"Oh," Star gasped.

"My," Marco added.

"Word," Eclipsa finished.

They were standing in the entrance of the mall and it was PACKED! Customers of all shapes and sizes both human and Mewman poured in and out of every shop, their arms loaded with gift bags and balancing towers of wrapped boxes. The air was filled with the screams of stressed and angry customers and the cries of bratty kids begging for toys. It was so loud that you could barely even hear the Christmas music playing over the mall speakers.

Regardless of the sight, Angie tried to be optimistic. "Come on, guys. It's like this every year. We just to find out where Santa is-"

"Attention all shoppers! Santa has returned from lunch and the North Pole is now open," a voice over the loudspeaker said. "Kids, grab your lists and head on over to the food court."

"Wow, that was easy," Star giggled.

"SANTA!" The crowd in front of them gave birth to a flood of shrieking kids rushing towards the food court. It further split when a rush of worn-out parents left to chase after them.

"Well, now's our chance," Angie grabbed their hands, "Try and stay together now!"

The group charged into the crowd… only to be completely seperated moments later.

"Marco!" Star called, trying to find her boyfriend admist the mob.

"Hey girl!"

Star turned to see a familiar face hovering over to her.

"Pony!" She ran up and squeezed the talking horse head. "Merry Christmas!"

"Same to you, girl. Happy sweet 16th BTW. You get my gift?"

"The Truth or Punishment home game? Yep. Thanks." She squeezed her again. "So what are you going here? Last minute Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah, for me," she smirked. "What about you?"

"I'm here with Eclipsa and the Daizes to see Santa," Star explained. "but we got separated and now I can't find him anywhere."

"Say no more," Pony's 3-D horn turned into a propellor. "Grab on, girl." Star did and Pony lifted her up into the air above the crowd.

After a bit of flying around, Star heard a familiar voice admist all the chatter.

"Star!"

She looked down to see Angie waving to her from a Starbucks cafe in the corner. Seated at one of the tables was Eclipsa and the others.

"There they are!" Star pointed and the two of them landed.

"No charge for delivery," Pony remarked. "Sup Mrs D? Eclipsa?"

"Hello Pony."

"Nice to see you again."

"Oooh and lookie what we have here." She hovered over to Marco. "Earth Turd and Earth Turd Jr." "Pony!" Marco covered her ears.

"Oh calm down, I'm just messing you you." She leaned in close to the baby. "Hey girl, sup?" Mariposa's eyes went wide and she grabbed at Pony, snagging her pink hair.

"Ah, hair hair hair!"

"Posey, don't grab," Marco said.

"It's okay," Pony said, freeing herself. "Long as she doesn't cry or stink, I don't mind babies."

"Neither do I," Eclipsa joked, sipping her coffee. "Aw, I'm sorry for running off Angie, but this Snookers flavored hot chocolate is heavenly!"

Angie sighed, "Well, let's just try and stay together until we find Santa."

"The fat man? Oh, he's over by the food court," Pony quickly said. "Got the whole North Pole setup and everything. I'd get there quick if I were you. Line's getting long."

"Probably the same for everywhere else," Angie said, looking around. She was silent for a moment, then sighed again and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but kids… why don't you go ahead and take the babies to Santa while I get the shopping done? Otherwise, we'll be here forever."

"You sure, Mom?" Marco asked.

"Yes," their mother replied, though still obviously sad at having to miss such an important event. Star frowned, but then an idea struck her and she turned to Pony Head. "Hey Pony, think you can help Mom with her shopping?"

Pony winced, but one flash of Star's puppy-dog eyes was enough to break her. "Aw, okay. For you, girl." She flew over to Angie. "Grab on, Mrs. D." Her horn transformed again and she lifted Angie off the ground.

"We'll catch up with you guys later," she cried as they flew off.

After pushing through the crowds, the group finally reached the food court and found the North Pole setup. A long line led to a cardboard and foam mockup of the North Pole, with Santa's red chair at the forefront. One by one, each kid went up and sat on his lap. The group got in the back.

"Okay sweetie, now remember: Santa is our friend," Eclipsa said to her daughter as they slowly moved up the line. "We do not bite or maul Santa." She wagged her finger.

Meteora babbled in reply.

"Good girl."

Finally, they reached the near front of the line. Santa passed off yet another the child on his lap and the one in front of Star and Marco went up.

"Ohhhh," Star was practically bouncing on the soles of her feet, her eyes as big as saucers. If she still had her cheek hearts, they would probably be bursting. "It's almost our turn!"

Marco glanced back at the line behind Eclipsa. Several were staring.

"Star?" He asked. "Uh…"

"Ho Ho Ho, you have a Merry Christmas, Jake," Santa said as the boy got off and left. He turned to face the line. "Okay, who would-?"

Star let out a high-pitched shriek and lunged forward, leaping onto his lap and wrapping he arms around the man. "Hi Santa! Oh, I've been looking so forward to meeting you."

"Oh… well," needless to say, this Santa was stunned. "That's wonderful-"

"Star, Star Butterfly!" Star chipped.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Star," Santa said. "Uh, pardon me for asking, but… how old are you?" "Sixteeeeen," she said proudly.

"Oh well, uh-"

"And I've been really good this year!" Star sang, playfully kicked her legs. "And so's my boyfriend Marco!" She pointed over to him and Marco felt his face turn red.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?"

"Well firstly, everlasting peace and harmony for all Mewmans, monsters, and humans." She said. "But I'd also like some new boots and a Love Sentence hoodie and my own karaoke machine…"

"Give me it!"

"It's mine!"

A crowd of teens were fighting over the last Love Sentence hoodie when it was suddenly snagged by a hook and yanked away.

"Got yah!" Pony grinned as her horn-turned-grappling hook pulled the hoodie over to them. "Here you go, Mrs. D."

"Thanks Pony!" Angie took it. "Star really emphasized how much she wanted one in her letter." "Well, the girl deserves it," Pony said. "Though I have to admit, I'm surprised she still-"

She gasped as she spotted two figures nearby. "Oh crap, my sisters!" She looked around. "I was never here! Don't tell them anything!" She rushed over and hide behind a reindeer display.

"Krissie look, it's Mrs. Diaz!"

A stunned Angie turned to see Khryshalle and Pranciss Pony Head, the latter being one of her students, floating over to her. "Oh, hi Pranciss," she greeted them. "Enjoying your winter break?"

"Mmm-hmm," the tiny floating head replied.

Her sister scoffed. "Have you see Lilacia? We can't start rehearsal without her!"

Angie glanced over to see Pony shaking her head from her hiding place. "Uh, no. Sorry girls."

"Ugh!" Khryshalle huffed in anger. "Why must she ruin everything?!" She sighed. "If you see her, tell her we'll shave her mane if she doesn't get her butt over to the auditorium."

"See you in class!" Pranciss waved (somehow) goodbye as they floated off.

"What was that about?" Angie asked Pony as she emerged.

The teen horse rolled her eyes. "Ugh, my Dad signed us all up for this stupid gig at the lighting cermony tonight. We're meant to be the fat guy's reindeer."

"Oh, that sounds adorable!" Angie said. "Why are you hiding?"

"You kidding? I'm too good for that kiddy stuff! If any of my viewers saw me like that, I'd loose all my credibility. Nope, I'm just gonna hide until it's over."

"But it's your family," Angie said.

Pony shook her head. "Honey, you have a lot to learn about my family. Us, we ain't close-knit like yous. Frankly, we can barely stand each other on the best of days. Why should Christmas be any different?"

Angie gave her a sad look, but didn't say anything.

"So… how many more shops we got to visit?"

"-and a red bike with wings and a baby Warnicorn and a Giddyup Buttercup!"

Star finished with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the stunned and overwhelmed state of the jolly man (or the stares of the line).

"Well, I'll see what I can do," he said.

"Thank you!" She gave him another squeeze. "Merry Christmas, Santa!"

She got up and returned to Marco's side, further reddening his face.

"So, uh…" Santa asked. "Who would like to go next?"

Marco was about to step up when he heard a bunch of shouts and cries from behind them.

"One side, losers!" Behind them, adults were being shoved aside and kids punted as Jeremy pushed his way to the front.

"Excuse me, young man," Eclipsa said politely, but forcibly. "You're holding up the line and that's my spot." Jeremy spun around and glared at Eclipsa, his eyes rapidly observing her pale skin, green hair, and red lips. "Buzz off, clown. Go back to the circus where you and that freak belong."

Eclipsa's eyes went wide for a moment. Meteora suddenly lunged forward at the boy, her fangs barred and her eyes milky white. "Roar!"

Jeremy's snarky expression immediately changed to a look of terror. He shrieked like a girl and darted out of the line.

"What a horrible little boy," Eclipsa shook her head.

"Ho ho ho, who's next?" Santa looked out into the line, hoping that the next was more age appropriate. "Your turn, Posey," Marco said as he walked up.

"Oh, what a beautiful little girl," Santa said. "What's her name?"

"Mariposa," Marco said, "She's my little sister."

"What a pretty name," He motioned for Marco to place her on his lap.

"Here you go," Marco gently placed her in Santa's lap, giving her a wink and a smile.

For a moment, Posey looked confused. She looked up at Santa… and her face fell into a frown. Her eyes began to squint with tears and she let out a tiny cry.

"Posey?" Marco asked.

"Aw, it's okay, she's just a little shy," Santa gently bounced the baby girl. "It's okay, sweetie."

But this had the opposite effect. Posey's eyes shut tight, she opened her mouth, and let out a loud, shrill wail of fear.

In Eclipsa's arms, Meteora gasped. Her tiny eyes moved from Posey to Santa and the cogs turned in her head. Growling, she yanked herself free of her mom's arms and leaped at Santa, landing on his face, causing the whole chair to fall back.

"MARIPOSA!" Marco cried.

"METEORA!" Eclipsa screamed.

"SANTA!" Star wailed.

Moments later, the mall staff were spreading caution tape over the North Pole. Marco and the others stood nearby, watching sadly as dozens of shoppers protested. Thankfully, both Mariposa and Meteora had been unharmed.

"Young lady, what did I tell you?" Eclipsa gruffly asked her daughter.

Meteora babbled back.

"I know you were looking out for Posey, but that doesn't make it right. You two could have seriously gotten hurt."

Marco looked down at his sister, whom has latched onto the boy like a leech. Even through both their winter coats and hoodies, Marco could feel her tiny heart beating at a super fast rate and her cubby hands squeezing his body in an attempt to get as close to him as possible.

"Marco!" The group turned to see Angie running towards them. Dropping her gift bags, she siezed her son and daughter in a tight hug. "Are you guys okay? I saw the crowd and cops and I got so worried."

"We're okay, Angie," Eclipsa said. "Poor Posey just got scared by Santa."

"What? Of Santa?" Angie looked down at her baby. "Oh, sweetie, that's horrible. I'm so sorry." She tried to take Posey, but the girl whined as she started to pull. "Okay, never mind."

A sound of groaning came from nearby. They all turned to see a pair of paramedics carrying the mall Santa out on a gurney, his face covered in a red sheet.

Star shook her head. "Poor Santa."

Marco looked over to her. She looked so heartbroken that even her antlers were drooping. While he didn't want to ruin her fun, he still hated seeing her so sad. "Star, if it makes you feel any better, that wasn't the real-"

"I know that wasn't the real Santa, Marco," Star said, "He was just one of workers, scouting to find out who'd been naughty or nice."

"Excuse me."

The group turned to see a pair of police officers walking their way.

"Hey, Lady Whosits!" Star perked up a little as she recognized one of them.

"It's Officer Whosits now," The burly, pink-haired women replied. Looking down at her former princess and fellow knight, she chuckled and shook her head, "And why is it that everytime something terrible happens, it

always seems to involve the two of you?"

"Officer, please," Eclipsa stepped up, "It wasn't their fault. My daughter just thought his sister was in danger when she started crying on Santa's lap. They're really close friends and she was just trying to protect her."

As if to prove her point, Meteora was now hugging Mariposa through Marco's arms, all the while gently babbling a soft lullaby. Even Whosists couldn't stop herself from smiling at the sight.

"She's really the sweetest little thing," Eclipsa went on. "A little stuck in the biting phase I'll admit, but we're working on it. If you're going to blame someone," Eclipsa sighed, once again having to take the fall, "blame me for not getting a better grip on her."

"Wow, a straight-up confession. Certainly makes our job a lot easier," Whosits chuckled. "Well, from the looks of it, I'd be willing to chalk this all up as an accident,"

The group all grinned.

"if… ," the cop added, "there still wasn't the matter of the mall no longer having a Santa for tonight's lighting ceremony."

The grins vanished.

"Doesn't the mall have a backup?" Marco asked.

"That was the backup," her partner said.

"And I thought Stump Day was crazy," Whosits shook her head before turning back to Eclipsa. "Now, Mrs. Butterfly, according to our new policy, you are responsible for finding us a new Santa."

"By tonight," her partner added.

"Tonight?!" Eclipsa gasped.

"Seven o clock to be exact," Whosits tapped her watch, "It's either that or you get a lifetime ban from the mall." The group all gasped.

"I can't-"

"Then I'd hurry if I were you," Whosits interrupted, "It is Christmas Eve, after all."

Her walkie-talkie began buzzing.

"Ugh, another riot at Toy World," the cop rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kyle." She turned to Eclipsa. "Seven o'clock."

"Uh-no," Eclipsa muttered. "This is bad."

"LILACIA!" Pony groaned as all her sisters, led by Khryshalle, approached them, all looking extremely angry and sad.

"Why all the long faces?" Pony asked sarcastically.

Khryshalle was fuming, but through gritted teeth said, "I hope you're happy. As far as we know, the ceremony is off!"

"Oh, boo-hoo," Pony smirked.

Khryshalle was looking murderious. "Be home by sundown," she hissed as they all hovered away. Pony looked around at the stunned group. "What?"

The group was silent on the way home, with Eclipsa nerviously clutching Meteora.

"Oh, I need some eggnog!" She rushed for the kitchen as they stepped inside.

"Hey Daiz," Janna greeted them, a box at her feet and an old album in her lap. "So, the Santa meet was a bust, huh?"

Marco was surprised. "How did you know?" He looked down. "And what's-?!"

Janna pulled out a walkie-talkie. "I placed a bug on your body." She smirked as the boy began feeling all over. "You'll never find it." She turned to the others. "Oh, hey Pony."

"Sup girl?"

"Heard you ditched your folks."

"Heard you ditched yours."

"This doesn't make any sense," Star said, breaking them up. "How could Posey be afraid of Santa?" Janna shrugged. "Maybe it's a family thing."

"Maybe it's because you fed us that Krampus story!" Marco snapped.

"Whoa, calm down there, Earth Turd," Pony said. "Maybe Janna's got a point."

"She's right," Star agreed, "We need to do some research."

Janna grinned, "Well then, I think I have just the idea."

"Awww!" Marco sat red-faced as they all watched his family's old home movies on the TV. "Look at you! Oh, you're so cute!"

On the screen, a baby Marco tumbled, crawled, and did all the things babies do.

"I just wanna stuff you in my backpack and take you home," Janna added. Marco glared over at her, more specifically at the box of old family memories at her feet. It seemed like nothing was safe from the girl's prying eyes.

"Heh, nice diaper, Diaz," Pony snorted.

"Yes Pony," Marco sighed. "I was once a baby and babies wear diapers."

The screen changed to a shot of the Diazes walking through the mall.

"Oh, here we go," Star said.

They arrived at the North Pole section and placed Marco on Santa's lap. The tiny Latino baby looked up at Santa before being drawn to his red coat. He looked from it to his red hoodie and then back to it, several times before turning to face the camera with a look of utter amazement.

"Ooooh, that was such a sweet moment!" Angie said, having come down the stairway after helping Eclipsa put the girls to sleep. She pressed her hands to her heart. "For months, if you saw the color red, you would always say 'Santa.'"

"Oh, I wish I could have been there," Star swooned.

"You're telling me," Janna added.

"He is cute," Pony said, "but I think this rules it out being a genetic thing."

"Yeah, Raf told me that every Daiz on his side of the family loved Santa from the moment they met him," Angie said.

"Well, if Mariposa is afraid of him," Star said. "and he always sees us when we're awake… what if… what if he decides not to come to our house tonight?"

"Girl-"

"I'm serious, Pony! He may even blacklist us!" She gasped.

"Well, I don't know about that," Marco said, "but I don't want my sister's first Christmas to be a bust." "Maybe we can help her get over her fear," Janna suggested.

"Yeah, how hard can it be?" Pony added.

"Marco?" Star asked.

Marco went silent as he thought. Finally, she spoke, "Okay, but I don't want to do anything too crazy. She is a baby after all."

"Are you sure? What if-?" Sigh. "Alright, I understand. Merry Christmas," Eclipsa came down the stairs, hanging up her phone in distress. "I've been calling everyone I know, asking them to come and play Santa, but no luck so far."

"Really?" Star asked. "What about Sir Lavado?"

"He's sick with lintitis," Eclipsa replied.

"Sir Dashington With Muscles?"

"On holiday with his boyfriend."

"Sir Scarsguard?"

"Holiday with his mum."

"Sir Stabby?"

"He doesn't like kids."

"Buff Frog?"

"Visiting his folks in Louisiana." She pinched her nose. "I can't be banned from the mall! What am I going to do?"

"Okay," At that moment, Rafael and Globgor came in, both covered in snow. "All the lights are up." Eclipsa turned to them and perked up. "Wait a minute… Raf, you're great with kids. Will you be my Santa?"

"I'd love to," he exchanged a look with his wife and frowned, "but sadly, I've been banned from the mall already."

"What? Why?"

"Because the last time he played Santa, he… overdid it a bit."

"There was a minature train and a lot of damage," their son explained.

"Great," Eclipsa hung her head. Globgor came over to comfort her.

"It's okay, honey. You'll think of something."

Eclipsa looked up at her husband… and then a big smile came to her face. "Globby, YOU could be Santa!" "Me?" The monster asked, stunned.

"Of course! You're warm and friendly and great with kids. Oh, I bet they'd love you!" "And I'll teach you everything there is to know!" Rafael added.

"For me?" Eclipsa asked, giving him puppy-dog eyes.

He chuckled. "I can't say no to you. Alright, I'll… give it a shot."

"Excellent!" Rafael put an arm around him. "Come on, let's start Santa 101."

"Well, I'd love to stay and help, but I've got to go and meet up with the mall Santa's family and convince them not to press charges," Eclipsa headed out the door. "Wish me luck."

"And I've got the rest of my Les Treize Desserts de Noël to complete, as well as dinner," she kissed her son and hugged Star. "You guys can help Mariposa, but be gentle."

"We will."

"Promise."

"Okay guys," Star announced, "let's cure that baby of her Santaphobia!"