And here we have the first Christmas episode of three. I'm very excited about the next one and the one after that, because then a very special character comes back into the spotlight. Who it will be I do not reveal but you can like to guess.
Small fun fact on the side. Actually, I wanted to make the episode with the devil Santa Claus so that he does not become Santa Claus but Krampus. But then it would have gone in a different direction than the one I had in mind.
Until then
The snow was falling down on Inkwell Isle's. Everything was covered by snow. The roofs of the houses, the streets, the trees everything was covered with snow and left a beautiful winter landscape. That it was still night one saw on the basis of the few lights that still shone in the city. But this interested no one what was going on in the city. No the focus fell on the cottage in the forest. The goat that lay next to the now snowy path looked out of the snow pile under which it was buried. She stayed quietly so as not to wake the others who were still asleep in the house. Well not all were asleep. Alicia was the only one who was still awake and could not fall asleep. She had no nightmares or anything like that. No, it was something else.
It was the Christmas season that was getting closer and closer, or rather was almost here. A time she hated since her childhood. I hate Christmas. It wasn't because of the holiday itself or the stress before Christmas time. No, it was something more Family related. She told the reason to almost no one except those she knew well and trusted. Like Cuppy for example. To him she looked and saw how he lay in bed and slept with his mouth open, snoring softly. It sounded like a soft whistle. So similar to a whistle only not so loud but a little duller than you would whistle into a pillow with the whistle. That explains where this sound came from. Yes, Alicia had already wondered where this noise came from while she was sleeping. For her it was not so bad but for Blood it was something else. His ears were a bit more sensitive than hers.
But that was not the reason why she could not fall asleep. She wanted very much to fall asleep but every time she closed her eyes she had to think of Lucifer and how she was lying next to him. His soft fur gently pressed into hers and resembled a blanket from her childhood very much while she felt his heartbeat and how he started to slowly stroke her cheek with his fingers while she heard a soft purr coming from him. She lay sideways next to him at the level of his chest and looked up at him in his yellow eyes while seeing his familiar grin. His Cheshire cat grin as she always says. His fingers with which he stroked her cheek would go down to her chin which he gently pulls to him before they touched both their lips and started to kiss. But every time it came to that, Alicia would either wake up or wake up herself.
Yes she wanted only one thing. And that was that her husband Lucifer lay next to her and she cuddled with her as in the dream. She did not want more. But she was unfortunately trapped on this Inkwell Isle's here until Varian had finished building the portal that would bring her and Cuppy back. Until then, she had to endure it here. But that was easier said than done if she wasn't constantly pursued by the devil who had fallen in love with her. That she wished her husband for Christmas was obvious, but she knew that it would be useless because she had had bad experiences at almost every Christmas. At school she didn't like to play in the plays because she knew her parents wouldn't show up anyway, she didn't sing Christmas carols either and always overheard them with her music and she didn't decorate either. Her apartment looked the same all year round.
Of course, it didn't take long before she was nicknamed the Grinch in addition to Alice. But at least she accepted this one. John was also a Grinch. And to whom could she owe this? Her two parents who were never really there for her or for John. No work had priority the family comes after. Alicia hated this very much and always kept it to herself. Of course Jazz, Soos, Cuppy and Mugman knew about it. Since then, her and John's Christmas tradition was always to watch movies and give each other presents the next day while Alicia baked cookies. Of course, the two would then go out with Duke while their parents slept until noon and then stayed with the siblings for two hours before they had to go back to work. New Year's Eve had always been the exception where both parents stayed with the siblings. But still this did not change Alicia's opinion about Christmas. She thought no more about it and fell asleep while it continued to snow.
The first rays of sunlight fell on the island and made the snow glow. The front door of the cottage opened and Elder Kettle came out of it with a snow shovel in his hand. He took a deep breath. A cloud of smoke came out of his mouth as he looked around and began to clear the path of snow while in the kitchen the others sat and enjoyed their breakfast. There was toast with homemade jam, honey and chocolate cream. Everyone ate his slice of toast with relish. Well, all except Alicia who rather looked at her slice of toast that she had not even smeared. She drank only her coffee and nothing else. This worried Cuphead and Mugman a lot because they have never seen Alicia like this before. Mugman leaned next to Cuppy who was eating his slice of toast when he felt Mugman's slight push and looked to him. "Is something wrong with Alicia?" he whispered to him. Alicia hadn't heard, fortunately, because she was looking out the window behind her and was very engrossed in her coffee.
Blood also noticed that Alicia was behaving differently but didn't want to say anything because she still looked very tired. Cuppy, however, knew what was going on. But to say it out loud now would not help him. Alicia had to leave the kitchen before he could say what was going on with Alicia. But luck was on his side because when she had finished her coffee she went with it to the sink and out of the kitchen. Relieved, he noticed that the others were staring at him, waiting for an answer. "Okay, I'll tell you, but please keep it to yourselves, okay?" they all nodded, and Cuppy told the three what was going on with Alicia, who went back to bed and slept. Elder Kettle who had finished his work also listened as he went into the kitchen and saw Alicia's plate with the slice of toast still on it. "Since she was 10 years old, Alicia has lost her Christmas magic and hates the holiday very much" said Cuppy with his head lowered while his straw also lowered forward.
Cuphead and Mugman's straws also hung down as they also looked sad. That the others now knew about it made them very sad, but Elder Kettle had found a solution to raise Alicia's holiday spirits. "A visit to the city would certainly please her!" he said and walked towards the guest room. The three cups looked at each other in confusion and followed him as did Blood. Alicia's sour face was not to be missed as Elder Kettle tried to get her to go to town with him and Blood. "No thanks, I'd rather stay here where I can have some peace and quiet from all the Christmas stuff" she explained annoyed and was about to go into the room when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind her. "Please Alicia do it for me, Blood and the boys" he said looking at her with googly eyes.
That she could hardly say no to that was obvious when she gave herself a face palm and gave in. "Okay then, I'll change quickly" she said and went into the guest room. The group was glad that they could persuade Alicia, but then Cuphead and Mugman thought of something. "Elder Kettle, we're supposed to get the tree today, like we do every year at this time," the latter said nervously. Elder Kettle had almost forgotten this and looked nervously at the three cups. "Oh, that's right, it's today," he said, scratching the back of his head. That this was now a problem he did not know until he thought of something when he looked at the three cups. "How about you getting the tree this year?" he asked the three. Cuppy was a little confused because on his Inkwell Isle's Elder Kettle always got the tree and they decorated it together. But getting it alone was something he had never done before. But he could dare to do this.
"But why don't you come with us Elder Kettle like you do every year?" Mugman asked him while Cuphead just nodded. "Not this year boys" he said as he pointed to the guest room door from which came Alicia wearing a thick gray fur coat that covered her knees, matching winter pants, black winter boots and gray gloves and scarf. "I've done the tree all these years, but now keeping the tradition alive is up to you" he bent over the three cups and whispered something in their ears as they quickly changed like Elder Kettle. The latter was wearing a brown coat, green pants and red winter boots and a green lambskin cap. The three cups wore almost the same. All three had a knit sweater, scarf, winter gloves and ear warmers. Cuppy wore a blue knit sweater with matching blue scarf, white winter gloves and wine red ear warmers. Cuphead wore a green embroidered sweater with green scarf, yellow winter gloves and red ear warmers. Mugman, in turn, wore a red knit sweater with a red scarf, also yellow winter gloves like his brother and blue ear warmers.
That the three were pleased by the task could be seen from their smiles. "You three head down to Porkrind's and pick out a tree" Elder Kettle said as he reached into his pocket and handed a five dollar bill to Cuppy. "He'll ask for ten, but don't offer more than five" Cuppy was about to take the bill, but Elder Kettle was still holding it, which confused Cuppy until he looked up at Elder Kettle who was looking deep into his eyes while poking his nose with his fingers. "Given half a chance, old Porkbutt will take you for all you've got" he took his finger out of Cuppy's nose before taking the bill, which confused Cuppy while Mugman Elder Kettle looked slightly scared as he hid behind Cuppy. "But, if you stick to your guns" he waved the bill around before handing it back to Cuppy while the other two just smiled. " You might even come home with change in your pocket".
Cuppy tried to grab the bill, but Elder Kettle still held on to it and wouldn't let go. "It's very important that you come home with change in your pocket" he let go of the bill that Cuppy put in his pocket. "Then you get to haul the tree home and we decorate it" but both brothers looked at him skeptically while Cuphead scratched his chin. "Sounds like a lot of work" he said while Alicia just rolled her eyes as she walked past Elder Kettle and the boys "Yep. Merry Christmas!" she said and got into the car while waiting for Blood and Elder Kettle. Both were about to walk over to Alicia when Mugman spoke up "Elder Kettle, Blood wait!" both turned to the three cups. "How will we know which..." he looked over at Alicia who was looking into the forest on the back seat before continuing. She skillfully ignored the others, which reassured Mugman that this year they were getting the tree for Alicia.
"...tree to pick for Alicia?" All three of them looked sadly at the two adults because they wanted to get the perfect Christmas tree for Alicia. But the perfect tree looked different for everyone, so it will be difficult to find the right one. "When you find the perfect tree, you'll know" Blood said as he knelt down in front of the three and placed his paw on Cuphead's right shoulder and Mugman's left shoulder before smiling at them. With these positive words, the three walked toward the forest while Elder Kettle went with Blood to the car and drove with Alicia to the city. However, she did not seem happy about it. As soon as she saw the first decorated building she felt sick inside.
It was still snowing in the city but not as much as in the evening. The roads were clear of snow which allowed Elder Kettle to drive into town without any problems. These were also so far empty of cars as the residents walked the streets with their gifts. Whether alone or with someone else. Everyone had at least one gift in hand and was happy and joyful. "Ah the Christmas tree looks beautiful this year" said Elder Kettle as he and the others drove past a large Christmas tree that was in town. Yes, it was very shiny with the Christmas balls, the lights, the tinsel and the golden star at the top. Fortunately, it was not decorated like in the Grinch movie with Jim Carrey. Even if she didn't admit it, she liked this Christmas movie a lot. She and the Grinch had one thing in common. They both didn't like Christmas.
At the main road, Elder Kettle turned and the three passed a brass band playing Christmas music while an elderly lady accepted alms and rang a bell. Not far from them Elder Kettle found a parking place and parked the car. Well, he rather raced into the garbage cans in front of and behind him before he stood properly and got out. "Um, I don't think we're allowed to park here," Alicia said as she pointed to a slightly dented no parking sign that was coming loose. Elder Kettle just whistled nervously before picking up the sign and tossing it into the trash can next to him. "Where? I don't see any sign that says I can't park here," he said and walked ahead while Blood and Alicia just looked behind him and shook their heads. Yes, they knew something like this was coming, so Blood moved the car to the other side of the street where parking was allowed before following Elder Kettle, who couldn't wait to explore the city with them.
Yes the city looked different with the snow and such but still Alicia was not happy about it and actually did not want to be here. Because every time she saw two couples holding hands she became sadder. Blood saw it and decided to go with her into a store where she should distract herself. Well, there was a distraction because Sally and her husband were also in the store and oh boy did she scream with joy when she saw Alicia and ran up to hug her. "There's my goddaughter Alicia!" she said with joy while Alicia was a little nervous. For good reason as the other customers stared at the two of them. "Hey Sally long time no see" she said and tried to free herself from the embrace but the actress was tough and didn't let her go. Especially not when she saw the tear running down Alicia's right cheek. Yes, she was worried about her. "Is something wrong my dear?" she asked her but Alicia shook her head while wiping the tear away "It's all right Sally, really I'm fine!" but Sally felt that it was a lie.
But she saw that Alicia was not in the mood right now, so she left her alone while Alicia took a closer look at Sally's clothes. Like Alicia, she wore a winter coat in red with yellow buttons but without fur, white boots and a red fur hat. Her husband looked very similar to his counterpart in the book and wore a modest winter jacket with black buttons, dark brown pants and black boots. A turquoise tie poked out of his jacket. "Why are you here?" asked Alicia, who was still nervous because few customers were still staring at the four of them. "Oh, for our Christmas shopping," said Sally's husband as he showed her the four full shopping bags he was carrying in his hands. I should have guessed. Alicia knew this answer was coming. "But we're not just here to buy presents, we're here to skate on the ice in the park," Sally added as she walked out of the store with her husband. Elder Kettle stood outside the door of the store and saw the two.
"So there you are, I was so worried when you weren't behind me anymore" he said and asked the two to follow him. Alicia had calmed down a bit but she still felt lonely. And she will not get rid of this feeling so fast no matter how often the others will try. She wanted only one thing for this Christmas and that was to have her husband next to her. But she could already throw that in the garbage can. It's not going to happen anyway, like every Christmas I hope Mom and Dad celebrate with us. She gave up hope and sighed. But when she saw Ribby and Croaks running around the corner, completely out of breath, she was a bit confused and went over to them. Both were not wearing their normal clothes but a winter coat in the colors light brown and pigeon blue to match the season. "Do you think we lost her?" asked Ribby as he was still panting. Croaks exhaled some more before peering around the corner and shaking his head. "No...I don't think she's after us anymore" he said with relief, leaning against the wall before sitting down and only now noticing Alicia.
She walked over to Croaks and reached out her hand to help him up. Well, the boxing glove literally swallowed her hand. But Alicia didn't mind because she knew that her hand was very small in the cartoon world. After all, Lucifer's hand was twice as big as hers. "Are you two okay?" she asked the two frogs who just shook their heads. "What happened?" asked Blood, who was standing behind Alicia, while Elder Kettle listened. "When you're being chased by a giant snow monster, you're not okay at all!" said Ribby as he breathed normally again. A giant snow monster? She was confused. Just as much as the three children who, instead of candy canes, were now licking Icicle that got their tongues stuck on the opposite side of the street. Especially the explosion the five heard not far away followed by flames, smoke and the panic. "A lot going on in city today," Elder Kettle said as he continued walking while Alicia, Blood, and the two frog brothers looked behind him.
Yes it was busy but still Elder Kettle wanted to continue his shopping and was also almost done. Only one gift was missing. That was for Alicia. And he knew that it will not be easy to find a suitable gift for her. So he walked beside her while Blood carried the rest of the things that were for him as well as for the three cups. Alicia noticed Elder Kettle walking beside her and staring at her. "Yes, Elder Kettle?" she asked him. She already guessed what he wanted from her. And yes, she knew what she wanted, but it was hard for her to tell him because she hadn't told him about her demon powers yet. And to say now that she wanted Lucifer for Christmas would be stupid, so she had to think of something.
But luckily they passed a toy store where something caught Alicia's eye. Wait can it be... She looked into the shop window and was not mistaken. On the winter landscape next to one of the many houses lay a small plush figure that resembled Lucifer but also the devil very much. This figure had white horns but a red nose similar to that of the devil from this world. Only this additionally wore a red and black striped scarf. She didn't know why but she really wanted to have this plush figure. "It seems you'd like to have that plushie, wouldn't you?" Elder Kettle asked her. Alicia looked away from the window at him and nodded. "But you don't have to buy me that, Elder Kettle, because I actually want something else this year," she said, looking down with her head sadly. Both adults waited for her to continue speaking. She exhaled "I don't really want anything more than to have my beloved next to me" she said and walked past the store while the others followed.
The three of them went back to the car while Alicia didn't know that the devil who had overheard the whole thing was watching her. "But what does that even mean?" Mugman asked as he and the others were on their way to get the Christmas tree. "I don't know" Cuphead answered while Cuppy just rolled his eyes when he saw Porkrind's store in the distance and all the Christmas trees he offered. Mind you, they were $10 and not $5. He said that again so that everyone understood. "Ten bucks, folks. All my trees are ten bucks" Cuppy was not really pleased "And we only have five bucks" he said annoyed when he went to Porkrind. "Tree dies before Christmas? Not my problem. Find a squirrel in it? Not my problem" a customer holding a tree under her arms gave him ten bucks while a little duck walking next to the customer wished Porkrind Merry Christmas. "Whatever" he said and put the money in his pocket while waiting for the next customer.
"Nice trees you got there, Porkrind" he heard and looked at Cuppy and Mugman who were standing in front of him. "How much ya askin'?" the latter asked. "Ten bucks" he replied, showing his back to the two. But neither Mugman nor Cuppy were thrilled by this. "I'll give ya five. Firm" Cuphead gave him a thumbs up and smiled at him while Mugman looked back at him. "Price this year is ten bucks. Price last yeat was ten bucks. Price next year? Ten bucks" Porkrind explained to the three cups. Yes he did not want to bargain down the price. And that annoyed Cuppy very much. But Mugman only chuckled, which confused Porkrind. "Uh, listen, Porkrind. How about I give you a crisp five, and you give us a tree, and then me, Cuppy and the kid get out of your hair" he said, showing five fingers coming out of his glove while pointing at Cuphead. "I'm the kid!" he said proudly.
"What do you say, Porkrind?" Cuppy asked him while the latter was thinking. Cuppy hoped they could get the tree for five bucks. "Ten," he said, however, which annoyed Cuppy. "Okay, okay. Six" said Mugman and showed six fingers but Porkrind just snorted and walked away while Mugman tried to continue trading with him but every attempt failed. "Did you say ten?" asked Porkrind when Mugman tried to offer him seven. But Cuppy had enough of that, because he knew that nothing would come of it. "Okay you know what, keep the five bucks and give me your axe" all three looked at him confused. "You heard me right Porkrind give me your axe" said Cuppy in an annoyed voice. Now he was selling the trees for 15 bucks, which annoyed Mugman. On top of that, all the trees were already sold, so the three of them could only cut down one tree themselves. "Okay Kiddo you get my axe but you have to help out in my store for a week" said Porkrind holding out his hand "Deal?" Cuppy didn't hesitate for long and shook his hand "Deal!".
Cuppy got the axe while Porkrind got the five bucks. With the axe, the three went into the forest to look for the perfect Christmas tree. "We're gonna find the best tree out here" said Mugman as he walked next to Cuppy carrying the axe and looking around. "Kettle and Alicia gonna be blown away" that's what the three hoped very much when they found some trees. But they have not yet found the perfect one. "Too short" said Mugman as they walked past one smaller than themselves. "Too tall" said Cuppy as they passed one that was much too big to fit in the house. The next trees didn't look perfect either. Either they were too fat, too sparse so that there were no needles left, oddly grown, or had a life of their own like the juggling tree they passed.
"We'll never find the perfect tree for Alicia" Mugman said sadly. All three walked on gloomily until Cuppy stopped and the two brothers ran into him. Both were confused at first until they knew why he stopped. The three of them walked straight past the perfect Christmas tree that was smiling at them. "The perfect tree!" said Mugman as he walked up to it. "Well, time to get choppin'" said Cuppy as he walked over to the tree with axe in hand and cut it down. The tree toppled over and landed on the three cups who groaned as their heads turned. All three shook their heads and could think clearly again. That the three were pleased about the tree, you could see them. But what didn't please them was when the tree slowly disappeared as Cuphead indicated when he pointed at the tree. All three took the legs in the hand and followed the tree.
While the three of them ran after the tree, Alicia, Blood and Elder Kettle went back to the wagon. The streets were not as crowded as before, but many were still out shopping for gifts. As they turned down the street, three familiar faces met the three. It was Dr. Kahl, Varian and Eira who were also on their way with full bags. "Hey Alicia, Blood long time no see!" said Varian when he saw them and ran to them with the other two. "Hey Varian, Eira and Dr. Kahl how are you guys doing?" asked Alicia as she shook hands with all three. From close up, Alicia also saw what the three of them were wearing. The doctor was still wearing the same thing, but he had a purple scarf around his neck, purple gloves and purple ear warmers. Varian wore a black winter coat as well as a blue and white striped scarf and dark blue winter pants that glowed at the sides. Eira, on the other hand, wore a white winter dress that completely covered her legs so that only her red boots were visible. She wore a matching red scarf.
Of course, Eira noticed that Alicia was depressed and not feeling well. Alicia saw it and tried to smile normally but it was already too late. The vixen had seen it. "Alicia, what's wrong?" she asked her, but Alicia remained silent. Varian was now confused too. Normally, Christmas is a great time to be happy. But Alicia did not exude joy. Blood sensed that Alicia was not well, so he answered Eira's question. "She is not a big fan of Christmas" both foxes understood and nodded. "Yeah, Christmas isn't really my cup of tea either," Dr. Kahl said. That made Alicia happy. "But anyway I wish you a Merry Christmas and many greetings to the three cups" he said and walked past the three with Varian and Eira. "Yes we will!" Alicia called after them before they turned down the street and saw the car they were going back in.
The three of them drove off, ignoring all the chaos that was going on in the city. "Hopefully the boys are having more fun than I am" Alicia said quietly to herself as she looked behind her and saw the city slowly disappearing behind the hill they were driving down. They were back in the woods and far away from all the Christmas stuff that only reminded Alicia of the bad Christmases she's always had up until now. Yes, she just wanted this Christmas to be different. But she also prepared herself for it not to be. It wouldn't be the first time. Yes, Alicia was not an optimist about this. She knew from an early age that you should never think positively if you don't know how things will go. You could be lucky and have a movie theater to yourself or you had two big people in front of you blocking your view so you had to look around them while they ate their popcorn with relish.
But the three cups didn't really have fun when they ran after the tree. Cuppy managed to jump on the tree first while Cuphead and Mugman had problems as they both crashed into a tree, a snowman or a rock before jumping and jumping into each other's faces before hitting the ground and getting confused. The tree was no longer in front of them. "Where's the tree?" asked Mugman. "Um, behind you," replied Cuppy, who was still sitting on the tree as it chased the two. But both were not fast enough and the tree caught them and threw them up on it so that they sat with Cuppy on the tree and went down the mountain into a cave that was inhabited by bears that were hibernating. Therefore, the three with the tree also quietly went out of the cave so that none of the bears is awakened.
"Was that close" Cuphead said with relief as they came out of the cave and he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Well, you shouldn't disturb bears during their hibernation either" said Mugman as he leaned against the tree. This caused the tree to slip again and slide away. Cuppy and Cuphead gave him a "Are you serious now?" look before running after the tree. This time all three managed to jump up the tree and hoped they could get home without any problems. But when the three of them saw a carpentry shop from afar, they all had to roll their eyes in annoyance. They were with the tree on a conveyor belt that led them directly to a machine that saw the three. This laughed menacingly and circular saws appeared that tried to make the three cups small wood. Of course, the three screamed in panic and tried to wipe out the circular saws what the machine did not like. Therefore, this circled the three with the circular saws so that they could not escape.
But Cuppy still had an ace up his sleeve, or rather a pebble he took out of his pocket. The machine saw this and trembled with fear as the cup threw the stone at the machine, which swallowed the stone, causing a small explosion and the three of them flew out of the carpenter's shop with the tree. They escaped but the tree did not look as beautiful as before. The three only noticed this when they were back on the ground. "Our tree! It's all mangled!" said Mugman sadly. "This can't possibly get any worse!" he said and held his hands in front of his eyes while Cuppy and Cuphead looked forward and were annoyed "Uh... Wanna bet?" Cuppy asked him, pointing to a precipice they were heading straight for. They went down the precipice and thundered on the hard ground before the tree grew new needles and looked like the old one again.
Meanwhile, Alicia, Elder Kettle and Blood arrived back at the cottage and were surprised that the three cups were not back yet. Normally it would not take so long to get a tree. But now Elder Kettle was already worried about the three. "What in Sam Hill is taking those boys so-" Alicia looked up and saw something flying toward them "Look out!" she yelled and jumped away. Blood also took cover while Elder Kettle didn't see until too late why the two jumped away. He also jumped away as the tree fell into the open house where the three cups were sitting. All three stood up again and looked into the house. Next to the individual piles of snow, the three cups looked very taken. Cuphead had his head stuck in the piano, Mugman was sitting on the piano chair and spinning in circles while Cuppy was looking out of a snow pile that was next to the piano and had stars circling over it. All three groaned and looked very tired. But that changed when they saw the tree standing in the living room just waiting to be decorated.
This was also decorated with baubles, fairy lights and tinsel. A cable that ran along the floor led to the others who looked at the tree and were ready to turn it on but one thing was still missing. The star. Alicia was supposed to put it on but she was not in the living room but in the guest room engrossed in a book. So the others went to her and tried to persuade her to put the star on the tree and turn it on. She didn't want to at first but the others didn't give in so she did it and hoped that it would please the others. "Now then, I think Alicia should do the honors" said Elder Kettle and gave her the plugs to turn on the lights. She wanted to say no, but Elder Kettle had already given her the plugs, so she turned them on and the tree lit up. Everyone was delighted with the glow, but suddenly the cable shorted out and burned the plug, sending a spark straight to the tree and setting it on fire. Okay somehow I have to think of both the Simpsons Christmas episode and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Alicia knew why, because in both of them a Christmas tree that had been beautifully decorated is torched.
Of course, everyone was shocked by this and the three cups howled like a castle dog. "We ruined Christmas!" said Cuphead. "We ruined the tradiation!" added Mugman. "And Alicia's Christmas!" said Cuppy sadly while he and the other two continued to cry, saying in threes "We ruined everything!". But Elder Kettle tried to calm the three down while Blood and Alicia looked at the tree. Sure it was torched, but it still looked beautiful to Alicia. "Now, now. The tradiation isn't just about the tree" said Elder Kettle to calm the three. "It's not?" Mugman asked. Yes, many forget what the festival is actually about. You celebrate it with those you like and love the most. Be it family or friends. For Alicia this was for a long time a foreign word since she only spent Christmas with her brother while the other children from her neighborhood celebrated with their families. Oh yes, she remembered when she was 13 years old how the table was set by her neighbor and how many came to visit and spend Christmas with them. "As long as you boys, Blood and Alicia are here, whatever tree we've got is just perfect"
When Alicia heard that, she couldn't hold back her tears. Even though they were not related by blood, Elder Kettle saw her as a family member. "Even if it is burnt to a crisp," he added, making Alicia laugh. Everyone looked to her and laughed as well before they began to sing. "O Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree We shout it out with glee" they all went around the Christmas tree and sang into the night. Everything was quiet, calm and asleep except for Alicia who again could not sleep. So she got up and went into the living room where the tree was still standing and had been torched. The cookies with a glass of milk was on the table in front of the sofa right in front of the Christmas tree. The three cups put this there so Santa had something to eat. Of course Alicia didn't take the glass but got one from the kitchen and drank some milk before she wanted to go back to bed.
But suddenly she heard someone going down the stairs, which startled her a bit. She stood rooted to the spot and looked at the stairs. "Cuphead?" she asked when she saw him on the top stair. He was still wearing his red onesie and looked very sleepy. "Alicia why are you up so late?" he asked in a yawning voice as he walked downstairs to her. "I could ask you the same thing" she said. He rubbed his eyes but the sleep did not go away but stayed. Alicia already suspected why he was down here. "You want to wait for Santa, don't you?" Cuphead nodded and sat down on the sofa while he covered himself with the blanket that was lying on the sofa. Alicia thought this was very sweet and decided to leave him alone but Cuphead spoke to her before she could take a step. "Wait, could you wait for Santa with me?" he asked her. Alicia wasn't sure but otherwise she felt bad if she refused.
She turned and looked at him with a smile and went back to the sofa to him. She lifted the blanket and lay behind him while she covered herself with him and Cuphead cuddled with her. "You're welcome" she said and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Thanks Ali" Cuphead said softly before falling asleep in her arms. For Alicia it also didn't take long until her eyelids became heavier and heavier and she fell asleep. It continued to snow outside while the fairy lights that were attached to the outside of the cottage still shone. It was quiet until bells sounded and a shadow appeared over the house. Alicia and Cuphead slept on and did not hear the deep footsteps walking on the roof.