious?"

"She's not ready," argued Gibson, grunting through his teeth, "if she wants to delay such a performance, it is her decision… besides; I want to better understand the basis and subtext."

Cassia rolled her eyes as she continued:

"The term Christmas means 'sending of the savior', which is the story in which the religious festival of giving and wonder revolves around… it is also called 'Nativity', 'Noel', 'Yule', and 'The Feast of Midwinter'… but whatever the title, the story behind it is fitting of a supernatural birth that was foretold many ages before the event took place. A prophecy had stated that the 'King of the Jews' would 'redeem lost souls' and 'set the captives free'. Many believed the scriptures meant a literal king would lead a war against the dictating Roman empire and restore the country to its former glory, which is why a ruler named King Herod, who was in league with these conquers, refused to believe that the scriptures were talking about anyone else, but that was exactly the case, for in the subtext in was predicted that the 'king' will be born not of Earthly monarchy, but shall be the Son of God—the direct decendent of the one you call the 'Great Being' born in mortal flesh through a virgin mother."

"Whoa! Hold it!" said Sparx, "A virgin? Are you saying that they were waiting for a guy to be born form a woman who never-?!"

Nova covered Sparx's mouth, shaking her head, "After all we've been through," she said, "stranger things have happened."

Gibson couldn't help laughing at the antics between those two, yet at times he sort of envied them though he cannot help wondering why. They had each other, and he had Cassia… true, she's just his friend, but didn't Sparx and Nova start out that way? He motioned her to continue.

Cassia nodded and got on with her story:

"Anyhow, one of the Great Being looked over each maiden of that era carefully, for if he's to have a son in human form it might as well have the right mother, and in the right time sent one of His messengers—an angel, Gabriel—to one of the Jewish virgins to let her know she's the one to carry the sacred task of becoming the mother of this miracle child. She too was confused as to how this could be, for although she was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph they weren't even married yet, let alone—well, you know—but Gabriel explained that the child, to be named 'Jesus', was the Son of the Creator of Creation itself… though that, there are no impossibilities. Mary told the angel, 'I am a willing servant of the Highest Lord; sir… let it happen, as you say'. Not long after, however, she had gotten excited about this rare news, and knew she had to tell someone, but who would believe her without getting her in trouble? A situation like that would leave her open to misunderstandings of all sorts at the time, as it still does today. She eventually told her best friend Elizabeth, whose husband the prophet received similar word about their baby being born despite their old age AND that the child will grow up to a good friend of the future savior… thing is, the old man refused to believe any of it and—because of his doubt and refusal to accept the unborn child's blessings as they are—he was cursed to be mute until the baby is born, keeping him from doing his job!"

"I wonder if that's how charades were invented." Otto pondered.

"Otto, shush!" said Gibson.

"Elizabeth didn't need Mary to tell her what happened… she knew it by feeling her own baby 'move for joy' when there was a knock on the door, as if one friend was already aware of another. As the two woman discussed the unexpected blessings of their yet to be born children, however, it didn't go as unheard as Mary had hoped… her fiancé, Joseph, was passing by the window and heard quite an earful. Thinking that Mary's… condition… was the result of another man, he had two options according to the law: to humiliate her in public for her disloyalty, or divorce her quietly after they were married. Loving her too much to bring too much of a burden, he made up his mind on the second one as he went to bed last night, when a Voice from the Heavens told him in a dream that he shouldn't be afraid to keep Mary as his wife for her son was of holy origin… it would be better by far to raise the boy like his own son. The couple talked about each other's visions and had been married as planned… and not a moment too soon. The Roman Empire, by decree of Augustus, had stated it was time for all men to return to their city of birth with their wives and children so they will be counted and taxed. They didn't have rockets or cars or any engines at the time—Joseph's childhood hometown of Bethlehem was too far away from where he met and wedded married, and they have to get there by foot as well as donkey-back, and with a baby on the way to boot, but they had no choice! Poor Mary, she was practically a day away from her due date by the time the two of them arrived, and since nobody helped them get there sooner and they've probably made a few false turns in a dust storm or two along the way, not to mention Bethlehem is such a little town and those who grew up there in the past ended up bringing their whole families, all the inns—miniature hotels they had at the time—were all filled up by the time they arrived. Everywhere they went for shelter, it was all the same: 'No room! No vacancy! Go away! Try somewhere else! Do not bother me!' Just as the two of them were on the verge of giving up, the innkeeper of the very last building they tried—upon finding out Mary was about to have a baby—gave her and Joseph the only place available in… such a tight pinch: the family stable behind the inn, built right into a cave next to the guest stables… it smelled terrible in spite the fact that it had clean straw for new arrivals of any species, though humans are not normally on that list, but an exception was made that night, as it was warm and safe enough, and would do in a pinch… despite the tired guests expressing gratitude, the innkeeper probably called himself crazy for his generous act, yet I bet when Jesus was born—despite the fact his cradle was an animals feeding troth called a 'manger' – even he thought it was worth it, especially since a Choir of Angels had lead a group of shepherds to see the child of prophecy… but that wasn't the only cosmic event that took place."

"What do you mean?" asked Chiro.

"Well, since the child was born of the Great Being, it was only fitting the entire universe knew. I'm not sure if it was remembered in other galaxies as much as it was remembered on Earth, but it has been said that when Jesus was born, a rare star formed in the sky almost like a firework, or a signal flare that burned for many nights—perhaps weeks on end—before it stopped shining. A trio of astronomers called the Magi followed this phenomenon religiously known as the 'Christmas Star' or 'The Star of Bethlehem'… not that they knew it lead to Bethlehem at the time. All the three of them knew was that it was much like star they heard about in scriptures involving the prophecy of the 'king of heaven and earth', and that, if those scriptures were true, it is only fitting to do more than marvel at this omen… they wanted to follow it, knowing it will shine were the child is, and offer gifts fit for a king: a chest of gold… naturally… sweet smelling frankincense… which is a type of incense royalty used before deodorant was invented by the way… and a medical plant called Myrrh… used in skin healing salves and what they probably chewed on before they concept of toothpaste became official. Just the kind of gifts fitting of royalty, but they had some cloudy weather along the way and made a wrong turn at Jerusalem, where one of King Herod's spies claimed that newborn baby Jesus was… as customary… presented at the temple… what wasn't customary was that the elders recognized the child as 'the Massiah' or 'King of Kings' and declared him as such out of pure ecstasy."

"'What could I fear from a baby?' Herod thought at first, but then he remembered that babies grow up and demanded to know who the child's parents were and where the family lives, as he wants the child destroyed to keep the crown… you could probably imagine how angry he was when he found out the spy didn't have such information, but he kept calm long enough to help the Magi who—dressed to impress the 'royal family' they expected the foretold youth to be born into—looked almost like kings themselves. He was mildly annoyed that they weren't as threatened as he was about being replaced by this future 'King of Heaven and Earth' but he sent for his best scribe to check the fine print of the prophecy for him when they said they wanted to worship the child and found out the baby might be somewhere in Bethlehem. Not as good at reading the stars as his three guests, Herod asked the Magi to bring him word so he can worship the babe as well… it was a bluff, of course, and after the Magi had gave their gifts to Jesus, one of the Great Being's angelic messengers was sent to tell them about it, and insisted that the three of them return home another way, avoiding Herod's palace all together… but…"

"Is something bothering you Cassia?" asked Antauri, noticing the Earthling monkey's hesitation.

"What happened next is my least favorite part of the story," said Cassia, "it might restore too many images from the war you lot got out of, but I have to tell it to get to the end." She took a deep breath and got it over with:

"… that tyrant was not one to be fooled easily. After a few weeks, maybe months, Herod knew the Magi found the newborn king greater then himself and had disobeyed his command to tell him about it to protect the child… he was furious! Outraged! In fact, he would do anything to make sure that he kept his crown, so he passed a decree that will forever be known as The Massacre of the Innocents, insisting that all Jewish children in Bethlehem two years of age and younger—boys especially—should be—" Cassia ran a finger across her throat, making her point.

"Sheesh!" said Nova, "Even Mandarin was never that crazy! Well not the real one… anyway."

"I can see why you were reluctant to tell us," said Gibson, "but you stated that Christmas and Easter are connected… you said Jesus lost his life and rose again as a grown man… how did he escape the Massacre of the Innocents?"

"The Great Being set him up with the right human parents, that's how," said Cassia: "as before, Joseph had a vison in a dream… this time, it was just before the massacre took place, warning him that Herod was looking for his child to destroy him; the whole family had to move to the land of Egypt until that tyrant dies out, it would be safer there then staying in Bethlehem. Joseph wasted no time waking up Mary, who didn't need to know all the details before she grabbed baby Jesus and a few previsions and let her husband lead her to Egypt. So many years passed that, by the time the parents received the right signs it was safe to return, the baby Jesus had grown into a young boy, and had learned many things and was already wise beyond his years. Of course, that is another story in itself."

The hyperforce were all in awe of Cassia's storytelling, Chiro especially… who would've guessed that the Chosen One before him (still stunning that there was such a thing) endured such hardship even as a baby.

"That was an inspiring tale, indeed." Gibson said with a smile, tears in his eyes.

"Inspiring, but ignored," said Cassia, "like you Shuggazoomians, we Earthlings tend to lose the meaning of Christmas… the love, sacrifices, risk, and wonder… all to a big commercial racket. The idea of Santa Claus was supposed to based on the fact that a saint named Nicolas used to fill people's socks with cash in secret just because he like the idea of giving gifts more than the idea of receiving anything in return for them even if that something is praise… not to mention an effort to put all three Magi in one simplified character. In places that cold weather is the norm, we decorate with plants such as the Holy, Ivy, Yew-wood, and Pine—evergreens to be precise—to remind us of the Great Being's eternal love even in times of hardship. Usually we even decorate the trees with roses made of colored paper, apples and sweets, glitter chains called tinsel, and wafers cut in the shape of snowflakes, and with either a gold star or a toy angel to befit the original story, but people ignore the symbolism and make the tree decoration thing a fashion show for horticulture!"

"Horti-what?" asked Sparx.

"Gardening and plant care," Gibson clarified for Cassia, "and I have to admit, it all does sound like the natives of your world kept missing the point, no different from ours… I suppose there was a time once that Shuggazoom had its own version of Christmas or some other winter holiday, but it had no religious or historical background and—if it ever did—it was long forgotten by now, and I blame the fact the museum was closed for ages for that. All I know was that, before the war, people used to shop until they drop a lot more then usual this time of year, but now that the larger businesses are destroyed they have nothing to do, save for constantly shoveling to keep from getting snowed in their temporarily crowded living environments."

Gibson did make a point… until the skyscrapers were repaired and the electricity was back on, they were no better then the people who got to the inns before Joseph and Mary. No room, little warmth save for each other's body heat, and save for the fires they made, things were also getting dark.

"You know," Cassia pointed out, "Christmas may be my favorite winter holiday, but it isn't the only one… we're going to need to know about them all, and the way I see it, the people of Shuggazoom won't need just fireplaces on winter nights like this, they'll need occasions with candles, like… Hanukkah! Yeah! I bet Jesus himself participated in that one before any new holidays had been created in his honor! Come on, Professor!" She rushed off, Gibson's tail in her hand, searching the Super Robot for candles or anything that can be used as such.

"'Hanukkah'?" Gibson asked, totally confused, "I'm afraid you have me at a loss, my dear."

"Ages before Jesus was born, about 167 BC if I heard correctly," Cassia explained, "the Greeks attempted to conquer the Jewish territory long before the founding of Rome—not just physically, but spiritually as well—they tried to make the Jews renounce the true Creator of all Creation in favor of worshiping idols, but the Jewish people refused and, well, there was a fight about it for a long time before finally getting the Greeks to go away and leave them alone… the battle had a bit of a risk though, for it put a sacred candelabra known as the Holy Menorah at risk—it was almost stolen from the temple during the fight, and by the time they got Jews got it back they found the enemy had smashed all the oil jars needed to keep it's sacred flame going, save for a single day's supply. However, to show their dedication to God – the Great Being, the Master Creator – they've lit the Menorah anyway and found, by some miracle, that even though it should've gone out after a day, it kept glowing for eight days, which was more than long enough to repair the damages, get fresh supplies—including more oil—and renew their spirits after their hardship. In the Jewish language, 'Hanukkah' means 'Dedication', so it is originally known as the 'Eight Nights of Dedication', which is devoted to both the Great Being as well as our friends and family. In addition to lights and prayers, it is celebrated with fried food and games with a special spinning top called a 'dreidel'."

Cassia then chucked at that last part, "I may not be Jewish, but Madam Esimia is one eighth of that background in that Earthling culture," she stated, "I forgot she used to teach me how to make dreidel-tops and how to play the game that came with it, even though we celebrated Christmas instead of Hanukkah. Maybe Otto would like to learn how to do it, and some of the Shuggazoomian children too."

"I'd rather we don't," admitted Gibson, "see, there are certain parts of our world that we either took for granted or completely ignored. We're not Earthlings, let alone Jewish or Christian… I intend on reviving what we lost before the humans try coving it up again with any foreign nonsense like they usually do."

"Tell me about it," sighed Cassia, "it is that same concern that sprung the origin of a third holiday…

"Kwanzaa… which was designed in 1966 by a man called Ronald Mckinley Everett—A.K.A. Maulana Karenga—as the first specifically African-American Holiday. The name of the event came from the Swahili phrase 'Matunda ya kwanza' meaning 'first fruits of the harvest', but the term wasn't meant to be literal. See, during those days, there was a serious color barrier, and even African-Americans that believed in Jesus didn't think it was fitting to celebrate Christmas because it was considered a 'White' religion and a great risk to their cultural identity, so Everett invented Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration to follow the "Seven Principals of African Heritage"—one day for each virtue:"

Noticing that Gibson wasn't following, Cassia found a piece of scratch paper in his lab and doodles seven symbols on it with one of his flashlight pens:

"Umoja: unity in the family and community." (Two in-linked chains)

"Kujichagulia: self-determination… finding our identity in how we speak for ourselves" (A shrine like shape)

"Ujima: Reponsibility and collective work; problem solving for everyday issues" (An "X" that looks like four shovels)

"Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics; starting our own businesses and profiting from them together… especially for those in need." (Two parenthesis overlapped with each other)

"Nia: Purpose; building and developing the community as well as the strengths of our friends and family to restore them to their traditional sense of greatness." (A downward digging shovel with a cross on top and a dash on the side)

"Kuumba: Creativity… always doing as much as we can in the way we can to make our community and world more beautiful and beneficial then it was when we inherited it" (A firework shape)

"and Imani: Faith… believing in our hearts that everyon we care about can be a leader or teacher in their own way, thanking the Great Being for all the blessings that we are given including the blessing of life, and trusting that all will work out in the end if we all stand together and continue to believe in miracles." (Something that looked like an Egyptian symbol)

Gibson was wide-eyed hearing all this. "I assume you are one of these African-Americans?" he asked, "You talk as if you know more about Kwanzaa then you knew about Christmas!"

Cassia couldn't help laughing, "Oh no, my direct ancestors are from South America," she explained, "but I suppose it's natural for me to instinctually drawn to Kwanzaa… all Earth's primates – humans, apes, and monkeys alike—are believed to have a common root ancestry in Africa, though I'm not officially sure. Evolution is such a confusing concept."

"Ugh! Tell me about it!" said Gibson, before the both gave into a fit of laughter.

It didn't take long, however, before Cassia realized that the Shuggazoomians had been relying on lightbulbs for ages… one part of her wondered who invented the lightbulb on other planets (were their lost Earthlings in other parts of the cosmos, or did this side of the universe have their own version of him?) but another part of her knew that they didn't have as much common sense as Earthlings and needed to get back to the basics, so she tried to create a substance similar to wax or oil using Gibson's chemistry set in order to provide candles for the city so they could have light until the generator is repaired… or at least have light enough to fix the problem. As she worked she started singing, rather softly at first, tunes from "The Twelve Days of Christmas", "Jingle Bells", and "O Christmas Tree", to "The Carol of the Bells", "Deck the Halls", and "Joy to the World"… but she also sang sad songs too like "Home for the Holidays" and "Blue Christmas", which caused her to slow down her work. Gibson took the beakers and test tubes from her, shaking his head.

"Not quite the same without Madam Esimia, is it?" he guessed, "I know she said you could only leave Earth when she's… gone… and I understand if you want to go back but…"

"Aside from Grunt, there's nobody to go back too," she said, recalling the old housekeeper, "I really should send him an intergalactic e-mail or something, but there is a reason that mute man couldn't tag along with me. This just wasn't his dream." Cassia then started to sing to herself Hanukkah songs like "Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)", "Mi Y'malel (Who can retell?)", and "Ner Li (I have a candle)"… then she started getting silly and sang the song "I Have a Little Dreidel", which really through off Gibson and almost caused him to drop one of the beakers.

"Are you trying to blow us up?!" He screeched, but then he noticed she was laughing when she saw the look on his face and he put the chemicals down for now, "Well, at least you are starting to get in a much better mood."

"You're no better than Grunt, Professor," sassed Cassia, "in human language or monkey, he didn't like that song very much either." She giggled, and started singing the Kwanzaa tune "Habari Gani (What's the News?)" along with other numbers with African lyrics such as "Webale (Thank You)" and "One by One".

"I hadn't noticed before," Gibson stated, blushing, "but you singing voice and your lecturing have similar rhythms… it is such a shame that the others keep interrupting you. Even I get more respect then that, and I am constantly met with flimsy excuses and criticism at the end of my lectures of science."

"Are you saying that my lecturing is like music to your ears," asked Cassia, teasingly, "or that you can hear the history in my singing?"

Gibson wanted to say, "Both", but he didn't say anything… he hesitated, not wanting to sound like an idiot. "Um, let's just check and see what the others are up to," he willed himself to say at last, "shall we?"

The two of them went to the kitchen, where Otto, Chiro, and Vex were whipping up a bunch of holiday goodies… Cookies of all sorts, lefsa and latkes, "Hopping John" peas and rice stew (with more than a few obvious substitutions), rice pudding, Antauri's nutrient veggie shakes (disgusting) dressed up with whipped cream and sprinkles (a nice attempt, but doesn't make it any less gross).

"I say we should make egg nog," said Vex, "I don't care if it means risking going into the Alchemist's underground jungle for eggs and other groceries… it will be worth it to give these people a treat."

"You just want to get yourself tipsy," said Chiro, going through the cook books and the journals Cassia had smuggled from Earth, "like dad claimed you did every year if these writings are right."

"Aw, Cassia," said Otto, noticing the two geniuses in the kitchen, "you ruined our surprise."

"And you guys ruined mine!" said Cassia, "I was going to teach about the recipes and history of traditional meals of winter holidays next, right after I figure out how to make enough candles to temporarily simulate the city's old lighting system."

"That's what you were up to?" said Chiro, giggling, then wiping his brow in relief, "You should've told me… I thought you were preparing something like this." He then shown a photo of his four-year-old self in winter clothes, looking like he was about to throw up as, in the background, a younger version of Cassia was holding up a string of mistletoe over a rock sculpture of a troll and kissing it's forehead.

Cassia looked rather embarrassed. "Ugh! Come on, Chiro, we were kids!" she stated, "I was young and immature, and I copied the Flemmingrad Tradition off of something that we saw in a movie! A part of me still believes in trolls and wants to take part in their customs, but I know now then to actually think I could actually BE one of them!" she then looked at the buffet table to change the topic, "Otto, are you baking a fruit cake?"

"Yeah," the green monkey stated, "with the electricity out, most of the people in Shuggazoom won't have refrigerators… unless they actually leave their food in the snow, but then the animals in the park will get it! I thought I'd make them something that will last them a while."

"Well, that is why fruitcake was invented in the first place during the Middle Ages back on Earth," said Cassia, "food preservation. There is a bit of a snag as people's taste buds evolved, however: due to its extended shelf life, certain countries on Earth tend to question if it even taste good… my native country especially pokes redicule at it, stating a crazy person is as 'nutty as a fruitcake' or even wonder if they really like the taste of it or are just pretending to in an effort to spare their family member's feelings. There's even a song about that kind of situation… not that you'd want to hear it."

"Actually, lass," said Vex, "I believe they do." Chiro and Otto begged in agreement, insisting.

"I don't know." Cassia stated, inching her way to the door, as images of those who hated her singing in winter holidays past haunted her. Before she could make her exit, however, Gibson took her by the hand.

"Nia, Kuumba, and Imani," he whispered, "remember? It's just not in the spirit of these events to let doubt get in the way of your talent."

Cassia nodded, and turned back to the group, "The song is called 'Grandma's Killer Fruitcake'," she said, "Don't worry, fruitcake isn't really poisonous, but the guy who wrote the song hates the taste so much that he almost joked that it was. He always said before preforming the song: 'during the holidays, you can divide the world into two groups: nuts who actually like fruitcake, and just about everyone else.'" She then cleared her throat and started to sing:

"The holidays were upon us, and things were going fine/ 'Till the day I heard the doorbell, and a chill ran up my spine."

"I grabbed the wife and children, as the postman wheeled it in/ our yearly Christmas nightmare has just come back again!"

"It was harder than the Head of Uncle Bucky, Heavy as the Sermon of Preacher Lucky, One's enough to give the whole state of Kentucky a GREAT BIG BELLY ACHE! It was Denser than a Drove of Barnyard Turkeys, Tougher then a Truck-load of All Beef Jerky, Drier than a drought in Albequerque, GRANDMA'S KILLER FRUIT CAKE!"

"Now I had to swallow some marginal fare at our family feast/ I even downed Aunt Dolly's possum pie just to keep the family peace!"

"I winced at Wilma's gizzard mousse yet said it tasted fine/ but that lethal weapon Grandma baked IS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE!"

"It's early Christmas morning, the phone rings us awake/ 'It is grandma, pa! She wants to know how we liked the cake!'"

"'Well, Grandma, I never… we could not… it was unbelievable! That's for sure! / What did you say? Oh, no, grandma! PLEASE! Don't send us anymore!' "

Cassia did a bow after that, and found that, to her surprise, Chiro, Vex, Otto, and Gibson weren't the only one's listening and applauding… Sparx, Nova, Antauri, and Jinmay were also enjoying the show. She also heard a distinct beeping and whistling throughout the halls. Uh oh! She forgot the Super Robot itself had a will of its own… did it enjoy the show too? How many other times did she sing had it overheard? She was a little creeped out, maybe more then a little.

"An interesting song and story indeed," said Antauri, holding up one of his veggie shakes, "although I can feel empathy for the grandmother considering the dishonest family she was providing a lasting food supply for."

"That song is silly, though," said Nova, "I don't know about the jerky strips on Earth, but not all of them in the cosmos are that tough, let alone by the shipment full, and what the doodles is 'Kentucky'?"

"Oh, just a state in the Federal Republic farther inland then Oregon," Cassia explained, giggling, "mostly farmers, hillbillies, and screwballs live there, if Madam Esimia was telling the truth." She sighed and shook her head, "If only I been there to make sure before I left Earth… too late for regrets, huh? Come on. We have a city to cheer up."

The team looked at each other as Cassia walked off… she was clearly a monkey who is always doing things for others, but rarely done much for herself, and she was a big help during the war. She should be given something as well, and they all huddled up to discuss the situation.

Cassia had cried herself to sleep after her failure to make enough candles to light an entire city all by herself… even the small part of her that still believed in Santa Claus and wished she wasn't too old to be given at least one treat from him doubted he'd find her all the way here on the other side of the cosmos. He's an Earth spirit. No matter, she did what she could to fill in for him on Shuggazoom for the Monkey Team, and taught them all about Earthling winter holidays without making it a big commercial racket… she just wished she could do more. Little did she know, however, that what she gave to the team, Gibson especially; was being passed on to others throughout the small town that was to be the city's temporary shelters. Her songs restored long dormant memories of songs from long ago. Homemade decorations and the use of lighters, flashlights, and miniature torches made the once gloomy ruins look festive enough to give the idea of the city it once was and will be again. The long forgotten holiday of Ransoa, celebrated both on Planet Shuggazoom and Planet Alsea (one of two worlds ancient Shuggazoomians were historically native too before their ancestors crashed upon the planet both in the Prehistoric Era and the Middle Ages) was restored to the city, and just in time for Matera, when they gather the material essences of their world.

Up until recently, the Shuggazoomians don't even address the three days of Ronsoa by name, or even know their meaning, but they did know that around this time they always bought gifts and decorations for a big party this time of year, have the party the next day, and then talk about it non-stop the day after… how different it is to make the gifts, food, and decorations themselves this time, and to find the books that had been gathering dust for ages as to why their grandparents kept insisting on doing this every year but were forgetful with age as to why. They had no time to lose… Materna was tonight as well as the next morning, Physique is the day after, and Menterna follows.

"Cassia is due for a surprise," Gibson stated, as they all finally turned in for the night. Even though he could barely sleep with excitement, he willed himself to relax, knowing that Otto was just as excited as all of them… that green goofball would probably wake her up before I do, the scientist thought as he finally nodded off.

Early the next morning, Cassia's scream filled the Super Robot, waking most everyone up as they rushed to investigate… it was only Otto jumping on her bed!

"Come on, Cassia! Get up!" yelled Otto, "We're going for a walk in the city today!" In a matter of seconds, Otto fell off and bumped his head.

Called it, Gibson thought to himself.

"To what point and purpose?" sighed Cassia, "There's nothing out there but ruins!"

"Why don't you and Gibson go together?" suggested Chiro, "Come on, there's something there you have to see."

Cassia sighed, but she got out of bed and followed the blue monkey outside of the Super Robot… one can easily imagine her surprise when she found, not a bleak ruined city, but an abstract work of light and color, and memories of an alien holiday, lost to commercialism, restored by her Earthling ways.

"The tradition of Materna, the first day of Ronsoa, is to decorate in a way that fits our material essences of our world if not the whole cosmos," stated Gibson, "the Shuggazoomians used to take that for meaning that their lives should be more commercial then usual this time of year by buying random knick-knacks for no reason, but after their experience with the war most of them are beginning to see there is more to this world then just the city. They crafted these decorations from things they found based on things they seen, many of which mirror livelihoods that they had lost in the war that they intend to rebuild."

Cassia did notice that along with the wreaths, miss-matched beads, and shells, there were several decorations that mirror the city's former greatness, especially when the person who created that particular decoration was standing near them… there were ornaments that looked like hovercrafts for the taxi service, bus service, trash and recycling center, the police (who had a temporarily falling out during the age of superheroes, but were starting to make a comeback save for the lack of a proper police station), the fire department, and an ambulance-style hovercraft for the local hospital. One garland resembled a bullet train for the transit tunnels, and there a few box ornaments representing video games for the arcade, and the old handles for holographic ice cream cones for the old sweet shop (Cassia thought decoration was a better use for the electronic version then actually eating it… maybe someday the city will develop common sense enough to see that all year long) and broken down handheld devices to represent the secretary work and all the other jobs that involve computers… the Nerdy Ned and his stuffed penguin Mr. Jeepers even made animal cut outs which were either for the local zoo or the toy shop if not both, though it's hard to tell with that guy. In addition to that, the city electricians had worked hard enough to get the city generator going by now, so there were a few electric lights,but it was mostly candles and flashlights.

"It's all beautiful." said Cassia.

"It is also traditional to have a feast for each of the three nights," said Gibson, "and the entertainment for each night of Ronsoa is different: the first night, Meterna, is when we play simple games and exchange three gifts based on the theme that the elders of the family had chosen… but you done that for the 'restoring the city theme': you brought us music, memories, and your knowledge. Not very tangable gifts, but look how much it brought us in helping everyone else in Shuggazoom City."

"I just wish it was more," said Cassia, rubbing the back of her head, "what of the other two days?"

"Tomorrow is Physique, which is mostly about winter sports," said Gibson, "Shuggazoomians used to spend that entire day watching the ice hockey game on TV and placing bets, but since their cable and satlite is out, they have to do it the way it is done on Planet Alsea, where the holiday was invented… playing in the ice and snow themselves." He then noticed Cassia was giggling, "Um, what's so funny?"

"I don't know about alien languages," Cassia explained, "but if the word 'physical' means the same thing in your part of the cosmos as it does in mine, these people should've been outside playing anyway snow or no snow… and if the weather is really bad and they cannot leave the building, or don't want to, they should at least celebrate through some form of exercise and motion, even if it's just doing something like… oh, I don't now… dancing perhaps. Tell me about the third and final day."

"Menterna was when they used to have a play about the legends revolving around the holiday and tell other stories and sing songs, and then go over the mistakes of their past and make plans for the future," Gibson sighed and shook his head, "but in more recent years however, it became a day of mindless gossip."

Cassia was stunned. "No wonder everyone was so grumpy earlier!" she gasped, "Using commercialism to celebrate a holiday may add a certain buzz to it, but too much of that can also make someone forget why these events were special in the first place! By the way, what is the legend of this holiday?"

"That is a surprise the town will have to wait for until the day after tomorrow," Gibson winked, "but that will give you plenty of time to rehearse for."

Cassia was extremely nervous, but she knew at once what Gibson was talking about: he wanted her to star in the play he was arranging, though it would take a miracle to pull off in two days. Still, the whole team managed to decorate the whole city overnight, and judging by the buffet table, Vex and (maybe) a small group had got into the Alchemist's secret underground jungle to restore the food supplies, as there was quite the spread… including, judging by the shape and structure of the so-called punchbowl, eggnog made from the giant egg of some sort of dinosaur-like creature… the former Earthling didn't know whether to be impressed with her undead aunt, or angry, but it was clear Vex will need a check-up once she gets carried away with the holiday treat she hunted to mix for herself and other city folk with a certain type of taste.

Noticing that Cassia was disgusted about what Vex brought to the table, Gibson, thinking fast, took a dead branch from the ground and held it over his head with his tail. "I know I am not the troll you're looking for," he stated, "but I hope that this piece of Flemingrad will suffice."

Cassia giggled and gave Gibson a kiss… she'll be more specific about what "mistletoe" is and will sing him "The Ballad of Flemingrad the Fungus Troll" at some other time… for now, why spoil the moment.

"Happy Ronsoa, Gibson." Cassia smiled.

"Happy Holidays, Cassia," Gibson responded, "Christmas, Hanukhah, and Kwanzaa… all at once."

I would like to thank KozueNoSaru for the concept of Ronsoa in her story "Holiday with the Carringtons" and the people in Disney for the Ballad of Flemingrad in "Olaf's Frozen Adventure"… there are many ways to celebrate a holiday, that's why your ideas are important to me, especially for the next chapter. Even though Cassia is starting to feel at home, homesickness isn't cured overnight, and she still needs many holiday experiences to find her place in the city which is starting to rebuild itself after the war. Please comment, tell me what you think, and feel free to offer suggestions for the next chapter or two.