The Owl and The Frog

by ChampionElCid

AU: What if instead of going to her regular school Luz Noceda attended St. James School? What if she were to meet and become friends with a group of girls there? What if that group of girls proceeded to have adventures together not just in the human world, but across other worlds as well? Crossover of Owl House and Amphibia. Have now changed the rating to Teen

55. Chapter 54: Froggy Little Christmas

So firstly, two shout-outs: one to DA user jmdk64, who made a new image for this fic, the scene where Anne and Luz first meet. This is the first time I've used this artist and I really like the work he did. I'll likely ask for more from him in the future. The other shout-out is, once again, to Julex93, who did another amazing commission for me for this chapter. It's a scene from this chapter, so go check it out on DA after you're done reading this. Thanks to both of these artists for their work

Okay, so this is the big one! An adaptation of Froggy Little Christmas, as well as the end of Arc five, and a moment I've been planning for a long time. There's a lot happening in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy all of it!

At the time of this chapter's release, it is close to the Holidays, so I want to wish you all Happy Holidays, whichever one you celebrate! I hope you all get to spend time with the ones you love and get a break from working. Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! May this new year be a better one for all of us!

Chapter 54: Froggy Little Christmas

---

Three Years Ago

Ten-year-old Luz rubbed her eyes as she walked out of her room and made her way to the kitchen. She was still sleepy, and, if she were honest, she was not really looking forward to today at all. As she entered the living room, she saw that there were Christmas decorations hanging all over. Her mom was standing on a stepladder, putting the finishing touches on a piece of garland.

"Morning, Mija!" said Camila in a cheerful voice.

Luz didn't say anything at first, as she was still trying to take in the sights around her. Finally, she spoke.

"Good morning, Mama," said Luz, still a bit stunned. "I thought… I didn't realize you were going to put up decorations."

"I thought it would help liven the mood a little," said Camila, still smiling. "We should make this place look pretty and festive for the holidays."

Luz didn't answer, as she wasn't feeling particularly festive at the moment. Camila seemed to pick up on this, so she continued.

"Let's eat breakfast, then we can get started on the tamales," said Camila in an encouraging voice. Luz nodded and went over to the table. The two ate breakfast, not saying much, but enjoying each other's company.

After breakfast, Luz helped her mother clear away the dishes, and then the two set up the kitchen to make tamales. Dominican tamales were made using a combination of yautia, plantains, kabocha squash, and chilies. These ingredients were combined together to make the masa, which was then wrapped around a meat filling and then wrapped together in a plantain leaf. Making tamales from scratch was a long and difficult process, which was why most Latino families only did it around Christmas time. Luz was a bit surprised at her mom's cheerful attitude, but she did her best to go along with it.

Once the two got the kitchen ready, they began cutting and chopping the different ingredients, getting everything ready. Camila made sure to put some music on to lighten the mood, and for a while, things were going great, Luz even began to forget about the reason she wasn't feeling well. Then a new song played on her mom's phone.

[Play "Bendita tu Luz" by Mana]

"Bendita Dios por encontramos, en el camino

Y de quitarme esta soledad, de mi destino

Bendita la luz, bendita la luz de tu mirada

Bendita la luz, bendita la luz de tu mirada, oh"

Camila heard the song play and tensed up. She and Manny had told Luz the story about how they had chosen her name from that song, and now here it was playing. She looked over at her daughter and saw her stop working on the tamales.

As she listened to that song, Luz couldn't take it anymore. That song reminded her so much of her dad, and here it was Christmas time, and he wasn't here. Luz stopped working on the tamales and broke down crying, and her mother immediately came over to her.

"Mija, Mija," said Camila, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, Luz… It's okay, Mija."

"No, it's not!" yelled Luz through tears. "It's our first Christmas without him!"

Camila had been trying to put on a brave face to try to lift Luz's spirit, but seeing her break down like this made Camila cry, too. Tears fell down her face as she hugged Luz tighter.

"I know, Mija. I know," said Camila as she gently stroked Luz's hair.

"I miss him so much," cried Luz. "It's not fair! He should be here celebrating Christmas with us."

Camila didn't know how to respond to that, so she just kept hugging Luz and stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. The two weren't able to finish the tamales and simply stayed there, trying to comfort each other.

---

Present Day

Luz rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. She headed into the kitchen to find her mom already up and making breakfast. As Luz helped her mom finish and set the table, Amara joined the two, and they sat down to eat. As they were eating, Luz asked a question.

"Hey, Mom, are we going to make tamales this year?"

Camila looked a little puzzled by the question and hesitated before responding, "I wasn't planning on it. I mean, we haven't made tamales for the last three years, not since…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. Fortunately, Amara spoke up.

"What are tamales?"

"Oh, they're a Latino food, usually made around Christmas," answered Luz.

"Christmas…" began Amara, scratching her chin. "Oh, wait a minute; I think I remember. That's a human holiday, isn't it? I've found quite a bit of confusing, contradictory information about it."

"Christmas can be a confusing holiday," said Luz, "but the gist of it is about being kind to your fellow man. It's a time of year when you want to spread joy and happiness."

"Huh, that's interesting. Some of what I've looked up says that it started from ancient pagan traditions involving making sacrifices to the hummingbird god," said Amara.

"Yeah… uh, Christmas has evolved a lot since then," said Luz.

"Oh, well, tell me more about these tamales," said Amara.

"Well, tamales are made from different ingredients," began Camila. "The recipe varies depending on the specific type of Latino, but usually you make what's called masa. It's a doughy mix that you coat the outside of the tamale with. Then you add the meat and the sauce. The sauce is made from chilies that you mash and grind to get that sweet flavor. Finally, you wrap all of that together in a leaf of some kind. For Dominicans, we typically use plantain leaves. Most Mexican families use corn husks. Finally, you steam them until they're ready."

"That does sound complicated," said Amara.

"That's why Latino families tend to only make them around Christmas," said Luz. "There's so much work that goes into making them. The prep time alone takes forever. It also helps to have a lot of people, so the work goes quicker, and because it takes so much work, you almost always want to make a large amount of them."

"It's possible to scale the recipe back a little," said Camila, "but even then, you often end up making about three hundred of them."

"Wow, that's a lot," said Amara. She paused for a bit before continuing, "Hey, so you said you haven't made them in three years. Why not?"

The atmosphere in the room seemed to change instantly as both Luz and Camila hung their heads and looked at each other. Amara picked up on this and quickly said.

"Oh, I'm sorry if it's personal."

"I mean, yeah, it kind of is, but, well, you should know," said Luz finally. She took a breath before continuing. "We haven't made them since we lost my dad."

Camila put her arm around Luz. "We tried the first Christmas after we lost him. It had always been a tradition for us before, but it was just so hard."

"Yeah, it was," said Luz solemnly. "I still remember the first Christmas we had after we lost him and how hard that was without him. It's been so long, and it's still a bit painful, but I think Dad would want us to try to make them again. Maybe we could ask Anne, her parents, and the Plantars if they'd like to help."

Camila looked at her daughter, and she saw the hope in her eyes. She seemed to want to bring back this tradition. It still hurt to think that Manny was gone, but Luz was right that they would want the family to move on. After thinking about it for a long time, Camila finally spoke.

"You're right, Luz. We should give it another shot, but we can't do it alone. More hands would make it go faster, so why don't you call Anne and ask her? I'll call Oum and see what she says."

Luz went to her room and took out her phone to call Anne. She answered just after the first ring.

"Luz, I was just about to call you," said Anne excitedly.

"Oh, what's up?" asked Luz.

"I need your help with a big project," said Anne.

"Huh, funny. I was going to ask you for help with a project too," said Luz.

"Well, go ahead, you first," said Anne.

Luz quickly explained about the tamales and how she wondered if Anne, the Plantars, and her parents could help. Anne absorbed what Luz said and realized that this might be able to help her as well.

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea, Luz!" said Anne. "In fact, this could be the perfect way to distract my parents while I come up with a plan to build their float."

"Float?" asked Luz.

"Right, so now let me tell you why I was calling," began Anne. "My mom got a call this morning from the Christmaspalloza Parade. There was a last-minute opening, and they wanted to offer my mom a float in the parade."

"What?! Wow! That's amazing!" said Luz.

"Yeah, exactly," said Anne, "but my mom turned it down. She said she was worried about the attention it would draw, but I know how much she's wanted this. I want to help make her dream come true, so I talked with the Plantars, and we decided that we're going to help build that float. But I want it to be a surprise for my mom, so I was thinking, How about we have my parents help your mom make those tamales, and while they're busy doing that, you, me, and the others can help build that parade float?"

Luz thought for a bit before replying. "Yeah, that sounds like a great plan. I'd love to help make that float for your mom."

"Great, then I'll see about convincing my parents to head over. See you soon!" said Anne. She was about to hang up the phone before Sprig made a move to grab it.

"Wait, Luz, I was wondering… Can you explain Christmas to me? I have no idea what's going on!"

"There's no time," said Anne from the other end. "Come on, we've got to get going." With that, she hung up the phone.

---

About an hour later, the doorbell to the Noceda's rang, and Camilla answered it to reveal Oum, Bee, Anne, and the Plantars. Oum and Bee were each holding various kitchen utensils.

"Did someone call for help in the kitchen?" said Bee with a grin.

"We are ready to get these tamales started," said Oum.

"Thank you so much for coming," said Camila. "It's been so long since I've made them, so I'm glad for your help."

"What do you need us to do?" asked Bee.

"Well, first, I need to go get the masa," said Camilla, "then we need the ingredients for the chili and the meat that will go inside. There's a specific place I need to go to get the masa, so I can handle that. Do you think you can get the other ingredients?"

"Yeah, no problem," said Bee.

"You can count on us," said Oum.

"Okay, let me make a list for you," said Camila.

"Hey, if we help you make these tamales, then maybe you can help us whip up some Thai food for a Christmas party," said Bee.

"Oh, that sounds like a marvelous idea," said Camila. "What sort of dishes do you make for the holidays?"

"Traditional Thai Christmas food is papaya salad, Tom Yum soup, and mango sticky rice," said Oum. "I would love the opportunity to have dinner with both of us and our food."

"You and Luz can come over to our house for Christmas," said Bee as he turned to look at his daughter and Luz.

"I think our kids would like that," he said slyly, causing Luz and Anne to blush.

"Yes, I imagine they would," said Camila, smiling at Luz and Anne. "I love it! We'll bring over tamales and have Christmas at your house."

"See, Anne? We can have Christmas together with the Nocedas and don't need to worry about the parade," said Oum.

"Oh, you mean the Christmas Palozza parade?" said Camila.

"Yes," said Oum. "They offered to let us have a float, but I told Anne it's more important to maintain a low profile."

"The veterinary clinic I work at will have a float," said Camila. "They've already started building it."

"See, even if I wanted a float, it would probably take too much time," said Oum. "I like the idea of the Nocedas and Boonchuys celebrating Christmas together."

"Wait, you were offered a float in the Christmas Palooza Parade?" asked Camila. "And you turned it down?"

"I don't need that," said Oum. "I'm fine with having a small Christmas celebration."

"Are you sure?" asked Camila. "Getting a float in that parade is a huge honor. The Pet Vet Clinic only just managed to get one last year."

"I'm sure," said Oum.

"I suppose in that case, it would be nice to have a small, relaxed Christmas," said Camila, putting her arm around Oum. The group of amphibians, Boonchuys, and Nocedas all came together, all of them loving this idea, all except Bee, who snuck off to the side and pulled out a camera. He quickly aimed it at the gathered group and took a picture, causing everyone to gasp!

"Ah! My eyes!" exclaimed Hop Pop.

"Why did that hurt so much?" said Amara, rubbing her eyes.

"I hate your stupid photographic boxes!" yelled Polly.

"What the heck, Mr. Boonchuy?!" exclaimed Luz.

"Oh, right, don't you remember at the Thai Temple when I took that photo of you and Anne?" asked Mr. Boonchuy. "I was practicing for the family Christmas card photo. The theme this year is candid."

"You were practicing all the way back then?" asked Luz in surprise.

"Of course," said Bee with a smile. "I needed to get the perfect candid shot. Got to be quick on the draw so I can— Oh my goodness!"

Bee finally looked at the picture he had taken. He had taken it much too close to the subjects, and all of them had expressions of dizziness and confusion on their faces. Also, none of them were looking at the camera.

"If you blind me again, the only candid shots you'll be taking will be at a hospital," said Camila, raising her fist toward Bee and shaking it to make sure he got the point. Bee gulped nervously.

"Okay, next time, no flash," said Bee.

"Great, so while you guys start getting the list for the market ready, I have, uh, something I need to discuss with Luz, Amara, and the Plantars," said Anne.

Camila showed the Boonchuys to the kitchen while Luz, Anne, Amara, and the Plantars snuck away to her room, making sure to close the door.

"Okay, so I want to make this float as perfect as I can," said Anne. "We're going to need a lot of different parts for it."

"We sometimes have parades in Newtopia," said Amara, "though we've never had any of these floats you're talking about. Usually, it's just military parades, though sometimes there's also a spider or snail that's decorated and ridden on."

"I guess that would be the equivalent of a float for this," said Anne. With that, she unfurled a piece of paper, showing a sketched design of what she wanted. Everyone looked at the paper.

"Oooh, fancy," said Hop Pop.

"This looks really complicated," said Amara.

"Maybe," said Anne, "but this is my parents' dream. I owe it to them after everything they've done for me, and I want it to be a surprise. I already called the parade committee and told them that we're in, so we have to make this happen."

"I think it's super sweet what you're doing, Anne," said Luz. "I'm sure your mom will appreciate it."

"Hey, Anne, you want your parents to be distracted while you're doing this, right?" asked Hop Pop.

"Yeah," said Anne.

"Hmmm, okay, how's about I stay behind and help them cook these, uh… What are they called again?" asked Hop Pop.

"Tamales," said Luz.

"Right, I'll stay behind and help make the tamales," declared Hop Pop, causing Anne and Sprig to give each other a look.

"I suppose Hop Pop's cooking has improved, so we don't need to worry about him ruining Luz's family meal," said Polly, causing Hop Pop to glare at her.

"At least you won't be doing it all by yourself," said Luz. "My mom and Anne's parents will be helping, but even so, I have faith in your cooking."

"Thank you, Luz. I'm glad somebody does," said Hop Pop.

"Well, H.P., if you're sure about that, then cool, the rest of us will get going and start making our holiday float," exclaimed Anne.

"Oh, wait, one more thing," began Sprig. He turned to Amara. "You're pretty smart, Amara. Can you explain Christmas to me?"

"Actually, I don't think I can," said Amara, causing Sprig and the Plantars to let out a gasp.

"I mean, it's a lot more complicated than I thought," explained Amara. "According to my research, humans started celebrating it centuries ago, and it was actually called 'Saturnalia' at that time. The holiday was celebrated for an entire month, where there was food, drink, and merrymaking. Then there's another Norse tradition that says something about a 'Yule Log', and how you're supposed to burn one in your fireplace, and then you celebrate for however long the log burns. Then there's a story about someone called 'Sinterklass' sometimes called St. Nick…"

"Okay, yeah, it gets pretty complicated," said Anne, interrupting Amara, "and unfortunately, we don't have time to go over the origins of the holiday right now. We have to get going." Anne made a motion to the others to get moving, and everyone headed out the door except Luz, who looked between Anne and her closet.

"That's a nice festive sweater, Anne," said Luz.

"Oh, yeah, I busted this thing out for the holidays. I also got some neat hair decorations," said Anne, pointing to her hair. Anne had a piece of holly, a small candy cane, a bell, and some small Christmas ornaments in her hair.

"How did you even get those to stay?" asked Luz.

"My hair is super thick," said Anne. "Also, ornament hooks."

"Well, you look absolutely adorable," said Luz. "Makes me think I should put on something festive as well."

"Yeah, you should," agreed Anne.

"Give me a minute. I'll meet you outside after I change," said Luz. Anne nodded and left the room while Luz looked inside her closet for something more holiday-appropriate.

After a few minutes, Luz came outside, wearing a red sweater that said "Feliz Navidad" on it. She also had a red Santa hat on her head, and she still wore her jean shorts with some green tights and black boots on her feet.

"How do I look?" asked Luz, striking a pose.

"Cute," said Anne, her face blushing at the sight. She came forward to give her girlfriend a hug, and Luz returned it.

"Well, now that we're appropriately dressed, let's get out there and start making this float," said Luz.

"The first thing we're going to need is some technical help," said Anne. "Anyone know any tech experts?"

Polly and Amara grinned at each other.

---

Far away in Amphibia, the season had changed to winter, and snow covered much of the ground. A few of the frobots had taken to forming the snow into small versions of themselves. Overhead, Andrias's castle moved through the sky, and a fleet of smaller castles surrounded it. Inside the castle, in the throne room, three newts walked up to Andrias to give him a report.

"King Andrias, the robot army is nearly complete," said Blair.

"Ahead of schedule and under budget," added Bartley.

"Excellent, Triple B," said Andrias, "but what are you wearing?"

The three newts were dressed in some peculiar clothes—some green tunics with matching green hats with bells on the tips. They also had fake ears on that were taller and more pointed.

"Pretty cute, right?" asked Bartley.

"It's late winter," began Blair, "which means it's almost time for the human holiday, Christmas. Marcy told us about it, remember?"

"No," said Andrias plainly.

"It's fun," continued Blair. "We even got you a Christmas gift. Stay right there." Blair ran back to the entrance of the throne room to retrieve the gift.

It took him a long time to push the decorated box in front of the throne. He struggled and grunted while trying to get it to the king. Neither Andrias nor the other newts made any attempt to help him. Blair finally managed to get the box to the foot of the throne, only to realize he still had to haul it up the stairs. Blair took a beat to collect himself before trying to push it up the stairs. Again, neither of the other newts felt compelled to help him. After several minutes, Blair finally managed to get the box up to the King.

"Oh, is that for me?" asked the King in excitement. The other newts nodded. Andrias quickly ripped off the wrapping and opened the present. He looked inside and saw three pieces of equipment.

"Wow!" he said, lifting what looked like a robotic moth out of the box. "What is it, exactly?"

"Oh, this is our newest drone soldier prototype, sir," explained Branson. "This is the project that Alister told you about."

"Oh, goody," said the King.

"Speaking of which, how is Alister doing? We haven't seen him in forever," asked Bartley. The other two newts glared at him, thinking this was a question best not asked. Andrias also glared at the newt, preparing to make a harsh rebuke against him, only to change his mind and say something else.

"He's… busy," said the King in a distracting voice. "His wife is going through a bit of an emotional fit, but don't worry about him. Tell me more about this thing."

"Well, the drone is remotely controlled with that, uh, controller. We based the design off of those 'video games' that Marcy told us about," said Bartley. "The drone itself has quite a few neat features and powers."

"You use that headset to see through the drone's eyes," said Blair, "then you can steer it to wherever you want."

"Nifty!" declared Andrias, pulling out the headset. He was about to put it on his head before realizing his crown was in the way.

"Pfft, crown," said Andrias, pointing to his crown before removing it, then putting the goggles over his eyes.

"Let's see what this baby can do!" exclaimed Andrias, turning on the drone.

The drone's eyes came to life and began to glow red. After a few seconds, it lifted off the ground and began to fly in the air. Andrias manipulated the controller, causing the drone to fly about in an erratic pattern in the air.

"Steering's kind of tricky," said the King as he tried to guide the drone where he wanted it to go. He miscalculated and sent it towards the newts, all of them ducking just in time. Andrias continued to fiddle with the remote.

"Hmm, what's this for?" he asked, pressing one button. The drone transformed, bringing out an array of weapons, including missile launchers, lasers, and machine guns.

"Ooh! Now this, I like!" he said in a giddy tone.

"Glad to hear it, sire," said Branson. "It just needs a little testing, and it'll be good to go!"

"Testing, eh? I just had a grand idea," said Andrias, getting up from his throne. "I can send this drone to Earth and destroy Anne virtually. I never should have sent a robot to do a newt's job."

"But technically, you're still sending a robot to do—" began Blair, before Bartley and Branson covered his mouth.

"Shut up, Blair!" they said at the same time.

"Get ready, Anne," said Andrias. "Once I figure out how to control this thing, you're finished!"

Andrias brought down his visor and moved the joystick on his controller, sending the drone straight at the three newts. The drone began firing at the newts, causing them to scurry about the throne room. Andrias took in the sight before raising up his visor.

"For such tiny legs, you three sure move fast," laughed Andrias.

---

The line outside Cinco Puntos was long. Camila let out a sigh as she got into the line with her large Tupperware bowl to buy the masa. The line moved slowly as the customers filtered inside the store until a familiar face came out.

"Camila, is that you?" asked the Lyft Driver

"Oh, hey," called Camila to him. He had started working more at Thai Go, and Camila had seen him more frequently, though at the moment, she couldn't remember his name.

"Are you getting masa?" she asked.

"Yeah, got about 25 lbs of it right here," said the Lyft Driver, holding up his bowl. "My family and I are making tamales. We've been doing it for a few years now, and I'd like to think that each time we get a bit better."

"What kind of tamales are you making?" asked Camila.

"Pork," answered the Lyft Driver. "Last night, my brothers and my mom made the sauce and the meat, so we're gonna spend today putting it all together. It usually takes the whole day since it's just the four of us."

"How many tamales do you get for 25 lbs of masa?" asked Camila.

The Lyft Driver thought for a bit before responding. "About 20 dozen. It's more than we could ever eat, so we give a lot of them away, freeze the rest, and eat them throughout the year. Are you making tamales too?"

"Yes," answered Camila. "We're making the Dominican kind. Normally, I would make the masa from scratch. The Mexican masa isn't quite the same, but I think I can work with it, add some plantains and yatuia root and the right spices, and see what happens. We use pork for the meat as well. The sweetness of the masa combined with the flavor of the pork makes a very delicious combination."

"Mmmm, sounds tasty," said the Lyft Driver. "And you wrap them in plantain leaves, right?" Camila nodded her head.

"Cool. We use corn husks to wrap ours," said the Lyft Driver. "I've never had Dominican tamales before." He trailed off for a second before continuing.

"Oh, hey, I have an idea. I'll have a few dozen Tamales, so maybe I could trade a dozen of mine for a dozen of yours?"

"I've had some good Mexican tamales before," said Camila, "but I wouldn't mind trying yours."

"I'm sure you'll love them. They are homemade, after all. I think the recipe we have is the same one my great-grandmother used," said the Lyft Driver. "I'll bring them to the restaurant sometime after Christmas. You and Luz tend to be around there a lot."

"Yes, we are," said Camila with a smile. "Luz likes to take any opportunity she can to see her new girlfriend."

"They do seem happy together," said the Lyft Driver. "I'm glad that sort of thing is getting more accepted these days. It's a bit surreal given some attitudes and 'jokes' people were telling even just twenty years ago."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," said Camila. "I knew a few people in high school who got bullied for being gay. I never said anything myself, but I also never really stood up for them."

"I had a friend in high school who turned out to be gay," said the Lyft Driver. "I'm glad I didn't find that out until later in life, as at the time, I'm not sure I would have reacted well. Last I heard, she's living up in Oregon with her wife. Hope she's doing well. She was honestly one of the nicest people I knew. I also have a cousin who is gay. I've had a bit of family drama with my extended family, and she's one of the few cousins I still talk to nowadays. She'll be coming by to our house for Christmas with her girlfriend."

"You having a small gathering, then?" asked Camila. The Lyft Driver nodded.

"Same. Luz and I will be going over to the Boonchuys for Christmas," said Camila.

"Cool. Hope you have a good time," said the Lyft Driver. With that, he went on his way, but briefly turned back to say, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," called Camila.

---

"I think that's everything we need," said Bee as he looked inside the shopping cart.

"Did we get the right noodles?" asked Oum.

"I think so. I've never bought them here," said Bee, picking the package out of the cart and looking at it.

"Well, we needed to get things for Camila's tamales, so we couldn't go to 99 Ranchers like we usually do," said Oum, grabbing the package from Bee and looking it over herself. "I think this will work. Did we get everything that Camila needs?"

Bee looked over the list one more time. "I think so. It is convenient that the market puts Asian and Hispanic food together."

Oum looked up at the sign, indicating what was in the aisle. "Ugh, I love how they just call it 'Asian and Hispanic food', as though all Asians and Hispanics cook the same food."

"Well, that's what most Americans seem to think," said Bee, trying to make a joke. Oum didn't laugh.

"Ah, come on, honey," he said, putting his arm around his wife. "You can't expect the average person to know the difference between a Thai and a Vietnamese, or a Mexican and a Dominican. Hey, at least they do it equally for both of us."

"I suppose you're right about that," said Oum, finally smiling. "I remember talking with Camila at the Thai Temple about how people tend to lump Asians together into one category, and she said the same thing happens with Latinos."

"Just more proof that we really have more in common than we think," said Bee.

The two smiled. They double-checked the list before making their way to the checkout, and right as they turned a corner, they almost ran into another cart. After they stopped, they realized who it was: Melissa Waybright.

"Melissa," said Oum in surprise. Melissa gave Oum a look before turning away, not saying anything. Oum ran after her.

"Melissa, wait," said Oum as she tried to think of what she could possibly say.

"Are you doing some Christmas shopping?" asked Melissa in a bitter tone.

"I… well, yes…" said Oum awkwardly.

"Good for you," said Melissa in a very stiff voice. "I'm glad you get to spend Christmas with your daughter."

With that, Melissa kept pushing her basket and walked away, leaving Oum standing there, not sure how to feel. Bee came up to her and put his arm around her, feeling the same way as Oum.

---

Luz, Anne, and the amphibians arrived at the lab where Ally and Jess had set up some Christmas decorations and were playing some music, or more accurately, Pandatron was playing some techno Christmas music. The two girls had also set up an advanced lighting rig and had red and green lights flashing across the lab. The area felt very festive, and the young amphibians watched as small robots danced and jumped around.

"Despite having been on Earth for so long, I am still amazed at your technology," said Amara as she watched a robot do a break-dance. Sprig and Polly watched as a robotic dog did a backflip, amazed by such a simple act. At the other end of the room, Anne and Luz talked to Ally and Jess. Anne quickly explained the situation.

"Ah, I think that's so sweet how you want to make your parents a float for the holiday parade," said Ally.

"So, will you help us?" asked Luz.

"Of course," said Jess.

"Thank you so much for helping us with this float," said Anne.

"Of course," said Ally. "We'll do anything electronic, animatronic…"

"Technotronic," added Jess. "Really any other 'tronic."

"Besides, we're done with all our Christmas preparation, so we're ready to go," said Ally.

"Cool! What are your plans?" asked Anne.

"We're going over to Jess's parent's place and have Christmas there," said Ally.

"Oh, what about your parents?" asked Anne. Luz tried to signal her to stop talking, and Anne saw but wasn't sure why, though as she saw Ally's face fall, she quickly understood.

"Ah, hey, sorry," said Anne quickly.

"It's alright; you didn't know," said Ally. "My parents… they don't really talk to me anymore, not since I told them I was dating Jess."

Now Anne's face fell, ashamed to have brought up something like that, though Ally perked up and tried to get Anne to not worry about it. She placed her hand on Anne's shoulder, looking her in the face.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's been two years, but I have no regrets," said Ally. "Besides, Jess's mom makes some of the best Christmas cookies you will ever have. She's so nice to me."

"Yeah, my mom is always telling me I better not mess things up with you or she'll let me have it," said Jess, putting her arm around Ally and smiling. She leaned closer and kissed Ally on the cheek.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Jess suddenly. "How are things going with you two? Last time, Luz, you told me your parents didn't know, right?"

"Yeah, we came out to them," said Luz, reaching over and grabbing Anne's hand. "We told both our parents at the same time, and they were both fine with it. But I won't lie, it was really nerve-racking!"

"I'll say," said Anne, squeezing Luz's hand. "I was so nervous about what my parents were going to say, but they were fine with it. I felt so relieved when they came up and hugged me after."

"Awww," cooed Ally and Jess at the same time.

"We're even celebrating Christmas together," said Luz. "My mom and Anne's parents are gonna make a combination of Dominican and Thai food for dinner."

"That is so awesome!" said Ally, coming forward and hugging Anne and Luz. "I'm so happy to hear that!"

"This calls for a celebration!" said Jess. "More eggnog and cookies!"

As the girls drank their eggnog, Polly asked Amara more questions.

"So, let me see if I have this right. On Christmas Eve, if you've been bad, then Sinterklass sends one of his elves to beat you with a broom?" asked Polly.

"Yes," replied Amara.

"Uh-huh, and what exactly is defined as bad?" asked Polly, a little nervous. "Do you think humans have different standards for 'bad'? And, uh, what kind of broom do you get beat with, and for how long?"

"You know, most of the stuff surrounding Christmas is legend, right?" said Amara to Polly. "You aren't actually going to get beaten with a broom if you're bad."

"Are you sure?" asked Polly.

Before Amara could answer, Sprig interrupted. "Well, why don't we just ask the humans?" He pointed to Ally and Jess.

"Excuse me," said Sprig to the girls, "can you explain Christmas to us?"

"Oh, right, you're frog people from another world, right?" asked Ally. The three nodded their heads.

"Well, it's a human holiday. You celebrate, get a tree, decorate…" began Ally.

"You make cookies, party hard," added Jess.

"Right, the decorating of the tree," said Amara. "That's from Scandinavian traditions, isn't it?"

"Correct," said Ally.

"Okay, but why do you decorate the tree?" asked Sprig in frustration.

"You just do," said Jess. "It's the holiday tradition. Just be careful when you're tying lights to a tree. If you get the voltage wrong, boom!"

"Nothing ruins Christmas like a tree on fire," said Jess.

"Alright, techies secured," said Anne as she shoved her helmet on her head. "Now we'll need some decorations to populate the float. Does anyone have ideas for that?"

"We could ask the nice museum lady," suggested Amara.

"Wait, you don't mean the one who attacked you with a saw, right?" asked Luz.

"No, not her, the other one," clarified Sprig. "The one we visited before the angry saw lady. What was her name again?"

"Dr. Jan," said Amara. "Didn't she come by the restaurant at some point?"

"Yeah, she did," said Anne. "I wasn't sure about trusting her, but she apparently saw you guys fleeing from that crazy scientist without your disguises."

"Dr. Jan was awesome!" proclaimed Polly. "She threw hot coffee in Frink's face."

"Ha! That was pretty cool," said Sprig. "Glad she was there to help us escape."

"Alright, let's go see if she's got anything we can use," said Luz.

---

As the group arrived at the Natural History Museum, they took in the sight. It had been completely decorated with trees, lights, banners, and other kinds of Christmas ornaments.

"Whoa!" said the group as they took in the sight.

"This place looks a lot different from the last time we came," said Amara.

"It's all bright and twinkly," said Polly.

They all kept walking until they saw Dr. Jan calling after a museum patron, who seemed to be doing his best to get away from her.

"Wait! You're going to miss my festive lecture," called Dr. Jan. Right after saying that, she turned to see the group.

"Amara! Good to see you again," said Dr. Jan, coming up to the newt. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. New arm is good to go," said Amara, offering her new arm and hand to the doctor. Dr. Jan shook it and stared for a long time at it.

"I am so amazed that you can do that, though I guess it would make sense, seeing as you're a humanoid newt," said Jan. "Newts and salamanders on Earth have amazing regeneration. I think only starfish are better than them."

"Well, it still hurts to get a limb cut off," said Amara. "I might be able to regrow them, but I don't purposely try to lose them."

"Of course," said Jan. "I'm just glad to see that Frakes didn't do any permanent damage to you." She turned to look at the rest of the group.

"Oh, Anne, good to see you again," said Dr. Jan warmly. "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot last time."

"I heard you witnessed what happened at the museum, so I was a bit nervous when you came by the restaurant asking about the 'frog aliens,'" replied Anne.

"Especially after what had just happened with Frakes," added Luz.

"Understandable," said Dr. Jan,

"The whole thing was hilarious when you think about it, though," said Luz. "Anne tried to sneak the Plantars out the back, only for you to cut us off then she tried throwing that bowl of noodles at you, which somehow, I ended up covered in."

"I still have the picture of that," said Polly, pulling out a picture of Luz with a weary expression on her face, which was covered in Thai noodles.

"But hey, it all worked out in the end," said Amara

"I'm glad I was able to earn your trust," said Dr. Jan.

"Well, it also helped that driver dude who vouched for you," said Sprig. "He works for Anne's parents now. He showed up later that day and told us how you had wanted to help."

"I see. Well, did you come here to listen to my festive lecture on the origin of Christmas?" asked Dr. Jan.

"Actually, I'm building my parents a parade float," explained Anne.

"We thought maybe you could help us get some props and decorations," said Luz.

"I love the Christmaspalooza parade!" said Dr. Jan excitedly. "So feel free to help yourself to some mannequins and wintry flora from our dioramas."

"Thank you so much," said Anne. "I'm sure my mom will love this."

"Oh, if you still want to give a festive speech about Christmas, I'm sure they'd be interested," said Luz, indicating Sprig, Polly, and Amara.

"Yeah, we've heard a lot of conflicting information about this holiday," said Polly. "Do you think you can clarify any of it?"

With that, Luz and Anne went off to look at what they could use from the museum, while the others listened to Dr. Jan.

"The Christmas celebration, as we know it today, started in the fourth century with the recognition of the Winter Solstice," began Dr. Jan.

"The what?" asked Sprig, confused.

"Oh, the Winter Solstice. You know, when the pole of a planet is the farthest away from the sun," explained Dr. Jan. "Surely you must have a similar phenomenon on your planet."

"Planet?" said Polly, confused. "Oh, is this about that whole world being round thing? Yeah, sorry to tell you, Doctor, but Amphibia isn't round."

"Are you… sure about that?" asked Dr. Jan.

"We've already had this debate. Our world can't be round," said Polly emphatically. Dr. Jan looked between Polly and Amara, the newt giving her a look that said, "Don't bother trying."

"Ah, well, moving on then," said Dr. Jan. "Many of our modern traditions come from the ancient Roman feast of Saturnalia—"

"What kind of traditions?" asked Sprig.

"Oh, things like feasting, gambling, singing, playing music, and giving gifts," said Jan. "The Romans would usually celebrate for a whole week. No work or business was done during that time."

"Hmmm, okay, I think I'm getting it," said Polly. "Honestly sounds like a lot of fun."

"Was there a version of Christmas that involved human sacrifice?" asked Amara, causing the others to look at her.

"Oh, you must be thinking of the Aztec winter celebration," said Dr. Jan.

"Wait, we get to sacrifice our enemies during this holiday?" asked Polly, intrigued.

"Uh, no," said Dr. Jan quickly, "the Aztec version is just another version of the holiday. There was a celebration of the hummingbird god, Huitzilopochtli. They called their winter celebration Panquetzaliztli. It's similar to other versions of the holiday. The Aztecs decorated trees with paper, ran ritual races, danced, sang, played music, and also… sacrificed people to their god… "

Dr. Jan had trailed off toward the end of her explanation. She quickly added, "It was a different time in human history."

"I'm starting to like this holiday," said Polly mischievously.

"You know, there is one thing I'm curious about," asked Amara. "I've done my own research into this holiday and it seems like there used to be many different versions of it, but now most people seem to associate it with only one thing: a birth of some sort."

Dr. Jan scratched her chin as she thought of how to respond to that. "Yes, that is a bit of a complicated subject. Most people in this country practice some form of Christianity. Do you know what that is?"

Both Polly and Sprig shook their heads, but Amara nodded. She quickly explained, "It's a human religion."

"Yes," said Dr. Jan, "and well, this religion wanted for people to celebrate it a certain way, so that religion decided that they would have one of their religious holidays happen at the same time as other cultures' winter celebrations. Over the years, most of the other winter celebrations were forgotten or absorbed into the Christian one. Nowadays, most people in this country celebrate some form of the Christian version of Christmas."

"But why?" asked Sprig. "That seems kind of unfair. Like, why did this religion want everyone to celebrate the holiday their way?"

Amara and Dr. Jan looked at each other as they tried to think of what to say in response. Finally, after a long pause, Dr. Jan replied.

"It is unfair, and despite Christianity taking over the holiday, I think the general message of Christmas, a time of celebration and renewal, is still alive and well. Besides, there are a lot of nonreligious people, myself included, who still celebrate the holiday because we like the sentiment of spreading cheer and goodwill to your fellow man. In an age where people now know a lot more than they did in the past, including how Christianity took over Christmas, people still celebrate it for what it originally meant and for the opportunity to spend time with family and friends."

"Huh, I guess when you put it like that, it's not so bad," said Sprig. "So that's what Christmas is all about, then? Spreading goodwill to your fellow man?"

"Yeah, exactly," said Dr. Jan. At that moment, Anne and Luz reappeared, holding two wagons full of museum pieces. The Plantars looked at the contents in horror.

"I think we're all good here," said Luz.

"Ready for our next stop?" asked Anne.

"Uh, sure," said Amara, looking intently at the figures. She whispered to Polly, "It's so unnerving how lifelike they look."

Before the group left the museum, they got some hot chocolate from a stand outside. Sprig, Polly, and Amara had never had it before, but all three of them enjoyed the taste and the warm feeling it brought as they drank it. Anne and Luz attached the wagons to their bikes and began pedaling a lot harder than usual as they made their way to their next destination. They passed through the streets and saw other people celebrating the holidays in their own way, whether it was taking pictures in a cardboard cutout or a woman playing a guitar and singing. As the group rode off, somewhere above them, a small portal opened up, through which a small red and green drone flew out. It awkwardly fluttered around in the sky before crashing straight into a building.

"Hello, Earth! Wow, lotta people down there!" exclaimed Andrias as he struggled to control the drone. He managed to get it to fly in a straight line and avoid any more buildings as he continued to look for Anne.

"Now, where is that Anne Boonchuy?" he asked, and right as he did, he shifted the drone's view back up and saw a squad of pigeons flying directly at him. The pigeons crashed right into the drone, and Andrias struggled to keep control of it as the birds buffeted the robot. He eventually lost control of it, and the drone crashed into a billboard.

Andrias growled in frustration. "Man, I have got to get better at these controls."

---

Back at the Noceda household, Camila, Oum, Bee, and Hop Pop were busy making the tamales. Camila had put some music on her phone so they could listen to it while they worked.

"So we have to mash up these ingredients, right?" asked Hop Pop.

"Yes, that's right," said Camila, who was over at the stove with an apron and hair net on.

"These, uh, tamales are a family recipe, right?" asked Hop Pop, as he began to work on them.

"Yes, my mom made them back on the island," said Camila. "She taught me how to make them, and one day, I'll teach Luz how to make them as well."

"That sounds lovely," said Hop Pop. "I've got my own family recipe book back home. All the recipes were passed down by my great gam gam. She made the book herself."

"Ah, that's so sweet," said Camila. "What kind of recipes do you have in there?"

"Oh, all sorts," said Hop-pop. "We got swamp mold pot-pie, swamp gumbo, swamp stew, and best of all, cricket jam!"

Camila made a face as he listed them off, wincing with each new one.

"Right, swamp dishes. I'm sure those are tasty… to a frog," said Camila.

"Oh, well, Luz has had a few of them, too. She didn't mind," said Hop Pop.

"And, uh… Do you do most of the cooking in your family?" asked Camila.

"I sure do," replied Hop Pop, "though the kids and Anne seem to think I'm no good at it. But I cooked that dinner for Anne and her friends, and they liked it. You know, now that I think about it, I bet being with Anne helped improve my cooking. She was pretty helpful in the kitchen."

"That's good to hear," said Oum. "She's been helping us in the kitchen since she was ten. Usually simple stuff like chopping vegetables or washing dishes, but ever since she came back, we've started teaching her some dishes we cook in the restaurant."

"Did you learn from your mother too?" asked Camila.

"Yes, she taught me everything I know about cooking," answered Oum, "at least until I met Bee."

"I was a street food chef, and my family had a stand in Bangkok," said Bee. "My family had a stand where we served all sorts of things. My favorite was Khao Ka Moo."

"Bangkok always busy," said Oum. "So many people always hungry. Lots of good opportunities if you know what to do."

"Oum came up to my stand one night and asked what my favorite dish was to make," said Bee as he recalled that memory. Oum herself smiled.

"So he made me a dish of Khao Ka Moo," said Oum. "He said he'd make the best version I ever had. Said it would be so good that after I taste it, I would go on a date with him."

"Heh, I figured there was no way you'd go out with me if I just asked," said Bee, blushing slightly, "so I thought I'd try to impress you with my cooking."

"It was delicious, so I thought I'd give him a chance," said Oum, coming up to Bee and hugging him. "Now, fifteen years and one daughter later, here we are."

"Ah, that's nice," said Camila. "Growing up in the DR, you see a lot of animals. There's a lot of natural wildlife where I lived. Parrots were pretty common, and I learned how to take care of them. As I got older, I realized that I wanted to work with animals, and that led me to pursue a career as a vet."

"I am so glad you became a doctor for animals, Mrs. Noceda," said Hop Pop. "I wish we had all your fancy medicine and technology back in Amphibia. I bet our lives could improve a lot if we had that."

"Hey, I'm just glad I can actually talk to you," said Camila, "which admittedly is kind of weird as frogs; heck, all animals in our world can't talk, so often you have to figure out what's wrong with them all on your own. I'm proud to have you as my first patient who can talk."

"Wow, that must make treating the animals really hard," said Hop Pop.

"It requires certain finesses," said Camila, "and it's tricky because animals have different physiologies, so you have to be familiar with organ systems from so many different species, but vets have been doing it for years. Heck, some people say vets have a harder time trying to diagnose sickness because our patients can't simply tell us what's wrong with them."

"Well, I think it's admirable how you take care of animals, Camila," said Hop Pop, "especially since in Anne's world, they are so small and defenseless. You know, a while ago, Sprig, Polly, and I were out walking and saw one of your Earth frogs. I could not believe how tiny it was."

"Yeah, that really is how small frogs are in this world, and that was probably a common species," said Camila. "A lot of species in South America are even smaller."

"At least the herons are smaller in this world," said Hop Pop.

"That's right. Luz told me about not just the herons but other giant bugs and such that inhabit your world," said Camila.

"Anne mentioned those too," said Bee. After a beat, he added, "We really are lucky she came back unharmed."

Camila and Oum nodded their heads in agreement.

"Speaking of which, where are Anne, Luz, and the others?" asked Oum. "Not that we need their help, but I wonder what they're up to."

Hop Oop gulped nervously, as he knew he needed to distract the Boonchuys so they wouldn't get suspicious. He made his way over to the phone, which was playing music, and turned up the volume. As it so happened, a new song came on, one that both Oum and Bee recognized. They both smiled as the song played, and Bee began to sing along.

[Play "You Make it Feel Like Christmas" by Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton]

"I want to thank the storm that brought the snow,

Thanks to the string of lights that make it glow.

But I want to thank you, baby, you make it feel like Christmas."

Oum had already started bopping her head to the music. As the first verse ended, Bee stopped and let her continue.

"It barely took a breath to realize, we're gonna be a classic for all time.

I want to thank you, baby, you make it feel like Christmas."

Bee held out his hand, and Oum grabbed it, letting her husband pull her into a spin. Right as they finished, they both sang the refrain.

"Sweet gingerbread made with molasses

My heart skipped and I reacted

Can't believe that this is happening

Like a present sent from god

Sleigh bells singing hallelujah

Stars are shining on us, too

I wanna thank you, baby,

You make it feel like Christmas"

Bee and Oum continued to dance and sing together, clearly having a great time. Camila and Hop Pop watched, both of them smiling. As the song ended, Bee pulled something out of his pocket and held it up above him and his wife. Oum smiled before leaning in and kissing him.

---

The Santa Anita Mall was bustling with activity. It was the last week before Christmas, and people were out in droves, doing some last-minute shopping. A woman sat on the outside promenade, playing a song on her guitar. At the moment, Anne, Luz, and the amphibians were rushing out of a store with a large purchase of lights for the float. They were moving so fast that they didn't look where they were going and ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry," said Anne to the man before realizing who it was.

"Hey, driver dude! How are you?" asked Sprig.

"I'm fine, just got off my shift at the toy store. Man, you would not believe how crowded it was," said the Lyft Driver. He looked at all the lights the girls and the amphibians were carrying.

"What's all this for?" he asked.

"Sorry, it's a secret," replied Anne.

"Oh, a holiday secret of some kind?" said the Lyft Driver.

"Yeah, exactly," said Luz. "We're gonna surprise Anne's parents."

"Luz!" yelled Anne. "He works for my parents! Don't say anything."

"Relax. If this is a surprise for your parents, I promise I won't say anything," said the Lyft Driver, trying to calm Anne down. He leaned in close before whispering, "Besides, I'm already keeping the secret about your amphibian friends, so I guess one more can't hurt."

Anne thought about that before realizing he was right. "Okay, fair point. I'm trying to make a parade float for them for the Christmaspalooza parade."

"Oh, that's sweet of you, Anne," said the Lyft Driver. "I'm sure your parents will appreciate it."

"Thanks," said Anne. "I think we have everything we need, so now it's just a matter of putting it all together. We're heading over to the Thai Temple to get the elders to help us."

"Well, I'll leave you all to it, then. I just got off my shift, so I'm gonna do a little Christmas shopping myself before heading home," said the Lyft Driver. With that, the group went on their way, and as they did, Luz called back.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," called the Lyft Driver, waving to the group.

He went on his way, looking at the different shops, trying to decide where to go. As he was doing that, two men walked out of a store, one of them putting on a hat he had just bought.

"Check this out, Ken," said a man with purple hair. He put on a Santa Clause hat that had a bit of mistletoe attached to the end of it, and he hung it so that the plant was just over his head.

"They call it the mistletoe hat," said the purple-haired man as he put his arm around the other man. "It's the perfect holiday way to get a kiss."

"Oh, Tyler," said the other man in a playful voice, "you don't need that hat to get a kiss from me." With that, he pulled his boyfriend in for a kiss.

Right as that happened, a large woman with greying hair came up to the pair and began to yell at them.

"How dare you?!" she said in a shrill voice. "How dare you make such a display in public?! There are children here!"

"Children can't see two people kissing?" asked one of the men. "I saw that stuff in kids' shows all the time."

"It's not right for two men to kiss, " said the woman.

"Says who?" asked the other man.

"Says the Bible," replied the woman.

"Oh, of course," said one of the men. "That two-thousand-year-old book that was supposedly written by god. How did I forget?"

"You should read it so that you don't forget," screeched the woman, "then you'd realize that you're living a sinful life!"

"Hey, why don't you leave them alone?" said another voice. The woman turned and saw the Lyft Driver approaching them.

"Stay out of this!" said the woman.

"No, I don't think I will," said the Lyft Driver emphatically. "No one wants to hear your ranting. Leave them alone!"

As he said this, a small crowd had formed, and all of them gave the woman a dirty look, siding with the Lyft Driver.

"Yeah, leave them alone!" called another person in the crowd.

"Take a hike," said another.

"It's Christmas. Why don't you try being joyful?" said a third.

The woman looked around, realizing she was outnumbered, and decided to leave in a huff, but not before hurling one more insult at the two men.

"Your behavior offends god!"

As the woman left, the crowd dispersed, going back to their shopping. The Lyft Driver came up to the couple.

"People like her make me really glad I decided to leave religion," he said.

"I wish I could say that's the first time that's happened to me," said Tyler, "but unfortunately, it isn't."

"Sorry to hear about that," said the Lyft Driver.

"Eh, it's alright," said Ken. "She was all alone in attacking us, whereas you and the others were on our side. That warms my heart."

"People like that can't ruin Christmas for us," said Tyler. "In fact, I'm planning something I think will make this one of the best Christmases ever."

"Oh, what is it?" asked Ken.

"It's a surprise," said Tyler with a mischievous grin, though he reached into his pocket as he said that.

"Well, I hope you both have a very merry and fun Christmas," said the Lyft Driver.

"Thanks," said Ken as the two walked away. Tyler, again, touched the ring box he had in his pocket. He had originally thought of a more elaborate proposal that involved skywriting but ultimately decided to shelve the idea in favor of a more simple Christmas proposal. He was extremely nervous about what he was planning but hoped that Tyler would say yes.

---

The group had started building the float at the Thai Temple. The elders agreed to let Anne leave it there until it was finished. The group spent most of the day working on it until it was almost done. It still needed some small tweaks that Anne said she could do at home.

Back at the Boonchuys, once the others had gone to bed, Anne went to the garage to do some more work on the float. Polly and Amara joined her, both having learned a lot about building things from working on Frobo. It took a lot of work, but the three managed to finish the float. They stepped back and admired their work.

"I think this turned out great!" said Anne, admiring the float.

"That's because you had me helping you, Anne," said Polly proudly.

"Gotta say, you are pretty handy with that blowtorch," said Anne.

"As long as she's using it safely," added Amara.

"I can't wait to see the look on my parents' faces when they see this," said Anne. "I'm gonna call Ally and Jess and have them bring their car over in the morning to hook it up."

"I heard from Luz that the vet clinic Camila works at is getting a float in the parade too," said Amara. "Luz and her mom are going to be on that float, and they asked me if I wanted to join them."

"So, are you going to?" asked Anne excitedly.

"Yeah, I figure I might as well enjoy this human holiday," said Amara.

"This will be so great!" said Anne. "All of us are going to be a part of the parade. I can't wait!"

As Amara made her way out of the garage and up to Anne's room, she noticed there was a light on in the attic. Curious, Amara went to check it out. As she opened the door, she saw that Sprig was inside.

"Garbage, it's all garbage!" he yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.

"What are you doing?" asked Amara as she entered the attic.

"Ahh! Amara, I didn't hear you," said Sprig.

"Well, I heard you. You were being very loud," said Amara. "It's late. What are you still doing up?"

"Okay, you know how we were trying to learn the meaning of Christmas," said Sprig.

"I thought we settled that," said Amara. "Christmas is about being kind to people."

"Right, that's only part of it," said Sprig. "Turns out another part of Christmas is giving the people you like gifts."

"Oh, yeah, that is a part of it too," said Amara.

"So I was trying to find the perfect gift for Anne, but I have no idea what that is," said Sprig in frustration.

Amara looked over at the table Sprig had been working on. She could see various "gifts" Sprig had tried to make in various states of disrepair.

"I think you're obsessing about this a bit too much," said Amara. "What exactly do you consider the 'perfect gift?'"

"That's the problem. I have no idea what the perfect gift is," said Sprig.

"Look, Sprig," began Amara, "gift-giving is part of the Christmas tradition, but it's not meant to be the sort of thing that you stay up all night worrying about."

"But Anne means so much to me," said Sprig. "If I get her a bad gift, she'll hate me."

"No, she won't," said Amara in a comforting voice. "Listen, Anne is glad just to spend time with you. That's what Christmas is really about, spending time with the people you love. Heck, I'm glad to be able to spend time with you and your family."

"Really?" said Sprig.

"Of course. My family… I never really had a close relationship with either of them," began Amara. "My parents both cared more about making me into the 'perfect newt' than they did about us doing anything fun together. You, Polly, and Hop Pop… You guys are different. You all actually care about each other, and I love that about you guys."

Sprig smiled at Amara, who came forward and hugged the frog.

"If you want my advice about getting Anne a gift, I think you have the right idea of making one from scratch. I think she'll appreciate it a lot more if it's made by you," said Amara. She bent over and picked up the discarded present that Sprig had been working on, bringing it back to the table.

"Want some help?" asked Amara. Sprig smiled and nodded his head, and the two of them worked on the gift.

When the morning came, Anne made sure she was the first one up so that her parents wouldn't accidentally look out the window and see the surprise. She had the Plantars go outside and get in the float. When she felt everything was ready, she finally brought her parents outside with their hands over their eyes.

"Okay, so I really wanted to do something special for you guys, since you've done so much for me. And, well, open your eyes."

Oum and Bee opened their eyes, both letting out a loud gasp as they took in the sight of the float in front of them. The float was adorned with all manner of decorations that were a mix of Thai cultural decorations and traditional Christmas ones. The front and back of the float had beautiful Thai statues. The sides had golden elephant statues as well as the name of the restaurant, "Thai Go" on it. On top of the float, there was a traditional Christmas tree, and at the top of the tree was the family name "Boonchuy" and what looked like a crow's nest. The front of the float was connected to a truck, where the window rolled down and two girls yelled.

"Surprise!"

Oum and Bee stared at the float in awe, still trying to process the fact that this was real.

"Wow, this is amazing," said Oum in disbelief, "but what about keeping a low profile?"

At that point, the Plantars came up out of the crow's nest, all of them dressed in holiday clothes, except Polly, who was wearing brightly colored clothes and a hat with a feather. She was also holding a broom.

"Uh, wait a minute. Polly, what are you wearing?" asked Anne.

"I'm Black Pete," said Polly. "I'm the one who gets to beat the bad children with a broom."

Anne took a long look at the tadpole before saying in a deadpan voice, "Yeah, no, you are not wearing that to the parade."

"What? Why not? I checked, and it was a part of your human traditions," argued Polly.

"That's a part of Dutch tradition," said Anne. "We don't do that in this country."

"Well, then I guess I'm starting a new tradition," proclaimed Polly proudly.

Anne let out a groan before looking at Hop Pop and Sprig. "Well, at least you two have the right idea."

"Ho, ho, uh, line," said Hop Pop.

"Ho," said Polly, reading from a script.

"Are you sure? Doesn't sound right," said Hop Pop.

"Well, aside from Polly, I think no one will suspect a thing," said Anne. She turned back to her mother. "I wasn't going to let you give up on your dream because of me. You wanted this for so long, and you deserve it."

Oum leaned forward and hugged Anne. "It's perfect. Thank you so much."

"Merry Christmas, Mom," said Anne, returning the hug. As she did, Bee got into position with his camera and prepared to take a picture, though when he looked at the picture he had taken, Oum and Anne were not looking at the camera, and both had confused looks on their faces.

"Gosh, dang it!" exclaimed Bee. "I will get the perfect holiday photo, or I will die trying!"

As if on cue, one of the reindeer fell off the float, and Bee barely managed to get out of the way before it fell on him.

"I'm sorry, Santa!" said Bee in an apologetic voice.

---

Lights flashed as the floats made their way down Hollywood Blvd. The whole street had been adorned with Christmas decorations, and crowds of people had formed along the street to watch the parade. An announcer talked about each of the floats as they passed by.

"Welcome, everyone, to the annual Holiday Parade!" said the announcer in a loud voice. "We have so many floats from so many different businesses this year. Leading us off, of course, is the big man himself, Santa Clause! Everyone wave to Santa!"

The crowd cheered and waved to the lead float, which was a giant robotic Santa.

"And right behind him, we have the 'Construct a Carnivore' float!" continued the announcer. "Don't forget, kids and parents, they have specials going on all throughout the holidays, so come to construct a carnivore and construct your favorite animal-eating animal."

"Behind them is the Pet Vet Clinic, where you can take your pet to get checked up when he's not feeling so fine. This year's float is being ridden by one of the clinic's finest vets, Camila Noceda!"

The Pet-Vet Clinic float was composed of many different animals, mainly a cat and a dog forming the base of the float. Two snakes hung off the back in an arched snakelike pose, while the top of the float had a large parrot on it. Luz, Amara, and Camila rode on the float, waving to the crowd.

"I remember the first year we had this float," said Camila to Luz and Amara. "I was so excited to be a part of this parade."

"It is pretty fun," said Luz. "I love getting to wave to all the people and throw candy at them. Speaking of which, hey, Amara, want to help?" Luz offered the bag of candy canes to the newt.

"Sure," said Amara. The two went to the sides of the float and began throwing candy canes to the crowd, with the crowd cheering as they did.

"It's nice to know there are so many fun traditions in this world," said Amara. "While I do miss Amphibia, it's been a very fun time getting to see all that your world has to offer, Luz."

As the float passed through the crowd, Luz and Amara threw candy canes, while Camila called to the people on the streets.

"Remember, your dog should not be dragging their butt on the ground. If they do that, take it to a vet. Cats need their claws, and they like to scratch, so make sure and buy them a scratching post. Declawing a cat is cruel! Feed your bunny lettuce, not carrots!"

Right behind them, the Thai Go float came into view, with the announcer commenting on it.

"And now let's give a big hand to newcomers, 'Thai Go!'" proclaimed the announcer.

Oum, Bee, Sprig, and Anne all stood on the main area of the float, waving to the crowd. Hop Pop and Polly were up in the crow's nest, throwing out candy canes at the crowd. Polly had reluctantly abandoned her Black Pete outfit to wear a more traditional holiday one, though she still brought the broom with her. Meanwhile, Hop Pop seemed to have again forgotten what to say, with Polly yelling at him.

Anne cheered as the float moved forward. She was feeling so happy that everything had come together, and she felt even happier seeing her mom enjoy the surrounding spectacle until she saw her mom shed a tear.

"Mom, what's wrong?" asked Anne, concerned. "If it's not perfect, I'll fix it."

"No, no," said Oum. "It's just really nice to be a part of the community like this. Ever since your father and I came here from Bangkok, it's been a challenge fitting in. I have always thought that making it into this parade would mean we had finally done it."

"Wow, I never knew you and Dad felt that way," said Anne. "After months in Wartwood, I know what it's like to feel out of place." She came over and placed an arm on her mother, who smiled.

As that was happening, Luz came to the back of her float and waved at Anne and Oum.

"How are things going with you guys?" called Luz.

"Amazing!" said Oum. "Anne told me you and Amara helped with the float."

"We did," said Luz. "I'm glad you like it!"

"How is Amara liking the parade?" asked Anne.

"She's good," replied Luz. "How about the Plantars?"

"Well, aside from Hop Pop forgetting what to say, I think they're doing great," replied Anne.

"The crowd loves us," said Bee, coming forward to the front of the float to join Anne and Oum. "This is gonna be such good publicity for the restaurant."

"Awesome! Can't wait to have dinner at your place afterward," said Luz as she returned to the other end of the float to give out some more candy. Anne smiled as she watched Luz go.

"She looks so cute," said Anne in a wistful voice. Oum and Bee heard her say that, and they both smiled.

---

As the parade continued, Andrias's drone flew near the parade route, with Andrias himself still looking for Anne.

"I can't wait to squash this stupid world," he growled in frustration. "At this rate, it will take a miracle to find Anne."

As if on cue, Andrias turned the drone toward the parade and happened to catch sight of the Boonchuys' float, their name emblazoned on the side of it. Not only that, but Anne had chosen that exact time to let out a cheer.

"Whooo! I'm Anne Boonchuy! I'm Anne Boonchuy!" she yelled as she gripped the side of the float and jumped up and down in excitement.

"She's Anne Boonchuy!" said Sprig, coming up to her.

"Well, that was easy," said Andrias. "Oh, yeah, I remember this holiday." He turned the drone around so he could see the festive decorations.

"Glowing trees, nut smashers, red-suited jolly man with a beard. Oh, that gives me an idea. Let's get festive with this."

Andrias moved the drone over to the giant robotic Santa and landed it on his neck. Tendrils spread out from the drone and snaked out over the whole robot. When that was done, a stinger emerged from the tail of the drone and stabbed into the robot, injecting a swarm of nanobots into it. The nanobots quickly spread throughout the whole Santa robot, taking it over. Once they had, a robotic voice notified Andrias.

"Robotification complete, equipped for battle, and ready to rock."

"Well, Merry Christmas to me!" gloated Andrias.

Back at the Boonchuy float, Hop Pop and Polly had climbed down from the crow's nest and joined Anne and her parents on the main deck of the float, dancing to the music and enjoying themselves. Oum was having the time of her life, getting to be a part of the festivities.

"You were right, Anne," began her mom. "I shouldn't have been so worried about everything. I can't believe I almost missed out on this." She raised her arms in the air to punctuate that last part.

"I love Christmas so much!" cheered Oum at the crowd. While she was saying that, Bee took out his camera, sensing he could once again get the perfect shot.

"Hehehe, this gonna be so candid," he said as he lined up the group for a picture. Right before he could take the picture, the head of the large Santa robot turned around and spoke in a loud voice.

"Ho, ho, hello, Anne Boonchuy!" The group gathered on the float, turned away, and looked at the robot with expressions of terror on their faces.

"Ah, man, well, that's definitely ruined," said Bee, looking at the picture.

At the Pet Vet float, Luz and Amara had also heard the voice, and both turned to look at the Santa Robot.

"That voice, it can't be… King Andrias!" exclaimed Luz in alarm. Amara and Camila turned to look at the Santa robot in alarm.

"Wait, King Andrias is Santa?" gasped Sprig.

"Just when I thought I understood what this holiday was all about," sighed Hop Pop.

Slowly, the large robot got up from its seat and turned around. Lasers from its eyes destroyed the sleigh it was riding in. Its eyes changed focus and looked at the float in front of the Boonchuys.

"Oh, what have we here?" said Andrias through the robot. "Luz Noceda and Amara Light. I should have known you'd be with Anne. How fortuitous for me."

The robot, again, charged up its eye lasers and focused them on the Pet Vet float, blasting it and causing its occupants to fall down. Camila scrambled over to Luz.

"Is that the lizard king who's after you?" she asked in a worried voice.

"I'm a newt, not a lizard!" yelled Andrias indignantly. "We destroyed the lizard people's world."

He blasted the float again, causing it to catch fire. Below, the driver of the float quickly opened the door and got out, running as far as he could from the now-on-fire float. Luz looked from the Santa robot to the Boonchuy float.

"Everyone, get to the Boonchuys' float!" called Luz. She made a motion with her hand and waved Amara and her mother over. They both ran to the back of the float and leapt off it onto the Thai Go float. Luz made sure they were both off before leaping herself. Anne reached up her arms to help catch her on the float. Andrias blasted the Pet Vet float a third time and finally destroyed it. He looked over at the Thai Go float and picked up a large candy cane, hurling it at the float and causing Polly to fall off it. The parade crowd let out a gasp.

"We gotta get out of here now!" yelled Polly to Jess and Ally.

"But, but, giant robot!" said the two girls, their eyes going wide.

"That giant robot is trying to kill us!" called Luz, which seemed to snap them out of it.

"Ally, Jess, punch it!" said Polly.

Jess shifted the car into reverse, and quickly backed it, and the float up. Andrias tried to smash them directly with the Santa robot, but missed. Jess was able to turn the float around and quickly sped away, the robot close behind them.

"Wait," called Andrias, "you didn't even get to open your presents!"

"Hold up, presents?" said Polly. "Maybe we should hear this guy out."

The Santa robot brought up two mechanical presents. It launched the lids as though they were rockets at the float, barely missing them.

"Your presents suck!" yelled Amara.

"Well, that's all you're getting since you've been a bad girl, Amara," taunted Andrias.

The float turned a corner, almost tipping over. Andrias continued chasing them.

"Come, guys!" called Anne. "Grab anything you can and fight back!"

Camila, Oum, and Bee picked up whatever was lying around and hurled it at Andrias, though nothing they threw at him did any damage at all. Anne and Luz grabbed a large glass ball and threw it at Andrias, only to have him catch it and throw it back at them. Both had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by it.

"I am so sick of robots!" screamed Anne.

"He's too powerful!" said Hop Pop.

"Anne, does Santa have a weakness?" asked Sprig. His words gave Amara an idea. She leaped off the float and landed right on the robot.

"Amara, what are you doing?!" yelled Luz.

"Trying to find this thing's weakness!" she called as she climbed over the entire robot.

"Hey, get off!" said Andrias in annoyance, trying to swat her off.

Meanwhile, Ally and Jess saw a roadblock ahead and had to stop the float before running into it. This, however, meant that the group was now trapped, with Andrias quickly closing in.

Finally, Amara stopped at the back of the neck of the robot, noticing the drone on it.

"Guys, there's something here!" she called. "A bug of some kind. I think that's how he's controlling the robot. We need to get rid of it."

Amara put her hands on the drone and began yanking, trying to pull it out. Moments later, an electric shock coursed through the drone, shocking her and causing her to let out a yelp before falling off.

"Amara!" yelled Luz and Anne together.

"Nice try there," said Andrias in a snarky tone, "but did you really think it would be that easy?"

Camila jumped off the float and ran toward where Amara had fallen, scooping up the newt in her arms and checking her for signs of injuries. Andrias gloated at the group.

"Looks like this is the end of the road, Anne. Literally. Oh, and as a bonus, I get to kill Luz too. You've both been very bad girls this year."

Andrias began charging up the laser in the robot's mouth but was distracted as something stabbed into the robot's leg, knocking it off balance. Camila and Amara had grabbed a broken street lamp and used it to attack the robot.

"LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE!" yelled Camila as she and Amara thrust the street lamp at the robot again.

"Stop that!" yelled Andrias, turning the robot around to focus on Camila and Amara. As he did, Luz and Anne's eyes found the drone Amara had told them about. They both looked at each other, nodding their heads. Anne signaled her parents while Luz signaled the Plantars, and they quickly worked to bring the tree on the float over and load it into a makeshift firework can. Luz and Sprig tilted the can, trying to line up the angle correctly, while Hop Pop struck a match, lighting the wick. Polly's eyes lit up as she watched the fuse burn down.

Camila and Amara were still running about, trying to keep Andrias distracted as he fired lasers at them. They saw what Luz, Anne, and the others on the float were trying to do and did their best to keep the robot focused on them. They wielded the broken street lamp again and aimed it at this other leg, stabbing him and causing him to stumble again.

"Hold still and let me shoot you!" said Andrias as he continued to try to blast them.

"Hey, Andrias!" called Anne.

"Merry Christmas!" finished Luz as the fuse burned down, launching the tree at the drone. It struck the drone, piercing it and causing the connection to the robot to suddenly become interrupted. Andrias quickly checked his readout and saw that the drone had been destroyed.

"What? No!" he exclaimed.

The robot fell forward, propelled by the momentum of the tree, hitting it. As it fell, Amara and Camila quickly scampered out of the way. The robot fell face forward onto an old, ugly brown car. A little kid and his father observed this.

"Daddy, is Santa going to be okay?" asked the child.

"No, Timmy, I don't think so," answered the dad. He put his arm around his child and moved him away from the grisly sight.

Ms. Bryant walked out of the store in a huff, still grumbling under her breath about how the clerk did not honor her coupon. As she approached her car, she pressed the button on her remote to unlock it, only for it to make a strange sound. As she got closer, she finally noticed it was crushed under the destroyed Santa bot. She dropped her bag in horror.

"MY CAR!" she screamed.

---

Back in Amphibia, Andrias angrily removed the headset, crushing it in his hands and throwing the controller down to the floor

"Dang it! It's the stupid controller's fault! I was so close!"

He took out his sword and began striking the controller in a rage. Blair, Bartley, and Branson quickly and quietly decided to leave the room. They had just made it to the door of the throne room when, suddenly, a mass of purple goo formed around them into hands and grabbed them.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a sinister voice. From outside the throne, a new figure stepped into it. The figure had made a purple spell circle to summon the purple goo.

"We were just going to get some air," said Branson nervously. "It's a bit stuffy in here.'

"We, uh, figured it was best to leave the king alone," added Barley nervously.

"He seems like he needs to vent his frustration," said Blair, trying to sound compassionate.

"Yes, he certainly did need to vent his frustration, didn't he?" said another voice from inside the throne room. Another figure stepped out from the shadows—a figure that looked very similar to the one at the door.

"That was pathetic, though," continued the figure in the room. "You call yourself a king?"

"It was pathetic," said the other figure, "though I must admit it was entertaining to watch." The other figure let out a laugh.

"Ha, ha! Oh, I agree," said the one in the throne room, holding up a purple twenty-sided die. "Your tantrum did provide us with some amusement. Perhaps you should have been a court jester instead of a king."

Andrias shot the figure a look, but didn't respond.

"Still, I'm not sure it's entirely Andrias's fault," said the figure at the door, still holding onto the three newts. "I mean, you three did design that thing, right? So some of the blame should fall on you."

All three newts gulped as the figure used the goo hands to bring them closer to stare at its face.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" asked the figure.

"I'm certain we can iron out the kinks," said Bartley.

"This was technically a test run," said Branson. "We can take the data we learned and make a better drone."

"We'll make changes to the controller so that it works better," pleaded Blair.

"So you're saying you intentionally made it bad?" asked the figure in a menacing voice.

"No, of course not!" said all three newts at once.

The figure made a motion with its hand and moved the purple goo hands so they were holding the three newts out the window. All three newts looked down and let out a scream.

"You've already finished work on the spore collars, right?" it asked.

"Yes! The spore collars are ready to go," said Bartley quickly.

"They should work on any kind of creature, even herons," added Branson, also quickly.

"You'll still need us to maintain them in case something goes wrong," pleaded Blair.

With that, the figure's red eyes changed and began to glow as a rapid series of codes, numbers, and calculations flashed across its helmet. After a beat, it spoke in a cold voice.

"We have calculated that we don't need all of you…"

A second later, it opened its middle hand, dropping Bartley to his death, the purple newt screaming as he fell. The figure brought the other two newts back into the castle and released them from the purple goo hands.

"As for you two, let that be a lesson that we will not tolerate any further failure," said the figure to the two remaining newts.

Both gulped nervously and shook their heads to show they understood. They quickly left the throne room, eager to get as far away from the Core host as possible.

---

In the aftermath of the parade incident, the group had done their best to recover. They cleaned up what they could from the damage to their float, and while Anne was sad about having put them all at risk, her mother reassured her that she had still had a good time. Bee had somehow even managed to get his perfect candid photo that depicted the group celebrating after beating the robot, though no one seemed to remember him taking it. As they got ready to head home to begin their Christmas celebrations, they also decided to split up, as Camila and Oum wanted to make a stop before heading home. They asked Anne and Luz to come with them while Bee would drive the Plantars and Amara home and begin preparations for dinner. Anne and Luz were a bit puzzled as to where their mothers wanted to stop, as they hadn't said anything about it before. They drove in relative silence until finally reaching their destination.

As the cars came to a stop, Anne and Luz realized where they were. They had stopped just outside the Waybrights' house, causing the girls to let out a small gasp.

"Mom, what are we doing here?" asked Luz.

"Oum and I wanted to stop by and offer Melissa some food for Christmas," said Camila.

"We're going to give her some tamales we made and some cookies," said Oum. "You can stay in the car if you want."

Anne and Luz looked at each other before Anne said, "No, we'll go with you. We'd like to talk to her."

"Are you sure, Anne?" asked Oum.

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Anne. Luz nodded in agreement.

"Alright," said Camila. As she and Oum got out of the car, they went to the trunk and got out a plate of Christmas cookies and a bag of one dozen tamales. The four marched toward the front door of the Waybright house, with Luz recalling the first time she had come here. Once they reached the front door, they rang the bell. After a few minutes, Melissa Waybright answered the door. She was wearing normal clothes and looked a bit disheveled. Her eyes, which still had bags under them, immediately fell on Anne and Luz. For a second, no one said anything, but Luz and Anne eventually introduced themselves.

"Hello, Mrs. Waybright," said Anne.

"We wanted to bring you some food for Christmas," said Luz. Oum and Camila offered her the tamales and cookies.

"Listen, I know you're going through a lot right now, and I understand if you're still mad at me," said Oum in a humble voice, "but please let me try to make it up to you."

"Mrs. Waybright, about that fight Sasha and I had," said Anne, "listen, it is true we've been through a rough patch, but believe me when I tell you I am still trying to find her."

"We're both still trying to find her," said Luz. "Whatever happened between us, it's not fair that you should have to suffer. Please believe us when we tell you that we're trying to bring Sasha home."

Melissa continued to stay silent. She looked at Luz, Anne, Oum, and Camila for a long time, feeling a lot of different conflicting emotions. Finally, she said in a stern voice.

"Please, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but if there's one thing you must learn, it's not to make promises you can't keep. It's wrong to give someone false hope."

Anne knew the story that Luz had told. She knew Mrs. Waybright didn't know the truth. She wanted desperately to tell her that Sasha was okay, even if still trapped in another world, but she also knew it would be too much to tell her right now. Melissa turned to go inside without taking the offered food, but at the last second, she stopped and turned around, holding out her hands. Oum and Camila gave her the food. Melissa tried to smile but couldn't quite manage to do it. Still, she again looked at the guests at her door before saying.

"Thank you for the food."

"Melissa, are you sure you wouldn't like to come over to my house?" asked Oum. "We made plenty of food, and I think it would do you some good."

"I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I just don't feel up to it tonight," said Mrs. Waybright. She looked at Oum. "I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you after the girls disappeared, and I appreciate you inviting me to your house for dinner. I simply don't feel like going out right now, but… Perhaps we can do something for the New Year? I wouldn't mind having you over at my house for just a small celebration, nothing big."

"I'd like that," said Oum kindly.

"I would too," said Camila.

"I'll give you a call for New Year's, and maybe by then, I'll feel up to celebrate," said Mrs. Waybright. She looked down at the food in her hands. "Again, thank you for the food."

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Waybright," said Anne and Luz together in a tender voice.

Mrs. Waybright took a beat before finally managing a brief smile and replying, "Merry Christmas."

With that, she took the food inside and closed the door. The girls and the parents walked back to the car, and as they did, Anne and Luz gave one more look at the house, knowing they had to find some way to bring Sasha and Marcy home.

---

"So, do you know anything about what happened at the Christmas parade?" asked the Lyft Driver to his passenger.

"I think it was just a float malfunction," said the passenger, a young woman with long black hair, a blue beanie, and a coat.

"Ah, man, I hate it when those kinds of things happen," said the Lyft Driver. "Hope it doesn't cause any sort of traffic problems."

"I think you'll be fine," said the woman. "How's your holiday season been?"

"Pretty busy," answered the Lyft Driver. "Working a lot of jobs, but I got Christmas off, so I'll get to spend it with my family. I can't wait to try the tamales we made. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm alright," answered the woman. "Been playing my guitar and singing Christmas songs, trying to get some extra money."

"How's that been going?" asked the Lyft Driver.

"Pretty good," said the woman, "but I like just playing and seeing people smile."

"That is nice," said the Lyft Driver. "You look familiar. Have I seen you before?"

"Yes, I was at the mall, playing my music there," replied the woman, "I saw you stand up to that woman who was badgering that couple."

"Oh that, yeah I hate seeing people like that," said the Lyft Driver, "especially because… well, I used to think like she did."

"Did you?" asked the woman with interest.

"Yeah, I mean I never went on a rant against gay people, but if I'd seen something like that when I was younger, I know I wouldn't have stepped in and gotten involved," said the Lyft Driver a little sadly. "I'd probably just sit back and let it happen."

"What changed your mind?" asked the woman.

"A lot of stuff," said the Lyft Driver, "but I guess you could say it was seeing that the 'church people' were a lot crueler than the gay people. I don't like people who are cruel for no reason, especially when they're trying to force their morals on you and for you to follow god."

"Yes, especially when they have no idea what a god really looks like, or how it acts," said the woman. "In reality, there are a few higher species that humans might consider gods that they have no idea exist."

The Lyft Driver paused before responding, "Uh-huh. I mean, I guess that is one way to think about it."

"There also aren't really angels or demons as humans might think of them," continued the woman, "just spirits, spirits who occasionally take human form and come down to check on them."

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" said the Lyft Driver. "Makes more sense to me than any established religion."

The woman gave a coy smile.

"I sort of remember the song you were playing at the mall," said the Lyft Driver. "It was very pretty."

"Want to hear it again?" asked the woman, bringing up her guitar.

"Sure," replied the Lyft Driver.

The woman began strumming on her guitar before singing in a beautiful voice.

"I'm sure you feel it coming,

There's something on the breeze

It might be slightly snowing

Or seventy degrees.

Regardless of your hemisphere, the holidays are here

And with them come the tidings

Of this special time of year."

The Lyft Driver smiled as he heard her sing, making him feel at ease. The woman continued.

"A bucket of fried chicken

A costume for your dad

A demon who will stuff you, in a sack if you've been bad

A reindeer gets promoted

An old man confronts his fear

Of karma and mortality, this special time of year."

The woman strummed her guitar some more, getting ready for the last verse.

"Whatever makes you happy

Whatever gets you through

Whatever lets you know, that I am feeling this with you

If you believe it's special

Then that's what makes it special

It's a special, it's a special,

It's our special… time of year."

"That was very nice," said the Lyft Driver.

"Thank you," said the woman.

"Your song was very comforting. Made me feel relaxed," said the Lyft Driver.

They continued to drive in relative silence before finally arriving at the destination, though it seemed as though it was an empty field of sorts with no housing in sight. The Lyft Driver looked at his phone, making sure they were at the right address.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked, turning to look in the back, only to realize there was no one back there. The Lyft Driver did a double take as he looked again. Only the blue beanie the woman had worn was still back there. The Lyft Driver got out of his car and opened the back door to make sure, but no one was in the back seat. He looked around outside the car for any trace of the woman, but saw nothing. He felt unnerved and a little scared. Right at that moment, he got an alert on his phone, and the Lyft he had just completed had given him a very generous tip. He also got a text from an unknown number with a single message.

"Merry Christmas!"

---

As Camila pulled up to the Boonchuy's house, they could see the lights were already on. Bee had brought the Plantars and Amara over and was already starting the cooking. The Plantars and Amara had begun setting the table and making sure all the Christmas lights were on. Luz, Anne, Oum, and Camila joined in, helping in the preparations for dinner. The Boonchuy kitchen was full of activity. Once most of the food was ready, Oum, Bee, and Camila nodded to each other, as it was time for one more idea they had to be put into motion.

"It's time to make the maduros," said Camila.

"We need to make the mango sticky rice," said Oum.

Luz and Anne came over to their respective parents to help, but instead, they were greeted with a surprise.

"Actually, Anne, why don't you go and help Ms. Noceda?" said Oum.

"Oh, what?" asked Anne, confused.

"We thought it would be good to teach you how to make a different dish this time," said Bee.

"Luz, you help the Boonchuys make the mango sticky rice," said Camila to her daughter.

"Oh, okay," said Luz, surprised. Luz and Anne gave each other a look as they walked to their new locations.

Anne came over to where Camila was. Camila put her hand on Anne's shoulder and began to explain how maduros were made.

"So, first things first, you have to peal the plantain," explained Ms. Noceda. "This is very similar to how you peal a regular banana. Then you need to chop them up into equal parts, but you have to watch out for the pits. Unlike regular bananas, these have large seeds in them."

Anne followed along with what Camila said, cutting the plantains as she said.

"Next, we need to heat the oil," said Camila. "We use vegetable oil to fry them in, and you have to make sure and turn them at just the right time."

Anne took in her words and paid attention, wanting to make sure she made them right.

Over at the other end of the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy instructed Luz on how to make mango sticky rice.

"First, you need to steam the rice," explained Oum.

"While you're doing that, you can start to prepare the mixture," said Bee. "Mix up the coconut milk, sugar, and salt, and get it to a nice warm temperature, but we don't want to let it boil."

"You also need to slice up the mango," said Oum. "You want to get into nice little slices and serve it alongside the rice."

Luz concentrated as she sliced the mango and watched the cream mixture heat up, taking care not to let it burn.

It took some time, but eventually, both desserts were finished, and Anne and Luz presented them to each other's parents.

"How's this, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy?" asked Luz as she held up a plate of sticky rice.

"Looks good," said Oum.

"Have you tried it?" asked Bee.

"No, not yet. I was hoping one of you would, so you can let me know how it tastes," replied Luz.

"How do the maduros look, Mrs. Noceda?" asked Anne as she held up the plate for Camila.

"Very good, Anne," said Camila. "They look nice and brown. Did you salt them after they were done?"

"Yeah, I did. Do you want to taste one to see how I did?" asked Anne.

"Actually, why don't we have Luz taste them? I think she's done with your family's dessert too," said Camila.

Luz and Anne turned to each other, both holding a plate with their dessert. They each took a fork and offered each other a taste of their dessert. Anne tried the sticky rice prepared by Luz, and Luz tried the maduros prepared by Anne.

"Mmmm, this is really good," said Luz. "You did a great job, Anne!"

"The sticky rice tastes perfect," said Anne as she finished the sample Luz had given her. Both girls smiled at each other, and behind them, their parents smiled too. The girls took the desserts to the counter and placed them at the end of the rest of the food. Afterward, Luz went back to the Boonchuys, and Anne went to Camila.

"Thank you for showing me how to make that," said Luz to Oum and Bee.

"No problem," said Bee, putting his hand on Luz's shoulder.

"We glad to see how you and Anne get along," said Oum, placing her hand on Luz's other shoulder.

Luz looked up into the Boonchuys' faces before pulling them into a hug. The Boonchuys returned the hug.

"Thank you for showing me how to make maduros, Mrs. Noceda," said Anne to Camila.

"Of course, Anne. You seem a natural in the kitchen, and maduros aren't that hard," said Camila.

Anne leaned in and hugged Camila. Camila smiled and returned the hug, gently stroking Anne's hair.

---

With that, the group sat down and ate dinner. Afterward, they opened presents. Sprig gave Anne the figure he had made for her and told her how she was his hero. Anne looked at the little figure in the shape of herself and her eyes watered, she knelt down and hugged Sprig. Sprig returned the hug, glad that Anne enjoyed the gift he worked on. Anne gave her mother the butterfly from the derby. After the presents, Anne, Luz, Sprig, Polly, and Amara went outside and played a few rounds of tongue tag as well as a few rounds of bugball. Once it got too cold, they came inside and joined Bee and Hop Pop on the couch for a few rounds of video games. They played a few rounds of both Mushroom Dash (which Hop Pop was surprisingly good at) and some rounds of Hyper Bash, with Bee showing off just how good he was as he won against the others. The Joker victory theme played once again.

"Ah, confound this infernal contraption!" said Hop Pop. "Can we go back to the racing game? I was actually doing well with that!"

"I'm gonna get some more cocoa," said Anne, getting up from the couch.

"Me too," said Amara, joining Anne.

"I want more cookies!" said Sprig and Polly together, both getting up at the same time.

This just left Luz and Bee on the couch, with Luz's mouth still open in shock.

"Dang, you are good!" she said to Bee. "I guess I'm lucky that I didn't actually have to fight you for Anne's hand."

Bee gave a smug look to Luz before saying, "Well, Luz, maybe someday you'll get good enough to beat me." He paused before leaning in and whispering, "Maybe… when you are ready to actually ask for Anne's hand."

Luz blushed furiously but didn't respond. Bee put his hand on Luz's head and ruffled her hair.

"Alright, let's go again!" said Luz, giving Bee a fierce look. Bee gave a smirk before starting a new game.

Anne, Oum, Hop-pop, and Camila sat at the table and worked on a holiday-themed puzzle together. Sprig, Polly, and Amara sat down and enjoyed more cocoa and cookies. As the night wore on, the group eventually settled in the living room to watch a Christmas movie before finally deciding it was time to call it a night. The group all went out to the front porch to say goodbye. Right before they were ready to leave, Bee came over to Anne.

"Oh, Anne, I have to say, I love your hair decorations. Very festive," said Bee. "But I think there's one you forgot."

As he said that, he reached forward and put something in Anne's hair near the top. Oum and Camila saw what it was and gave a mischievous grin.

"Alright, everyone," said Oum to the Plantars, "let's get inside and let Anne and Luz say goodbye to each other."

"Wait, why did he put that weed in her hair?" asked Polly. Oum didn't answer and instead ushered the frogs inside.

"Come on, Amara," said Camila. She turned to Luz. "We'll wait for you in the car, Mija."

"What's up with that plant?" asked Amara as they walked away.

"I'll explain in the car," said Camila to the newt.

With that, Anne and Luz were left alone on the front porch.

"Luz, what did my dad put in my hair?" asked Anne, unable to see it.

"It's…. Uh…. Mistletoe," said Luz nervously as she looked from Anne's hair to her face.

"Oh!" exclaimed Anne, realization suddenly dawning on her. A smile formed on her lips.

Luz tried to think of something to say or something to do, but she found herself freezing up, unable to do anything. Anne seemed to have noticed as she reached out and took hold of Luz's hands.

"Well, Luz, you know how much I love Christmas traditions," said Anne in a coy voice, moving closer to Luz.

"Are… are you sure?" asked Luz in a hesitant voice.

"Luz, it's Christmas. Your girlfriend is standing under the mistletoe, and she's waiting for you to kiss her," said Anne in a gentle voice.

Luz looked up into Anne's face one more time and knew this was the moment. It was either now or never! After taking one more quick breath to calm her nerves, Luz moved her hands to Anne's shoulder and then slowly pulled her into a soft, tender kiss.

As their lips met, Luz felt a euphoria well up inside her that spread from the point their lips made contact down through the tips of her fingers and toes. She let the feeling wash over her whole body as she kissed Anne. It reminded her of the night of the dance, only this time, the mood and feelings were perfect. Anne felt a similar sense of joy as they kissed. She let herself fully enjoy the moment, finally getting to have the kiss with Luz she wanted. Anne pulled Luz closer to her, wanting this moment to last forever. Both girls felt their hearts race.

The kiss only lasted for less than a minute, but as they both pulled back, they were both smiling. Luz racked her brain as she tried to think of something cool to say—something that would make this moment perfect and make it a memory that she would cherish forever. After thinking for a few seconds, she finally decided.

"Merry Christmas, Anne." Luz brought up her hand to caress Anne's face.

"Merry Christmas, Luz," replied Anne. The two looked into each other's faces a bit longer before Luz turned to leave. She made her way back to her mother's car and got inside the back seat with Amara, her face aglow with happiness.

"So, Mija, did you have a good time?" asked Camila in a very coy voice.

Luz thought for a moment before responding, "BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" She leaned over and hugged Amara as she said that. Camila smiled and began driving home. Luz turned to wave out her window at Anne, who was still standing on her porch. Anne blew a kiss to Luz before her car faded from view.

Anne walked back inside, her parents standing just inside the front door.

"So, Anne, did you have a good Christmas?" asked Oum in a very coy voice.

"Yes," said Anne as she came up and hugged her parents. "Thank you so much for everything, especially you, Dad."

"What? I didn't do anything," said Bee slyly. Anne just smiled before giving both her parents a hug and heading upstairs to her room.

Once they were alone, Bee pulled another piece of mistletoe out and held it above his wife.

"Oh, what's this? Looks like I had another," said Bee with a mischievous grin. Oum looked up at the mistletoe and then turned to her husband, returning his mischievous grin. She didn't kiss him, but instead, she grabbed him by the collar (a little roughly) and pulled him towards their bedroom. Once they were inside, she closed the door.

---

[Play: "Under the Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber]

As Luz got ready for bed, she still had a big, goofy grin on her face. The night had gone perfectly, and this was the best Christmas she'd had in a long time. Honestly, she hadn't remembered one this good since before her dad died. For a second, she felt sad as she thought about him, but the feeling quickly passed as she thought of the wonderful Christmas she just had. She hoped that if her dad was still around in some way, he was a part of the celebration. Before she climbed into bed, she looked out her window one more time. It was so surreal to think that a little over a year ago, she had only just met Anne, Marcy, and Sasha for the first time. They had gone through so much together, and there was still a lot left to do. She knew they had to return to Amphibia, rescue Marcy and Sasha, and stop Andrias once and for all! While it all seemed so daunting, Luz knew that the two of them would succeed because they were together and they had their friends to help them. Whatever else was in store for them, they'd face it. At that moment, though, Luz was glad for the chance to relax and spend time with not only Anne but also Amara, Sprig, Polly, and Ho Pop. As she lay down in bed, she thought one more time of the kiss she had just shared with Anne and smiled before falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.

As Anne walked into her room, she saw that the Plantars were already asleep, no doubt tired from all the partying. Anne gently plucked the mistletoe from her hair and placed it on her desk, right next to the small figure Sprig had given her. She smiled as she looked over at the sleeping Plantars, glad to have had the opportunity to spend this Christmas with them. Anne looked out her window, thinking of all that had happened to her. How much her life had changed since she met Luz, how much she, Sasha, and Marcy had gone through in that time, and how they still had so much left to do. Despite knowing that the battle was far from over, Anne was glad for this brief respite from it. Glad that she had got to have such an amazing Christmas with her frog family, her human family, and Luz. She knew that whatever challenges they had to face in the future, she wouldn't be alone and would have her friends, her family, and Luz to help her. As Anne got into bed, she thought one more time about the kiss she had just shared with Luz and smiled before falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.

END OF ARC 5

NEXT TIME…

Arc 6: Agents and Adventures

So, phew! That was the longest arc yet. It sure took a lot out of me, but I think it was worth the extra chapters. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Of course, it's time for me to go on hiatus, and honestly, I really need this break. I spend a lot of my free time writing this fic, so I'd like some time to catch my breath and not have to worry about updating. I'm going to take a five-month hiatus this time since this current Arc was so long. So don't expect a new update until May of 2024. However sometime in April, I will release the trailer for the new Arc as well as the chapter titles so be on the lookout for that. I will still be active on DA and Discord so follow me on there to stay up to date on things. Also, remember I'm still involved in the writing/editing of "Calamitous Intervention" If you haven't checked out that fic you really should. I enjoy being a part of that process and spiritgamer is a great editor as well. I appreciate all he's done to help me improve this story.

Oh, that reminds me, during this hiatus, I'm going to be reuploading my old chapters on both and Ao3. Spiritgamer has graciously gone through all my old chapters and helped fix a lot of the spelling/grammar errors that were in them, as well as helped me punch up the dialogue a bit more. As of now the version of my story on Wattpad has those changes in them, but after this next hiatus, all three versions will have this more improved version of the story. Also by the time this hiatus is over the version on Wattpad should be up to date with the rest of them so at that point all three versions will be updated at the same time. Thanks again spiritgamer for helping me with this!

Obviously, during this hiatus, I will still release some One-shots and What Ifs? to tide you over, but that's not all…

So I've been planning this for a while but before I release any new TOATF content I want to release something else first, something more… original. You'll see what it is when I do release it as I'm going to start work on it soon. I hope to have it out sometime in December, but if not then January for sure. I'll release it on DA so again make sure you're following me there so you can see what it is. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

Aside from that, the way things stand it's likely to take another two years minimum (probably more when you factor in hiatuses) for me to finish this fic, and I just want to remind you that I have every intention of finishing it. Barring any unforeseen circumstances (or my own untimely demise, huh wonder if I should make an outline of the next two arcs and let my Beta Reader hold onto it in case.) I want to finish this fic. I have some amazing ideas in the works for the future and the finale and I hope that two or three years from now when we finally get to that point there will still be a fanbase for this fic that will get the chance to see it through to the end. I'm thankful for you all sticking around this long and I hope that when I finally do get to the end you'll all still be around then. Thank you for your support!

I hope I continue to impress you…