SZ: *hums Feliz Navida while setting up some Christmas decorations* In case you're all wondering, we're getting ready for Christmas, so to celebrate...we're doing a christmas OVA for GSE!
GT: Eeyup. Considering we skipped Thanksgiving due to the four-parter we did, we'll have to make up for with this.
SZ: Mmm hmm. We own nothing aside from original content, so...oh wait.*puts up a sign that said 'NO MOKEYS!*There...to those who watch Sr Pelo on Youtube...you know who I'm talking about, especially during...you know what.
GT: Huh? No clue who that is.
SZ: Ah...then unless you want to hear constant screaming(most of which used as sounds for SMG4's videos) and table smashing...then...ahem! Moving onto the story, so start us o-*gets smashed by a Christmas tree with GT*
?:*offscreen*KRIMAS!
SZ: Ow…
GT: ...At least...it wasn't...the Nostalgia Critic…
"I do not understand. Why are people putting so many lights on lines up?" Rook pondered, driving the Proto-Trukk on patrol as he looked around at the buildings where people were hanging up lights and decorations.
"It's November 23rd, Rook," Ben replied, "As in the day after Thanksgiving?"
"Thanks for giving what?"
"Oh right...Earth holiday. More specifically, a United States of America holiday," Ben facepalmed, "What did you think was up with Mom and Dad coming over with that big feast?"
"I thought it was because they missed you," Noel admitted.
"...Oh, right. No USA in the future," Ben facepalmed once more, "...Wait. Do you girls not know about Christmas either?"
"Never heard of it," Makoto replied, "New Years? Yep. Arbor Day? Yep. Halloween? Oh yeah. Thanksgiving and Christmas? What the heck is that?"
"What is Christ-mas?" Robotboy asked.
"Gosh golly, Ben, we have a lot of work on our hands, don't we?" Jenny asked.
"Looks like it…" Ben replied with a sigh, "You see...Christmas is a special holiday that takes place on December 25th a..."
"Eh? It takes place on my birthday?" Noel blinked.
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah. Noellie was born on December 25th," Makoto replied.
"...wow. My friend Tuck-the one I knew in my time. Not Danny's friend-would be so jealous of you, Noel," Jenny noted, making her blink, "On Christmas, you get gifts from your friends and family...which is kinda like a birthday, only minus the cake...though in your case Noel, I guess you do end up getting cake."
"...Does that mean Noel gets double the presents?" Makoto asked.
"Most likely. Then again, this is the first time I've known someone to have Christmas as their Birthday. I had a classmate in Middle School that had it on Christmas Eve, but not on Christmas itself."
"Well...This is weird how that this is the Holiday you guys lose…" Ben muttered, "It's all about family, good will towards others, presents, food...presents…"
"The presents do sound appealing…" Makoto nodded.
"And the rest also sounds nice," Noel argued.
"Yeah, tons of stuff, like family coming together bringing food...Grandpa's exempt since I was 10 and he brought what can only be called an Alien Turducken...which promptly tried to eat Aunt Nora...It was how the rest of the fam learned of the Omnitrix," Ben told a quick story.
"Alien Turducken…" Makoto repeated before shuddering, "Why does that scare me?"
"As it should…" Ben nodded.
"Ben, I love your Grandpa...but his taste in food is…" Makoto trailed off as she nudged her head in Noel's direction.
"It's not so bad." Noel argued blissfully unaware of Makoto's implications.
"Still sounds neat," Makoto changed the subject.
"Of course it is!" Jenny smiled, "Family and friends coming together on a cold winter night, food and gifts. It's just amazing, plus all the traditions and iconic foods."
"Oh?" those unaware asked.
"Yeah, there are tons of foods from all over the world." Jenny added, "From Roast Ham, Figgy Pudding, Gingerbread cookies, and I guess all sorts of stuff."
"So wait...It's a day to get presents, and eat tons of seasonal foods," Makoto summed up.
"Or, if you're that one uncle, drink Hard Eggnog 'till you fall asleep under the Christmas tree shirtless…" Ben shrugged, "And avoid all your aunts and the Mistletoe…"
"Mistelewhat?" Noel asked.
"Mistletoe...the weird plant you hang on the ceiling and if two people are underneath it then they have to kiss." Ben explained, "Kinda creepy at family parties, but some folks abuse it as a means of scoring a kiss on the lips at Christmas parties with friends from school or work."
"Ooh…" the girls awed at that tradition.
"I'll burn them," Ben quickly argued, "Don't think of it...and don't think I won't."
"...Wh-"
'No," Makoto instantly denied Noel before she could say anything, making her pout.
"We should probably tell the others," Jenny spoke up.
"Something tells me Grandpa has it covered," Ben spoke.
"And that...is the unabridged history of Christmas and why it is the best holiday on Earth...after Thanksgiving but that one's not global...so Christmas has it beat," Max spoke, literally seating all the new Plumbers and those new to this planet and/or timeline, "Any questions...that are not about Santa or the time I was turned into him?"
"...I...wh…" Kajun muttered, trying to make sense of what she heard as she tried to write things down in her notebook.
"This is normal so that no one is confused when I begin hanging up Christmas decorations and drag in a giant tree," Max explained.
"By big tree…" Tsubaki began.
"Magister goes out into the woods and chops down the largest tree in the forest...and then drags it back...without any alien technology," an officer spoke.
"...wow," Mai slowly blinked at that.
"The Tennyson family loves this holiday," Pateliday added, "Max hasn't missed a single chance to throw both an office party and still make it to his family dinner."
"Huh...soka," Tsubaki noted.
"...i...illogical."
"Hmm?"
"I apologize, but I find it highly illogical," Kajun stated as she put her notebook down.
"Santa's not real Kajun, it was just a one time thing with a crazy magic elf." Max sighed, "Just a story we tell kids so they'll behave till next Christmas."
"Well I apologize, but we didn't have such a thing back in our time," Kajun argued simply.
"Yes...but you are also from a dystopian reality run by a government power that is clearly corrupt and by all accounts evil," Max argued, "Now you're in the past and have one of the best holidays ever."
"...I suppose…" Kajun muttered.
"...you're still trying to find logic for the Santa stuff, aren't you?" Mai deadpanned.
"I know Santa is just a story, but I still...UGH!" Kajun groaned, "I mean, how is it he's able to travel the entire Earth in a single night? How can he survive for so long? How is he not cold from living in the North Pole, one of the coldest points on earth?! How…!?"
"Kajun, Kajun, Kajun! Calm down!" Tsubaki shouted as she and Mai held their friend down.
"It's just a story, it's not supposed to make sense…" Mai complained, "What next, you're gonna try disprove the Tooth Fairy?"
"YES!...and before you bring up the black Beast and the Six Heroes...those events actually happened and has logic to it! This...this is...UGH!""
"I have a feeling this is going to be a long day…" Tsubaki sighed.
"Kiddo, it's just a story." Max sighed, "You take science too seriously…"
"Hm...says the man who defeated an evil alien warlord with a glob of goo and a warhead…" Pateliday countered.
"It was all I could think of at the time."
"That's another thing." Kajun spoke, "Why is Magister Tennyson so amazing at times? He's literally just a human."
"Yeah...I have gained a few holiday pounds!" Max laughed, "Ah...I look nothing like the young me," he went on, "But come on, Kajun. You're overthinking things again. I'm not that amazing, I'm just a humble old plumber." he spoke before shooting his hand up and grabbing a grenade before tossing it into a trashcan. He kicked it and flipped it over letting it explode inside safely, "Okay...who's the wise guy?"
"See?! Those are not things a normal man his age does!" Kajun argued.
"Didn't you girls attend a military academy?"
"Don't you try and deviate m-" Kajun began.
*CLANG!*
"I owe Noel a new frying pan…" Mai muttered as Kajun collapsed on the ground, a steaming bum on her head with her eyes replaced with swirls.
"It was for the best," Tsubaki noted, "Stuff her in the supply closet again."
"Ah...but the janitor complained she carved up the walls with tally marks when she thought she was stuck in there for days…" Mai complained not wanting to have that talk again.
"Too bad it's the only place in the Headquarters she hasn't retrofitted with voice activated tech that obeys her," Tsubaki argued.
"On the one hand, she's managed to improve work safety and reduce accidents caused by Blukic and Driba," Patelliday noted, "On the other...these moments."
"Would you rather she have let them rebuild the Anihillarg like they were going to attempt instead of disposing of the pieces like they were ordered to?" Max asked.
"...Fair point."
"...I feel like Kajun tried to overthink something again," Makoto muttered.
"When hasn't she?" Ben joked.
"...Fair point," Makoto shrugged, "So what's first on this little intro to Christmas?"
"Hmm...Well I'd say looking for a Christmas tree, but Grandpa probably has that covered," Ben answered.
"...It's not gonna be some sentient tree alien, is it?"
"Nope. Just a simple pine tree."
"Least that part of Christmas hasn't changed," Jenny noted.
"Why pine tree?" Robotboy asked.
"I am honestly curious as well," Rook added, "Why specifically a pine tree?"
"It's because they have the best branches to hold up heavy ornaments," Ben replied.
"Ornaments?" Noel repeated.
"Hmm…" Ben looked around before spotting a Hallmark, "Pull over there, Rook. This will be easier if I show you an ornament than just explaining."
"...Okay then," Rook nodded as he turned the ProtoTRUK around, driving it right up to the store before stopping near it.
"Hallmark? Oh, I remember this when it was starting out," Jenny recalled, "Actually got the first card from them for saving their machines from a bunch of biker fish-women that wanted to turn them into wheels for monster motorcycles."
"...Biker…fish-women…" Makoto slowly repeated, "...Why is that the weirdest thing I've heard all day?"
Minutes later, Ben and Jenny had them ushered into the store and quickly to a wall partially covered in ornaments.
"These are ornaments," Ben explained, "You place them on Christmas trees as a decoration."
"They sure have changed a lot since my first few years," Jenny noted, "All the ones I knew were shaped like balls, bells, stars, and even toys made of a fragile colored glass."
"Well some things end up changing a bit to go with what's currently trending or is pretty famous," Ben explained.
"That explains the ten of your aliens," Makoto noted.
"A lot of these are kinda cute," Noel noted, Robotboy held in her arms.
"No-el, button," Robotboy noted, pointing at a Fozzie bear ornament.
"A button?" Noel pondered before pushing it.
=I just flew in from the coast and boy are my arms tired! Ahh~!=
"Ah! Lit-tle bear talk!" Robotboy awed as Makoto snickered.
"He f-flew…and his arms..." Makoto giggled, "Oh I gotta get that one...Oh wow. There's a lot. I think I see a few Disney and Looney Toon ones, too."
"Do these go on the pine tree as well?" Rook pondered, looking at other decorations.
"Not all of them," Ben replied, "Hmm...Since we're here, might as well get a few things. We can get a tree after our patrol for any ornaments."
"Sounds like a plan," Jenny nodded, "Oh. Should we pick up some lights and tinsel to put on the tree?"
"Good thinking," Ben agreed, "Might as well get some lights for decorating the house, too."
"I feel that Tsubaki, Mai, and Kajun are having just as much of an experience like we're dealing with," Makoto noted, watching the two plan.
"Glad to have you aboard for the hunt for a tree," Max noted, wearing a heavy red coat and red trapper hat as he led himself, Mai, Tsubaki, Kajun, and a few Plumbers all wearing heavy coats, "Remember, we're looking for the biggest one there is."
"Understood sir."
"If only Makoto were here...She'd probably help find the best one," Mai muttered.
"Oh, I believe that!" Max laughed, "But we'll make do with what we got. Part of the fun is the search anyway!"
"I suppose...plus she'd probably end up eating the chocolate I made for…" Kajun began as she opened a container...only to see nothing inside, "...Eh? Where...is the chocolate?"
"Who knows," Tsubaki instantly replied, wiping a bit of chocolate from her face before anyone could notice.
"Ah don't worry, kids. It's the Holiday season, trust me!" Max laughed, patting his own belly, "Treats are abundant this time of year!"
"Really?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yep. Know all the places to get the most at cheap prices, too," Max chuckled, "Now spread out and find the biggest tree you can!"
"Yes, sir!"
"...Kajun...What are you scribbling about?" Mai whispered.
"Trying to figure out the exact dimensions a sack Santa Claus would need for a minimum of one present for each person on the planet," Kajun replied, "The size of it would be as big as a mountain at best. No possible way to carry it, either."
"Kajun," Mai spoke, making her look over at Max.
"And an axe for you," Max noted, reaching into a small bag and pulling out an axe too large for it to hand to a Plumber, "And an axe for you…"
"...How?" Kajun gawked.
"Think the TARDIS from Doctor Who," Tsubaki noted, "It's smaller on the outside and bigger on the inside."
"Well that makes sense in a TV show but…"
"Oh tech like that exists," Max cut Kajun off, "Hehehe...I used it on my old closet when I was raising my boys to hide stuff from them. Lord knows you can't have two hyperactive boys around dangerous weapons."
"Magister, you used fantastic alien technology to hide weapons in your home?" Tsubaki asked.
"Old habits die hard, kiddo…" Max smiled, "I still sleep with a Plasma Rifle under my bed. Never hurts to be prepared for any situation."
"Is that why you have an old Plumber battle suit hanging in your RV closet?" Mai asked.
"Hehehe...Oh that old thing!" he laughed, "Haven't used it since that Summer vacation where Ben got the Omnitrix and Gwen started learning magic. It was my only way to keep up with those kids really." he then whipped out three axes for the girls, "Now come along. We've got a tree to find!"
'...I hope Makoto and Noel are being just as frustrated as I am,' Kajun thought.
"Egg...nog?" Makoto asked, looking at a half-gallon bottle of a semi-yellow/white liquid that Ben was pouring into a few cups.
"It's a seasonal drink for Christmas," Ben explained, "They have lots of flavors and come in two variants, the soft kind that are just a sweet seasonal drink...and then the hard kind which...is as you'd assume...meant for that one Uncle who prefers a 24-7 buzz…" Ben rambled.
"...is it good?"
"Kinda up to you. As the name implies, it has eggs in it; so give it a taste to see how you like it," Ben explained as Jenny handed them out.
"So what's the nog?" Makoto asked.
"Huh?"
"Well, the 'egg' in 'eggnog' makes sense since you said it has eggs in it," Makoto noted, "So what's the nog?"
"Well, that was the name of this strong beer that was originally used with it, or it may stem from noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol," Jenny replied, "Well, either that or 'Eggnog' was an Americanism invented in between the years 1765-75."
"Huh…" the others all muttered at that bit of trivia.
"So besides eggs, what's in it?" Makoto asked.
"Milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon…" Ben listed.
"Hmm…" Makoto nodded, "Well that sounds awesome! Bottoms up!" she cheered, downing her cup in one chug, "?! Whoo! Now that's good!"
"Only downside is that it's only available from October to the end of December. Otherwise, dad would have it every day," Ben chuckled, "But also a good thing it's so limited. Given the ingredients, it has a lot of calories in a single cup."
"...Oh I gotta introduce this to my family when I see them again," Makoto grinned as she took another chug of her eggnog.
"Uhm...Ben, this kind is…" Noel began.
"It's non-alcoholic," Ben nodded simply.
"Oh…"
"Can Robot-boy try?" Robotboy asked.
"Sorry, kiddo, but we can't have it," Jenny apologized.
"Aw…"
"Lucky for you, I know the recipe for a version of it that Robots can drink," Jenny winked.
"Rea-lly? Yay!" Robotboy cheered.
"I do not understand it...but it is very good," Rook added, taking a sip of his own, "It is like drinking a morning pastry…"
"Oh my god, you're right! It is like drinking liquid pastry!" Makoto realized.
"I hope the others are having a nice time learning about Christmas," Noel spoke, drinking hers.
"Oh now this is perfect," Max spoke, examining a tree before he grunted, pulling a Blackbear cub off the tree as he put it down on the ground, "Hm...Just slight scratch marks, but otherwise perfect." he went on as the cub began chasing around the girls.
"Ahh! Magister, why?!" Mai yelped.
"Oh come now, girls. It's just a bear cub," Max chuckled.
"But we don't want to use force on it either!" Tsubaki added.
"He's kinda adorable!" Mai added.
"Oh relax," Max replied, picking the cub up, "Just pick him up and roll him on towards another tree." he laughed, doing so as the cub began climbing again, "Ben would often go alien and wrestle with them when he was ten."
"But what if the mother is nearby?" Kajun asked, "Bear mothers are pretty territorial, especially when they feel their cubs are in danger."
"Oh relax, kids. It's just a bear. You act like we'll run into a monster," Max replied.
"Magister, please don't tell us you wrestle the bears…" Tsubaki muttered.
"Oh don't be silly. I let Ben do that!" Max laughed, "I just tame them."
"...You…tame...bears…" Kajun slowly repeated.
"Just an old trick." Max laughed as he looked at the tree over one more time, "Ah yes. A perfect tree for the HQ! Time to commence the chopping."
'What we wouldn't give for Makoto to be here…' the trio of girls thought in unison.
"Wow, the malls are packed!" Makoto noted.
"Everyone's buying presents," Ben explained.
"On Christmas, you buy family presents, and some folks buy them for just anyone else in the immediate family and friends," Jenny added.
"There are also things like office Christmas parties where you do things like Secret Santa or a White Elephant gift," Ben added in once again.
"What's that?" Makoto asked.
"Secret Santa is a thing where you randomly pick a co-worker's name and have to get them a gift. But they can't know you got their name and you have to be anonymous." Ben explained.
"White Elephant is a kinda party game where everyone brings generic presents for the sake of a game where you search and trade gifts around for fun." Jenny explained the second one, "Don't expect to get anything expensive though."
"Yeah. Normally, the rule is gifts under twenty bucks," Ben chimed in.
"Huh...interesting," Makoto noted, "...Wait. Does it also mean you have to give the jerky co-worker a gift too?"
"If you get his name for Secret Santa, or if for White Elephant; he'll get something," Ben nodded.
"It's why we have those...to avoid dealing with them directly," Jenny smiled.
"You only have to try and spend on the people you care about," Ben laughed.
"Ahh...fair enough I suppose," Makoto nodded.
"...Um...Why do they call it a white elephant gift?" Noel asked.
"Thank the Southeastern monarchs in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma," Jenny replied, "They're considered sacred animals in those places because of a tale that Buddha's mother had a dream the night before giving birth to him. The dream depicted a white elephant giving her a lotus flower, a divine symbol of purity. For this reason, it was thought that white elephants were sacred, and laws were made to protect them from labor. Because white elephants couldn't be put to work, their maintenance costs were out of proportion to their usefulness. Modern day white elephants include kitchen gadgets that seem useful, but take up useful space in your cupboards and rarely get used."
"Eh?" Makoto gawked.
"Of course, it's not just about kitchen gadgets, it's one time where gifts are encouraged to be inexpensive or even re-gifted for the entertainment of the gift exchange rather than the usefulness of the gift itself. It is believed that this term got its more contemporary meaning from social gatherings as early as 1828," Jenny shrugged.
"So no get white ele-phant?" Robotboy asked.
"Only if it's a small toy or something that isn't a real one," Jenny assured.
"I understood nothing other then be cheap and have fun at the party," Makoto replied.
"Why is everything talking about a Black Friday?" Rook pondered.
"Considering today's the day after Thanksgiving, you're witnessing the insanity that is all day sales known as Black Friday," Ben noted, "I tend to do my shopping throughout the year to avoid this day."
"Why?"
"Because usually during Black Friday, a lot of prices are usually cut by...oh say 50 percent, 70 percent, all that."
"WHAT?!" Makoto and Noel exclaimed.
"A-buh-buh," Jenny held up a hand, "You also forget that some products are actually made with cheaper materials at this time, too. Meaning you have to come back and pay more for fixing or replacing something you bought or received that was bought today or in the next two weeks."
"And, there's also…" Ben began before turning into Swampfire and flicked a few seeds at a group of women fighting over a ruined dress, quickly catching them in the vines that grew from the seeds, "A large amount of violence over things." he sighed, "Excuse me for a second...Time to blast them with stink." he walked off.
"Wait, what's that? ...Oh my god!" Makoto covered her nose as Swampfire blasted gas from his hands that began knocking people out.
"Mornin', Ben," a mall officer greeted, wearing a gas mask as he and several others began to cart off the knocked out people.
"Morning, Officer Chuck," Swampfire greeted back, "Black Friday's still insane."
"Oh, you know it," he chuckled.
"Gun on this one!" another officer called.
"There's always one," Chuck muttered, "Toss 'em into a closet and call Ross for pick up."
"Really need to do something about security checks on Black Friday," Swampfire scowled.
"Ah we're just glad we have you, Ben!" he laughed, "Almost don't mind the methane smell given how easy you make the job."
"Sorry 'bout that. It's kinda my easiest method of knocking people out without you know…"
"Oh no, we get it. That's why we sprang for the gas masks last year," he tapped said mask, "These things are like a dream, I tell ya. The Mrs. still complains of the smell on the clothes though." he shrugged.
"No-el, Mako-to is down," Robotboy noted, poking Makoto's foot as she twitched on the floor.
"Oh dear…" Noel whispered.
"Blaaarg….." Makoto groaned.
"Well...now I know that Makoto's sense of smell is really strong, so…no perfume for her for gifts?" Jenny noted.
"Hai," Noel nodded as Robotboy poked Makoto's foot once more.
"Noted," Rook spoke.
"Alright. Easy now, easy...Jenkins, lift it higher there!" Max ordered as several Plumbers pulled on ropes on pulleys to get the tree up, "B'jor'k, lower that leg and go to the restrooms!"
"And this is…?" Mai asked Blukic and Driba as they sat on a mounted machine gun colored like a candy cane, both wearing a santa hat.
"Tree light gun," Blukic replied.
"Magister Tennyson had us build it a few years back to make decorating the tree easier...and more fun!" Driba added.
"...And no one's gotten injured by it?" Mai asked once more.
"Nope...Well, there was Manfredi and Johnson, but we don't talk about that."
"Yes, we do."
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do."
"No, we don't."
"Tsubaki, get the bucket of water over here so we can keep the tree healthy!" Max called.
"Yes sir!" Tsubaki called out as she carried over said item.
"I have it," Kajun spoke, looking at her tablet, "He could not be able to survive with all this."
"What now?" Mai asked.
"His snaking on the job," Kajun replied, "If Santa takes two bites of each cookie served around the world, he consumes roughly 336,150,386 cookies. As you probably know, Santa Claus doesn't always finish his glass of milk, so that means he drinks a little less than a million glasses, but the amount that's served would fill an Olympic pool nine times over. He'll have consumed just under 40 billion calories," Kajun explained "And all those side-effects from that! Overstressing the digestive system, high long-term damage to the liver, spleen, and pancreas, a massive increase of a heart attack, and oh so much more!"
"Hmm…" Max nodded, "Okay, I see your point, but...counterpoint kiddo...Makoto's diet."
"?!"
"And another counterpoint," Mai added as a Perk Gourmand Plumber walked by while eating a scrapped vehicle's engine like a snack.
"..." Kajun's eye twitched.
"Kajun, I know you love logic and reason above all else, but kiddo? It's just a silly fictional story we tell kids. I mean, if you want to make sense of it, just think of it all as magic." Max explained, "But again, it's not real and the time with me and the kids were all magic shenanigans, too."
"...Right. Right," Kajun nodded as she walked off, "Just a story…"
"...She's not gonna give up, is she?" Max asked.
"I think she'll give up when we get back to the house and someone gets inside after she locks up everything including the fireplace with a bag of presents on them," Mai noted.
"I really wish she'd give it a rest and join in on the fun with us," Max sighed, "Hehe...To think I'd get more and more kids to take care of at this age."
"Ahhahahaha!" they looked up to see P'li at the top of the tree, the pants of his uniform stuck on a branch, "A little help please? It's giving me a wedgie~"
"I wish it was just you girls some days." Max sighed, facepalming as he grabbed the axe from earlier, "Better hold still, P'li! Been a while since I've done some ax throwing."
"Eep," P'li squeaked.
"Okay, Robotboy, this is really important," Jenny noted as she and Robotboy stood outside of the house with several boxes.
"What is it?" Robotboy asked as Jenny opened a box and pulled out a bound line of green-covered wiring with multiple tiny lights plugged into it.
"We are going to be decorating the exterior of the house with these Christmas lights and decorate the yard with the other things we bought," Jenny replied.
"Mm," Robotboy nodded as he ignited his feet and floated up; he grabbed one end of the lights before giving a thumbs up.
"Alright. Ready...go!" Jenny cheered as the two began flying around the house at high speeds.
After a few laps around the house, the two stopped and looked at their work. Jenny pointed to a few spots as Robotboy saluted and the two flew back and began fine tuning their work. The two met up and smiled at the house now fully decked in Christmas lights which lit up all at once, before lighting up in patterns. Jenny smiled proudly as Robotboy awed at the effects.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
"Yes! Ve-ry pret-ty!" Robotboy replied before tilting his head at one of the inflatable Santas on the lawn riding a sled with a Rudolph pulling it, "Who is he, Jen-ny?"
"Hmm?" Jenny blinked before looking in his direction, "Oh! That's Santa."
"San-ta?"
"Santa is a magical man who lives in the North Pole," Jenny began, "He lives in a workshop with a lot of elves who make toys for all the good little boys and girls." she went on as she began scanning the lawn to see what to put where, "Every year on Christmas Eve night, he flies around the earth and deliver those presents to all those boys and girls. But only if your nice, cause if you're naughty, then all you get is a lump of coal."
"What is naugh-ty?" Robotboy asked.
"It means bad, you do nothing but bad and mean things to people," Jenny explained.
"Oh...like Kamikaze?"
"Exactly."
"ACHOO! AHH! CONSTANTINE! GET IN HERE! I SPILLED HOT CHOCOLATE ON MYSELF!"
"I shall get the burn cream…" the man sighed as he lowered the heat on the stove so his cooking would not burn.
"Why Santa do this?" Robotboy asked as he and Jenny sat on the roof.
"Hm...I don't know Ro…" she replied, "I think Santa is just the perfect example of nice; he gives everyone in the world a present and makes them all happy."
"Huh...cool," Makoto noted, overhearing the conversation from the window as she finished setting some decorations up, 'If that's the case...I can name QUITE a few people that deserve to be on the Naughty List…'
"Why did you have me get a pinecone?" Rook asked, holding up a pinecone.
"Put it in the tree stand and I'll show you," Ben replied.
"...Very well," Rook nodded as he did so.
At that, a flash of light replaced Ben with Swampfire. He aimed his hands and shot a steady stream of gas from his palms. The gas was absorbed into the pinecone as it began to rapidly grow and age into a sapling, and then into a young tree before fully becoming a mature albeit house friendly pine tree. Another flash went off before water filled the basin of the tree stand thanks to Water Hazard before he changed back into Ben.
"And now we have the Christmas tree," Ben grinned, "Noel, has the popcorn popped yet?"
"It's still counting down," Noel replied, "But, um...Why did you give me a needle and thread? And why did we buy red and green candy spray?"
"Teaching you something Mom taught me," Ben replied, "How to make a line of popcorn to decorate the tree with."
"We put food on a tree?" Rook asked, "That does not seem safe, especially if the food were to expire."
"Kinda seems like a waste of food to me," Makoto added.
"It's popcorn. We coat it in the candy spray so it doesn't go bad," Ben replied, "Plus, we also have candy canes to put on the tree."
"Okay, I'll admit it sounds a bit better," Makoto admitted.
"Mmm...Oh! What if we dunk the popcorn in sweet and sour sauce before coating it?" Noel asked.
"Noel, no experimenting with the popcorn until after we make the line," Ben warned.
"Ah~" she complained.
"And it's not for eating…" he reminded, "So do it like the instructions say. Otherwise...well...there is no otherwise...just do it like it says, please."
"Oh okay…" Noel sighed.
"...You can make another line however you want it to after you make this one, fair?" Ben asked.
"Okay!" Noel cheered.
"Remember...not for eating," he teased slightly.
"You seem extra giddy," Makoto noted.
"Of course I am," Ben replied, "Noel's the second person I know aside from myself having a birthday in December."
"...Huh?"
"December 27," Rook noted, "It's on…"
"On his file, right, right, right," Makoto waved him off, 'Hoo boy...Gonna be a lot of work for me on present shopping.'
"Hey, Magister! Someone got to the brownies in the fridge!" Wilhelm called out.
"They're all gone! Even the special Christmas ones!" another Plumber officer added.
"Hmm?" Max raised a brow at that, pausing from putting some stuff on the tree, "That's odd…"
"Perhaps P'li had them…" Tsubaki mummered, a hand over her mouth before wiping something from her lip.
"But...P'li's over there…" Mai spoke, pointing to the trapped alien Panda as his team mates tried to untie him.
"How?" several of them asked.
"The gift wrap...it's evil...and alive!" P'li cried.
"Oh come on. It's can't be that bad," Ma'antis noted as he tugged only to be snapped back into the bindings...where he was now stuck to P'li's behind upside down, "I take it back! It's alive, evil, and P'li you better not have had any beans!"
"No...Wait. Do chimichangas have beans?"
"AHH!"
"Ugh...Honestly…" Razorclaw sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Max laughed, "Ah, that takes me back to when my boys were still kids and got tied up in Christmas wrapping. Still have the videos of each time that happened, too. Even have a couple of when this happened to Ben and Gwen, too."
"That sounds hilarious and adorable," Mai spoke.
"Oh, those times were," Max chuckled.
"Soka...e-excuse me. I need to check something in the kitchen," Tsubaki stated as she walked off, moving past Kajun.
"...oh dear," Kajun whispered in realization, "I see what's happening now."
"Hmmm?" Max raised a brow at that.
"Mai, remember when Makoto won that contest for that all you can eat chocolate in that one candy shop?"
"Yeah, wh…uh oh," Mai paled in realization.
"Magister, is there a code for getting someone pinned and put into a straightjacket for their own safety?" Kajun asked.
"Oh, that's Code 23-19," Max explained, "Wait...my Grandpa senses are tingling...what's going on?" he put his hands on his hips and gave both Mai and Kajun the 'Stare' that all parents have.
"Just a quick moment," Kajun noted before inhaling, "23-19! TSUBAKI YAYOI! 23-19!"
"Eh? What's going-KYAA!"
"Tsubaki goes a...um...a little crazy when there's a lot of chocolate," Mai explained, trying hard to ignore Tsubaki shouting and barking as Plumbers tackled her with a straightjacket on hand.
"I heard that! I do not go crazy over chocolate!"
"It's unhealthy!" Kajun and Mai argued.
"Kisaragi-senpai told you about your obsession, and yet you kept doing it!" Mai added.
"...And you're sure this is needed?" Max asked, "I mean this is Tsubaki…"
"Once Makoto won all she could eat chocolate," Kajun explained, "Tsubaki learned this and the entire academy city nearly flooded with chocolate sauce."
"Excuse me if I find this hard to believe given how things normally go with you girls…" Max sighed.
"Patting down the 23-19," a female Kinneceleran Plumber informed, momentarily becoming a blur before she now had a large platter of brownies, chocolates, and even a tub of chocolate ice cream, "This was all in just one pocket that was lined with a freezer attachment."
"...Control yourself, Tsubaki...con...trol yourself…" Tsubaki muttered, her eye twitching.
"Hey! Those are the Christmas brownies!"
"Well I'll be…" Max muttered, "I guess all you kids really are alike!" he laughed, "But...I can't really just allow her to get away with this sadly…if just for her own sanity..."
"Just be thankful Halloween passed," Mai and Kajun deadpanned.
"Alright, Tsubaki, I'm putting you in the isolation room to...well I guess detox. And after that, you are grounded, I guess," Max laughed.
"WHAT!?"
"Don't you fight me on this," Max argued, "Come on with you, to the isolation room." he ordered.
"HAH?!"
"...I feel like I'm missing something hilarious, but at the same time worried that Tsubaki is possibly relapsing on her chocolate obsession," Makoto said out loud.
"Tsubaki has a what?" Ben asked.
"Oh no...I really hope she didn't relapse," Noel whimpered before shivering, "I can still feel the white chocolate in the bathtub…"
"I...feel like I'm missing some context here," Ben sweatdropped, "I mean...Tsubaki Yayoi, as in Ms. Follow-everything-by-the-rulebook-and-being-prim proper...has a chocolate obsession?"
"Addiction is more accurate," Makoto sighed, "I thought it would be nothing. That she just loved chocolate a lot...but how wrong I was. I won this contest for all you can eat chocolate, and before I knew it...she was hunting me…" she shivered at the memory.
"It...It couldn't have been tha…" Ben began.
"The chocolate sauce flooded the school, Ben. The entire school that was made on a mountain!"
"...Um...For refere…" Rook began.
"From the maps of today, it's Mt. Everest that will become the academy city," Noel replied.
"...Okay, so hide the chocolate," Ben blanched, "And no one tell Tsubaki about the advent calendars with chocolate we bought."
"Done!" the girls said quickly.
"Also no Christmas Fudge," Ben added as he took out his phone, "Better tell mom incase she decides to drop something off...no chocolate…"
"Can do!" Noel nodded quickly.
"...By the way, how's Jenny going with teaching Robotboy about Christmas?"
"I believe she and him are looking at something called 'Christmas specials,'" Rook answered.
"Ahh...Well those should be good t-"
"AHH!" Robotboy and Jenny's voices screamed, causing the group to run in and see the duo hiding behind the couch.
"Why would they put that in a children's cartoon?!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Oh! What happened?" Noel asked, running over before looking at the screen, "EEK! What is that big thing with all the teeth?!"
"Oh, the Bumble," Ben noted.
"No! Not Bum-ble! Abominable Snow Monster!" Robotboy screamed as he prepared to transform.
"No no...no no…" Ben stopped him by grabbing him under his arms, "A: it's not real, B: just keep watching the movie; it gets better. If not, I literally have a dozen better movies," he sighed handing Robotboy over to Noel, "Noel, this has a romance plot in it."
"Romance?!" Noel gasped in glee.
"Yeah, I figure you'll enjoy that part," Ben smiled, "I mean, there are tons of Holiday romance movies. Mom says she has a channel that runs nothing but them during December."
"Which?" Noel asked.
"I'll tell you once you finish this movie," Ben replied.
"Mmm…" Noel pouted at that.
"Showing you guys these Christmas movies will sure help with context," Ben sighed, "I hope Grandpa thinks of this."
"I have to admit...That was a pretty cool song sung by those two," Mai noted.
"That's Rankin and Bass for you," Max chuckled, "Best claymation in my opinion."
"The Monster from that last movie was kinda scary." Mai spoke once more.
"Oh yeah. They do that," Max nodded.
"...I...no Kajun...Don't try and think about some of those…" Kajun muttered, slowly lowering her pen.
"Kajun you need to relax…" Max sighed, "This is Christmas, a time for you to be happy for all that you have and all the people in your life."
"I am, Magister," Kajun assured, "And I am attempting my best to not question these films."
"It helps I'm holding her calculation hand," Mai joked.
"Good call," Max smiled before looking over at a screen, "How's the detox?"
=LET ME OUT OF HERE!= multiple thuds went off.
=...I'll let zat be ze answer= a Merlinsapien in a doctor's coat and Plumbers' uniform deadpanned, standing by an iron door with the word 'DETOX' displayed on it in a holographic display.
=I DO NOT HAVE A CHOCOLATE ADDICTION!=
=Someone threw out a chocolate lava cake…=
=WHERE?! THEY MUST PAY~!=
=...Right…= the Metlinsapien rolled his three eyes.
"Sadly, this was what Kisaragi-sempai had to do, too," Mai cringed, "But with more her being stuck in a block of ice and her head exposed instead of a padded cell."
"...Okay, Tsubaki will need to be on duty the day I invite everyone to my RV at the RV Park for the annual Hot Chocolate Contest," Max muttered under his breath.
"The what?"
"Oh, it's where we make hot chocolate from all kinds of things and have people guess which is the normal hot chocolate mix and which has an extra ingredient or two," Max chuckled.
"Oh, that sounds nice," Mai smiled, "Too bad Tsubaki can never come."
"I know I'll invite the others," Max smiled, "Everyone but you know who and a few Plumbers who are allergic to chocolate. Now who's up for the next film?"
"Why shi-ny paper?" Robotboy asked, holding up a tube of wrapping paper.
"It's to hide what present you're giving to someone," Ben explained.
"Why hide?" he asked.
"So it's a surprise," Ben smiled, "That's part of the fun, Ro. You don't know what it is. You won't know if it's the thing you most wanted or not. It's a fun surprise as long as you wrap it right, otherwise you just cover it in paper and can tell exactly what it is."
"Sur-prise? Robot-boy love sur-prise!" Robotboy beamed, "Want to wrap pres-ent!"
"He's really starting to enjoy Christmas," Jenny noted with a giggle.
"It has that effect on kids," Ben chuckled
"I know my little sibs would," Makoto added with a chuckle...before a sad sigh escaped her lips.
"...you okay?"
"Yeah. Just...peachy…." Makoto sighed as she walked off.
"Missing her family?" Ben asked Noel.
"Yeah, Makoto and her family were really close," Noel nodded, "All this talk of family and coming together must be...hard."
"Guess that's my B…"
"No, it's mine as well," Jenny noted, "But I can relate." she walked off after her, "I'll go talk with her."
"...Hang on. I have an idea." Ben spoke up as he picked up Robotboy.
Makoto's ears perked as she heard the door creak open. She turned around on her bed and blinked as Robotboy's head peeked over her bed so only his eyes and upper portion of his head was visible.
"Makoto...okay?" he asked, tilting his head.
"...Kinda…" Makoto replied with a small smile, "Just...really miss my family."
"Robotboy feel sad for Makoto." he replied, his horns drooping slightly to emote as such, "But...why Robotboy feel sad though?"
"Ah well that's sympathy there, Ro," Ditto spoke, appearing next to him causing Makoto to jump a bit from not seeing him come in, "It means you're feeling what Makoto feels."
"Oh…"
"...I see what you're trying to do Ben, and I appreciate it. Just..." Makoto paused as she hugged her tail, "My family...I just really miss them. I mean...they must think I went MIA...or worse...or even worse, the NOL found out about me being a double agent and is trying to arrest them for being related to me...and even if they appeared here in the past, I don't even know where to look for them…I'm just..." she paused as she began to tear up, "I'm just really scared for them...I really want to see them again..."
Robotboy and Ditto shared frowns with one another.
"...Hey Makoto?"
"What…?" Makoto asked as she looked up.
"My my...it is as bad as you said," a third familiar voice spoke, "I suppose during this time of the year, everyone is concerned with family." the voice of their time walking friend went on, "It was good of you to use Clockwork to contact me, Ben."
"Gah!" Makoto yelped, nearly falling off her bed had Ditto not made duplicates to catch her.
"Hey, Professor!" Ditto Prime greeted.
"Ah! Where he come from?" Robotboy asked in surprise.
"No transforming," Ditto 2 warned, "He's a good man."
"Why hello there, Robotboy. This must be the first time we've ever met now, hasn't it?" Paradox smiled, "Have you been a good boy this year? If so, I know Santa will leave you a great present this Christmas. I should know,"
"Hakase!" Makoto gawked.
"Ah right right. I'm here to help you, Makoto my dear," he replied as she stood back up.
"Me?"
"Well of course, my dear. The moment Ben told me about how you must miss your family, well I dropped everything and rushed here to help you," he mused, "If you don't mind, my dear girl, I'd like to hurry a little...Pandimensional Demons are tricky to distract for more than a few decades."
"And guess who he left to distract those things?" Ditto 5 groaned.
"...Is that why you're Ditto?" Makoto asked.
"No. We went Ditto to try a cheer up with cuteness," Ditto 3 replied, "Your floor, Professor."
"Right then," he smiled, "Makoto, I'm afraid due to my own rules, I can't just woosh your family here before your very eyes." he sighed sadly, "But I can ease your worries ever so slightly," he held out a pocket watch, "Hold this and think of your family with all your heart...and it will transport us to the era in which they live." he smiled.
"?!" Makoto's eyes widened at that, "...a...are you serious?"
"While I love a good chortle now and again my dear, I would never lie to you about such an important thing like your family. Just consider me your ghost of Christmas...eh...Time." he chuckled.
"..." Makoto said nothing as she looked at the pocket watch, the tears dying down in her eyes a little as she thought it over. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she held the pocket watch tight, the thoughts of her family strong in her mind.
"...uh...nothing's happening," Prime Ditto spoke.
"Huh?" Makoto asked as she opened her eyes, "Professor?" she looked at him.
"Well two theories: either you consider these ragtag of loving hellians your family...or?" he mused, "Or maybe your family is literally...here, in this timeline." he winked.
"?!"
"And who knows...mayhaps the families of your friends could be here in this timeline as well," Paradox added with another wink of his eye only Makoto saw.
Makoto let the information sink in as she blurred forward and hugged the time walking friend of theirs.
"It's a Christmas miracle!" Prime Ditto cheered.
"Yay!" Robotboy cheered.
"Zzzz…"
"Five, wake up," Ditto Four hissed, "You are ruining a tender moment."
"He didn't drink the hard eggnog we brought if this didn't work, did he?" Three whispered.
"Oh man...this is gonna hurt so much…" Ditto 2 groaned.
"Zzzz…"
Ditto Prime facepalmed, "What a buncha mooks I've produced."
"Hahahaha!" Makoto laughed.
"Well I'm glad you're happy," Ditto Prime sighed, "I'm gonna have to deal with the headache all day…"
"Mmm…." Tsubaki mummered, a muzzle on her mouth as she walked beside Kajun and Mai.
"It was the only way Magister Tennyson would let you go," Mai sighed.
"Mmm…"
"Well least you don't look like Nezuko from Demon Slayer."
"Mm…"
"I know...just felt like something Makoto would say…" Mai admitted.
"MMM!"
"We can't take it off yet!" Mai complained.
"Mmmm…"
"No matter how much you glare, I can't!" Mai cried.
"Well, at least we're almost home," Kajun noted, "Hopefully things are...just as...we…"
"Kajun?" Mai pondered as she turned the corner and blinked twice, "Oh. That is a lot of colorful lights and Santas on the lawn...and roof...and on the windows...and hoo-boy that's a lot of different colored lights and shapes. And...and why is that one green, furry, and have his sleigh pulled by a dog with an antler tied to its head that I just wanna squeeze and cuddle and it's so cute?"
"Mmm…"
"Why are you immediately blaming Ben? It could've been Jenny for all we know," Mai argued, "Or even Robotboy. His creator could've taught him Christmas before he gave him to Noel for all we know. ...This is about your detox, isn't it?"
"MMMM!"
"Oh, girls! Welcome back!" Jenny beamed as she walked up to them, her pigtails reshaped to make a Santa hat on her head, "You sure missed out on a lot and-and-and what happened to Tsubaki?"
"Turns out, one of the new recruits learned how to make ramen noodles out of chocolate," Mai explained, "And did not think of cooking in a place that didn't have ventilation connected to the Detox chamber Tsubaki was in."
"You can't blame him for that. Blame the ones who designed the ventilation system," Kajun replied, "And Tsubaki lost her pay for the rest of the month due to the cleaning bill that followed what she did when she smelled the chocolate noodles."
"...Jumpin' jimminies," Jenny gawked.
"Mmm…"
"So she's confined to the house for two weeks," Mai shrugged.
"Oof. That sucks," Jenny cringed.
"Tsu-ba-ki did bad?" Robotboy asked, poking out from behind Jenny's legs.
"Yes, yes she did," Kajun replied.
Robotboy gasped, "Bad, Tsu-ba-ki! San-ta going to give coal now!"
"Mmmm~!" Tsubak whined at that, waterfall tears going down her cheeks.
"Let's just get her in," Mai sighed.
"Right," Jenny agreed as she picked up Tsubaki and carried her in under her arm.
"Have a good day?" Mai asked.
"Yep. Showed Rook, Noel, and Makoto a bit of Christmas stuff," Jenny shrugged, "You saw the decorations Robotboy and me did outside. And…" she paused as a blur went by her, shutting and locking the windows and doors, "Uh…"
"Alright, we're all here. I have locked every single thing in the house, including the fireplace. There is no probable way for anyone to be able to get inside while carrying anything!" Kajun declared.
"...Called it," Mai sighed, rolling her eyes and ignoring the mad cackle of Kajun.
"Hey, guys?" Kajun's cackle froze as she slowly turned her head to see Big Chill phasing through the fireplace wall...carrying several bags, "Why was the door locked? I had to go Big Chill to get the groceries inside."
"...I...buh...you...and the fireplace…blocked...and locked...and I was...and you were..."
"Oh, welcome back you th-why is Tsubaki tied up like she's going to a nuthouse?" Big Chill asked.
"Tsu-ba-ki getting coal from San-ta Claus for Christ-mas," Robotboy replied.
"..."
"...She went crazy with her chocolate obsession," Mai explained in a deadpanned.
"Mmmm…"
"I don't care what you call it; I'm saying what Dr. Shade told us you had," Mai replied.
"Mmm…"
"...Wow…"
"Yeah…" Mai slowly nodded, "...Where are Makoto and Noel?"
"I think I left Noel in the...kitchen…" Jenny slowly replied, "...excuse me," she handed Tsubaki over to Big Chill as she rushed into the Kitchen, "Noel wait! The figgy pudding sh-HOW?!"
"Hmm?"
"Y...you just put a strawberry on it and it got censored! Wait...what even is that?"
"What do you mean? This is regular pudding."
"...While she does that, I guess I'll take Tsubaki to her room to think about what she's done?" Big Chill offered.
"We need to check it thoroughly for chocolate first," Mai noted.
"Mmm…"
"We don't want another chocolate flood incident!"
"Mmm…"
"Oh don't try and drag Makoto into this. She…"
"She and Noel already told us about you flooding your academy with chocolate sauce when Makoto got that all you can eat chocolate thing," Big Chill informed.
"Mmm…"
"Okay...I'll just put her on the couch," Big Chill sighed, "Then we'll search her room thoroughly for chocolate and get rid of it."
"MMMM!?"
""Behave...you're supposed to be the mature one," Big Chill argued.
"Mmm…"
"Makoto would def-"
"Hey guys!" Makoto beamed as she hopped not the room, dressed in a red top with white puffs on the hem with a matching skirt, a pair of thigh-high socks both in green and red, and a par of red shoes, "Happy holi…" she paused when she saw Tsubaki, "...called it kinda...but still, happy holidays gals!"
"Mmm?!"
"What...exactly did we miss?" Kajun asked with a raised brow.
"What? A gal can't get into the holiday spirit?" Makoto asked with a smirk.
"Well, you missed mine and Jenny's explanation, a stop to a Black Friday Mall Riot that could've had bloodshed from gunshots, trying Eggnog, stopping Noel from making Eggnog, teaching them how to make a string of popcorn, going to a Hallmark…" Big Chill listed, "Need I go on or can I ask how did things go with Grandpa outside of Tsubaki's addiction?"
"Kajun trying to find the logic in Christmas?" Mai countered with her own question.
"You know Santa's not real, right?" Big Chill spoke as he covered Robotboy's horns with pillows, leaving him blissfully unaware of what he said.
"Magister Tennyson said that to us, repeatedly to Kajun," Mai replied, "But Kajun has issues with things not fitting logic...that explains why everything was locked."
"She locked...yeah. That sounds like her alright…" Makoto muttered.
"I got to try out this decorating machine gun Blukic and Driba made. It was so fun," Mai giggled.
"A decor-ahh~! Lucky~!" Makoto whined a bit at that.
"Don't worry. Given the Plumber HQ, someone's gonna burn down the first tree and Grandpa is gonna drag a team to get another perfect tree." Big Chill sighed, changing back, "Oh, I can meet the bear I wrestle every year when we find the perfect tree."
"Huh...cool," Makoto noted.
"We have a complicated Christmas since making aliens part of day to day life," Ben smiled, "But what Christmas isn't really?"
"Heh...when my family learns of it, it would probably get real complicated," Makoto quipped, "Dad trying to sneak some of mom's pies, Mekoto trying to sneak a peek at the gifts, the twins catching him in the act, Mikoto helping mom in the kitchen making so many nut themed recipes...heh heh...and then there's my second family...you guys."
"Aw~Thanks, Makoto," Jenny thanked.
"No prob, and I mean it too," Makoto added as she looked at everyone, "Ever since meeting Noel and the others, along with coming here to the past...you guys have become a second family to me...and I wouldn't trade this, and all the moments we've shared together for anything in the world."
"Oh, that's so sweet~!" Noel squeed, "I feel exactly the same way, Makoto!"
"Same!" Jenny added, "I mean...when I first woke up, I was afraid I wouldn't fit into this world..and yet you all helped me out with that and then some!"
"Aww…" Mai smiled at that.
"...D'oh~! Group hug!" Makoto declared as she pulled everyone into a tight hug.
"Sneaking…" Ben whispered as he and Rook tried to sneak off only to be caught and dragged into the hug, "And we're hugging!"
"Gh! Tight…" Rook grunted, "Very tight!"
"We have two robots and a Makoto...Of course it's tight," Mai grunted.
"Mmm…"
"How did you get out of the straight jacket?" Kajun questioned.
"Mmm…"
"...nevermind. I...I give up on logic for today…"
"That's the spirit," Ben smiled before flashing into Fourarms and grabbing everyone in his numerous arms, "That's the holiday spirit."
GT: Well, this was a doozy thanks to scheduling conflicts.
Z0: *sleeping in a hammock as Christmas music plays* I'm on vacation to regain all the energy I've expended over the year, *body glows at it absorbs residual holiday cheer to recharge*
SZ: Ahh...but yeah. We got another holiday chapter done in time for..well the holidays!
Z0: Merry Christmas...or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year if ya don't celebrate Christmas.
SZ: Be sure to read and review guys and gals!
GT: Happy Holidays!